I’ll be honest, I struggled with what to actually say about the first book, Wicked Saints because it is UNLIKE anything that I’ve ever read. This book sucked me in from the very first chapter. There’s something so harrowing about blood magic, and I just couldn’t get enough!

This sequel is even more different but in a good way! When I first heard that this story was a dark fantasy, I don’t think I actually put a lot of stock into that. I was blown away at how dark this story was. From the very beginning, the story is covered in blood. The blood mages cut themselves and smear the blood on the pages of their spell books to activate whatever spells they are trying to cast. There were definitely some scenes that were intense and gruesome. I never thought anything in the plot felt misplaced considering how violent the story was.

I absolutely loved the characters in this book. Nadya is definitely naïve and only focuses the religion of the Kalyazin’s as true, but Malachaisz constantly questions everything she stands for and believes in. Watching the slow-burn romance unfold between these two was utterly addicting. I couldn’t get enough.

Overall, if you like your fairytales drenched in blood, deception and betrayal then this book is for you. This dark fantasy lures you into a heart-racing adventure filled with magic, gods, monsters, and rich Russian and Polish folklore. The plot if full of twists and turns that leave you questioning who you should trust. By the end, my heart was ripped out and spat back in my face.

The first book in the series... I went in thinking I'd love it. I did not. The second book, was just as painful, watching the characters work themselves into dark holes I saw no purpose for. I couldn't finish it. The detail is too thick, with too little action. I know, this sounds ridiculous. So much of this book is action, many would argue. No , I disagree. I am told of minute details, so boring I miss the action entirely due to my mind wandering off. I did not finish.

All that I can say after reading this book is that I am BLOWN AWAY! I absolutely loved this book, very rarely do I feel like the second book is better than the first in a series, but I think that this book blew the first one out of the water. This second book really stepped up, bringing readers a faster pasted and more emotional story than the first one. Another great part of this book is the characters, I love all of the characters in this series, but what I love the most is that they are all very flawed in their own ways and that is what makes them so great. This book will having you laughing, but then crying at parts, leaving you sitting speechless, not fully believing that you have finished the book. if you are looking for a book that has romance, adventure, humor, and fantasy then this is the book for you. In the end it will leave you wanting more and more!

I ended up DNFing this book. I rated the first book 3 stars, but I had hoped that the sequel would pull me into the story a bit more. I got about a third of the way through and felt myself feeling the exact same way. I decided to just drop it. Take this with a grain of salt.

Thanks to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced reader copy.

WOW! After reading Wicked Saints, I immediately wanted and needed the next one. This sequel did not disappoint!!! Full of darkness, magic, monsters, power, gore and just so heart wrenching!!!!

The gang is back - Nadya, Serefin, Malachiasz. , The main characters are all so messed up but in the greatest way possible. The twists and betrayals continue to haunt us from book one, and as I was reading this one, I identified with Nadya's suspicion and turmoil. I could not tell what each character was going to do next. (Why, Malachiasz?! WHY???!) And so much of the dialogue was tinged with suspicion. What was a lie and what was the truth?! I think that this book answered some of our questions from the first, but we are going to need some greater clarity and more answers in the next one...and I. Cannot. Wait.

While I love the romance, I am most intrigued by the relationship between Serefin and Malachiasz and I am hoping for further development. I also can't wait to find out more about Parijahan's decision regarding her past. And of course, poor Nadya. We see her relationship to the gods change in this book and I'm looking forward to see where it goes from here. Overall, this book is such an emotional rollercoaster full of dark, torturous twists.

That cliffhanger!!! Emily Duncan is trying to kill us all with the anticipation.

I enjoyed Wicked Saints, and loved Ruthless Gods. The continuation of Wicked Saints is everything I hoped it would be. Haunting, mesmerizing world, Excellent characters, wonderful dark fantasy.

