After finishing (and enjoying) the first book in this series, Wicked Saints, I was left with a lot of questions about this world of magic and gods. How exactly does all this magic work and where does the power come from? Why are there different kinds of magic? Are the gods the good guys or the bad guys? Whose side is the witch on? I was hoping to get some answers in this second book, Ruthless Gods.

Now that I have finished Ruthless Gods, I think I have a couple answers. But I still have so many questions! I know there is still another book to come that will (hopefully) help me to understand this world and what is going on it, but after reading two books, it is a little frustrating to get to this far into the story and still have so many unanswered questions.

Ruthless Gods jumps in where Wicked Saints left off, and I'm not going to include a summary because I don't want to spoil the first book. There were many parts of Ruthless Gods that I liked. I like Maliachasz and his twisted relationship with Nadya. Even though it is toxic and unhealthy, I am still routing for them to make it work, for better or worse. I also like Serefin and we get see more from his perspective in this book, but I wanted to learn more about him. I liked the overall plot of the story-- with the whole group of characters setting out on a road trip through a dark and dangerous forest leading to a showdown with the gods...it's a great setup for an interesting adventure story.

But this book is really long, and ultimately, not a lot happens. There is plenty of blood and gore and darkness. This is a creepy book for sure! But it's not action packed and didn't end up being the adventure that I was expecting. Much of the book felt like "filler" material, which seems to happen often with second books. I think this second book could have been much shorter, with more action and less introspection from each of the characters.

In the end, I didn't love everything about this book, but I am still invested in this story and eager to find out how it will resolve in the third book.

Fantastic read with twists and turns and bitter discoveries. Ruthless gods follows up on Wicked Saints seamlessly and fills in the missing gaps to continue the story with intrigue. Well done on a secondary installment.

This was an amazing sequel to an equally fantastic 1st book! Can’t wait for more! I enjoyed it very much.

4 Stars

So the word "boy" in this series is starting to make me react the same way as I do to the words "male", "female" and "mate" in the ACOTAR series (that is to say, to hiss aggressively and cower away like a vampire exposed to the sun), but that is honestly the main thing that bothered me about this book. That, and the fact that the main romance really doesn't work for me sometimes.

Don't get me wrong - I love the constant threat of betrayal and the rather refreshing (for YA) way in which the characters put their own interests above their love interest's to the extreme. However, the actual romantic bits? Blegh. I think at least half of it's the "boy" thing, to be perfectly honest. Like a few times is OK, but it was seriously overdone to the point it was just annoying and infantalising rather than implying some kind of vulnerability in Malachiasz. Show don't tell, please!

Pretty much everything else about the story I loved, however. Yes, I was often a bit confused (partly because the plot is WILD) but never in a way that deeply impacted my enjoyment of the book. Moving onto characters, I still absolutely adore Serefin. He's a Nikolai type, so of course I was always going to like him, but my love for him only grew in this instalment. Katya is a new fave of mine, and I enjoyed there being more of a focus on Parijahan's story too. I do wish Kacper and Ostyia got more screen time (especially Ostyia - she seemed to keep getting lost throughout the story!), and Rashid deserves more attention too, but what we do see of them is great. I also really appreciated all the Serefin and Malachiasz scenes - that last one in particular really got to me. I think they might have been some of my favourite parts of the novel.

In theory I shouldn't really like this series. I've never really been drawn to "edgy" stories in any genre, and this definitely seemed to be aiming for edgy in a way that would usually make me go "uh, no thanks". But Something Dark and Holy has a tender heart, and its blood runs warm. I'm really looking forward to the next instalment.

There will be spoilers for book one (Wicked Saints) in my review.





Wicked Saints was one of my favorites last year, so I had pretty high expectations going into Ruthless Gods.  It didn't disappoint me.  I *may* have even liked it more.  The book took me about two hours longer than normal to read, but there was so much to take in.  This book is dark and detailed.  I love Emily's writing.




