I like the world and the ideas in this series. Unfortunately, this installment was a bit more difficult to follow for me, especially all the multiple names for the same characters. I always find that pretty hard to follow. I enjoyed reading book 1 a lot more because there were more drama focused interactions between the characters. A lot of this book is spent being very in Gem's head, which would be fine, but it was a little triggering with how much self-loathing this character deals with and how much they feel they don't deserve things. It's a bit overwhelming. I do appreciate the time the author takes to prove this character's feelings wrong. I think we got a pretty nicely rounded ending to the story overall. Definitely check the content/trigger warnings included by the author before you read. Things did get quite graphic at different points.

Holding my public review in solidarity for the SMP boycott. Please, please let the company know that I'd LOVE to talk about your books but I want to support readers of color.

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This is a gripping and intricately woven conclusion to the intense duology. Gem and his godly friends find themselves thrust into a world of chaos and uncertainty at the end of the first book. It is such a stellar duology and I liked this one even more than the first.

Edgmon masterfully navigates the complexities of these characters, who are not only grappling with their newfound powers and pasts but also with their own human traumatic experiences. Gem, Rory, and Enzo's journey is one of self-discovery and evolution, as they search for a way to restore balance to a world in which their powers are thrown into disarray. The dynamics between the characters are rich and nuanced, particularly Shade/Enzo, whose complexities are my favorite among these amazing characters. The romance between the three leads continues to blossom amidst the chaos, offering a tender and heartfelt counterbalance to the darkness surrounding them.

At its core, "Merciless Saviors" is a story about change and sacrifice, as the characters confront difficult choices and grapple with the consequences of their actions - both now and in their pasts. Edgmon deftly explores themes of identity and humanity. Which is strange since it's about a bunch of gods, but it just WORKS in a way that I didn't expect.

The novel is not without its challenges, delving into unsettling topics with unflinching honesty and a ton of body horror. However, it is precisely this willingness to confront difficult themes that makes "Merciless Saviors" a powerful and thought-provoking read.

This is a worthy conclusion to the duology, showcasing Edgmon's talent for crafting compelling characters and immersive storytelling. Highly recommended for those who appreciate dark fantasy with depth and heart.

I found Merciless Saviors to be a solid ending to Gem's story. Exploring the Ether was fascinaiting (screamo Taylor Swift), every character got their time to shine, and the overall conceit of the series became a lot clearer. The line between dissociation and magic is very blurry in this story, which I believe is one of it's strengths. The world that Gem built in the wake of their CSA, in which no one could ever harm them because they were the most powerful thing, is one that many teen readers will likely relate to. The portrayals of love and kindess and the healing power of connection without obligation or exception are breathtaking.

Gem Echols is in shock. They just murdered someone. But they deserved it! Zephyr kidnapped their parents. Now, Gem is starting to feel the effect for ending the life of the God of Air. Gem is the magician, the God of the scales, and now the scales have tipped. All of the god’s powers are running amuck. It’s now up to Gem, Rory, and Enzo to right the world. But can they do it before they are torn apart?

This book was not what I wanted it to be in a sequel. The timeline jumps around everywhere. The names of the characters are used so interchangeably that I can’t tell what’s going on. I love the artwork on the cover. I really wanted to love it but I didn’t. Maybe I’ll give it another try in the future but I’m truly disappointed in the way this book went. 2/5 stars.

I will not be reviewing this title due to the boycott of St. Martins Press and its imprints. More information at @readersforaccountability on Instagram

In Godly Heathens, we meet Gem Echols, a nonbinary Seminole teen living in a tiny town in Georgia who uses charm to disguise their deep anxiety and sense of not belonging. In their dreams, Gem Echols is also the reincarnation of an ageless deity who has committed unforgivable sins. When other reincarnated gods start popping up around town, Gem’s two worlds collide.

To quote Rebecca’s Roanhorse’s stellar review because she said it best:
"I do think that if I had read this as a teen, it would have become my favorite book hands down, the kind that changes your reading life, and maybe your larger life because you finally feel seen. The kind you force into your friends' hands and shout, 'Read this now!'. The kind where you fall in love with every character who is messy and sexy and terrible in their own way. But, alas, I am an old, so my enthusiasm is a bit dampened. That's not to say I didn't very much enjoy the book. The world-building is fun and creative, the twists are generally satisfying, and it is super queer in the best way. I have a few quibbles about length and structure and story logic, but I don't think they'll matter that much to the average teen reader who will find plenty to love."

