Merciless Saviors is the second book in H.E. Edgmon Ouroboros duology following Godly Heathens.

The explosive cliffhanger of the first book had me absolutely desperate to see what happened next, and author H.E. Edgmon did not disappoint! We get to learn more about the Ether, a somewhat parallel universe where Gem, Rory, and Enzo’s godly forms ruled before they fled to earth.

Tensions rise as more is revealed about the circumstances that led up to Gem and their companions leaving the ether. New alliances form, old bonds are severed, and Gem is faced with extremely difficult choices.

I absolutely loved the romance between Gem, Rory, and Enzo. All three of them are strikingly different but complement each other in a way that was empowering and comforting to read.

Seeing Gem come face to face with their actions, tangled in guilt and half-remembered trauma, was healing in its own way. The ending made me feel seen and appreciated in a way I had not expected, and haven’t encountered in any other novel. This story is a reminder that love of friends, family, and romantic partners can help us heal from and cope with horrors experienced in childhood.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys unconventional mythology stories, unapologetic queer representation, and themes of self-forgiveness and acceptance.

Everyone knows I absolutely loved Godly Heathens. Merciless Saviors went above my high expectations. I love everything about these books. The covers are stunning. The story is original and queer. I love to see so much representation in the books I’m reading. It’s so important for humans to have access to stories that are safe and familiar.

I could rave on H.E. Edgmon for hours for their inclusivity. However, I will not be doing that at this time. If you’re looking for nonbinary rep in a MAIN character - this series is for you.

Godly Heathens set my expectations ridiculously, impossibly high for Merciless Saviors - and, even still, I was blown away by this sequel. The characters and their relationships and worlds gained even more depth, with a deft balance of humor and violence. Edgmon is writing the chaotic trans rep we desperately need in the book world.

Usually I'm stressed when I'm late on ARCs but the fact that I didn't read Godly Heathens until recently meant I could immediately devour up Merciless Saviors pretty close to when I finished! While I wonder if it was intended to be a duology at first or a long boi split into two, here we have two books of one story and I was eating it up.

There were a few more parts that dragged in this one than the first (the RV journey...) but a lot was quick enough, with layers that got you thinking and wondering about the could bes and might have beens and is it..?s and I feel like I haven't had a book that set my brain on fire like these in a while! There were things hinted about in Godly Heathens that came to full light, both sort of vaguely and then flayed open (not unlike some of our gods here) with these teens who have lived over and over for a thousand years on earth and countless prior in the Ether being forced to come to terms with maybe they have returned to the Ether, but maybe their time on Earth didn't leave them unaffected in the least. Loved that. I think I've read enough stories where it's like, "AND AFTER A THOUSAND YEARS I AM THE SAME PERSON..."

I understand some of the issues some of the other readers had (some of them... some are very much reaches) but they weren't things that either bothered me in light of what I did love and I'm a vibes-rater who ate quite well here.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for review!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC of Merciless Saviors in exchange for my honest review!

As someone who was very much enthralled by Godly Heathens, the previous book in H.E. Edgmon's duology, I wish this sequel could have been just as good, but it's still a generally worthwhile read. It returns me to Gem, to Enzo, to Rory, to all the interesting characters who inhabit this dauntingly mythological landscape. The authentically vulnerable, brutal, and touching ways in which it unpacks its characters' trauma is admirable, and it's an element that had been present in Godly Heathens as well. Same goes for the morally gray scale that the characters live by, that nimbly turns them into realistic individuals who aren't all good or all bad. The fleshed-out queer rep continues to be a superb element, too. However, the pacing does feel clumsy sometimes, particularly around the middle of the plot, and it's capable of putting me in a restless state. It doesn't help that there are points where the book shifts between different POVs, jarring me somewhat and making me wish we could stick with Gem's perspective.

Overall, I'm officially rating Merciless Saviors 3.5 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding down to 3 stars. I'll continue to be interested in more of Edgmon's writing.

unfortunately I don’t enjoy this as much as I did the first book, and I didn’t finish after getting over half way through. The plot didn’t captivate me and I was left feeling confused

Though I liked the first book, unfortunately this one was not for me. The concept is amazing and the side characters were interesting enough to make me stay and not DNF, but I could not take Gem. In this sequel, they become a bully. I could not take the excuses of them saying lack of impulse control, doing something mean because they COULD, bullying someone because it brought them joy, and then becoming a victim when a situation didn’t go as planned. It made the whole story not fun for me.

