"Ruthless Gods" leads us on an epic battle with the gods both old and new. Nadya can't trust her magic, Serafin is wrestling with the voice in his head, and Malachiasz is still wrestling between good and evil. The three go on a gruesome journey to return balance to the world. Pain is inflicted, lives are lost, relationships are discovered. I enjoyed the book because of the world Duncan creates (similar to Lani Taylor) with the setting, religion, characters, and story-line. The story was engaging and raw. What I did not care for was Nadya's constant return to Malachiasz even after he repeatedly lied and betrayed her. It was almost an abusive relationship. To her credit, she did grow stronger in the decisions she made. In "Wicked Saints," she seemed to be a passive participant and decision making seemed either done for her or accidental. In the second book, she was more of a force to be reckoned with. I am eager to read the third book in the series to see where the gods attempt to take us.

This book devastated me. It was so intense and deep. Now that Malachiasz has done the unthinkable everything begins to unwind. Nadya must deal with what his betrayal means for her and Serefin must deal with the monster in his head. Here we find answers to many of the questions that have been asked but we also find more questions. So much happens in this book and the ending left me gasping for air. The gods really are ruthless and some have been playing a longer game than the others knew or anticipated. Things that should have been left slumbering are beginning to awaken and the world will never be the same when this is over, if it survives at all.
I’m honestly so invested in this series now. I NEED to know what happens from here. The fates of our three are more intertwined than before and betrayal after betrayal leaves them all heartbroken, untrusting, and bitter. Here is a world on the brink of disaster and I’m not sure our band will be able to stop it. I wait with great anticipation for the next instalment. This series is brilliant.

Ummm, yes! Everything I wanted in the sequel and more!! I truly love this story and the characters. It’s dark and fun and reminiscent of many of my favorite YA series.

Wow, I really love Emily Duncan’s writing!

So, Wicked Saints was a surprise hit for me last year, and I was so excited to get an e-ARC of the sequel! One pattern that’s starting to emerge is that these books tend to leave me with a massive book hangover once they’re done.

It’s hard to know how much to say for a sequel because I wouldn’t want to spoil either book, but I will say that I think I liked this one even more than the first. I love the development of the magic system—which is easily one of my favorite things about the books—and it was so nice to spend more time with these characters. I’ll definitely be picking up a finished copy to match my Wicked Saints hardback, and I can’t wait for the third book! Safe to say that the cover will be STUNNING like the first two.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I didn't like this book as much as the first one. There was a bit too much of a certain ship (that I'm not a fan of). I wish there was more of the side characters, and a bit less of the main three. They're so interesting but we only really get glimpses of them. And, you know, middle book syndrome. But I love the back and forth on divinity. And this book did set up a lot for the third book. Which I will have to wait super long for now.

You know the thing I hate about getting ARCS? Knowing that I have to wait even longer for the next book in the series. Especially because I loved every single moment of this book.

Ruthless Gods did something strange to me. Usually when I love a book, I tend to devour it in a day or two. Not this one. I made sure to make this last. It took me almost a week to read this simply because I didn’t want it to end. The story picks up a couple months after Wicked Saints ends and every moment of it felt like I couldn’t breathe. There were dead gods, betrayal,a monster romance. It’s absolutely everything that I love.

Going into this book, I didn’t know what to expect. I was heartbroken over how Wicked Saints ended, and I was glad to be able to get my hands on this book. Duncan managed to break my heart all over again. I don’t even think I can properly review this without giving anything away. I just want to scream about this book and how amazing it was and that everyone should read this series.

Emily A. Duncan does it again! The journey that started with Wicked Saints continues in this tour-de-force of a sequel. Ruthless Gods was everything I wanted it to be and more. It kept me at the edge of my seat and made me want to throw my phone at times while I went along for the ride with these dynamic characters. A must have if Wicked Saints was one of your major reads of the 2019.

HOLY COW EMILY DUNCAN WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!?!