I was pretty excited when I saw that SMP/Wednesday Books had granted my wish for this book on NetGalley. I hadn’t expected it, though. My wishes never get granted on that site. After my excitement died down, I realized that it was the 2nd book. I was still optimistic about the book, though. Lately, I have been reading books that are 2nd or 3rd in a series, and that was stand-alone. I figured that Ruthless Gods would be the same. Oh boy, was I wrong.

Ruthless Gods had a fast-moving plotline. The author was able to keep the pace up even with the book being split into numerous POVs. That I did like, she marked who’s chapter it was. I had zero issues following along with the book that way. It also worked well with the pacing. Some storylines were left open, and characters that were mentioned but never brought up again. But, considering that this is the 2nd book in the series, I have a feeling everything will be tied together in the 3rd book.

As I mentioned above, Ruthless Gods is NOT a stand-alone book. You do need to read Wicked Saints before reading Ruthless Gods. That way, the backstories/explanation of the different countries/explanation of the religions (which is essential!!) are fully disclosed. I was lost when reading Ruthless Gods because I didn’t read Wicked Saints first.

Another source of irritation for me was the lack of understanding of the different relationships between the character. Nadya and Malachiasz, I got right away. Serefin and Kacper’s was a little muddier. Ostiya, Parijahan, and Rashid’s relationships with each other, and the central 3 was even more mysterious. That is where reading Wicked Saints would have come in handy — now saying that I was impressed with the character growth that Serefin, Nadya, and Malachiasz had throughout the book.

Ruthless Gods had to have been one of the more darker, bloodier young adult books that I have read in a while. The amount of violence was terrific. The author doesn’t even bother to build-up to the first violent scene. It was bam, there you go. Now, that didn’t bother me. I figured by reading the synopsis that it was going to be bloody and violent. But it might bother other people.

I was fascinated by a couple of things in Ruthless Gods. I was fascinated that this book was based loosely in Russia. I do wish that there was some glossary that explained the different terms used in the book. I was also fascinated by the various religions portrayed. I do wish that there was a glossary dedicated to the different saints/terms that Nadya and her fellow monks used. Again, it would have gone a long way to helping me understand everything.

The storylines were well written also. There was almost too much going on in the book at one point, but the author did a fantastic job keeping everything separate. The Nadya/Malachiasz storyline broke my heart. Serefin’s broke my heart too. I couldn’t imagine living like he did and being forced to do the things he did.

The best part of the book was the last part of the book from when Katya was introduced onwards. Everything just snowballed once the group got into that forest. I expected what Serefin and Nadya did. The whole book was leading up to those two crucial things. But, I wasn’t expecting what happened to Malachiasz. That took me completely by surprise. The epilogue was fantastic. I cannot wait to read book three because of what was promised in that epilogue.

Loved this sequel! It’s was dark and sad and all the characters were just so sad and ugh so beautiful!
Loved this book so much. Thank you @netgalley

I loved this book! Ruthless Gods shows how much stronger Duncan's writing has gotten between her first and her second novel. It picks up right where we left off with Wicked Saints and leaves us wanting even more by the end. Duncan's characters need a nap and are unapologetic more than ever. I cannot wait for the finale to see how Duncan ties up the story of her nightmare children.

This book did not, under any circumstances, suffer from second book syndrome. Despite Emily A. Duncan saying it felt like a struggle at times, it was perfectly conveyed and well executed. When reading Wicked Saints, I was a little lost at the writing style that felt like much was left unsaid and gaps occurred between new paragraphs. However, in Ruthless Gods, Duncan’s writing goes to new, strong places. Her command of language excels and the reader is left feeling every bit of horror, of darkness the characters experience and exhibit. I physically cringed at times at the sheer creepiness of how characters were described and the dark things they had to do, but it was worth it and I found I wanted more as the book progressed and craved every new bit of darkness that kept being worked in. I cried, I mourned, I felt so much for these characters that the small bits of happiness they experienced was worth it, regardless of the consequences it would mean later on. Duncan is an evil puppet master, manipulating the characters and their experiences behind the scenes, guiding them to places they need to be while being horrifically cruel the entire time, but WE WANT IT. We as the reader crave every page of it, every word. I have no problems at all with this book and am anxiously awaiting the third which, will hopefully, refuse to end in happiness. While I want it more than anything, I can tell it isn’t in the cards for these characters and I am now wanting an honorable end for them. That’s all I can hope for now. I could read hundreds of more books like this and I am thankful to Duncan for doing what few authors are willing to do: forgo the happy ending for the road best traveled in darkness. Soul shuddering darkness. Bless you.

