Thanks to NETGALLEY and St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books for eARC

This second installment, we read through not just Gem's first person, but some third POV as well via some of the other castmates. It's a nice addition that doesn't clog down or take away from the story. Setting is the same; Georgia and the Ether. I think it's a well-down wrap up, and that it works as a duology (though I wouldn't be upset if more came out later - this world, these novels, are just so much fun and important in terms of covering topics that tend to be stigmas when they shouldn't). Without spoiling, I will say the shift in tone/writing during a certain part was appreciated and cool.


⍟ Notes :
⇉ Not being with Hank during That Scene is an asshole move and kind of BS? It felt a little out of character, but I'm not the author.

⇉ “If someone tries to show me an evil Tom Hanks movie, I think I might lose it.” - PREACH. As more and more of our celebrities fall from grace and their real selves are revealed, there are some I couldn't handle, and Tom Hanks is one of those.

⇉ Typo that annoyed me was the inconsistent spelling of "naïve" ; with and without the accent.

This duology stands as a true masterpiece, plain and simple.

In this particular book, the narrative is a raw exploration of an open wound exposed to the elements, a manifestation of the rage stemming from a pain so deeply embedded that only brutality seems fitting. It delves into the decimation resulting from untreated wounds, handling trauma with a rare gift, never allowing the ugliest parts to slip through the cracks. It's bloody, brutal, and devastating, yet within the chaos, there's an undeniable thread of love, understanding, and the importance of care.

Expressed through the lens of gods, magic, and intense battles, the story captures the essence of teenagers grappling with unimaginable burdens. Buckets of blood are spilled, and the world burns from the inside out, but at its core, it's about kids navigating their pain, clinging to each other for solace, and desperately seeking a sense of normalcy. The narrative is beautifully crafted, mind-bendingly good, and an emotional rollercoaster.

And can we talk about the epilogue? What the heck was that? A rounded-up rating of 4.5 is well-deserved.

"Merciless Saviors" seamlessly picks up where "Godly Heathens" concludes, intensifying the narrative by multiple degrees. Reading these two books consecutively highlights the intricate setup in the first installment and how the second delves even deeper into the subconscious, exploring the complexities of "good vs. evil" amidst extreme trauma. H.E Edgmon has skillfully crafted a stellar story, and I highly recommend these books if you're comfortable with intense YA narratives. The character development, particularly that of Gem, is commendable, and the exploration of their connection to their found family is top-tier.

Content notes for potential readers to be aware of include themes of trauma, suicidal ideation, violence, murder, torture, family abuse, sexual violence, body horror, and animal death.

A heartfelt thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my thoughts. I'm eagerly anticipating the next journey this duology will take.

Man, I was so excited when this book graced my Netgalley shelf, I really enjoyed book one and I wanted more of it. Maybe this was a right book, wrong time, but I just did not care for this one.

I think I was struggling with the concepts and picturing all that was happening, and it gets confusing when the characters are being referenced with both their godly and human names back and forth - I had a hard time keeping certain characters straight. Especially once they go [redacted] and use one name more than the other, then I was really confused.

Book one ended on quite a cliffhanger, and this book picked up right where that left off. I thought that I remembered more of the first book, but it has been almost a year and I was definitely proven wrong. I was so lost in the beginning, trying to remember all that had happened and where the characters were supposed to go from there.

Then you get to a point where the characters get to go home, and surprise surprise - it is a lot worse than they left it. Gem definitely goes through the most character development in this part of the book, but not really in a way that is beneficial to them. I definitely started disliking them less and less as the story went on, and I found myself kinda losing interest in the story as a whole. I can say the one good thing about this part of the story is that we get a bit more backstory on the gods and their motivations.

In book one two things that kind of threw me for a loop was the polyamory and Gem's shifting between reality/dreams/memories. The romance is definitely a lot lighter in this book, and there is less talk about sexuality in this installment. For the other, the story once again found itself shifting so many times I had a hard time keeping track of what was really happening and what was the past. It pulled me from the story, and I found myself kind of glazing over the passages I read.

And then....the ending happened. It feels a bit anticlimactic? Without going into too much detail, it feels like the characters really backtracked and the story feels a bit moot. I mean, sure there were lessons learned, but the point of the story kind of flew over my head.

I would definitely love to give this duology another chance, and next time binge it from start to finish. That might have been my issue here, because I do remember enjoying book one. I could have also timed this book wrong, as it is a complex fantasy and I am so tired in the evenings my brain just cannot comprehend what is going on.

Overall, I did enjoy book one more but would be willing to give this duology a second try. The author definitely has a unique writing style, and the story is both descriptive and graphic too. The characters all feel unique, but also hard to keep track of with multiple names attached to each one. I think the concept of these books are good, and I would go into this series with an open mind.