I adored Godly Heathens. As I mention in my review, it has some of the most engrossing first chapters I’ve read in recent memory; the book is dark, compelling, sexy, and brilliant. However, it’s not a perfect book– as Roanhorse points out, there are issues with pacing and structure.

Unfortunately, these issues are magnified in the second book. There’s a potentially powerful core here about trauma and protecting loved ones, but it’s mired in a seemingly nonsensical road trip, power creep, minimal world building, and some seriously jump-the-shark moments.

This one was definitely different than the first book, Godly Heathens. There were more horror and violent elements in this one, so I definitely appreciated the trigger warnings!
This was much more intense than I was expecting but I still loved it so much. Being able to see things from Gem’s unique perspective (especially with all of their past lives/experiences) was so interesting to see.
It was maybe a little difficult to keep track of who was who, especially at first; I think a brief recap would have been a great thing to have a little bit sooner in the beginning (I’m not going to lie, I forgot who was who from the first book!)
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read!

Loved being back with Gem in this book's world. It's so messy and complex in a way YA isn't often allowed to be. However, it very much felt like the middle book in a trilogy, with events happening but nothing really moving forward.

I really enjoyed the conclusion to the Ouroborous duology. Merciless Saviors had much stronger horror elements in it as well as violence/gore, so definitely check the trigger warnings. I didn’t like this one as much as the first mainly for that reason. I’m also so glad I went back and re-read Godly Heathens to get me reintroduced to all of the characters. 4.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Did you want more of the first book’s incoherent action scenes? Do you want to read some gratuitous sexual violence against children? Do you love the it was all a dream and the revenge thriller tropes?

Another for the do not read list.

Pre-reading:
I don’t particularly want to pick this book up after I disliked the first one. This series got so many beautiful special editions though.

Thick of it:
OK, assumptions going into this. Willa is going to be evil, and something’s gonna happen with the god of love, and like maybe all the gods will come back to life. (All dead wrong.)

Oh, now they’re saying that one of the grandparents was clutching one of Rory‘s tampons. I’m so confused. Why are we doing this with the tampons?

Why on earth would you reward a would-be rapist with another child for them to abuse?

I don’t think forcing another woman to carry a pregnancy that’s going to kill her or make her upset is the solution. This is upsetting to read.

That makes no sense. He’s seen your trauma so he owes you his? That’s bullshit.

I would dnf this book right here. I am tired. I don’t wanna read more rape.

This book’s format is changing. I have no idea what’s going on. I’m so annoyed.

There's so much rape in here, and I hate it.

This is literally so much rape. I’m very upset.

Oh my god, and they’re killing the dog. What is this?

Things I don’t like: the fact that this book has been all rape, but now there’s underage children having a threesome. I don’t like it here.

I'm bored.

I don't know who the intended audience for this book is. Because it feels firmly YA but w/ how much rape and how graphic it is…like that's not for kids.

I'm getting more and more annoyed with this.

I know they're ageless gods now, but if you put in that little aside of lol they're also still high schoolers it feels icky to read about!

Also, what's with the media causes transness nonsense? The fuck is a line like that doing in a book like this?

I mean Apollo’s a massive rapist so maybe don’t liken your love interest to him?

I know the book is trying to be quirky and do memory flashbacks, but it’s just coming across very disorganized.

I just- there’s no logic to this book. Everything‘s a rule until it’s inconvenient for the plot, and then it just doesn’t matter anymore, so nothing feels like it has any stakes.

Again, all these books can try and teach me that immortality is bad, but my Capricorn ass does not believe them.

This book did not just pull the it was all a dream card. You made up murderous imaginary friends because you’re a traumatized child. Be so for real.

You know it really rubs me the wrong way that this book basically tells us that the Shade was born from Gem’s trauma, so essentially the message is to sexualize your trauma and everything will be OK. That’s so yucky.

Cool motive, still murder.

