This was such a unique take on what I would call a YA magical realism novel. I enjoyed how the author was able to weave the average teenage experience into a book about gods and magic. I was entranced by the magical scenes. I thought those were especially well done. I was hooked and needed to know what would happen.

The characters were also great. I like how there was a variety of representation. I found the poly relationship especially interesting.

The one critique I have is that at times the characters seemed like they weren’t worried about the imminent threat they were facing. While I lied those scenes on their own, they did kind of mess with the overall pacing of the story.

I’m excited to check out book 2 when it comes out. I’m hoping with pre-established characters we will be able to dive more into the gods/magic.

I know they say do not judge a book by its cover, but seeing this cover made me want to read it so bad. This YA fantasy was full of trauma, found family, mental health, lgbtq characters. I also love that the characters were all sorts of not normal. There was something with everyone. I did have to reread some things because I wanted to make sure I read it right. I think everything that makes us questioning what is going on, is leading up to something much more bigger for sure. I swear if I had this book when I was younger this would have been my go to book.

This is a great story. I really enjoyed the way the gods reincarnations were influenced by their powers, it was particularly interesting as they remembered more of their pasts. The setting was well done and worked well with plot well. I also particularly enjoyed how the characters were written it was interesting to see how their godly selves intertwined with this cycles mortal lives. This was most relevant with the main character Gem but all of the gods were influenced by their mortal lives to some degree. It's such an interesting twist to everyone's motivations and actions, it helped keep the twists coming. I did find some of the pacing a bit off, some areas felt rushed but otherwise I really enjoyed this book.

I purchased this book after reading it and appreciate the opportunity to do so. I have to admit though I didn't love it. The characters were honestly annoying and the plot was too convoluted. It could have used some more editing.

The concept was good but I struggled with the world building and odd flow.

I find God's and goddesses interesting, but they sure are bad at love.

I don't think this'll sell in hardcover at my store sadly, but I could definitely try selling it in paperback. I thought it was beautiful and well put together, but it hits a niche that my clientelle just doesn't purchase

An incredible story that had me hooked and on pins and needles to find out what the next thing to happen would be. I devourde this book and am highly anticipating the reading of the next book. It's so rare to find books this fascinating and I was absolutely blown away!

This book had everything I really love and didn't know I would love: great queer characters, epic plot with twists, and drama. I didn't know much about the book going in an it went in a direction I never would've predicted. I wished I had this book when I was a teen!

I am ALWAYS drawn to books like this, and H.E. Edgmon did not disappoint in this novel. This is something that I have recommended to so many, especially in some of my Indigenous studies classes. I am very much appreciative that I got to read the ARC of this thanks to Netgalley.

Godly Heathens follows Gem, a transmasc nonbinary teen who lives in small town Georgia. Gem has dreams that don’t really make a lot of sense to them, and almost feel like real life. Then, one day, a beautiful girl begins asking Gem questions… about the dreams. This begins Gem’s journey.

First and foremost, this book will be a great addition to a high school library. A lot of the book takes place at or around a high school, and a lot of the storyline is based for teens. THAT BEING SAID, I ultimately DNFed it about halfway through because it was clearly written For The Teens, which I no longer am. I think that the author does a fantastic job at really making Gem feel authentically like a teenager dealing with a lot of Big Issues (being queer, having multiple crushes, being a God without realizing it) without being annoying. That all being said - Gem very clearly is a teenager and therefore it wasn’t for me. I would still recommend this book to fans of YA and readers who work with young adults.

I'm late to reviewing this, and so my thoughts are more feelings when I read this:

I loved it. I loved the story, I loved the writing, I loved the characters. HE Edgmon is so good at writing YA Fantasies, and I love everything I've read by him. They are one of the best YA authors right now.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=3.25 | 😘=4.25 | 🤬=5 | ⚔️=5 | 16+

summary: MC finds out they’re a god who has been regenerated over and over for like a thousand years and they have to find a magic knife and save the world or something
Thoughts: so I really really liked the first 55% or so of this—sassy protagonist, clever voice—but then suddenly the MC was like super good at using their magic?? kind of out of nowhere?? where is my training montage! why aren’t they messing up!!!!!! after that the vibes were kind of… like, off? not sure if I’ll continue the series??