Do not let three stars fool you: this was a more enjoyable read than Wicked Saints. The editing of what book leaves much to be desired. While not perfect, Ruthless Gods is much better in that regard.

Also, I liked that the author listened to criticism re: drinking and unclear plot. Unlike book 1, Ruthless Gods does not portray drinking as something "cool", nor as a substitute for character traits/background. Similarly, the author made an effort to explain things (such as "what actually happened at the end of book 1"). These explanations are sometimes repetitive, but they show the author is ready to listen and respond to criticism. Also, she made LGBT representation clear in this one, which is also a plus.

It all made for a better book. Some people might dislike a somewhat slower first part, but it allowed for more character analysis, which was good. There is still a problem of treating Slavic-inspired folklore as too literal; the result is that of a very Western-feeling Gothic story that does not feel Slavic at all (more research would be nice), but the story finds more footing.

Ultimately, like book 1, the enjoyment (or lack thereof) rests on one character and the romance: if you like him (and his romance with the main character), you will probably enjoy Ruthless Gods. If not... Well, you probably won't be reading this one at all.

This may sound like a critical review, but I feel the craft has improved and the trilogy is getting stronger. A strong 3 star review from me.

I don't know what happened with this book. It's hard to believe that an author wrote a book were, for 500 pages, nothing happened. Only about 40 pages of this book actually mattered. Seriously; this book could have been cut in half and the story would have been so much stronger. I'm not sure why the author is celebrating writing such a long book when literally almost nothing happened.

Obviously, I have a lot of issues with this book. Again, no easy translation guide was provided for all of the phrases that are in a foreign language. About 20 pages in, I literally thought "Fuck it. If the author doesn't want to tell us what they mean, then they can't be that important." Some I could guess based upon context clues, but others? Forget it. I just read over them like they weren't there.

Things happen so quickly in this books that there were times I literally had no idea what was going on. The settings would change with almost no warning, characters would appear/disappear without warning, and after a while, I just kind of gave up. Gave up on every understanding (or caring) about what was going on.

The romances were a little ridiculous as well; especially the one with our protagonist, Nadya. Even though he keeps lying to me, I'm going to love him anyhow? Nadya, get yourself out of that emotionally abusive relationship and a find a new man/woman/non-binary.

Honestly, I found this book to be a bit ridiculous and way too long. I'm definitely done with the series here.

I want to start off by saying how blown away I am by this series so far. The writing is beautiful and the story line and plots (and twists!) are all woven together so intricately. I haven't been this taken with a series in ages. The lore and how it is shared and introduced is almost musical to me.

After reading the first one I was really hoping to learn more about some of the side characters and we got to see that this time. Especially with Parj.

Nadya and Malachiasz relationship stays as tumultuous and confusing as ever. I never knew who to believe or what was real with them.

A lot of the end I did not see coming which is always a big plus for me. This whole series is so creative and refreshing.

If I had any complaints is that I did feel like some of the details were over explained or that some of the journey drug out longer than it needed too. Could have been cut a smidge shorter in some parts of the story.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Serefin was dead, Malachiasz is the Black Vulture, and Nadya is scouring old texts, abandoned by her goddess. Her connection to the gods was already weak in enemy territory, but now, it is completely severed, and she should have killed Malachiasz when she had the chance.