Ruthless Gods starts off months after Wicked Saints ended.  Malachiasz is gone and Nadya had been hiding out with Serefin.  He is back from the dead and needs to be the king.  Serefin isn't sure why he's hiding an enemy, but he does it anyway.  Until someone decides they want to take over and they know Nadya is there.  The witch had some predictions before they left.  




Nadya hasn't been hearing from the Gods anymore.  Serefin has an old God living inside of him.  There are actually two people and they use his eye to make him see.  The voices are constant and getting to Serefin.  Malachiasz is lost being the Black Vulture.  His humanity is almost gone.  He and Nadya are connected somehow through magic.  She has to find him, make him realize who he is, and take him to a holy place that will likely kill him.  Nadya both loves and hate Malachiasz.  The boy she fell in love with is still there, but the Vulture is always there, too.  She has to choose between her country and the gods and her love for this boy.  Nadya woke up something dark that she needs to stop.




"Things are waking up.  Old things, dark things.  The old ones who have slept for so very very long.  You set it into motion.  You and that Vulture."




Everyone in the book is battling something in their heads.  Serefin is getting worse every day.  The God inside him is slowly taking over.  Nadya is battling with her feelings for Malachaisz, her new power, and that she had been kept in the dark about a lot of things by the people who loved her.  Malachaisz battles to keep any part of himself.  Parj has a secret she battles with.  So many enemies are working together for different outcomes.  There is a closeness between all of them.  None of them are all good or all bad.  They believe their reasoning is right, even when it tears them up inside.




"But things are as simple as good and evil."  "Are they?"  Nadya thought about the voice, about her dreams filled with monsters.




The old Gods were banished and kept secret from Nadya.  They are not content and seek revenge.  Malachaiz is needed for it in some ways.  For Serefin, Velyos needs Serefin to kill Malachaiz.  Nadya needs him to enter into a forest that will likely kill him.  Malachaiz has this power inside of him, begging to come out.  Nothing good can come out of the plans any of them made.




"What happens when a monster tries to become a god?"




My review is so very random and vague, but I don't want to ruin the story for anyone.  So much happens.  There is so much blood and death.  The darkness is larger in this one.  Betrayal is definitely a big theme and I had to remember that I couldn't trust anyone.  And again, we were left with a twist at the end of the book.  I am so sad that I'll have to wait over a year for the third book, but I know it will be worth the wait.




Warnings for cutting, blood magic, war, and death.  Pretty much everything from Wicked Saints.




Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my earc.  I gave this book 5 stars.  Quotes were taken from an early copy and may change before final publication.

Cannibalism. That’s right cannibalism. It feels like the YA
books coming out in the past few years try to push boundaries of what should be alluded to in books for young adults and what should not even be there. This has some of that in it. It is incredibly violent in parts. If this were a film, the MPAA would rate it R. Which speaks to what the proper market for the book should be. That being established, the rating from me would be higher if it were marketed as an adult fantasy.

Duncan has firmly established herself, in my mind, with the likes of Jay Kristoff with this violent, gothic, conflicted narrative. I also feel she successfully bested her first in the series, Wicked Saints. In Ruthless Gods, readers get a bit more character development, the plot is not as linear, and the mystery of the old gods and where the magic comes from slowly unravels itself. Sure, it lags a bit on the way, but Duncan has done some research work into the incredible complex world that is medieval Russian/Polish folklore and mythology. Like any other historical writer, it is completely okay to show off the knowledge and work a bit. Those craving some intellect to go along with their fiction will/should appreciate it.

The drawback for me, in addition to the content not matching the audience, is the insane amount of melodrama. While it works for some, I’m not into it. The doomed love dynamic took up the entirety of the book, and many of the side characters I grew attached to suffered from lack of exposure because of it.

