Ruthless Gods was even better than Wicked Saints.

For me, that wasn't hard because it took me multiple times of reading WS to understand the hype. Though I did finally get it.

This second book, was not necessarilly faster paced, but started off with so much happening that it felt like it. That was one of my main issues with book 1, so I was so glad that this one grabbed my attention and held it much better.

 It was fun to watch relationships grow and falter amongst friends and enemies alike. We get a lot more interactions and points of view in this book, which I really enjoyed,

It's much more dark, bloody and one hell of a good time! I would highly reccomend giving Ruthless Gods a go, even if you weren't a huge fan on the first book.

A huge thannk you to Netgalley and publishers for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review,

I received an eARC off this from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Reading this was a breeze sometimes but mostly a labor. The world is rich but the way it is written pulls me out of the story and makes me feel like I’m watching from afar when I’m still in it. I think there are truly some amazing ideas here and some plot points that are wholly original, but it jus in the haze of this book.

Like I really wanted to like and enjoy this book and at times it put me to sleep and I had to force myself to continue. It still took two months to read. Oof.

I am still interested in what is going to happen because geez that ending. Serefin is by far my favorite. I don’t care for Nadya or Malachiasz at all and I see no chemistry between them either (and they’re saying I love you which baffles me).

I can also definitely see some influences from other novels and media. The forest reminded me of the magical forest in The 10th Kingdom, especially with everyone losing each other over and over again. The blood bath was like Nevernight. Just think of this book as the really long and slightly boring trek the Fellowship does that doesn’t amount to much except Gandalf dying and they still have so much more to do.

2.5 Stars rounded up.

So I kind of fell into the Wicked Saints world and liked the first book well enough to continue on with the second one. but I am not sure that I will be continuing with the series after this one. I know that I am probably in the minority here because this seems like such a well loved series. I just find that there are too many issues that I personally can't get past. There was a lot of repetitiveness as well as just some obnoxious behavior from the characters, One of the things that kept my attention in the first book was the fact that the characters were being developed from the ground up and it seems like that behavior stopped during the second book for me. As for someone who reads a ton of romance I felt that the romance in this was seriously outlandish there were other routes that could have been taken but it is what it is because I didn't write this. There were points where I felt that there was promise. but honestly at the end I found most of the story to be forgettable.

This book is a dark fantasy with a fascinating world and magic system. I loved how gritty, dark, and unique it was as well as the romance elements.

The pace of this book was a little slow (I don't recall this being the case with the first), it didn't really pick up until the middle for me. However, the characters were just as fantastic as the first time we saw them, their relationships interesting, and the magic and gods were wonderful. That ending was very interesting, I cannot wait to see what happens next!!

Dark, twisty and exactly what I was hoping after reading the first. Long book but didn't feel terribly long as it read relatively quickly. Thanks netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

RUTHLESS GODS is Book Two in the "Something Dark and Holy" trilogy by author Emily A. Duncan. This book picks up four months after the events in WICKED SAINTS, and yet I was immediately drawn back into the familiarity of remembered characters.

". . . Monsters have always slept at the edges of your world . . . "

The sarcastic banter is still present--despite the dire circumstances--and is easily one of my favorite things about Duncan's writing. Her characters sound real, whether she's talking about their inner emotions, or in a conversation with others. When you believe in the characters, it's so easy to completely immerse yourself in a story.

"Clandestine meetings by your enemies don't suggest a list of demands that can be provided for . . . "

Yet for all that, they stay true to themselves (from the previous book). These characters have grown and continue to change--in a natural response to their circumstances--throughout this journey. The changes are perfect for what precipitates them and I feel this is one aspect that the author truly excels in.

". . . She wasn't particularly good at saving the people she cared about, she considered . . . "

As for the novel itself, the actions, revelations, and individual situations I found to be every bit as captivating--if not, more so--than those in Book One. perhaps it's simply because we've been in this world, with these characters, longer now. However, I've read so many series that don't stay "on track" with how they began--where the actions in sequels seem unbelievable in light of what we've already learned of the characters--that I feel it's more likely that Duncan is just that good, and knows her characters inside and out.

". . . Let her stay; let her see . . . Let her fear."

In this world where half the land put their faith in divine gods, and the other half, human magic, the most unlikely of alliances need to be made in order for anyone to survive.

"Having the power of a god and knowing what to do with it are two very different things . . . "

Filled with all the bloody conflict as WICKED SAINTS, and then some, RUTHLESS GODS is a book I honestly did NOT want to put down. I was completely immersed in this novel as situations changed and the "truths" as we knew them to be became questionable, at best.

". . . what if these gods we worship aren't gods at all?"

In a land of human an divine monsters alike, what if there's something . . . more? What if every move you made was already predestined to some extent? This story kept me going--needing to know what would happen along with the characters.

