3.5 stars

I'm not sure how to talk about this book without spoiling the first in the series, but I can say this is a great continuation of the events that transpired in the first one. The characters are as morally grey and conflicted as ever, each one ready to stab another in the back. This series is definitely not for the faint of heart; we have some truly gory events take place, and the descriptions leave nothing to the imagination. I can't wait to see how these characters' stories all wrap up.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

Why so long? I'm still trying to understand, because almost I was at 50% of this book and there's no action, just narration and boring dialogues.

“A book filled with razor sharp teeth, drenched in blood, and monsters you’ve never dreamed of.”
Cecelia Beckman, Sheaf and Ink

The Story
Nadya Lapteva, Serefin Meleski, and Malachiasz Czechowicz are all dealing with the aftermath of their choices in the Black Vultures Cathedral. Nadya has lost her powers and her connection to the gods, Serefin is grappling with the voice inside his head and the fact that he is now king, and Malachiasz is scheming to take on setting his next piece in his grand puzzle.

But even as these characters deal with their inner failings and grow further apart, their fates are ultimately intertwined, stitched together with blood and a dark magic, a magic they don’t fully understand.

A prophecy is made, the girl, the prince, and the monster will each play a part, one that will either cost them their lives or the destruction of the world as they know it.

My Thoughts
Second novels are a rare beast. They take authors to another level because of expectations set by the original book: to push the story further, revealing new deceptions, plot twists, while maintaining a strong and fast pace, and also continuing to expand their world building and the depth of their characters.

After reading Wicked Saints I was ready for the next novel to sink its iron claws deep and take me on another mesmerizing journey that was equally as fast paced and intriguing as the first novel. I wanted the dark fairy tale, with a searing romance to keep pulling me under so that I wouldn’t want to ever come up for air.

But, in Ruthless Gods, I had a few concerns. What first stood out was the slow pace. I understood these characters had been through a lot. They kind of needed a break. Although, after three chapters in, with no major action happening, the characters and the story started to feel stagnant. I almost wished the book had started when the characters left Tranavia if only to get things moving.

The other concern I had was how disconnected the characters were with their objective. In Wicked Saints everyone knew what they were doing, it was clear to them as it was to the reader. In Ruthless Gods though the characters have no idea (at least Nadya and Serefin) what to do or what is expected of them until the end.

There is the prophecy that is referred to in Wicked Saints and is mentioned again in Ruthless Gods, but it’s vague in what’s supposed to be accomplished. I know prophecy's don't always make sense and they are obscure so that the characters can figure it out on their own, but it felt unmoored from the story Duncan had created in the first novel. And perhaps that was intentional, but it ultimately left me confused as to what was going to be attained in the end.

I absolutely loved the relationship between Nadya and Malachiascz that Duncan created in Wicked Saints. It’s not often the leading character falls for the monster. And even though the back and forth between these two in Ruthless Gods is a constant love and hate throughout the novel, it would have been more enticing and delicious if these two had been a tad bit more honest with each other and had a more seductively intimate moment thereafter.

Ruthless Gods does not disappoint in the plot reveals and twist or its ending. The last few chapters are where things really pick up and the stage is splattered in blood. The monsters are grotesque, the gods vengeful, and you’ll be sitting on the edge of your seat, quickly turning each page, wondering who exactly is going to make it to the very end.

Happy Reading Cece

<i> ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review. All quotes are subject to change upon final publication </i>

I know many authors whose delivery fails as part of the second novel curse. That is not Emily Duncan. Just when you think she cannot top the gore, deception, and plot twists, she proves you wrong. I tried so hard to guess how the events would transpire, to guess the direction of the plot, but every time I guessed something, I was completely wrong. Let me continue by warning, if you are not one for gore, eyeballs, and perhaps the occasional gouging out eyes, you will be very uncomfortable reading this.