While I realize some who read my review may be thinking, “then don’t read it.” I don’t just read for my enjoyment. I teach students who read YA. There are parents who still care what media their children are exposed to, so when I get asked about a book, I know what to tell them and don’t just stand there uselessly shrugging my shoulders at them. This one will definitely come with content warnings from me.

I was so overwhelmed by WICKED SAINTS, the first book in this series, that I was unable to ever really formulate a solid review that wasn't just incoherent keyboard smashing and yelling about monster boys and kissing and blood magic and horror. So now take all of those feelings and dial them up to a 10 and you have my feelings about RUTHLESS GODS.

Emily's got a real gift for writing these characters who are at times complete moronic cinnamon rolls and also capable of extremely horrific magic that oh yeah, is also very gruesome. Our 3 main characters - Nadya, Malachiasz and Serafin - both deserve all the hugs in the world and also a good solid shaking to knock some sense into them.

If eldritch horror, a magical system that truly does make you pay a price for it, and enemies to lovers (seriously, Emily makes no bones about the love interest being very bad but also very tempting and that is why we love her) is your thing, do yourself a favor and pick up this series right now! As a sequel, RUTHLESS GODS is bold, exciting and risky. Trust me when I say there's no sophomore slump happening here.

Oh, and if lots of eyeballs freak you out...read at your own risk.

I enjoyed Ruthless Gods more than I expected to only because I enjoyed the first novel so much that I did not dare hope it would be as good. I am pleased to say that this dark read and all it's weirdness is really just as good.

It’s been so long since I reviewed Wicked Saints on this blog. I was so excited about reading it that I read it in November 2018 and then reviewed it first thing in January 2019. Then I went to the release day event in Columbus in April 2019, and I feel like I’ve talked about this book in at least two or three recommendation posts. I own a lot of copies of Wicked Saints too: signed hardcover, signed OwlCrate edition hardcover, hardcover that I annotated, e-book, and audiobook. Do I plan to buy the paperback in April? Yes, I do. Oh hey, if someone has either version of the Wicked Saints ARC, I’d really love it/them for my collection.

Clearly it’s obvious that I absolutely adore this book, which was why I pretty much started crying when I was granted the e-galley for Ruthless Gods. I was so excited to jump back into Nadya, Serefin, and Malachiasz’s world and story.

Obviously I hoped that this book would live up to my high expectations after how much I loved its predecessor, but I am happy to announce that it lived up to and blew away my expectations. So much happened in this book.

The characters are struggling with the changes since the events of the first book, and they are dealing with the fallout and consequences of their actions. Nadya just wants her gods to talk to her again, Serefin wants this mysterious voice in his head to stop talking to him, and Malachiasz is…well, he’s Malachiasz.

I will say that there were a couple plot point twists/revelations early on that I was able to quite easily predict, but I was still just so hooked on this story. Overall I ended up reading it in one day (well, technically two, if you count the fact that I stayed up quite late in the night to finish it).

Yes, this book is a bit more Gothic Horror, and there was definitely some eye horror going on in this one, which Emily A Duncan warned people about, but it really helped to build on the atmosphere of this world.

I feel like we learned more about the two main countries and their history with each other in this one. The worldbuilding was definitely expanded upon in a very interesting way. I loved getting to learn more about the gods and the war and the history of these peoples.

And I feel like I can’t really talk about the ending, though yes it is a wonderful shocking twist that makes me even more anxious about any piece of information about the concluding novel to the trilogy.

It’s difficult to review sequels because you don’t want to give out any spoilers, but I can just say that I absolutely adore these books, and I’m ready to continue to obsessively fangirl over Emily A Duncan for many years to come.

Oh–and last year when I went to the Wicked Saints release day event, I took Emily A Duncan a set of dice because she was partly inspired to write these books because of D&D. I’ll just say that I already have another set of dice for the release of Ruthless Gods, so I hope that I’m able to get to a book tour event this time around as well.