Politicans are working to unseat Serefin fro mthe throne, Malachiasz is planning something terrible with the vultures, and balance of t all somehow rests on Nadya's shoulders. Abandoned, lost, and betrayed, Nadya must find a way back to her gods.

Wicked Saints was a highly hyped and excting dark YA Fantasy. Ruthless Gods, its sequel, has some mixed reviews. Ruthless Gods, much larger and more expansive than Wicked Saints, is working to set up a lot for the third book. Only problem, we didn't get answers. A lot happened at the end of Wicked Saints, leaving the readers with a sense of confusion and a list of questions, but almost all of these questions still remain at the end of Book 2 and more.

Malachiasz is a complex character, with an outwardly look of shyness, awkwardness, and lanky limbs. Nadya believe he is battlign with himself, but what we don't know is that he's got a lot of something up his sleeve, which unfortunately, we never find out in Ruthless Gods.

Serefin is having a hell of a time, his eye exploding into visions, only to find out that the god who brought him back has a request of him, otherwise, Serefin will continue to suffer the visions, and quite possibly kill himself. All the usual side characters are there, and unfortunately, we really don't learn much more about them, which is disappointing. And to be honest, Serefin's portion of the story was really lacking, and I found myself bored during his chapters.

All in all, this book was a bit more all over the place than the first, and the lack of answers and the wishy washy feelings of all involved was a tad annoying. I still enjoy it, and I'm curious to see where this series goes, but I missed the more light-hearted characters of the first book and the interactions there. NAdya was a bit too forgiving of Malachiasz, and it made the story harder to connect with.

I'm kinda sad cuz this was almost a four star, but I'll get into that in a bit.

The second book picks up right where the first left off. We follow Nadya as she struggles with the absence of her gods and Serefin as he deals with his new powers and tries to figure out what's happening to him. First things first: this book is so much bloodier than the first (how is that possible?) and I was all on board. But I thought I'd be upfront about that because I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, especially since it's borderline gory at points. I had no issues with seeing it, and thought it made the setting even grittier.

The world building and mythology is cracked open in this book, and I loved everything new we learned, especially about the "gods". I had a feeling in the first book that something was fishy about them, and this book fully delivered on that front. The plot of this book deals heavily with these "gods" and I thought the direction was so cool! I also loved Serefin and where his story went. (I keep putting quotations around "gods" because I'm still not convinced that's what they are. How Tranavian of me.) I thought his plotline was fascinating and was always itching to get back into Serefin's perspective.

My main issue with this second book is the same issue I had with the first: the romance. I like my enemies-to-lovers to be sloooow burn, like I think a lot of us do. This one isn't slow at all. And for a series with enemies-to-lovers romance, Nadya and Malachiasz sure do spend a lot of time kissing and pining. I just didn't buy it, so Nadya's chapters were hard for me to connect with or care about. Also, a lot of Nadya's decisions annoyed me. We're told multiple times that her power isn't reliant on her "gods", and that these "gods" have some shady motives of their own, but that doesn't stop her from siding with them against Malachiasz. To be fair, Malachiasz isn't exactly trustworthy either, but she doesn't have to side with him either (or keep making out with him).

And then, there was the ending. All I'll say is this: if you're not going to kill your darlings, don't kill your darlings. That's fine. Just please, please, please stop faking us out. We all know they're not really dead. I've seen this trope way too many times this year.

I'd like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed below are my own!

Rating: 1/5 stars

I had high hopes for this book, especially as I really enjoyed the first. Sadly, I felt let down and was forced to stop reading at around 42%. All characters in this novel were so supremely morose and hopeless-feeling that I personally started feeling morose and hopeless-feeling about the book itself. By 40%, everyone was still in such a state of deep depression that by the time our MC Nadya was reunited with the love interest and ever so effortlessly forgave him for his cosmic-sized betrayal, I just couldn't go on.