"Darkness never works alone."

The only thing I was disappointed about was not being able to dive into another novel by the author immediately after this one. I will definitely be looking forward to her future books!

Highly recommended; to be read after Book 1, WICKED SAINTS.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for release of this review copy!

This is book 2 in a series and guys I highly recommend you make sure you check this series out. Book one was good but book 2 was amazing! There was so much more in this world and I am so glad I continued on with this series. The author has done a great job building us a great cast of characters and amazing world building to follow. This story has been so much fun!

*4.5 stars*

This sequel to Wicked Saints didn't disappoint!

Is it epic and traumatic in equal doses?

Yes, yes it is.

Do the characters have to make heartbreaking (and often bloody) choices?

Yes, of course!

Am I looking forward to the next book in the series?

Yes!

Just one quibble:

I had a bit of a hard time getting into this book, because the pacing at first is slow. Once it gets going, however, holy moly!

Let me just say, if you loved Wicked Saints, you'll love this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC!

It’s no secret that I love Emily’s books. I loved her writing way before she got published and I still love it now. so when I got a copy of wicked saints early almost right after she announced she was going to be published 2 years ago, (I think it was I could be wrong I’m terrible with time.) I read it as soon as I could and I did the same when I finally managed to get a copy of ruthless gods.

To start off OMG this book it’s heartbreaking.

Nadya, Serefin and Malachiasz are dealing with the consequences of what happened in wicked saints.

Nayda, questioning herself and her faith and her gods who she can’t hear anymore. what is a cleric if they can’t speak to the gods? She’s questioning her relationship with Malachiasz who is now turned into even more of a monster then he was before.

Serefin, who is dealing with a forgotten god in his head, and becoming a king and not knowing what to do about either of them. He just a broken drunk after all? A high prince turned king no one really wants. He’s being threatened by one of the nobles to return their daughter to them who was taken by the vultures, he tries with the help of Nayda and fails.

Malachiasz who doesn’t remember what happened, who is more monster then human now. who agrees to help Nayda and I can’t tell if he was playing her the whole time or if he really did/dose care a little bit.

I love these characters I love how broken they are and how they question themselves. I love how they try to push though and keep going even if things seem bleak and things do get bleak the further they travel the more broken they become.

I love the way Emily has written them both individually and as a group. Together they felt like a group of friends traveling on a journey. I loved there banter and how they do care for each other even if their supposed to be enemies. As individuals they are each playing a part of a game each holding their breath for the right time, to see who will attack who first.

I love the relationship between Nayda and Malachiasz I think they really do care about each other. I enjoyed all the small moments between them when it’s visible. I also think there not good for each other there relationship like them is broken. It can never be fixed and it’s toxic. They have been placed in a loop of betrayal and lost trust and manipulation I don’t think there ever going to get out.

I love the world building we get to see more of Kalyazi in this book and hear more about some of their monsters, (though I do wish that there was some more explanation for them instead of just dropping names and expecting us to know) .

This book doesn’t just border on horror it is horror. Emily has taken the cosmic horror she placed at the end of wicked saints and threw it at us with full force. Monsters with too many eyes, gods that have been forgotten and left to rot, a forest full of monsters that traps it victims and doesn’t let them go and so much more.

I loved this book just as much as I loved the first one. It’s beautifully dark, it’s blood filled, it’s heartbreaking. I need the third book now please?

So I enjoyed the first book but struggled with some of the magical elements. I enjoyed this sequel a lot more now that I have some more knowledge of the characters. I enjoyed where the story went and the world building felt a lot more refined in this book.

I was super excited to receive this ARC because I had been anxiously waiting to find out what happens next! I thought this was a good sequel to the first book and it had me hooked from the beginning. It started off right where the first book left off so you are just thrown right back into the story.

The characters were basically all the same from the first book, but you get to learn more about them as the story goes along. I always like the sarcastic banter between Nadya and Malachiasz. I am always rooting for them to find a way to be together. I like that they test each other and then at the same time almost compliment each other. We learned more back story of the other side characters and it was interesting and make you want to learn more about them.

The plot of this story moves along nicely and keeps you entertained and wanting to see what was going to happen. I like the chapters are different perspectives of characters so you get to see different parts of the story. I am very interested in seeing what happens now that Serefin has severed his connection with the God trying to take him over.

I really overall enjoyed the book and am now eagerly anticipating the third one so I know what is going to happen now that it seems all hell has broken lose in the world! I definitely would recommend this book.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an earc of this book.
As this is sequel, it’s a little harder to review without mentioning book one, so this contains a few spoilers Wicked Saints!

