Ruthless Gods by Emily A. Duncan is an amazing and beautiful adventure! I would highly recommend it to young adult and fantasy readers. It is a rich and lush world with fantastic characters.

**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
I really liked the first book in this series. Unfortunately, this one does not live up ho it's predecessor.
For me, the darkness takes over the story. I am not opposed to the villain as a love interest but this book just took a left turn into somewhere that isn't for me.

I lobe everything about this series and this sequel was no exception. It was on my toes the entire duration of the novel. I’m absolutely in love with Mal (no matter what) and I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series goes.

I'm going to leave this one as a mini review for several reasons. It is a sequel so I don't want to give away any spoilers and and I also don't have a whole lot to say about this book even after sitting with my thoughts for over a day. I had such high hopes for this series but the first book fell flat for me I didn't not like it but I didn't fully like it either. But I wanted to give the series another chance with the second book. Once again it just didn't click for me. I love the world of this book and the lore with the old gods, magic, etc. I feel like all of those things that I do love about this series took a back seat during this book. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out exactly what was going on with all the bouncing around from Nadya to Serefin to Malachiasz. I'm still not entirely sure how they all feel about each other. Overall I think I'm pretty much done with this series. By the time the next book comes out, I will have forgotten everything about the first two books and won't want to start over from the beginning. Some people love this series, others not so much. I really like it's just one of those series where it's not going to work for everyone.
2.5 stars

This is the sequel to Wicked Saints a gory AF Russian inspired fantasy story. Nadya and Serefin done fucked up and this is the story for them to try and fix it. I didn’t like this as much as book 1 but it was still enjoyable. We posted a full drunk review on the blog.

Duncan writes complex and nuanced characters all tripped up in a complex battle of power. I enjoyed this, but found it lacked depth. Duncan chooses quippy dialogue over emotional depth.

"The world they wish is broken bones and blood—always blood."

Firstly: bless authors who give content warnings for their books!

Right, so it's been a while since I read this bloody, chaotic mess of a book and as such I've forgotten most of the details. Yet I did not forget my obsessive, inexplicable love for this series because the characters have forever stolen my heart.

H O W E V E R

When I say chaotic mess, I'm serious about that. The plot was all over the place, bouncing around like an out-of-control ball you decided to throw just for the heck of it and suddenly it's crashing into walls and knocking pictures off and breaking your mom's treasured china clock. (Yes, that's a very specific description *cough* that, uh, I guess comes from personal experiences??) Anyways, if I wasn't so enamored with this messed-up saga, I would have been raging at the skip-around plot because IT IS SO UNCOORDINATED 3/4's OF THE TIME!!!

If there is ONE THING that I would love to see different in the final published edition, it would be a tighter plot with cohesive, structured character development. Granted, it did gather itself up for a decent rally for the last third of the book, but the major sloppiness of the plot in the first two-thirds still really dragged it down. This truly felt like a second book, like a waiting period for a finale, not a decent, powerful continuance. If it had been a clearer plot arc, I would have been perhaps more mind-blown than I was with the first book.

"He was everything; he was nothing. She was torn apart in a thousand directions but there was only one and it was forward. There was nothing else but this."

This book walks the edge between gritty YA and flat-out NA . . . when it should have taken the plunge straight into NA. With the broader freedom of that genre, it would have been able to better explore the darker themes and war-torn madness of this world. Also Goodreads user Dark River said it best in their review that NA would have meant "more h e r e s y on the altar" like yeah I needed that, okay. That scene was AMAZE but it still felt held back by the YA label.

IT'S A COMPLICATED THING TO EXPLAIN, OKAY??? Usually I am all for books staying within boundaries . . . but then sometimes a story comes along and you see it holding back just for the sake of the genre it was published under. This is one of those stories. And in my opinion, House of Salt and Sorrows was another one that could have maybe been a little better if given some more content freedom under the NA genre.

'She wasn't trying to save him; she wanted to understand. It was her fatal flaw, her desire to understand.'

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: <Nadya and Malachiasz are like the twisted fantasy AU version of Reylo and I'll always be here for those vibes.

BUT I ALSO GOTTA SCREAM ABOUT SEREFIN FOR A BIT BEFORE I FINALLY END THIS RAMBLING REVIEW

You're not supposed to kiss the king."
"If I take the signet ring off, will that help?"
"I'm going to hit you."
"You're not supposed to hit the king! I still have my ring on!"

It was just such a blessing to see him grow into his arc, get a romance of his own, be a dork, stumble around trying to make sense of the old god waking up and complaining in his head . . . and also being so stubborn so as to halt this god longer than expected. Serefin's arc was the most concise and best-written of the book, which meant that I ended up loving him more than I did in the first book.

One Final Thought On The Plot:

'Marzenya wasn't particularly forthcoming.'

Like, that's it. That's the plot. It's that loosely explained witch dancing along in her sane-craziness, tugging the characters along like she's the demented author of the whole situation and just cackling with glee over all the drama they go through.