Nadya and Serefin continue their journey to end the war between Tranavia and Kalyazin, both of course with their own intentions, along with your beloved sassy duo Ostyia and Kacper, and Parijahan and Rashid. They set out on a journey to help Serefin end the war and regain control of his rebelling council. They initially try to find Zoya who was last seen with the Vultures at the end of Wicked Saints, only for Nadya to come face to face with the Black Vulture, Malachiasz. But as we saw at the end of Wicked Saints, he is far from the same man we fell in love with. He is tainted by the immense power he has gathered, lacking coherency it would seem, and perhaps chaos given form. She might be able to save him, bring him back to who he once was, but at what cost? Can he overcome the need for god-like power? He joins her on her journey to find her lost connection with her gods, but if you've learned anything from Wicked Saints, it's that he always has a plan, and it more than likely with result in a betrayal of Nadya. What I also loved was the inner turmoil Nadya faces. She has been raised within a monestary believing only the magic of the gods is proper, all blood magic is heretical. But she also has this inner power within herself that Malachiasz is trying to help her see before it poisons her (the scar on her hand from Wicked Saints). She slowly starts to have faith in her own strength. I honestly think this power will play a larger role in the next book because there was so much hinted but left out.

Along the journey, Serefin is consistently entrapped within an inner turmoil that takes over his own coherency with present time. He has been what seems like possessed by a lost god(s) after returning to life in Wicked Saints. The lost god takes not only his sanity with every chapter, but it would seem his eyesight as well (hint: this plays a huge significance into the story's future and also is the source of all disturbances in the eye gore department). But even amongst the pain and suffering he endures, he does get a small sliver of happiness: Kacper! I totally shipped these two before even Serefin knew there were feelings there. And Emily grants us just this small piece of happiness, before she destroys our own sanity.

We are also introduced to a new character, the tsarevna of Kalyazin, Katya. She is a bit of a rebellious bad ass who dabbles in the magic found form communing with the Kalyazi saints and eating some shrooms....but holy hells, if I don't get some Kostyia (yes I shipped them) in the third book, I will lose my mind. Katya wants the war to end, and of course for Kalyazin to be the victorious one. But she also has plans to kill the Black Vulture, which Serefin agrees to help her achieve.

This is a much longer read than Wicked Saints, I felt, but it is also completely worth it. There are many times where it might feel long and dragged out, but every inch of the story is essential to <i>try</i> to pick up on the deception and betrayal that is occurring every instant. The characters are given so much more depth. And so often I found myself holding my breath. Overall, worth every star it has earned. I can't say anything bad. I was driven insane by the twists and turns and deception but not in a bad way. I feel like as we read this we are losing a bit of our own sanity beside the characters.

What a sequel!

Ruthless Gods surpasses the expectation I had for this series. It is more character-driven and the development of the story was exhilarating and lushly dark. The turnout events and the plot was well developed towards the goas of the story.

It was ruthless. It was dark. Duncan set the series to its heightening moments wherein it was more interesting than Wicked Saints. After reading Wicked Saints, you thought that this would be against Nadya and the monsters of the Black Vulture, but I never expected that it was bigger than we thought the plot is.

Nadya, Serefin, and Malachiaz's story was astounding. I love the growth of these characters.

Expect that the next sequel was gorier, bloodier, and more explosive.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday books for letting me read Ruthless Gods early! When I put in my request for it, I thought there was no way I’d be approved to review it, but pretty soon after I submitted it, there it was, sitting on my NetGalley shelf! Wicked Saints was one of my favorite books of 2019, so I was super excited to read Ruthless Gods this year, and it definitely didn’t disappoint! Ruthless Gods comes out on April 7th, so make sure you grab a copy then!

Ruthless Gods 4/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads: Nadya doesn’t trust her magic anymore. Serefin is fighting off a voice in his head that doesn’t belong to him. Malachiasz is at war with who--and what--he’s become.

As their group is continually torn apart, the girl, the prince, and the monster find their fates irrevocably intertwined. They’re pieces on a board, being orchestrated by someone… or something. The voices that Serefin hears in the darkness, the ones that Nadya believes are her gods, the ones that Malachiasz is desperate to meet—those voices want a stake in the world, and they refuse to stay quiet any longer.

In her dramatic follow-up to Wicked Saints, the first book in her Something Dark and Holy trilogy, Emily A. Duncan paints a Gothic, icy world where shadows whisper, and no one is who they seem, with a shocking ending that will leave you breathless.

I really liked all of the different points of views we got here- like we had our Serefin chapters, we had our Nadya chapters, and we had our Malachiasz chapters, but we also had some Parijhan chapters and we had some Kascper chapters and some other characters who I won’t spoil (but so good)! So much happened in this book- and the pacing throughout the book was great too! I never felt as though there was a lull or I was bored or anything like that. There were so many twists and turns and every time I thought I knew when the betrayals were done BAM! Back to betraying! I can’t wait to see where Emily A Duncan takes things in book three, because let’s be real, things are going to get even more twisted and it’s going to be amazing!