Ruthless Gods is full of gothic imagery, eldritch horror, blood mages, a very unsettling forest, insane divinity and a lot of chaos. It is also full of some very stupid teenagers – which I say with a lot of affection. It’s pretty safe to say that I loved it. Gothic horror imagery is definitely my kind of thing, and this book delivers it in bucket-loads. It contains eyes where they definitely don’t belong, pools of blood, monsters, mythology, razor talons, blood magic and snarled black hair filled with bone fragments. There’s a fair bit of body horror, so it’s not for the squeamish, but it was one of the things that made this book stand out from anything else I’ve read recently, and I loved it for that. All of this combined definitely left me desperate for book three!


The setting for Ruthless Gods (both Tranavia and Kalyazin) is beautiful and bleak, menacing in its darkness and I really enjoyed how each place seemed to reflect what was going on with the characters. There was a lot of internal struggle, fighting and despair going on, and the settings (especially that of the forest) became part of that fight. I’m torn between wanting to visit them, but also wanting to run as far away as possible from the very idea of them. The struggle that Nadya, Serefin, Malachiasz had because of their settings never really changed over the duration of Ruthless Gods. Everything had a sense of displacement. Everyone was uncomfortable, no matter where they were. Their longing to be in another place, or further along their journey made them seem unsettled. Even when they were in their ‘homeland’, everything was still against them, and added to the tension of the book.


I really enjoyed Nadya so much more in this book. She’s become stronger and more determined. She still followed the path others set out for her, but she grew in strength, started questioning things, became her own person and a character I really care about! Nadya is fierce and brave even though she’s scared. I love her relationship with Malachiasz, which really built upon the foundations laid in Wicked Saints. They are so bad for each other, and yet their magic is tied together, and they can’t escape the draw that they hold to each other. I loved their banter, their journey and their romance. Malachiasz is probably my favourite character. He’s morally grey, morally questionable, a monster and also just a boy who is really out of his depth. He’s got so much going on, physically and mentally and I honestly just want him to be OK. I loved seeing more sides of him, and he is my favourite chaos monster. Finally, we have Serefin to round off our unholy trio. He has a really tough time in this book. After dying in the last book, I really didn’t think things could get much worse for him, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. Not that the other characters didn’t suffer too, but I really felt for Serefin. Please, someone just let him have some alcohol in peace! I honestly love so many things about all the characters in the books, their interactions, their journeys and most of all, some really stupid decisions they make. The new characters we met along the way were also a lot of fun, as well as getting to see more of Kacper, Ostyia, Rashid and Parijahan, who we learnt more about, and who I also love (especially Kacper). I can’t wait to find out what awaits them next.

For me, one of the best parts of Ruthless Gods was that questions of morality and mortality are looked at in a way which makes everything so confusing. Everyone thinks that what they believe in is right, even when they’re questioning the outcomes. There are so many questions about the divine and the self. Every character has a crisis of faith and self after the events of Wicked Saints, and yet they all keep holding onto their beliefs despite that. Their faith is constantly shaken and confronted by something new, making them have to call into question every aspect of their lives. The unquestioning belief in their country/religion vs the truth of what they have seen and learnt keeps shifting their desires, and makes everyone seem so much more human.


One thing I really wanted more of in Wicked Saints was getting to know more of the history of the pantheon, more about the gods themselves and what divinity really means in this universe. We started to slowly get answers here which made everything feel like it’s slowly coming together. The monstrous and divine are so enmeshed in this series in a way I haven’t seen before. The conflicted imagery is so perfect, and it’s one of my favourite things about this series. Definitions of divinity from the different perspectives are also fascinating here, and I have so many questions.


I really can’t wait for book three. Ruthless Gods was a chaotic masterpiece of a book, and the only downside for me was that there were a couple of things I would have loved to see more of, or have further explanation on, but I’m hoping I will get those in the next book. I’ve pre-ordered my finished copy already, and I’ll definitely be re-reading it soon.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read Wicked Saints last year and didn't love it but also didn't hate it. The ending was enough to push me to continue on with the series. Sadly, I didn't love this book. All the issues I had with Wicked Saints were here but more in book two. I think this is a me thing because I know a few people who loved this book. I think I'm just burnt out on YA fantasy and all the tropes galore you find in the genre.. I won't be continuing.

I had kept putting off the first book as I had heard so many mixed reviews so when I saw this book on NetGalley I knew it was finally time to delve into this world.

Oh my god, I am obsessed.

This world, these characters and Emily A. Duncan’s Writing style are just captivating.

These characters are so morally grey but I can’t help but love them all, including the side characters. Nadya and Malachiasz’s relationship is so infuriating but I can’t help but finding myself wanting more! It was interesting to watch the two’s character development along with Serefin who goes through so much in this book that my heart honestly goes out to him.