Yep, don’t like the messaging. Don’t know who the intended audience is. Going on my do not read list.

Post-reading:
I think I knew I wouldn’t like this going into it, but I had hoped that it would dig itself out of the hole that the first book set it up for.

It did not. It dug itself so much deeper.

This book gives you trigger warnings, which I appreciate given the scope of the content, but then I’m very confused who the intended audience for this book is. It reads like a YA. The characters are in high school. They do not have mature voices or perspectives. The amount of sexual abuse of children that’s on page is gross. It has revenge thriller fantasies that are unproductive and harmful to indulge. If you’re traumatized by rape, the solution isn’t to go and rape someone else.

I don’t want to read about highschoolers sex lives. I just don’t. It’s weird to me that you would point out that they’re ageless gods, so they can have sex now and have it be kosher, but then put in a little aside that mentally they’re still high schoolers. I just think you can write about underage relationships, even if there’s a sexual component to them, without trying to make them sexy.

I also have a big big issue with the book’s idea that the Shade character was born out of the main character’s trauma. Because then we’re essentially told the trauma loves the main character, and then the main character sexualizes their trauma, and that’s how they heal. That’s deeply fucked. I don’t think that’s the message that the author was trying to send. I do think it inadvertently comes across that way. I think it needs to be rewritten to not come across that way.

The sequel suffers from the same flawed logic regarding the magic system. It’s impossible to keep up with. The audience is told a rule in one chapter, only for the next chapter to immediately break that rule. That negates any of the stakes of the book. The explanation is always just because magic. It’s cheap. It’s lazy. So many of the action scenes end in stalemates or they work through the issues within the fight itself so there’s no need to even include them. They’re unproductive. It seems like they’re just in there for visuals and vibes and then they’re not crafted well enough for the audience to visualize what’s happening.

The only saving grace that the first book had was that it had something interesting to say about morally gray characters. This book abandons that. Everyone’s getting a redemption arc. It’s not mental illness. It’s just magic. And then to end your book essentially by saying that it was all a dream, it was all made up-I don’t think it’s possible for me to be on board with that kind of ending. It feels pointless. It feels like I just wasted all my time reading then.

For a book that is clearly attempting to champion diversity and queerness and mental health, there are some upsetting lines and mentalities present. There’s a particular line about media causing a character’s transness that has stuck with me. I think it was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but it’s never properly addressed that that was a joke and that the character doesn’t actually feel that way.

I got nothing from this. I think because of the gruesomeness of the content it’s not appropriate for the intended audience, and I won’t be recommending it to anyone.

Who should read this:
No one
Compulsive finishers who need series closure

Do I want to reread this:
Nope.

Similar books:
* Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker-YA virtue signaling diversity, ensemble cast, urban fantasy
* The Night Hunt by Alexandra Christo-YA fantasy romance, Greek gods inspired
* Masters of Death by Olivie Blake-ensemble cast, gods and creatures vs each other, urban fantasy romance
* Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones-ensemble cast, YA fantasy romance, fairytale retelling, reborn gods
* Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah-YA Midwest gothic, magical realism, ensemble cast
* This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham-cringe YA dystopian horror, virtue signaling

This was a solid sequel to the first book, and I really liked the ending. It's not one I would have predicted, but it made me smile. I also though the author did a great job of helping us process through the trauma and pain experienced not only by Gem/Magician, but also by some of the other characters. It was a difficult read at times, but you could absolutely feel Gem's pain. My favorite character was Rory, both in the first book and in this one, and I was captivated by the journey the three of them, Gem, Rory, and Enzo, take to develop the healthy relationship they have by the end.

The other thing that I liked and which I would have liked more of, was finding out more about their grandmother's culture and heritage. But I was glad to see them wanting to reconnect with that heritage. The epilogue left me wanting more, but it also gave Gem and the readers closure over some of their past trauma. While this ending was very satisfying, it makes me want a sequel series, maybe concentrating on some of the other characters, like maybe Murphy.