Plot: Nadya is a displaced cleric from the country of Kalyazi which has been at war with its neighbor Tranavia since time immemorial. Serefin is the young, new (pretty) King of Tranavia, who was tricked by Nadya into accepting her into his court. After the murder of his mad father, he is having a hard time keeping control of the nobility and does not know what to do with Nadya as nobles begin to question her presence at court and her role in the late king's death. They find that (along with their own friends, personal guards, etc.) they must work together to face the other powerful faction in Tranavia so that Serefin may reign in peace, possibly end the war, and all the while figure out what god may have been unleashed that is literally sucking the life out of Nadya. To do this, they must plead their case to the leader of the Vultures (a cult of monstrously powerful blood mages), the Black Vulture, recently gone mad from trying to destroy Nadya's gods. Ah, and the Black Vulture, Malachiasz, is brother to Serefin and Nadya's betraying lover. All three must trust each other to work together to meet their ends, but, everyone has their own agenda, and the likelihood of being back-stabbed is ever-so-high. Will Nadya succeed in righting a cosmic wrong, will Serefin regain control of the throne, is the Black Vulture lying to them both and STILL trying to destroy the cosmos?

Pros:
+If you are a fan of blood and horror, this book has it!
+LGBTQ rep

Cons:
-Previously likable characters have a case of stunted development
-Main SFC is denigrated to pining, love-struck MC (but hey, maybe she has a case of Stockholm Syndrome?)
-Too much, too lengthy focus on the hopelessness of the situation - instead of focusing on how wrong things have gone, why not talk about how to fix things, and make the plot more adventurous and lively?
-Repetitive writing (an immense amount of repetitive descriptions of pretty boys, blood and gore, and being confused about loving the wrong person)
-Pelageya: I understood she was a mad, but following along with her dialogue was very difficult and unpleasant.

**Thank you so much Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The dramatic and amazingly brilliant sequel to Wicked Saints has arrived! Ruthless Gods picks right up where book one leaves off. If you’re into dark, heart-breaking, fantastic gothic fantasy this is the series for you! Duncan doesn’t disappoint in creating a magically dark world to be totally captivated by. Only downfall the finale doesn’t come out until 2021! I need more!!!

I'm going to admit that I was really looking forward to this book because I enjoyed Wicked Saints but Emily Duncan is not lying when she says this one is darker and more horror like than the first. And unfortunately, I had to DNF this one for now because it did get too dark for me and I cannot handle horror. It's not overly graphic but it's definitely dark and highly gothic. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not my thing. I know plenty of people will love it though because she doesn't pull punches and goes all out with the dark aesthetic.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

I wasn't a huge fan of "Wicked Saints" in the first place but I thought I might "Ruthless Gods" a shot to do better than the first installment. I didn't particularly like this sequel either. Maybe it was because I read book one a year ago, but I was confused 80% of the time, mixing up names, incidents and relationships. I also thought the balance between world-building, story and character development was off. But it might have been me, but I didn't really enjoy it and skim-read most of it after a while.

However, if you liked "Wicked Saints" (and that's really a taste thing!), you can continue the story shortly after the first one ended. I like the mythology and the idea with the Gods, but all the YA tropes were driving me crazy (super hot kissing, but damn he's also evil, I might want to fuck him but can I? Oh, well, interrupted, no problem) and this wasn't for me, I'm sad to say. (I like the dark edges of it though, but again the escalation of things could've been timed better.)

2,5 Stars

I received an ARC from Net Galley and I am so grateful.

“I would have a god on his knees before me,” she whispered, her dispassionate tone strange in her ears. “I told you I would have you like this.”

This book was amazing. The story had me from the start and there is never a dull moment. Wicked Saints was good, Ruthless Gods is better. Definitely two of my favourite reads this year. Publication is soon, so add it to the list of must reads. I am a Malachiasz fan, even when he is at his worst. The monster, the lonely boy, someone seeking change. Serefin wasn't a favorite of mine until Ruthless Gods.