This sequel was everything I did not even know I wanted and needed. I have high expectations for this book after reading WIcked Saints. Duncan did not let me down. She surpassed everything I even thought possible.

Ruthless Gods gave me exactly what I was craving and then piled on a whole heap more of great things. Plot twist after plot twist was handed to me on a silver platter. The characters developed and changed in remarkable ways. Break out your black eyeliner and rejoice to the ruthless gods and vultures because I am broken in every way possible.

The levels of betrayal are indescribable. If you crave a dark story with layers of greatness then this is the book you NEED to read this year. There are simply no words to explain how much I enjoyed this book.

I highly recommend this sequel and I will be eagerly waiting for the next book to come out. The only issue I have is that now I have to wait even longer to find out what happens next.

THANK YOU EMILY A. DUNCAN for giving us this masterpiece.

-Stone

**Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

“You wear cruelty well, towy dżimyka.”

Y’all. This book.

This monster is a bloody masterpiece. It is everything I love in a book: magic, A+ banter, political intrigue, and a tortured, dark haired boy that is so good at being so bad 🖤

I think I experienced every possible human emotion while reading this book. I laughed and cried; I felt exasperated and occasionally wanted to slap a bitch. At one point, I threw myself over the side of my bed, and laid there, hanging upside down like an uber-dramatic teenager because I just didn’t know what to do with myself. I love that Emily made thinks even darker and weirder for book two! Reading about Nadya and Malachiasz constantly trying to one-up each other is what gives me life.

The character development, especially Serefin’s was incredible. I loved getting to know more about Parijahan and Rashid, and the dynamic of their relationship. Ostyia is still a badass and Kacper is a precious cinnamon roll. Everyone is perfect and precious and must be protected at all costs!

In short, Ruthless Gods is an ethereal follow up to Wicked Saints, and I urge you to sink your claws into it as soon as possible!

P.S. for all you Reylos out there, this one’s for you 😉🖤

I was really impressed with this sequel. To be honest, Wicked Saints left me feeling a little underwhelmed. Obviously, it intrigued me enough to want to pick up the sequel, but I didn’t have high hopes for Ruthless Gods going in. This is probably why it took me by surprise how much I enjoyed it. It was eclectic and intriguing. I found myself growing attached to the characters, a feeling I very much lacked while reading the first book. I was thoroughly entertained and, once I finally sat down to read this, I got through it really quickly. I’m excited to see where this story goes and will be anxiously awaiting book three!

Ruthless Gods is the sequel to one of my favourite books of 2019.
I'm going to start out by saying this was confusing as hell. I'm not sure if it was just the arc format or what but I didn't know who was saying what or doing what a lot of the time.
I stuck it out because I loooove these characters so much. Malachiasz is the villian we deserve.
I ended up giving this 3 stars, and I'm sooo curious to see how this series wraps up.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book, "Ruthless Gods" in exchange for an honest review. I have a love-hate relationship with both novels in this series so far. The world the author creates is vast and intriguing. Two countries divided and at war due to their beliefs. One believes in blood magic and the other believes in faith and the gods. But both the magic system and the religious aspects are vague and not well explained. Magic is so undefined that these scenes just seem to allow for anything to happen as long as it progresses the plot. Unfortunately there is not even a lot of plot progression in this second installment. "Ruthless Gods" offers solid political intrigue for the first quarter of the book but the next three hundred pages focus on following our band of characters on a journey where nothing much happens. There is so much repeated angst and inner turmoil that I was quickly annoyed and bored. Seriously almost word for word repeated inner monologues. The last part offers us a decent climax but again things are so vague and dreamlike that it unfolding twists don't have the impact that they should. There is a great group of characters here and that is honestly the crux of why I will follow this series through to completion. Nadya did have some 'too stupid to live' moments. I like Serephin the most but he was truly just wasted in this book. Something big must be aligning for him in the third installment. And honestly, no one in the book, or no one reading this book should be shocked by betrayals at this point.

