Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This was so much less fun than the first book, partly because of the massive weight hanging over it (pet death and repressed childhood sexual trauma, my two biggest Oh No elements, naturally) and partly because Gem is what made the first book for me, and they weren't Gem for a lot of this one. They were the Magician.

Some more recap of the first book would probably have been helpful as well, particularly in terms of just who the other gods were and what they did because I did not remember that very well, which made it harder to orient myself here. Related to that, Gem's relationship to the Heartkeeper and Rory's relationship with Murphy felt very underdeveloped, especially considering how big a deal was made of both of them at the end. It kind of felt like they came out of nowhere.

On a more positive note, however, I really liked how Rory and Enzo's dynamic developed here, and the last two pages were absolute perfection.

This was an excellent follow-up to last year's Godly Heathens. I appreciated that it picked up where its predecessor left off, dropping the reader right back into the action. Many unforeseen consequences of a certain fatal decision become apparent very quickly, and the main characters are thus forced to truly grapple with their godhood and humanity, and how these two states of being have affected places and people of both Earth and the Ether.

I always appreciate good magic systems in fantasy novels, and this series has not disappointed in that regard. I was happy to see this book successfully built upon the solid foundation established in the first novel, with all the gods' different magic employed in interesting and catastrophic new ways. I also do enjoy stories of queer people behaving badly (or in this case, absolutely monstrously), which is such a delightful way to turn queer tropes on their heads. And it provides an excellent basis for character development, with Gem's grueling, though ultimately positive, journey to figuring out their own humanity. This necessitated addressing numerous difficult issues, including mental illness and sexual abuse, which H.E. Edgmon unpacks with grace and empathy.

I definitely recommend this series, and I hope books like this will continue to get published.

H. E. Edgmon is officially on my list of favorite authors! The second of the series started off with a bang, providing more beautiful world building and back ground of the magic and the characters.
This is not an easy book to read, the characters experience a lot of trauma and that bleeds through the pages. It’s an emotional, hard hitting, though provoking, and at times graphic read. However, the heart of the story is a journey of acceptance and self love, the perfect type of romance in my opinion.

Let me start this review by saying I think that you should read this duology back to back, or at least as close together as possible because the action of this book starts basically the second where the first book left off. I, unfortunately, did not do that, but I still enjoyed it and was able to understand the story. Second, this book is weird, definitely more so than the first one, and perhaps in a more deeply painful way, but I mean that mostly in a good way. The overall story arc is so interesting and the characters, while pretty awful people, are also incredibly interesting. It feels like a book about cruelty and power, but really ultimately about healing. It’s incredibly messy, and there were times that I was definitely less interested in this book compared to when I read Godly Heathens, but I still think it was a pretty good end to the duology, and worth the read if you enjoyed the first book.

It’s possible that some of my thoughts haven’t fully developed after finishing the book, so it’s hard to really put the experience of reading it into words. The characters are not good people, but it’s interesting to find out more about them. I actually found myself caring less about the relationships, but I did like the god versions of Gem, Rory, and Enzo reflecting on their human selves. Some of the elements of remembering are deeply confusing, and the story gets a little bit hard to piece together at the beginning, but it gets better the more time goes on. And honestly, even for parts that I didn’t just love, I think it’s worth it to see the main character grow and try to heal the people they hurt, but also fuck up the people who hurt them! This is definitely a very heavy book, but I think there are several important themes of the stories of queer/trans and Native people, and I’m glad to have finally read it.

Man, this book was so fantastic to read! I loved the first one, and I had to see how the series was going to end, and boy, what a story it was! I needed to read what was going to happen to Gem, Rory and Enzo as things progressed!

This book deals with the consequences of the first book-because the balance is broken with Gem, the Magician, holding another's power. So that was complicated on top of the fact of why Gem holds that power. So that was interesting to read!

Honestly, this book is really dark. This deals with some pretty heavy topics, of trauma and it doesn't shy away from it. Add in the complicated magic, and the dynamics between all these characters, there was a lot going on in this book.

All in all, I do prefer H.E. Edgmon's series just a bit more, because it was easier to have righteous fury there, in this one, it was more complicated. Doesn't mean it's less deserving, but makes it harder to love, which is sad, especially given what happens in this book, but every reader has their own tastes, and this is my opinion.

Loved reading this book and I can't wait to read more by H.E. Edgmon!