RUTHLESS GODS is dark, sinuous, and all the things Gothic that I love. Once again, the cleric, the prince, and the monstrous boy find their destinies irrevocably intertwined as mercurial gods and manipulative saints vie for power in this dramatic follow up to Wicked Saints.

Emily A. Duncan's writing is beautifully haunting. I loved its macabre atmosphere and angsty monologues.

I'm not sure how she does it, how she can write boy—monsters, broken and brutal, who we worry about ripping our hearts out. The blood, the bones, the eyes!

I would say this book veers into horror territory as Nadya, Serefin, and Malachiasz face ruthless, warring gods bent on each other's destruction, each becoming a key to unlocking an unimaginable power—something Eldritch hidden from their histories.

This is a bloody story that begins quietly and filled with introspective moments, slowly building in intensity as our characters are moved about an imaginary board like chess pieces, constantly faced with duplicity and betrayal. I loved it.

There is such moral ambiguousness in this novel, yet we are drawn repeatedly back emotionally to them.
My favorite part is probably the unraveling of the saints and gods. Nebulous at best, I could not get enough of these gods and goddesses.

I loved the hidden agendas and complexity of it all. Sometimes it was frustrating, but I was too compelled to continue and care. Ruthless Gods is gorgeously grotesque and undeniably Gothicly sublime.

This was... wow. I'm still trying to find the words to describe this book. I loved the first one of the series, that you must have read to understand this one. The second book is... wow. Did I say I was trying to find words? My brain is all mushed up.

That love story doomed from the start that is unfurling, loved to see how every character plays a role in the quest that is this second book, to save their country. It was both painful and beautiful to read about it. There is a lot of blood, a LOT of monsters, and everything is NOT going how they each planned.

Book 3 is going to be AMAZING.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is the second book in a trilogy that started with Wicked Saints. The target reader is teens or younger adults. BUT...the book is absolutely a wonderful read for anyone who likes world building story lines and strong, well defined characters. As the middle book in a trilogy, the book is well read as a stand alone, but reading the first story will make the experience of this one much richer.
Three characters questing for the truths of their experiences must make decisions that will take them even further into an ever changing world. Each action they take requires them to face the consequences of choices made that seemed right at the time. The battles, whether internal or external, are woven into a fast evolving story that is so well written, I could "see" them as they occurred. All I can say for sure is....WOW....you really should read this book.

This book didn't live up to my expectations, which sucked because I really loved the first novel. For me personally, I liked books with a good amount of romance in it. This novel, unlike the first book, didn't have much romance in it and so it seemed to fall flat for me. That is nothing against the book, sadly it just isn't what I really was looking for. I liked the characters enough, but it also felt that nothing was really happening that much. I just felt like the action was really slow and I was always waiting for something to happen. Things would happen and then would slow down, and then happen again and really slow down again. I just felt like there wasn't much flow and the pacing was off for me personally.

Ruthless Gods, the second installment of Emily A. Duncan's debut YA Fantasy trilogy, Something Dark and Holy, continues to bring the dark atmosphere I cherish. Significantly darker than your average YA Fantasy, this second book especially, toed the line of Horror and I'm here for it.

Our three main characters, Nadya, Serefin and Malachiasz, return and, y'all, they go through it. This world is hella brutal. The magic, the landscape, it seems everything is out to get them, maybe even each other. I enjoyed the character growth in this sequel, as each of them is faced with their own private battles. As they seemingly grow closer towards one another, outside forces are simultaneously pushing them apart.

Each is conflicted with their own demons, causing conflict amongst them. Meddlesome Gods play them like pawns in a game. The intensity is constant. This was definitely an action-packed ride!

I'll admit, I wish I would have taken the time to go back and review the first novel, particularly the ending, prior to picking this one up. Up to around the 50% point of this book, I was confused. I was enjoying it, but it was a confused enjoyment.

My plan is to reread the first two books prior to the release of the third. I absolutely will be following through with this until its, no doubt, brutal conclusion. I love this world. Based on an Eastern European culture and landscape, I find that the aspects of terrain and local folklore and legends, really add to my overall enjoyment of the story.

If you are a fan of Grimdark Fantasy, Blood Magic and Gods who manipulate the greater worlds around them, then you should definitely pick this series up. Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it so much!

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me access to read Ruthless Gods before the publication date. Wicked Saints was one of my favorite reads of 2019, and Ruthless Gods is right there with it. I love a good dual perspective and I honestly fell in LOVE with Serefin! His quirks and always needing a drink is honestly relatable and he really made the book fantastic! I most definitely recommend Ruthless Gods and all its dark and moody glory!

Emily has done it again...This is the sequel to Wicked Saints. Just as the first novel, it pulls you in from the first page. I could not get enough! The characters have so many personal growths as the story progresses and that was my favorite part, seeing them grow and change as the story progressed.

This book destroyed me...in the best way possible.

I don’t even know where to start with this review. I really enjoyed Wicked Saints and found it to be clever and fascinating with a world that I was intensely interested to learn more about and discover new things! As such, I was so hyped for Ruthless Gods as soon as it was announced I requested an ARC. I impatiently awaited reading this and then in March I picked it up, and could not get into it.