Now this is just my opinion. This book does have an interesting idea and should be considered if you are interested.

This was a solid second book to the series, I did get a little lost in the middle but eventurlly was able to get back on track.

This was a very satisfying conclusion to this duology. The character development of the characters from books 1 and the new characters introduced was well done. You could feel the tension as the story moved forward. This books (and the duology) left me with a lot of feelings that I am still considering (in a good way).

I like the world and the ideas in this series. Unfortunately, this installment was a bit more difficult to follow for me, especially all the multiple names for the same characters. I always find that pretty hard to follow. I enjoyed reading book 1 a lot more because there were more drama focused interactions between the characters. A lot of this book is spent being very in Gem's head, which would be fine, but it was a little triggering with how much self-loathing this character deals with and how much they feel they don't deserve things. It's a bit overwhelming. I do appreciate the time the author takes to prove this character's feelings wrong. I think we got a pretty nicely rounded ending to the story overall. Definitely check the content/trigger warnings included by the author before you read. Things did get quite graphic at different points.

Holding my public review in solidarity for the SMP boycott. Please, please let the company know that I'd LOVE to talk about your books but I want to support readers of color.

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This is a gripping and intricately woven conclusion to the intense duology. Gem and his godly friends find themselves thrust into a world of chaos and uncertainty at the end of the first book. It is such a stellar duology and I liked this one even more than the first.

Edgmon masterfully navigates the complexities of these characters, who are not only grappling with their newfound powers and pasts but also with their own human traumatic experiences. Gem, Rory, and Enzo's journey is one of self-discovery and evolution, as they search for a way to restore balance to a world in which their powers are thrown into disarray. The dynamics between the characters are rich and nuanced, particularly Shade/Enzo, whose complexities are my favorite among these amazing characters. The romance between the three leads continues to blossom amidst the chaos, offering a tender and heartfelt counterbalance to the darkness surrounding them.

At its core, "Merciless Saviors" is a story about change and sacrifice, as the characters confront difficult choices and grapple with the consequences of their actions - both now and in their pasts. Edgmon deftly explores themes of identity and humanity. Which is strange since it's about a bunch of gods, but it just WORKS in a way that I didn't expect.

The novel is not without its challenges, delving into unsettling topics with unflinching honesty and a ton of body horror. However, it is precisely this willingness to confront difficult themes that makes "Merciless Saviors" a powerful and thought-provoking read.

This is a worthy conclusion to the duology, showcasing Edgmon's talent for crafting compelling characters and immersive storytelling. Highly recommended for those who appreciate dark fantasy with depth and heart.

I found Merciless Saviors to be a solid ending to Gem's story. Exploring the Ether was fascinaiting (screamo Taylor Swift), every character got their time to shine, and the overall conceit of the series became a lot clearer. The line between dissociation and magic is very blurry in this story, which I believe is one of it's strengths. The world that Gem built in the wake of their CSA, in which no one could ever harm them because they were the most powerful thing, is one that many teen readers will likely relate to. The portrayals of love and kindess and the healing power of connection without obligation or exception are breathtaking.

Gem Echols is in shock. They just murdered someone. But they deserved it! Zephyr kidnapped their parents. Now, Gem is starting to feel the effect for ending the life of the God of Air. Gem is the magician, the God of the scales, and now the scales have tipped. All of the god’s powers are running amuck. It’s now up to Gem, Rory, and Enzo to right the world. But can they do it before they are torn apart?

This book was not what I wanted it to be in a sequel. The timeline jumps around everywhere. The names of the characters are used so interchangeably that I can’t tell what’s going on. I love the artwork on the cover. I really wanted to love it but I didn’t. Maybe I’ll give it another try in the future but I’m truly disappointed in the way this book went. 2/5 stars.

I will not be reviewing this title due to the boycott of St. Martins Press and its imprints. More information at @readersforaccountability on Instagram

In Godly Heathens, we meet Gem Echols, a nonbinary Seminole teen living in a tiny town in Georgia who uses charm to disguise their deep anxiety and sense of not belonging. In their dreams, Gem Echols is also the reincarnation of an ageless deity who has committed unforgivable sins. When other reincarnated gods start popping up around town, Gem’s two worlds collide.