Content warnings (from author): mental illness, childhood trauma, suicidal idealations, depersonalization, incest, childhood sexual abuse, violence, murder, torture, body horror, nonconsensual pregnancy (mention), miscarriage, animal death

I didn't think this series could get any better, but it did 😍 the character growth is amazing and the writing got even better compared to book one!

Amazingly written this book will have you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. Amazing nonbinary rep and strong charcters that you love to see!

While I do still think this idea is very cool and interesting, this one was not as good as the first one. I think it was just too confusing. Maybe these need to be read back to back? I feel like this had no reminders of what happened in the first book and because the world and plot is so complex, I think it was just too much. Maybe I needed to reread the first book, but as it stands I just didn't vibe with this. My recommendation for people is to read this one closer to when you read the first one to keep everything fresh in your mind. Still a really cool idea and some really deep discussions about trauma and pain, but unfortunately just did not do it for me.

Merciless Saviors is the fantastic conclusion to the Ouroboros series. While I loved it and was thrilled to be with the characters again, I will say that it took me a bit to figure out what was going on and remember who was who, etc. I strongly recommend reading the first book if you have not already, I can't imagine reading it without having read Godless Heathens. The story tells of Gem, Rory, and Enzo's search for a way to restore the balance without sacrificing themselves. It picks up right after Godless Heathens ended. I love the chemistry between Gem, Rory, and Enzo, they are truly made to be together. I admit, at times I was confused as to what was happening, but I still loved it. I was sad to leave the characters behind and hope that maybe the author will go back and revisit them. Awesome story!

I was so excited to get the ARC of this sequel. H.E. Edgmon is brilliant. There was anger, sadness, and trauma. It was beautiful and angsty. There was found family and forgiveness. Truly a wonderful sequel that took everything that happened in Godly Heathens and turned up the heat.

This book was very hard to understand and get into, but once I did it was good. The writing is what made me want to read it I have never read a book like this one and I'm glad I took a chance with this one. I might have been confused only because I didn't know it was a part of a series. But it is worth a read

eARC thank you netgalley

Starting out with a slight spoiler for the rest of this paragraph, so [CW for a dog dying of old age, but trust the process, it'll turn out okay in the end]

Coming from someone who thought GODLY HEATHENS was a fantastic book, 5/5, no complaints - MERCILESS SAVIORS fell a little flat for me. The first half of the book had the same energy and vibes as the first book, but it started losing traction at that point. I found some of the transitions (either between characters, timelines, or realities) very confusing and hard to keep track of, and I kept coming away a bit lost.

I'm not really sure what to do about the ending, either. It doesn't get wrapped up as nicely as I would prefer, too ambiguous and not enough questions answered.

All in all it was still worth reading because I just find the characters so fascinating, and I love the irreverent way Gem's voice is written.

3.5, rounded up. Thanks to netgalley for the arc.

I have thoughts and feelings about this book, but you won't hear them. Not yet. And it's a pity, because I really wish I could openly support this queer, BIPOC author. Unfortunately, St. Martin's Press has yet to address the issue surrounding the issues surrounding their boycott. My full review will be posted with an accurate star rating when the demands of the boycott have been met. Until then, my review will hold at one star.

The demands are:

1) Address and denounce the Islamophobia/racism from their employee.

2) Offer tangible steps for how they're going to mitigate the harm this employee caused.

3) Address how, moving forward, they will support and protect their Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab readers, influencers, and authors in addition to their BIPOC readers, influencers, and authors.

For more information on the boycott, visit the Reader for Accountability website: https://r4a.carrd.co/

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Merciless Saviors" by H.E. Edgmon, the riveting sequel to "Godly Heathens," is an amazing conclusion to the duology, which I greatly enjoyed.

There was a seamless continuation from the first book (so I definitely recommend making sure to reread the first book before starting this one), noting the heightened intensity and exploration of deep themes such as "good vs. evil" in the face of trauma. The character development, particularly that of the main character, Gem, is very well-executed. I thought that Gem’s character was well-developed in the first book, and her character continued to be fleshed out in the sequel.
I absolutely loved the found family aspect of this book, which I considered to be top-tier. I absolutely love found family stories and that just made this book even more enjoyable to me. I also thought the raw portrayal of pain and trauma was well-crafted throughout this book as Edgmon explored the rage, devastation, and decimation that emanate from profound pain. The handling of trauma was well-done as well, capturing the brutality of trauma alongside the love, understanding, and care.

The first half of "Merciless Saviors" is fast-paced and extremely engaging, leaving me unable to stop reading. The second half, however, had a bit more of a weaker plot and pacing, with certain revelations feeling dragged out or hastily addressed. Other aspects seemed a bit repetitive, making it a little more difficult for me to finish the book. Still, I was still emotionally invested in the characters, especially Gem and Enzo, as they demonstrated emotional depth and complexity throughout the book.