I found the characters were so very different feeling to the first time I read it so I decided to wait for the audiobook as that’s how I originally read the series and thought maybe it was the switch to an e-book that was throwing things. But no I still couldn’t get into it, with it taking 32 days to read 544 pages. It was a rambling mess with Nadya talking and thinking about a boy for most of it.

Gone was the rich world of the Kalyazin faith and Gods, instead it was all about worrying about Malachiasz. Mixed in with this was a tale of Old Gods trying to rise, and a rambling shambles of plotline that wove around like a drunk goat. Meanwhile, Cocky Arrogant wonderful Serefin was whittled down to a whiney drunk brat who overall was apathetic. Not even the new romance for the prince could make yup for how betrayed I felt by these rewritten characters.

Hidden in this all was a story I actually enjoyed on some level and I am interested in what happens next but I overall am disappointed that this book had none of the cleverness that attracted me to the first book. It was too busy beating you over the head with it’s moral.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BOY THIS BOOK.

(Netgalley and Wednesday Books provided me with an ARC in order for a fair and honest review.)

Before I picked up Ruthless Gods, I did a reread of Wicked Saints to prep myself. I fully recommend doing that—the details at the end of WS and the political and religious stuff is a must to really appreciate everything going on in this book.

There is a *lot* going on in this book. Not so much in terms of plot, that's fairly straightforward, but as I read, I noticed how EAD upped her game in many ways—the prose is tighter (in the reread of WS, I realized it was not as tight as I had remembered, but I can see a marked improvement in RG, overall), the descriptions more lush, and the body and cosmic horror more in your face. Be warned, this is not a book I'd recommend if you don't like body and cosmic horrors—the book veers sharply in that direction and continues deeper as it goes on.

AND I LOVED IT.

The character and relationship developments were so good. Nadya is such a dynamic person, and even though Serefin was my favorite in the first book, she definitely re-won me over in this one. She is so conflicted and acts out those conflicts to such fascinating ends, and I loved seeing that happen with her. The romance is *chef's kiss* in a way I didn't expect to like as much as I did—very, very much for Reylo fans (I am not one particularly, but not against it). The horrors of this book were so, so good. As I read, especially Serefin's god chapters, I kept getting serious The Cat Lady (the indie game) vibes—not for subject matter, but absolutely in terms of feel/aura/atmosphere/tone.

Spoiler comment regarding ~the boys~: <spoiler>The fact that Maliachasz and Serefin are brothers, with their mirroring qualities (esp as Serefin spirals deeper into his own god-driven madness) was *so* satisfying to read. All the comparisons between them were some of my favorite parts.</spoiler>

Spoiler comment regarding Nadya and her gods: <spoiler>OHHHH MAN the relationship between Nadya and Marzenya is so interesting. What I really liked about it was Nadya's conflict in choosing between Marzenya and Maliachasz, even as she acknowledges how both use and betray her.</spoiler>

We got a few Parj chapters, and I'm so curious about her—I would read a whole book about her. (One thing that SEVERELY IRKS ME: her nickname should be Pari, not Parj, and it irritates the heck out of me any time I read "Parj." But she's a dope character.)

This is a bit less coherent than my usual reviews since I read it a couple of weeks ago, but if you liked WS, then RG is a MUST MUST MUST!!

Author Emily Duncan wrote about Ruthless Gods saying, "if you like cosmic horror, forests that want to eat you, and very sad very pretty boys and very tired very done with everything girls then i have a book for you."

Ummm, that could not be stated any better. Come brood with this book!

I really enjoyed this book.
The universe is brilliant and very interesting, the characters are Not what they seem to be, the complexity of them making them more real.
I particularly enjoyed the change of point of view, how we switch from one character to another, smoothly and without confusion.
Even though we get some answers, the plot thickens, making us ask for more.
I am definitely getting book three when it’s out!

So I read book one last year and didn't love it but saw the potential for the author to really turn things up in the second book. The things I didn't love from book one was that this felt like The Darkling fan fic and sort of a rip off of the grishaverse, which I didn't love those books either. It seems nothings really change in that department in book two. While I do appreciate Lbgtq rep and the romance, it felt bland and a little forced at times and not as organic as I would have liked. Also I have come to terms with me not favoring Morally grey characters in books, which this series is basically a morally grey character in itself. I find I don't really connect to the characters, care about the storyline and there's so much confusion on some of the world building. Overall I think this will appeal to those that love dark settings with morally grey characters who also like to be confused, 2.5/5 stars

This was dark and unholy and awesome! Watching Nadya struggle with her feelings for Malachiasz really made sense with me. As a holy woman she knows she loves a monster. And watching as she accepts that was wonderful.

Watching Malachiasz struggle with what he’s done and how it’s affected him was so unholy and great.

That one scene between Nadya and him in the salt mines was all kind of twisted and I LOVED IT.

This is honestly one of the best twisted love stories I read.

Serefin was pretty interesting too but I kept wanting to flip to Nadya’s parts with Malachiasz because those were 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

I’m so excited to see where this goes with that ending!