**I was given an ARC by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I should start out by saying: I did not love Wicked Saints. I thought it was an average book, but I could feel it building towards something, which is why I was excited for this one. I had high hopes for this book to be much better than the first, but it fell flat for me. This will be non-spoiler, since the book hasn't come out yet, but I will touch upon some things that happened in the first book, so if you didn't read that one, you might want to steer clear of this review.

In the first book, it felt like a lot of build-up and it read very much like a debut novel, which of course, it was. I didn't feel particularly attached to the characters, except Serefin. I had hoped that this book would win me over, but unfortunately, my opinion remains the same of many. I really really wanted to love this book. But this, like the first, was an average read for me.

Anyway, onto the review!

This book, jumps right in and immediately begins building the plot, where in the first, it took 150 pages to get some semblance of what was going on. It was definitely faster paced than the first one, which I did enjoy, but some parts of the book did drag and when they dragged, it seemed to go on forever. This is, as well as the lack of page numbers in the e-ARC (which of course has nothing to do with the book), was part of the reason was I read this book so slowly.

This book isn't very action-based, it's plot-heavy, so if you're in the mood for a lighter fantasy read, you're in the wrong place. Some of the chapters are steeped in information and I found that it wasn't something I could give half my attention to and still know what's going on, which lead me to have to go back and read a few things multiple times.

That being said, I don't dislike Duncan's writing style. I like a lot of her use of description, she paints really vivid images of specific scenes, specifically of Malachiasz. The plot was a lot better and was definitely more interesting than the first, but it was also complex. I love the voice she puts into her characters, it's really distinct in each of them, which is something I enjoy, though I do still feel really distant from many of them despite that. Maybe first person POV would have helped to bring me closer, even though I generally prefer third.

I like how original the magic system is in this book, even if I don't completely understand how it works. Other than the Tranavian blood mages, much of the magic within this world I haven't encountered before. I only wish I knew more about it. We learn a little more about the gods in this book, which was nice. The title is about as accurate as they come.

I really liked how there were "interlude" chapters, in which it wasn't Serefin or Nadya's POV, but some of the side characters. I can't really call them main characters when I still feel like I know next to nothing about some of them.

I love plot (so much), but I am a very character-driven reader, and if I'm not connected to the characters I'm not as invested in the story. I think that's my main problem with this book. I didn't feel completely connected to the characters, or like the characters enough to give this book any higher of a rating. It might just be me.

I did like how Parj got more page time, but there's something spoilery that I can't talk about now that has to do with her. I don't really know why it's completely relevant, maybe it will have some significance in the next book.

Also full disclosure: I deadass could not remember for the life of me who Kostya was. Whoops. Moving on to more important things.

I don't see the appeal of Malachiasz. There I said it. He's not some angsty misunderstood teenage boy. He's not some soft boy who made a single mistake in his life that led him on the wrong path. He's legitimately evil. He's a literal monster with horns and apparently, as it was mentioned about 25 times, clusters of eyes opening up on his body (mainly on his cheek). He has a few one liners here and there, but I don't even think he's a completely compelling villain. I feel like Duncan definitely took some inspiration from the Darkling to create his character, but it doesn't feel as well done as the Darkling does. The Darkling was likable, understandable and a captivating character, where Malachiasz is the type of character that makes me want to roll my eyes. He's also a pathological liar, but I'll get to that later. He isn't a redeemable character. Just because he has pretty eyes and anxiously bites his fingernails doesn't make him likable. The amount of times that the word boy is used to describe him is ridiculous. Some variation of "horrible, beautiful boy" of "terrible, monstrous, gorgeous boy" is used in almost every chapter in Nadya's POV. Well, I suppose I should address my opinion of their pairing.