I love this cover so much! This was a really good book and I really enjoyed the representation the author included in the story.

THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING!!! One of my favorite books I read in 2023 by far! The queer rep in Gem being enby and the way H. E. Edgmon wrote from the indigenous experience was excellent. This was such a high stakes fast paced fantasy novel and I can't wait to read the next one! ALL the stars!

Unfortunately, I DNF'd this before I could get into it. I think I couldn't connect with the characters in the way I wanted and though the concept and writing were strong, it couldn't hold my interest in the way I needed it to. Maybe I need to revisit it in another format, audio or physical copy. I know that this will appeal to many YA readers and fantasy fans and as I love both the age group and the genre, I was disappointed that I did not connect as I wanted to.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

2.5 stars rounded up because I could tell this would be extremely engaging for me at 15, but not me at 25.

Godly Heathens is the kind of book that I really appreciate from the standpoint of being a former teenager, especially a teenager who was queer and a little bit weird and edgy. Gem is selfish and makes a lot of poor choices, but while it was frustrating for me to read as an adult, I could definitely empathize as someone who has been sixteen before. While there were a lot of reveals I saw a mile away or found just a little too obvious, I think Edgmon captures the teenage psyche really well, and as a young adult novel, I think it will resonate well with its audience. This would be especially compelling for a teen who wants something darker or more horror adjacent from their fiction, or for a queer teen who wants something clearly written with them in mind. I think Edgmon did a good job with writing queer kids with a whole host of problems, from very real ones like unsupportive parents and very fantastical ones like being a reincarnated god.

There’s some plot points here that didn’t work for me, though I suspect that they will be answered in the sequel to this—for example, there is a scene with Gem and another character that is important to them that feels like it gets abandoned with no resolution. By the end of the novel, while it’s not really brought up again at all, the way the book is going it certainly feels like it will be addressed at some point, but while reading I just sort of felt like “why is this happening right now?” There were some other aspects that took me out of the story personally. This is, in part, because the story clearly takes place in the present day. I was not at any point expecting to see an Ouran High School Host Club or Ashnikko reference, and it did take me out of the story, but I feel like this reaction will vary by reader.

Godly Heathens is a fast read, but I did find that the plot meandered a little bit and it almost went too fast for me towards the end. The characters Edgmon has written definitely feel tangible, though they’re all quite dramatic and though they are ancient reincarnated gods, they absolutely read like teenagers. I think it’s impressive just how teenager-y they feel, and I appreciated the strength of Gem’s voice and sense of self. I do think it was sometimes difficult to see Gem’s side of things even though it was in their perspective, because the way the conflict is set up makes all but one of the antagonists very, very sympathetic (and also, Gem is not the most reliable narrator, but I felt this sometimes backfired from its original intent). This is obviously a villain story, but sometimes I felt like this steered out of morally gray and into “do you actually not realize why everyone is mad at you?” in a way that was less fun for me.

Ultimately, there were parts I liked a lot and parts I didn’t like very much at all, and what it boils down to is that this is probably the right book at the wrong time—if I had gotten this into my hands a decade ago (or, I guess, if I was ten years younger) I would’ve eaten this up and it would’ve done something to my brain chemistry and what I expect out of reading. Unfortunately I’ve personally outgrown what this book is doing, but while adult me didn’t love it all that much, I’m still aware that teen me would have. I definitely think that there is a target audience for this, and that target audience will love it.