“Ruthless Gods” by Emily Duncan is the exact reason why I have sworn a vow not to read unfinished YA series. I just can’t handle not knowing how this story will be resolved. I have so many questions still left unanswered, and that ending left me confused and terrified and...hopeful?

Book two of the Something Dark and Holy Series picks up a few months after the events of book one. Nadya is moping around Tranavia, mourning the loss of her gods and Malachiasz. Serefin is dealing with the inner workings of his court as the new king of Tranavia. Malachiasz is only gods know where, doing only gods know what. As the characters set off on three separate, but intertwined quests, Duncan takes the threads of the major conflict that has been building since the beginning of the series and expands them to become more complicated, raising the stakes even higher.

This book had some of the typical book two feelings — the pacing is a bit slower as the reader must learn more information, and as characters must grow and learn for themselves. As a result, the first half of the book dragged for me, which is mostly understandable. What I didn’t love was the last half of the book was too fast. There were even moments I had to reread because events went by too quickly, and I wasn’t sure what occurred. The system of magic she has created can read convoluted at times (especially since three main characters all play different parts in it), and much of the information we get about it occurs through prophetic ramblings of various gods and monsters. The relationship between Nadya and Malachiasz, which in book one felt like a guilty pleasure, has now turned into what I can only call an abusive relationship. In book two, I felt mostly ashamed for shipping their love. Maybe that’s the point? But at the end, I’m still totally into this coupling, even though it feels incredibly wrong to feel this way.

The most enjoyable part about the book for me was not Nadya and Malachiasz, as it was in the previous, but rather Serefin and the characters he engages with in his own journey. Serefin’s character is much more interesting away from court and his father, and I find myself loving his wit and wry humor. We also meet another character in Kalyazin who reads similarly who was equally as enjoyable. And as in book one, you will doubt every second of every word spoken by some of the characters. You will think you know what someone’s motivation is. But you will be woefully wrong. And this time, it hurts a lot more.

5 out of 5 stars

EMILY!!! What have you done? You have completely destroyed me!!! You guys, Ruthless Gods will leave you on the floor, sobbing and asking for more.

Second books are hard to write, especially in YA fantasy. A lot did not happen in the first 60% of the story, besides characters interacting and very little backstory. The romance really killed it in this and really made want to put down the book. This book also felt like a filler book, a bridge to get from the first book to the last, without providing anything relevant. Sadly, nothing important really happens until the last quarter of the book.

“Did you expect to return and find everything exactly like it was before you burned it to the ground? There are only ever ashes after a fire, Malachiasz, and I’ll have you at my feet yet.”

Nadya has stopped hearing the voices of her gods. Serefin is struggling to ignore the voice he’s hearing in his head. And both are dealing with the effects of Malachiasz’s betrayal and the death of the King of Tranavia. In search of answers, Nadya and Serefin make the most of unusual alliances between themselves and with others. But these alliances can only end with betrayal. Betrayal that will cut to the bone.

Wicked Saints, the first book in this series, was a bit much for me. For most of the novel, I was confused and frustrated for being confused. I felt that way in the beginning of Ruthless Gods. Of course, I couldn’t remember much of Wicked Saints (and looking up a recap proved to be ultimately fruitless) but I’d hoped there would be helpful recalls in the first few chapters, and yet there weren’t many. But by the middle, I didn’t feel as confused, and I found myself caring a bit more for our characters in a way I hadn’t in the first book.

The conversations between Nadya and Malachiasz were excellently crafted. The tension and desire mingling with the knowledge that betrayal was in their future made for an interesting dynamic. For their relationship alone I wanted to keep reading. The world building is vast and expansive, but it almost feels like too much? Which is something I never thought I’d say. It overwhelms the plot with words that aren’t contextualized and gods or characters that are mentioned here and there but don’t play a role in the story. But that didn’t bother me much.

However, Ruthless Gods felt unnecessarily long. The wordy descriptions and lengthy streams of consciousness interrupted the action. I am a firm believer in strong declarations and moments from characters, but it became overwhelming. Oftentimes, it would pull me out of the action and out of the story altogether. Nadya was constantly declaring something about her faith or the ultimate betrayal she would be committing. And the descriptions of blood and gore and eyeballs, Good Lord, Duncan loves eyeballs (which is kinda cool actually, because it’s not something often seen in YA).