I want to say that I am a huge fan of enemies to lovers. It is one of my favorite trope and I am usually a sucker for it. I cannot stand Nadya and Malachiasz together. Like at all. I don't understand why Nadya's so drawn to him. He literally does something so disgusting in one of the early chapters of this book and a chapter later she's talking about how "misunderstood" he is. I just don't understand it. She keeps talking about how she'd love to get revenge on him for what he did to her at the end of the first book, but at the same time she looks at him and forgets that he did any of that. She keeps trying to think the best of him and he's not someone that deserves that. He's also a liar. He spent all of the first book straight up lying and he's not exactly forthcoming in this one either. Yes, because this is a healthy way to build a relationship. And Nadya knows this and she still walks around willfully blind to every wrong he does. Literally Serefin shows up at hears Malachiasz say one sentence and knows he's full of shit. I just can't stand their relationship. And everyone else just sort of doesn't react to it? Like this is a good or normal thing?

Nadya is definitely not a favorite protagonist of mine, mostly because of how naive she still is, even after everything. I'm going to call it naive and not stupid like I read in someone else's review. I just feel like she has the common sense to put things together or to understand more things than she lets on, but again, she's willfully blind to so many of the things that go on around her. But there were quite a few things that happened surrounding her in this book that I'm excited to see come to fruition in the next book.

Anyway, I won't say much about her since she's a brand new character, but Katya's POV was an interesting one to get, especially since I feel like I know next to nothing about the actual monarchy in Kalyazin. I don't know how their government works, but I assume its somewhat similar to Tranavia's. Now that I think about it, there was more information about Akola's government that there was of Kalyazin's. Either way, I don't know if I love her as a character, but I definitely think she's intriguing and know she'll be vital to the plot of the next book.

I think it's time for me to finally talk about Serefin. I love Serefin. He's by far my favorite character in this book. He's having a rough go of it after everything that happened in the first book, btu I definitely found myself most excited for his chapters. I think that he's a far more compelling character than Malachiasz, and I honestly would have preferred him as Nadya's love interest, but knowing Duncan's love of Star Wars's Reylo, I knew that wasn't going to happen. He's such a complex character is in the midst of further development throughout this book. But pretty much everything that I could possibly say about him is spoilery, so I'm going to just leave it at that.

The ending of this book was by far my favorite part. From about the last 7 (maybe?) chapters onward I was a lot more invested in the story than I had been throughout most of the book. The pace changed completely and the ending few chapters felt rejuvenated. It's a crazy ending, if I'm being honest. I won't say anything about it, but I will say that.

Lastly, I feel that some of the ideas in the book are sound enough, but they aren't executed in a way that particularly hit the nail on the head for me. It was sort of a half-hit. I will read the last book when it comes out since I dedicated myself to the first two and I hope that I enjoy it more than I liked these.

That's pretty much all I had to say, but if I think of anything else, I'll come back to this review and add.

Thanks for reading:)

I don't know why I forget how dark this book is. It just has such a heavy and depressing aura and air about it as soon as you start in to reading it. I almost feel like I should be wearing heavy eyeliner and dark clothing to really get in the mind frame to read this book (sadly I don't feel inclined to do either, so I must grin and bare it).
This book, like the first one, skipped around be a lot. There was a lot of jumping between character stories. I don't mind multiple character stories being told congruently, per se. It's when there are so many that it's easy to forget what has happened in one because the author hasn't been to some storylines in awhile - I as the reader have no idea what is going on it's been so long since the author has picked up this characters' storyline, I've now forgotten what's going on. It's confusing.
Now let's talk about the cliches (cause let me tell you they are there). Like in the first book and it's "onyx-eyes", this book has "a beautiful Tranavian boy" or "tortured beautiful boy" or "this sad lonely boy" every time to describe Mal. Gag me now. Is Duncan trying to subconsciously get us to feel sorry for Mal?
Let's move come to the next trainwreck for this book - romance or maybe I should say the trainwreck of romance in this book. I understand this is a YA book (though there is more blood and darkness in it than some of the "adult" novel I read). What I don't understand is how Duncan thinks that the unhealthy "relationship" Nadya has with Mal is romance? I understand darkness and allegory and all that stuff but her character development continues to enable him.
I leave you with this - it had the potential to be a fantastic fantasy but got sacrificed in to a world a muddled love story.