The premise of this book sounds interesting, but I’m a good chunk of the way in and it’s just not grabbing me. The main character is annoying me so much; in the first couple chapters alone they’ve already called themselves hot so many times it’s making me roll my eyes. I understand being confident but this is just too much. However, there were some really funny quotes that I found myself chuckling at. I may come back to this someday but right now it just isn’t holding my attention. I definitely feel like the writing style is more suited for younger teens.

DNF (for now). Will hopefully come back and try again at another time. I really wanted to enjoy this but I struggled to get into it.

I freaking love this book. I know, I know, I’m supposed to start this review with a couple lines of synopsis of the story to hook you or let you know what I am talking about…but seriously, I freaking love this book. Have I mentioned that yet? (chuckle)

There’s a thin line between dreams and reality for Gem. When their wet dream reaches out and claws them into a nightmarescape, they realize that they may not be what they think they are nor is the world around them.

Once again, I didn’t read the blurb or pay attention to the author when I asked to review the book. We all know that I am a cover ‘ho and this cover sold me. How beautiful is Gem? The pain, isolation, cruelty, and absolute still beauty is all displayed there. I just kept coming back to the book when I usually don’t pick a cover based on my perception of a “male” cover. Fabio never did it for me (chuckle) - no shade on Fabio, just a male cover has never really rung my bell (chuckle). I wish the designer had

It wasn’t until I read the last page that I went to see who the author was because I was simply blown away and voila it’s my crush H.E. Edgmon. Seriously, I can be clueless sometimes (chuckle). Obviously I don’t stalk Edgmon like I do Arizona Tape or Eule Grey or I would have known about this book, just in case a long-time reader is scratching their head and knows that I stalk my crushes (chuckle).

Edgmon creates a dark and twisty world for us to explore in Godly Heathens. There is lots of drama, steam, angst, and sarcastic moments for us to get lost in. The secondary cast is top-notch with diversity, dramatic entrances, great battle scenes, and one-liners you want to remember. Everything about this story is entrancing.

Godly Heathens is an excellent portrayal of ghosting intersectionality. As you can read by the content warning, this story confronts the scars that are left from the violence we live through. Edgmon beautifully interweaves historical scars that are imposed generation after generation in this contemporary fantasy. I kept nodding my head and saying, “yes, yes, truth be told here in the lives on these pages.”

When readers talk about going back and reading a book for the first time all over again, this one is it for me. I have never said this before so this is huge. I’m a fan of Edgmon due to the “Witch King” series, but the “Outboros”...damn they may make the list for must read of all time. You have to read this if you love fantasy. Hands down, best book.

“She loves me, but only if I'll pretend. She loves me, but only if I'll break my bones to twist myself into the version of me she wants?”


TRIGGER WARNINGS: Graphic gore, body horror, abuse, transphobia (Look up a whole list before reading)


I know I start all my reviews with ‘Wow’. But like WOW. This book was amazing and heartbreaking, from the representation to the writing style to the plot that you literally cannot predict.
All the representation was so great to see. Mental health awareness, LGTBQ+ rep, and Indigenous characters. Representation is so important and Edgmon did a wonderful job at blending that with the plot of the book. I love a cozy realistic book where the main character discovers their identity and how they fit into their own life.
This is NOT that type of book.
I loved how the characters gender identity was written into the story, not just a part of it or even the focus of it. I love how the author seamlessly blends fiction and representation. The author makes this diversity feel so natural in this story and IT IS A NATURAL THING IN REAL LIFE. Edgmon did a wonderful job at handling hard topics about what some LGTBQ+ kids/teens go through.
I want to keep talking about this book forever. However, I do want to emphasize CHECKING THE TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE YOU START READING. I did check the trigger warnings and the first chapter still caught me by surprise.
I could write an essay about the amazing writing in this book, but I’m trying to keep it short for you review readers. I’m barely scratching the surface describing this book. It’s a wonderful, heartbreaking blend of fantasy and real life issues. I’m begging for you all to check it out!