Mainly the best parts of Wicked Saints and Ruthless Gods are the characters. These books are character-driven for me, with the plot moving slow and realizations and epiphanies being internal. The climax of the story took up less than 15% of the ending, which isn’t a bad thing, but is unusual for a fantasy series of this caliber.

Overall, I read this book for the relationship between Nadya and Malachiasz. And I’ll read the next one for the relationship between Nadya and Malachiasz. And I’ll probably be confused for the first half again, but what can you do?

Ruthless Gods by Emily A. Duncan is set to release on April 7th, 2020.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review.

Content Warnings: blood, gore, murder. From the author: pages 513 and 514 have massive eye trauma and can be skipped completely with the details being explained less graphically in the next chapter.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance. The following review is my honest opinion of this book. This book met with and possibly exceeded my expectations after what happened in the first book. It caught my attention in a way that many books have not been able to and I am excited to learn what happens next.

After the ending of Wicked Saints, I was beyond excited to pick up Ruthless Gods. To be honest, I was debating whether or not to re-read the first installment, because even though I really enjoyed it back when I read it last year, I didn’t remember much about what happened, but I ended up deciding to pick Ruthless Gods instead. And I must admit, that it took me a while to get into it.

First I want to say that I consider that Ruthless Gods had the second book syndrome. I feel not much happened in the first 60% of the story, other than interactions between the characters and a little bit of back story of certain things that happened during this past time. And I was also expecting a little recap at the very beginning of the book, as most sequels have, but there wasn’t any, so it took me a lot not only to get into the story, but to remember what happened to these characters in the previous book (which was totally my fault).

However, this sequel was more a character driven type of book, and I really enjoyed the journey these characters went through. Nadya was one of my favorite characters in the first book and I found her so intriguing and interesting, and I think she kept that same essence in this installment. I liked her evolution throughout the story and her dynamics with Malachiasz. Serefin was another character I adored and really enjoyed reading his point of view, but I think in this book not much happened to him and there were certain things and inner monologues that were quite repetitive, which was a bit sad.

The romance though, was actually pretty weird. I don’t know if it was me and I’m quite picky with my romances, but there was something between Nadya and Malachiasz’s relationship that didn’t really clicked. There was a lot of back and forth between them, and sometimes their interactions were a bit awkward and unrealistic. I’m not sure what will happen in the third installment, but sadly I wasn’t the biggest fan of their relationship, unlike in Wicked Saints where I really enjoyed it.

However, I was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns and all the revelations made throughout Ruthless Gods. I didn’t know what I was expecting to happen, but I was pretty shocked by how it ended, and I am quite interested to see how everything will end, because after everything that happened in the last 30% of the book, I think the conclusion will be pretty epic.

Overall, even though I enjoyed Ruthless Gods and think it added a little extra information, I didn’t like it as much as Wicked Saints, mostly because the fist half was a bit confusing and slow, and not much was happening, sadly.

3.5⭐️

I've said this before in reviews, and I mean it: second books are hard. They tend to display the very best or the very worst of authors and their creations. A through-line has to be present, but the reader can't expect characters to remain the same or even within the same bounds. Second books often introduce new characters and new places which can be underdeveloped, in an attempt to avoid getting stale. Authors themselves have been known to complain about how difficult these are to write, and Emily Duncan is no exception as in her acknowledgements she states that this book almost killed her.

Ruthless Gods continues the story of Nadya, Malachiasz, and Serefin as they reckon with the consequences of their actions in the first book in the series. Nadya seems to fade into the background as Serefin becomes a more complex character, determining what type of ruler he would like to be and what his new relationship with the gods should be. Nadya frets about her feelings for Malachiasz, feels sad about how her relationship with the gods has disintegrated, and fights between her warring priorities, saving her country and protecting her new friends from the other side. Either way, she is absolutely less vivid in this book than she was in the last which is a loss.

I am sure many will complain about the violence and gore in this book, but quite honestly, if you read the first book before this one, what did you expect? I will say it become repetitive and is very focused on eyes - bleeding from them, changing them, becoming blind, eyes showing up in nontraditional and horrifying places. If you're looking for a fantasy without images that will push you to queasy, this is not your book.

One thing I will say is I am very glad I reread the first in this series, Wicked Saints, before I took on Ruthless Gods. The gods are significantly less present in this book, but it was helpful to have a grounding in Nadya's relationship with each of them and have a reminder of how the magic systems work before taking on an extended bloody storyline.