Thank you so much St. Martin's press for the eARC of Ruthless Gods. Unfortunately, I have decided not to review this title due to my interest no longer being in this series. I look forward to working with you again in the future with another title.

Kind regards,

Brittney

Disclaimer: I received an arc copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“ 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. Their paths are 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.”

An excellent sequel to Wicked Saints. This series is perfect for fans of Six of Crows, Shadow and Bones, and the Shadowhunter series.

I feel like this book was a lot like the second Fantastic Beasts movie: it's a placeholder between books one and three. There's a lot of important information, but it doesn't have as much of the excitement as the first (and hopefully third). There was a lot of rehashing of book one, and the pacing wasn't as great, but I'm invested enough for book 3.

I'll admit, I was nervous to read Ruthless Gods. It's predecessor, Wicked Saints, took me awhile to get into it. I felt that I got drawn into Ruthless Gods sooner than Wicked Saints, but it tends to jump around a bit in the narrative. What I did like about this book, is that nothing is predictable. How do you review a book that is unpredictable without giving away spoilers? It is better to not give anything away. Go into it with an open mind, and know that nothing will stay as it seems.


A big thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well...Emily A Duncan definitely hit the nail on the head with this title because this book is RUTHLESS!


I don’t even have thoughts yet. Well, I have thoughts they just don’t make sense. I need time and maybe an immediate reread because I’m pretty sure Ruthless Gods just broke me.


Full review to come.

I received an arc for exchange of an honest review.
First I want to say I loved the first book Wicked Saints, it was one of my favorite reads last year. Ruthless Gods took me some time to get into. The characters I became invested in, in the first book were gone. There were unnecessary grotesque images regarding a certain character. Ruthless Gods, each character had their own motives and were keeping secrets that were easily guessed. It was I survived this event in Wicked Saints, what did you do to survive. Many of the problems the characters faced could very easily be avoided if they only talked to each other.
Ruthless Gods lacked the action from the first book. It has been replaced with a slow and tedious read. It took me much longer than I would have liked to get through. The first 30% was a rehash of what happened during Wicked Saints. While Ruthless Gods seemed to sink into the second book filler category I will read the third book if only to see what happens next.

Tedious is the word I’d use to describe this book. The story is good and the characters have potential; however, the situations and much of the dialogue is repetitious and very pedantic. Also, it was irritating as a reader to slog through “foreign” terms and phrases that didn’t necessarily enhance the other worldliness only to have the dialogue littered with contemporary “shits” and “fucks” pulling me away from the mood.

This was a really solid sequel! Bad things continue to happen to the terrible children and they try to deal with it and save their respective countries but not themselves. I really loved the three main characters when we were first introduced to them in Wicked Saints. Though I might have favored a certain drunk prince over the other two. This book really elevated Nadya and Malachiasz up in my opinion. (Well okay Malachiasz was already pretty high up there.) This book somehow managed to get much darker than the first and I loved the desperation and destructive decisions the characters were forced to make. Everyone is struggling and it probably says something about me but I loved reading about these characters when they were feeling so low. If I had to pick a quote to sum up where the main three are at it would have to be this, "They had all been waiting with their knives at each other's backs. It was time to plunge the dagger home." It's not all so dire though, the book also does a great job interjecting moments of humor amid all the darkness and despair.

I loved that Parijahan got more page time in this book! She even got a couple of POV chapters! I was very interested in the Akolans in the first book and I'm happy we got to discover some of Parijahan's secrets. There's a bit in the book I loved where she compares herself to Nadya and Malachiasz and how her devotion to her country does not eclipse herself like it so clearly does with the other two. We also met Katya who was just a delight. I don't want to talk much about her because spoilers but she was a lot of fun.

As a final note I also absolutely loved all the grotesque body horror descriptions in this book. My 2020 is off to a dark start but I'm here for it. This ended with a bang just like Wicked Saints and I have no idea what's going to happen in the finale for this series but from the looks of things, it won't be anything good. I cannot wait to read book three, too bad this isn't even out yet for three months!