Where the book fell short for me was that I often got confused by whether we were reading about a memory or some that was happening at that time. While the writing itself was really good, I felt like a good editor could have made things clearer in terms of what was happening in the context of the bigger story. Many times, I found myself flipping back and trying to figure out if I had missed something. I couldn't always figure out if it was a memory, dream, or a little bit of both.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, but I found myself confused more often than not. But getting to the end was worth it, so I'm glad I read it. I look forward to seeing where this author will go in the future.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am such a sucker for a good fantasy duology, and H.E. Edgmon delivered with this one! The tension, romance, and magic were so delectable. And the semi-ambiguous ending left me wishing for even more story! I can't wait to see what Edgmon will write next!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the copy of this eARC for my honest review. All ratings and any reviews are opinions of my own.

I will not be reviewing this title due to the boycott of St. Martins Press and its imprints. More information at @readersforaccountability on Instagram

“By loving me, you have undone a grief so big it consumed a world.”

This book is a raw and difficult thing to read, but so are the topics it covers. Absolutely check out the trigger warnings the author includes before diving in.

This story and characters are beautiful and awful and I cried so much. You have to read it. It’s hard to summarize the power this story has so I’m finding myself a little speechless.

I struggled with keeping all the characters in their god and human form straight, as well as the pacing.

This is the third book from Edgmon I have read and I all of their books are on my auto buy list from now on.

I like the idea behind these a lot, I just think it's laid out in a way that can be confusing and I struggled to keep track of what the actual plot was and who was who. Each god is also a teenager and I didn't follow why sometimes the character was called Enzo and other times he was Shade (applied to about 8 characters). It didn't feel like there was a hard line between the two identities, so I wasn't sure how they blended.

I didn't really like Gem, especially how they treated their mom and dog. I know a lot is going on, but you just keep going MIA and don't seem to care how that affects others. Poor Hank :(

In the end, this just didn't hit for me, but I hope others enjoy it!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the copy.

"Merciless Saviors" by H.E. Edgmon is a gripping continuation of the Ouroboros series. It delivers a deeply emotional and thought-provoking narrative that earns a solid four stars.

The novel seamlessly picks up where its predecessor left off, thrusting readers back into the tumultuous world of Gem and the pantheon without missing a beat. While the pacing may falter at times, with moments that drag and others that leave you yearning for more, the overall journey is undeniably engrossing.

Edgmon's writing shines brightest in this installment, showcasing some of their best prose yet. There are moments of sheer brilliance where sentences and passages demand to be savored, demonstrating the author's skill in crafting evocative imagery and poignant emotions.

Trigger warnings are prominently featured at the beginning of the book, a thoughtful inclusion that prepares readers for the deeper exploration of sensitive topics. While the gender commentary takes a backseat compared to the first book, the thematic depth remains palpable, focusing instead on trauma, healing, and the messy complexity of teenage emotions.

At its core, "Merciless Saviors" is a love story—not just romantic love, but the journey towards self-love and acceptance. Through the trials and tribulations of Gem and their companions, the novel beautifully explores the intricacies of identity, relationships, and the resilience of the human spirit.

In conclusion, while "Merciless Saviors" may have its pacing issues, its powerful themes, exquisite writing, and emotional resonance make it a worthy addition to the Ouroboros series. This book is a must-read for readers seeking a captivating tale of self-discovery and the bonds that hold us together.

a great sequel and conclusion to this duology. Gem and their crew really pull at your heartstrings with the things they are dealing with and learning to deal with.

*Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

3.5/5, rounding up. This book, like its predecessor, is a fast read with loads of gore and morally complex characters. It picks up right where Godly Heathens left off, with the scales of balance toppled and the Reaper and Lionheart after Gem and the other gods. Since the magic has been disrupted, the gods have difficulties using their powers, or being able to access them at all. It's interesting discovering who these characters are when their whole persona, literally the thing they are named for, isn't working as intended.

The last third of the book was emotionally gut-wrenching and was nearly a perfect ending...except for the last page. The last plot twist was unexpected and I felt like it cheapened Gem's sacrifice, because in the end, it wasn't much of a sacrifice. Although I could also see it being a metaphor for survivors reclaiming their power. The cycles of time and time happening all at once is a recurring theme that I really liked, however I think it became too meta and went "is any of this really happening? Maybe it's all in your head!" which was annoying.

As a warning, this book covers the topic of child abuse by a family member and the repercussions of surviving such abuse.