** I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. **

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I unfortunately did not like this book. I enjoyed it a little more than the first but the writing is really clunky.

I really like the idea it's just not my bag I guess.

I really loved this! It’s a little slower than Wicked Saints but just as good. I feel like in this sequel we definitely focus a lot more on character development and getting to know everyone. It was gothic, dark and bloody. I can’t wait to see how Emily Duncan wraps up this series!

**I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Wow Wow Wow!

This was an amazing follow up! Just like its predecessor, this sequel is so seductively wicked, gothically bloody and cruelly romantic. There was a lot more character development and lots of twists and turns to keep things interesting. The second installment was filled with More romance, MORE horror, MORE gore. Which is EVERYTHING that this girl LOVES. It was so fun to see how the different relationships, both romantic and platonic, unfolded throughout the course of Ruthless Gods.

Ruthless Gods was most definitely an improve from Wicked Saints. I am definitely committed to reading the final book out of pure NEED.

5 Solid Bright & Shiny Stars

I thoroughly enjoyed RUTHLESS GODS. I read Wicked Saints in the late summer of 2019, and I do have a review on Goodreads if you are interested. But, I really enjoyed RUTHLESS GODS as well. I loved especially all of the perspectives. I am a sucker for multi-POV books, and I think Duncan pulled it off incredibly well. We have Nadya and Serefin as main POVs, but there are also interludes every so often where we get the POVs from other characters in the story which I just LOVED. There was a new character in this book, Yekaterina, or Katya who I just adored. She is the tsarevna (or princess for those who do not know Slavic terms) and she is just the definition of amazing. I loved the gothic wintery vibes this book gave off. I think it is WAY darker than book one, but I loved it because of that. I think the eldrich tones of the story are done super well, and the atmospheres of the SOMETHING DARK AND HOLY trilogy are really well done as well. Overall, something I really enjoyed. I will 100% be continuing with the final book in the trilogy when it's released!

I have received an ARC from St. Martins Press on NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review so thank you so much!

Ruthless Gods was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and this did not disappoint! This was so much darker than Wicked Saints and everything I was feeling in the moment.

What I loved about this book was the character development. I felt the pain and struggle of what Serefin was going through and the fear and that he was trying to overcome. I LOVED what you learn about a potential relationship without giving any spoilers. Nadya and her struggle between good and evil and choosing between what she should do and what she wants to do. I love the enemies to lovers trope and Nadya and Malachiasz relationship is always keeping me on the edge of my seat! I feel like like they care and love each other so much but you always feel that doubt and hate there. So tragic, romantic, and so good to read.

My one complaint and why I wouldn't give this 5 stars right now is that I kept getting confused on parts and how it happened. I will read when this comes out in April to see the comparisons.

Also that CLIFFHANGER of an ending! SO excited for the next book in the series and to see what happens to this tragically beautiful trio.

Just as good as the first, but much darker. It’s a slow moving story, but if you stick with it, you won’t regret it at all. This world and these characters keep you asking questions! I can’t wait to see how it all ends.

DNF. I wanted to give this a shot after having read the first one and feeling ambivalent about it, but it’s just not my cup of tea.

The first in this series was so so good. This second installment was also great. The world is so fascinating and the story is so original. Plus, the characters are amazing.

This book! Emily Duncan did not pull any punches when it came to writing Ruthless Gods. This sequel was just as beautifully dark as its predecessor Wicked Saints with a little more gore and. insanity mixed in. I absolutely love the way Duncan writes her characters. They are beautifully flawed and seem so real, they just leap off the page.

This series definitely isn't for the faint of heart, and if you have a weak stomach to blood and body horror, I would choose a different trilogy.

I can't wait to see how this story ends.