An incredible continuation of the series that maintains the energy from the first book until the last page of this one.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

When I requested this, I didn't pay attention to the fact it was book two in a series. I suggest you read in order and don't try to pick this one up without reading the first. You will be lost, like I was.

A wild ride for sure! This was such an unexpected journey, and I ate it up. I love a good "villian" story and this aboslutely delivered. It tackled some hard topics, discussions, themes and debates. It made me question so many things about myself, my beliefs, my values...

I love a good Poly romance, and Gem, Aurora and Enzo showed a unique polycule that they made work for them. I am sad to say goodbye to these characters, but cant wait to revisit them on a reread.

Book Summary:

Gem Echols life has been changed forever. They were betrayed, which isn’t as shocking as it should be. More importantly, the decisions they made in the heat of the moment will resonate in their worlds forever.

Now, Gem and the remaining gods have two choices: find a way to restore balance (ideally without losing their lives in the process) or let everything (and we do mean everything) fall apart.

My Review:

Ahh! I’ve been both looking forward to and dreading Merciless Saviors. It’s the second novel in The Ouroboros duology, and I knew it would hit like a sledgehammer (spoiler warning: I wasn’t wrong).

So, I may have put off reading it just a teeny tiny bit. That was probably a mistake because Merciless Saviors is a fantastic read. It’s dark and disturbing, with a ton of character development and even bigger stakes.

As with the first novel in this series, I should caution readers to check out the trigger warnings first. Merciless Saviors, in particular, has a new set of warnings, including involuntary pregnancy (and loss), suicidal ideation, and child sexual abuse.

I don’t know how I expected Gem to wrap up the mess that’s been created out of both worlds…but I was pleasantly surprised by everything that happened here. Again, it’s dark and twisted, but I was expecting that. The solution is oddly elegant and, dare I say, human.

Highlights:
Second half of a Duology
Fantasy Horror
Mythology & Gods
LGBTQ+

Trigger Warnings:
Child sexual abuse (recounted)
Suicidal Ideation
Animal Death
Involuntary Pregnancy
Graphic Details

Merciless Saviors had me on the edge of my seat and excited to see the other world the gods came from. The best part of the book are the characters they are so complex but also grow and learn from themselves. I really appreciate the care that went into each character. H. E. Edgmon is an auto read author for me now. Each book I read is even more addicting.

This book was honestly so confusing. I got lost many times and I just wish I love this story more. A polycule and trans characters? It should've been up my alley. But unfortunately it was really hard to keep up and all the issues I had with the first book only got enhanced with the second. The romances still felt forced and the plot threads of what was happening in the god world was lost on me and I didn't really understand what was happening due to how flippant it was towards their human lives but then trying to instill what is god and what is human. I did enjoy how much more "The Mountain" was fleshed out in the story and she became the only enjoyable part of the story for me but unfortunately the rest of the story it was still too many characters to remember and their roles.

4.0 / 5.0

Just as intense and satisfying as the first book, Merciless Saviors end the duology nicely.

Until Next Time,
MC

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

Representation: Queer and nonbinary Seminole MC with mental health struggles, nearly all queer supporting cast, many of them also BIPOC.

Rating: 5/5 This absolutely blew me away. Godly Heathens was amazing, and this follow up just increased my appreciation of Edgmon’s writing. This is vicious and horrible and gorgeous. We see more of the gods, their domains, how those can influence the others’, and more of their true godhood, not just their mortal forms. I absolutely recommend reading this duology, but be ready for a lot of conflicting feelings and emotions all over the place.

10/10 . This book was so good that I had to purchase a physical copy. I wish that this series didn’t have to come to an end. The ending was beautiful. Realizing your power and who you are is such a beautiful experience.

AMAZING !!!
The author never disappoints this book is even better than the first book and the first book was excellent. The characters have so much emotional depth and complexity to them.

I believe this book is one that gets better and better every time it is read.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC copy they provided.

I looked forward to this book with bated breath, but was unable to read it and leave a meaningful review before publication. I will definitely be reading Merciless Saviors some time soon, and leave a fuller, and more in depth review, but for the moment, I will still be waiting with bated breath for what is sure to be an exquisite finale to H.E. Edgmon’s Ouroboros series.

"**Merciless Saviors**" by H.E. Edgmon is a gripping and darkly immersive fantasy that delves into themes of power and betrayal with intense storytelling. Edgmon’s compelling characters and intricate plot twists make for a captivating and thought-provoking read.

This was a nice conclusion to the duology. I did get somewhat confused with the time jumps (life jumps?) and it was more gory than I expected.