I'm glad I read this and will admit to being curious about how the series will resolve itself. Do I think it is the best YA series on the market right now? Not by a long shot. However, I do hope it encourages folks to think critically about religion and how they perceive people of other cultures. I'm just concerned that the trappings of violence and twisted romance will hide the strong parts of this book from the casual observer.

Where do I begin? Where would I start this review? Welp… I really don’t know where because first of all, it’s breaking me into pieces. At the very start of the book, it already breaks me inside.

I’ll be going to be direct to point and this book is absolutely getting more intriguing as ever. Yes it’s a very long read, it took me two weeks to finish the whole book to finish but it’s all worth it. Why it took me that long to read? Okay let me explain it to you;
1. High fantasy really needs to be precise and understanding, so I’m reading it slowly.
2. I don’t want to end it quickly.
3. This world creation is getting DARKER, CRUELER and HEARTLESS.
4. More stabbing, more blood.
5. Holy and unholy gods are awakening
6. I got to the point where I took a one day break reading because it’s too much pain.
7. And more blooooooood.

Ruthless Gods is the second installment of the series, Something Dark and Holy, and the journey continues with the three great characters; Nadya, Serefin and Malachiasz. Each chapter have their own perspective and I always love this kind of writing, seeing different perspective of the characters. Also, these 3 characters are elevating their game to the highest. Meaning their already not fooling around to each other, they need things to be done, once and for all. The more you read, the world is getting twisted, gruesome, people are getting mad… it’s really hard to say unless you read it to yourself.

To the characters, Serefin, he’s still one of my favorite character but he’s already fragile. My heart longs for him, I already want to hug him for what’s happening to him. He doesn’t deserve this world! Ugh! But it has to happen to him. He’s still the guy with brilliant and witty mind, already the king travania and he’s character development improves very well. Nadya, the sweet child, I’m happy for her accomplishments. I never doubt of her magic, I never doubt of her capabilities. She’s still one of the strongest girl I know. And as for Malachiasz (I’m still in a struggle to pronounce that name), he’s still my bae even though he’s getting crueler. I think that’s the magic did to him.

Some familiar characters are still there; Kacper, Ostiyia, Kotsya, Rashid, Parijiahan. These people are always been there. To be a good friend. I mean, I’m so glad they’re still alive after what the fuck happened to Tranavian. They never leave and I’m happy. There’s a new character to look out for, the name is Katya. She’s also one of the strongest woman I know in this book.

OKAAAAAAY I’m still shipping Nadya and Malachiasz! I’m still in their love radar, I’m still rooting for this love they have in the first book and man, please please, let me have the as a couple. It’ll be probably a gruesome couple because both them are powerful but please! I’m shipping these two HARDER and hopefully on the third book, I’ll see their happy ending.

Serefin also got a lover and I won’t tell who it is. You’ll be excited to meet …. *shuts up*

Overall, the book is absolutely great. The world building, the twist of the story, the characters are having their own highlight in the story… I mean, it’s perfect in very dark way. It’s getting intriguing and I admit it’s a complete cliffhanger for me. I. WANT. MORE!

**I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.**

"And so the little bird risks oblivion,"

2.5 Stars. Going into the first book in this series I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would, but overall I still really liked it and was curious to see where the next book would lead. When I started reading Ruthless Gods, I thought I had a small idea where this book would go. Boy was I wrong. Unfortunately, there were more things that I disliked than I liked.

"Better, then, to waste away alone in the shadows and crush all that come near. What a fate."

The Good. The world that these books take place in is interesting and unique. While it could be confusing at times I did find myself wanting to know more about this world. Serefin is the best thing in this book and doesn't deserve the things that happen to him. He needs to be protected at all costs. Also, the romance between Serefin and another character was just so cute and I hope we get to see more of it in the next book. Lastly, the ending was interesting enough that I'll most likely pick up the next book.


"Divinity tastes like copper and ashes,"

The Bad. The main romance in this book killed me. And not in a good way. I hated every moment of it and it felt completely unrealistic. Without giving to much away it was, in one word, toxic. Almost throughout this entire book, this romance is thrown in our face and I wanted to pull my hair out and scream at Nadya. I really hope that this was the end of that romance and that it won't make a comeback in the next book. Somehow I feel like we won't be that lucky. This book also felt like a filler book, a bridge to get from the first book to the last, without providing anything relevant. The few things that were important felt like the could have just been added to the next book or even the first book and this book could have been skipped over entirely. Sadly, nothing important really happens until the last quarter of the book.