I definitely recommend “Merciless Saviors” to fans of the first book as well as the found family troupe as the book offers a unique blend of fantasy elements and exploration of trauma.

I was immediately drawn right back into this world. The world building and characters in this duology are was so unique. I thought the conclusion was gratifying and showed great character growth. This was a fantastic duology that kept me enthralled the entire time! I can’t wait to read the next book by H.E. Edgmon!

A special thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press but because of the publisher's stance on the genocide happening in Gaza, I will not be promoting this book at all. Unless they change their stance, I will no longer be requesting/reviewing any of their publications.

Additionally, these books are just not very well written despite the cool concept.

This book was actually the second in the series, which I didn't realize at first. The opening felt so abrupt as if I was expected to know the characters, lol - which I would have had I known to read the first book!

Even so, it was captivating and so original. I loved the duality of each character. Very clever.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.

OKAY WOWSIE WOWSIE WOO WOO!!!!!

So so much to say. Will I say it all? Probably not because my mind works much faster than I can type.

ANYWAY.

I loved GODLY HEATHENS so much. MERCILESS SAVIORS is a stunning follow up and a gorgeous end to a rage-filled love story about friendship, trauma, and finding out exactly who you are.

Edgmon is one of my favorite writers simply for how much life they breathe into their characters. You get such fully developed PEOPLE. You get the good, the bad, the very ugly, and the ethereal beauty of humanity. On top of that, you get these gods and monsters and it’s just an amalgamation of the genius that is Edgmon’s brain.

Like… these gods are all terrible people. But it’s the awareness that shows the humanity. It’s never gratuitous. Well, that’s a lie, it actually is. But, it always served the story.

You get the extremes in every aspect with MERCILESS SAVIORS. There’s so much death and destruction but there is also so much love and friendship. I cried so much while reading this.

It was also quite the trip. The world-building of the Ether and just fleshing out exactly what each god could do was stunning and wild.

*SOME SPOILERS*

The first half of this book was such a fantastic follow-up to the HUGE cliffhanger in book 1. I enjoyed the complicated dynamics between all the gods. Even when they were fighting, they still had a weird bond and it was fascinating to read. Especially picturing them all as the teenagers they were.

The romance between Gem, Rory, and Enzo was also fascinating and very real. I enjoyed the messiness and the passion between them all.

Again the examination of things like racism, colonization, mental health, queerness, environmentalism, and so many other things also really stuck out to me.

The second half of the book was where I started losing a little bit of interest. Once they got to the Ether,, especially after all the conflict on Earth...it just felt a little flat and the stakes, while still high, did not grab me like they did when they were fighting the additional force of their own humanity on earth. IT took a little something away from the story but I also understood why it happened. I still enjoyed it and thought this duology was super solid overall.

After loving Godly Heathens, book one of the Ouroboros series , I was so excited for Merciless Saviors, book 2, that I immediately dived into the arc.

I won't go into details because I don't want to put Spoilers. This picks up right where book 1 ends. From there things are strong, and we are even given another main characters POV ( sadly this only happens once or maybe twice ) which was disappointing. I would have loved much from the other POV. Things seemed to keep going at a good interesting pace for me until somewhere in the middle where it lost me. Time is seen as linear, and we get all the time jumps and place jumps that it took me out of the story. From their I struggled to keep invested and was waiting for it to be over.

Overall, The Ouroboros series is wonderful, I don't think however it really needed to be two books. I did enjoy the actual ending though it was satisfying, it was just the progression to get to it in book 2 was a bit slower than the first. I still think the conclusion is worth reading if you enjoyed Godly Heathens.

3.5 rounded to 4

I don't know if it's because I read the Godly Heathens and let it sit with me for half a year before reading this, but I couldn't get into this as much.

I'm disappointed, too, because I was so ready to see how the messiness from book one would wrap up in this one, but it didn't live up to the expectations I had. A lot of the story is retreading old ground up until the last two chapters where Gem and co. suddenly tried to right the wrongs they've committed. It didn't really feel earned, and I barely registered it was happening until I got to the Epilogue, where the past 18 months since the last chapter are explained away in brief paragraphs before it officially(?) ends.

I don't really have more to say. I don't feel like I completely wasted my time reading this, for I am I was able to read this through and still find myself looking fondly on my time reading the first book. But now I feel like I'm caught in a weird limbo state on my feelings of the duology as a whole.

If you love messy, morally ambiguous queer characters, Godly Heathens definitely delivers on that, but this one would get a 'meh' from me.

Reincarnation is never easy especially when you are just a normal teenager before you find out you used to be a God in a past life. This goes up all the questions I had at the end of the first book and showed me that I loved Gem as a character even more.