To quote Rebecca’s Roanhorse’s stellar review because she said it best:
"I do think that if I had read this as a teen, it would have become my favorite book hands down, the kind that changes your reading life, and maybe your larger life because you finally feel seen. The kind you force into your friends' hands and shout, 'Read this now!'. The kind where you fall in love with every character who is messy and sexy and terrible in their own way. But, alas, I am an old, so my enthusiasm is a bit dampened. That's not to say I didn't very much enjoy the book. The world-building is fun and creative, the twists are generally satisfying, and it is super queer in the best way. I have a few quibbles about length and structure and story logic, but I don't think they'll matter that much to the average teen reader who will find plenty to love."

I adored Godly Heathens. As I mention in my review, it has some of the most engrossing first chapters I’ve read in recent memory; the book is dark, compelling, sexy, and brilliant. However, it’s not a perfect book– as Roanhorse points out, there are issues with pacing and structure.

Unfortunately, these issues are magnified in the second book. There’s a potentially powerful core here about trauma and protecting loved ones, but it’s mired in a seemingly nonsensical road trip, power creep, minimal world building, and some seriously jump-the-shark moments.

This one was definitely different than the first book, Godly Heathens. There were more horror and violent elements in this one, so I definitely appreciated the trigger warnings!
This was much more intense than I was expecting but I still loved it so much. Being able to see things from Gem’s unique perspective (especially with all of their past lives/experiences) was so interesting to see.
It was maybe a little difficult to keep track of who was who, especially at first; I think a brief recap would have been a great thing to have a little bit sooner in the beginning (I’m not going to lie, I forgot who was who from the first book!)
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read!

Loved being back with Gem in this book's world. It's so messy and complex in a way YA isn't often allowed to be. However, it very much felt like the middle book in a trilogy, with events happening but nothing really moving forward.

I really enjoyed the conclusion to the Ouroborous duology. Merciless Saviors had much stronger horror elements in it as well as violence/gore, so definitely check the trigger warnings. I didn’t like this one as much as the first mainly for that reason. I’m also so glad I went back and re-read Godly Heathens to get me reintroduced to all of the characters. 4.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Did you want more of the first book’s incoherent action scenes? Do you want to read some gratuitous sexual violence against children? Do you love the it was all a dream and the revenge thriller tropes?

Another for the do not read list.

Pre-reading:
I don’t particularly want to pick this book up after I disliked the first one. This series got so many beautiful special editions though.

Thick of it:
OK, assumptions going into this. Willa is going to be evil, and something’s gonna happen with the god of love, and like maybe all the gods will come back to life. (All dead wrong.)

Oh, now they’re saying that one of the grandparents was clutching one of Rory‘s tampons. I’m so confused. Why are we doing this with the tampons?

Why on earth would you reward a would-be rapist with another child for them to abuse?

I don’t think forcing another woman to carry a pregnancy that’s going to kill her or make her upset is the solution. This is upsetting to read.

That makes no sense. He’s seen your trauma so he owes you his? That’s bullshit.

I would dnf this book right here. I am tired. I don’t wanna read more rape.

This book’s format is changing. I have no idea what’s going on. I’m so annoyed.

There's so much rape in here, and I hate it.

This is literally so much rape. I’m very upset.

Oh my god, and they’re killing the dog. What is this?

Things I don’t like: the fact that this book has been all rape, but now there’s underage children having a threesome. I don’t like it here.

I'm bored.

I don't know who the intended audience for this book is. Because it feels firmly YA but w/ how much rape and how graphic it is…like that's not for kids.

I'm getting more and more annoyed with this.

I know they're ageless gods now, but if you put in that little aside of lol they're also still high schoolers it feels icky to read about!

Also, what's with the media causes transness nonsense? The fuck is a line like that doing in a book like this?

I mean Apollo’s a massive rapist so maybe don’t liken your love interest to him?

I know the book is trying to be quirky and do memory flashbacks, but it’s just coming across very disorganized.

I just- there’s no logic to this book. Everything‘s a rule until it’s inconvenient for the plot, and then it just doesn’t matter anymore, so nothing feels like it has any stakes.

Again, all these books can try and teach me that immortality is bad, but my Capricorn ass does not believe them.

This book did not just pull the it was all a dream card. You made up murderous imaginary friends because you’re a traumatized child. Be so for real.

You know it really rubs me the wrong way that this book basically tells us that the Shade was born from Gem’s trauma, so essentially the message is to sexualize your trauma and everything will be OK. That’s so yucky.

Cool motive, still murder.

