While I didn't adore Wicked Saints, I was still intrigued by where any sequel could go. Ruthless Gods solidified my interest in the world that Emily A. Duncan has established within Something Dark and Holy.



Ruthless Gods 
by Emily A. Duncan

Darkness never works alone...

Nadya doesn’t trust her magic anymore. Serefin is fighting off a voice in his head that doesn’t belong to him. Malachiasz is at war with who--and what--he’s become.

As their group is continually torn apart, the girl, the prince, and the monster find their fates irrevocably intertwined. They’re pieces on a board, being orchestrated by someone… or something. The voices that Serefin hears in the darkness, the ones that Nadya believes are her gods, the ones that Malachiasz is desperate to meet—those voices want a stake in the world, and they refuse to stay quiet any longer. 

 As always, a copy of this book was provided by the authors in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.   

Ruthless Gods lived up to its name in the most intensely intriguing way possible. Colour me delighted, chilled to the bone, and impressed. I absolutely devoured this darkly woven tale and have had a difficult time shaking it free of my mind. Ruthless Gods was, naturally, everything I'd wanted Wicked Saints to be.

Whereas Wicked Saints felt as though it spent a majority of its time tripping over itself and never quite understanding its own potential, Ruthless Gods shows us a more confident edge. Further, the world-building is on point and thoroughly compelled me. It was good to see a more descriptive approach this time around. 

The first phrase that comes to mind, when describing Ruthless Gods, is uneasy. My mind never truly found the time to rest within these pages. All the tension alone leads us into the right headspace for the trickery and bleakness at hand within this world. It's all sharp and chaotic edges; biting with its peculiar brand of coldness. 

Ruthless Gods has a volume to it that makes you never want to turn it down. Mostly, the biggest side effect that this novel will have on its readers is how easily we can slip into its darkness. With its superior quality in comparison to its predecessor, its tension, and so much more, it's nearly perfection in the form of YA Gothic fiction.

There's this quality to Emily A. Duncan's prose that is painted in shades of midnight. Ruthless Gods grips its audience from the start with its atmospheric tone. And the use of Gods and monsters is highly engaging, chilling and full of wit. This is easily one of the best books of the year--and a definite must read for fans of the series.