There were points in this book that I had to re-read paragraphs as there is so much information to take in and one little distraction leads to confusion on my part. It was also a little bit hard to get my head wrapped around the new gods and monsters that were introduced in this book but after a little while it all just clicked into place.

The book also felt a bit slower in places in comparison to the pacing of the first book Wicked Saints but the more I read on I realised that this was needed in order to set up for the end of the book and the next book, which I am honestly so excited for!

Overall this was an amazing second novel with twists and obstacles which will have you hooked. I honestly do recommend giving this a read!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Ruthless Gods is a bloody knife in the dark!

Emily’s writing style is contemporary and yet not. There is something very studied and antique about the worlds she paints, and I felt like I was reading some lost religion book about a world filled with monster-gods. It was gothic YA at its bloody finest.

The plot slowed a bit in the middle, which is why this is a four-star read, but that ending alone was worth all the stars in Serefin’s eyes—even though it ripped my heart out!

The romance between Mal and Nadya continues, and while Emily almost made my heart explode with some of the more precious scenes of them together, I felt like I still didn’t have a clear grasp of what they meant to each other. Of course, this was done by Emily’s choice, but I felt like the second book was the time to tighten that part of the storyline. Who knows, maybe it will be revealed in book three, but knowing Emily, she’ll probably choose to torture us with the unknown:)

Speaking of book three, I need it now! So many things happened in Ruthless Gods, and I can't wait to see how it all ends.

*Ruthless Gods by Emily A. Duncan*
E-ARC Review
Release Date: 04/07/2020

I don’t even know where to start. I finished this book half an hour ago and I’m still weeping like a baby. I had originally read Wicked Saints to get over a book slump to which I did and I didn’t know what I was going to do if I had to wait till April to read Ruthless Gods so I went on NetGalley and will be ever grateful the book overlords decided to accept my request.

I would like to start by saying this book is one of a kind and the only book that even comes close to it is Shadow and Bone but only because of the love interest between the Darkling and Alina. I will fully admit I did not look at the pronunciation guide and yes, half the names, I know how I say them are not even close but that’s beside the point. The detail in the culture of the book is amazing there was no questions or plot holes or anything that didn’t add up. I am 75% sure this is Russian and that made me love it even more because I could just visualize Tranavia and the characters. I have never read a book that I didn’t want to skip over a page but alas, here this gem is, every single word was immaculate and perfect. If you haven’t read the first book I won’t spoil anything but essentially Nadya is a cleric for her Kalyazian gods, Serefin is the king of Tranavia tied to a fallen god, and Malachiasz is a boy who wants to save his country and kill Nadya’s gods. Their paths cross and the war they are trying to stop is fueled by them. Love will become poison and poison will become the new definition of love. Who will succeed in the quest and who will change there destiny?
Personally I think it is amazing that Mrs. Duncan wrote a book and it ripped our hearts out and put them back in just to repeat over and over. This is also her first series. I am so excited to see future books from her. I will say this, if you get squirmish by blood this is NOT the book for you . . . or read it and I’m sure you will still fall in love. The love interest in this story, Malachiasz and Nadya, broke my heart countless times to the point where I was just crying the last 100 pages. While I love a good love, I also was pleasantly surprised to discover Nadya would throw everything away, Malachiasz, herself, to save her people and her country. I kid you not the amount of pain this book brought my heart was so great that I would reread it 1,000 times and still feel the same.

In conclusion, I would 100% say that this book is 20 fold better than the first one and I did not know that was possible. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this before its release and thank you, Mrs. Duncan, for forever changing my world, you and your book will always hold a special place in my heart.

Darkness never works alone...

Another one of my most anticipated read of this year. I was so happy when I got en email of Netgalley saying that I was approved for an e-arc.

Ruthless Gods is the sequel to Wicked Saint and was really more dark and violent.

Nadya is struggling with both losing the voices of the gods in her head as well as with a huge betrayal that had happen months ago. Also, she doesn't trust her own magic anymore.

Serefin, him is trying to keep is sanity as he's hearing a voice inside is head that doesn't belong to him and trying to get is kingdom to be taken by the Ruminski.

Malachiaz fail is attempts to become a god and is a war with himself and what he's becoming after killing his father and become the Black Vulture.

I really have loved this sequel and looking foward for the last book in the trilogy with how the end left us.

I was so excited to get this arc from NetGalley! I loved the first book so much, and the sequel did not disappoint! Like Wicked Saints, it was unpredictable and unreliable and I loved EVERY MINUTE! I cannot wait for this to be released into the world!!

I absolutely loved this follow up to Wicked Saints. As soon as I dove into the first chapter I knew I was in for a crazy ride. The extra world building and new politics were so cool as well as the character development. I so can't wait for everyone else to read this book because I need people to gush about it with!!