Overall I would recommend picking up this series at your own risk. It does have some really amazing things as long as you can get over the horrible romance. To end on a good note, here are two of my favourite quotes by or regarding Serefin.

"Now that she knew Serefin she couldn't think of a single worse fate than being married to him"

"'Katya,' Serefin continued,' that is Nadezhda Lapteva, your cleric. Please never make me introduce two Kalyazi to each other ever again. I'm going to go nurse my wounded pride.'"

This was an amazing book. So much happened and I loved it all. Like Wicked Saints, nothing in this book was predictable, I'm glad that mostly it took me by surprise!In this, you are reunited with the gang again: Nadya, Serefin, and Malachiasz. I really enjoyed this book. It's one that I was highly anticipating for this year and it did not disappoint. It takes place a few months after Wicked Saints ends and from start to finish, the stakes are high.It's a dark read and brilliant!

I was a little hesitant about starting Ruthless Gods, to be honest. I remembered the main story of Wicked Saints, but I also recalled that it was quite a complicated story. I was scared that I wouldn’t know wnough to be able to enjoy the sequel. Luckily, several of the more important things from Wicked Saints were mentioned and repeated throughout the beginning of the book, which eased my mind and made me enjoy the book much more.

The focus of the plot was still the Tranavian blood magic versus the Kalyazin divine magic. Nadya, Serefin and Malachiasz had caused a lot of trouble at the end of the previous books, and things had to be set right. In order to do this they had to travel across Tranavia and Kalyazin to the mountains of the Gods. Across the way there was a big focus on the evolveent of the relationships between the different characters. The story was still very complicated, just like I rememberd from WS, and at some points I even thought the web was spun too thickly. There were just too many things going on to comprehend well, which is something I really try to do in every fantasy story. I just couldn’t make sense of everything.

I would have also like a bit more explanation about the Russian words and phrases that are used throughout. I might be a bit biased because I recently read – and loved – the Winternight trilogy by Katherina Arden where everything was explained so well, but I felt like I was sometimes missing bits of the story and conversations between characters because I didn’t know the translation of the Russian. I love learning bits of a new language and this would have been the perfect opportunity for that. Unfortunately, that goal was not reached.

I read the book in three days, which does one hundred percent mean that I enjoyed it. It was just a bit more vague than Wicked Saints, and therefore I give it three stars. I do have to admit that I’m curious to see where the story will go.

By the way, do not read this book if you’re squeamish. There is A LOT of blood and gore!

I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start by saying I did like this book more than the first one. I tried to stay open minded reading this one, since I didn’t like the first one much.

While reading, I felt like I was being run in circles. I was either getting cryptic sentences or paragraphs seemingly repeating the same information. Because of this, the story dragged on. I wish Duncan had kept her story a little tighter and saved the long-winded, cryptic language for when it really counted, which would have made the book easier to read and made those cryptic moments that much more powerful.

Again, like with the first book, we were given all these exciting twists and turns. But they weren’t built up to. It was like the information was dropped and I would think “yep, that’s a twist” but not have any feelings behind it. I wasn’t yanked around, agonizing over solutions and what would happen next. I was reading a series of events, and every so often I would get new information just handed to me.

Now to end on some positive notes, here are some things I enjoyed about this book:

1. Duncan did a great job of started this book on an easy-to-follow note. Too often I pick up a sequel and have no idea what’s going on and I need to go back and reread the books that came before. Not with this one! Duncan mapped out a perfect introduction that flawlessly let me be drawn in, even though it’s been weeks since I read the first book.

2. Do I wish she had been more precise and clear about what was happening in this world she has created? Yes. But Duncan has created an amazingly interested world. I cannot deny that fact.


FINAL THOUGHTS:

If you were on the fence about liking the first book, I would say it’s worth it to give this one a shot. I definitely think this book was an improvement. If you loved the first book, definitely read this one!

I will personally not be continuing this series.

Unfortunately, I really didn't like this book. I feel like if you liked Wicked Saints, then you'd probably really enjoy this as well, but I just couldn't get into the writing style of Emily A Duncan. But that is a completely personal opinion.

Wow! This is one if those books that steals your breath and hurts your heart. I found this book to be so compelling, it just keeps getting better. The character's struggles (there are a lot of them) and their choices; make for such tantalizing storylines! I love the dynamics between all the characters, even the new ones. This was a wonderful read.