Yep, don’t like the messaging. Don’t know who the intended audience is. Going on my do not read list.

Post-reading:
I think I knew I wouldn’t like this going into it, but I had hoped that it would dig itself out of the hole that the first book set it up for.

It did not. It dug itself so much deeper.

This book gives you trigger warnings, which I appreciate given the scope of the content, but then I’m very confused who the intended audience for this book is. It reads like a YA. The characters are in high school. They do not have mature voices or perspectives. The amount of sexual abuse of children that’s on page is gross. It has revenge thriller fantasies that are unproductive and harmful to indulge. If you’re traumatized by rape, the solution isn’t to go and rape someone else.

I don’t want to read about highschoolers sex lives. I just don’t. It’s weird to me that you would point out that they’re ageless gods, so they can have sex now and have it be kosher, but then put in a little aside that mentally they’re still high schoolers. I just think you can write about underage relationships, even if there’s a sexual component to them, without trying to make them sexy.

I also have a big big issue with the book’s idea that the Shade character was born out of the main character’s trauma. Because then we’re essentially told the trauma loves the main character, and then the main character sexualizes their trauma, and that’s how they heal. That’s deeply fucked. I don’t think that’s the message that the author was trying to send. I do think it inadvertently comes across that way. I think it needs to be rewritten to not come across that way.

The sequel suffers from the same flawed logic regarding the magic system. It’s impossible to keep up with. The audience is told a rule in one chapter, only for the next chapter to immediately break that rule. That negates any of the stakes of the book. The explanation is always just because magic. It’s cheap. It’s lazy. So many of the action scenes end in stalemates or they work through the issues within the fight itself so there’s no need to even include them. They’re unproductive. It seems like they’re just in there for visuals and vibes and then they’re not crafted well enough for the audience to visualize what’s happening.

The only saving grace that the first book had was that it had something interesting to say about morally gray characters. This book abandons that. Everyone’s getting a redemption arc. It’s not mental illness. It’s just magic. And then to end your book essentially by saying that it was all a dream, it was all made up-I don’t think it’s possible for me to be on board with that kind of ending. It feels pointless. It feels like I just wasted all my time reading then.

For a book that is clearly attempting to champion diversity and queerness and mental health, there are some upsetting lines and mentalities present. There’s a particular line about media causing a character’s transness that has stuck with me. I think it was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but it’s never properly addressed that that was a joke and that the character doesn’t actually feel that way.

I got nothing from this. I think because of the gruesomeness of the content it’s not appropriate for the intended audience, and I won’t be recommending it to anyone.

Who should read this:
No one
Compulsive finishers who need series closure

Do I want to reread this:
Nope.

Similar books:
* Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker-YA virtue signaling diversity, ensemble cast, urban fantasy
* The Night Hunt by Alexandra Christo-YA fantasy romance, Greek gods inspired
* Masters of Death by Olivie Blake-ensemble cast, gods and creatures vs each other, urban fantasy romance
* Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones-ensemble cast, YA fantasy romance, fairytale retelling, reborn gods
* Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah-YA Midwest gothic, magical realism, ensemble cast
* This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham-cringe YA dystopian horror, virtue signaling

This was a solid sequel to the first book, and I really liked the ending. It's not one I would have predicted, but it made me smile. I also though the author did a great job of helping us process through the trauma and pain experienced not only by Gem/Magician, but also by some of the other characters. It was a difficult read at times, but you could absolutely feel Gem's pain. My favorite character was Rory, both in the first book and in this one, and I was captivated by the journey the three of them, Gem, Rory, and Enzo, take to develop the healthy relationship they have by the end.

The other thing that I liked and which I would have liked more of, was finding out more about their grandmother's culture and heritage. But I was glad to see them wanting to reconnect with that heritage. The epilogue left me wanting more, but it also gave Gem and the readers closure over some of their past trauma. While this ending was very satisfying, it makes me want a sequel series, maybe concentrating on some of the other characters, like maybe Murphy.

Where the book fell short for me was that I often got confused by whether we were reading about a memory or some that was happening at that time. While the writing itself was really good, I felt like a good editor could have made things clearer in terms of what was happening in the context of the bigger story. Many times, I found myself flipping back and trying to figure out if I had missed something. I couldn't always figure out if it was a memory, dream, or a little bit of both.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, but I found myself confused more often than not. But getting to the end was worth it, so I'm glad I read it. I look forward to seeing where this author will go in the future.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.