Hey there friends!! I hope everyone had a safe and joyful Holiday, and that you aren’t working too hard. I’m finally back in my humble abode and going back to work tomorrow. It was a long and short 6 days off, if that can even be a thing. LOL! I didn’t get as much reading done as I’d hoped, but I finished the important book… Ruthless Gods (Something Dark and Holy #2) by Emily A. Duncan! I’ve almost finished an audiobook as well, but that will come in a later discussion!! So without further adieu, here is my review!!
#NetGalley #ruthlessgods #stmartinspress #wednesdaybooks #darkfantasy #yafantasy #booknerd #awesomereads #somethingdarkandholy #readgoodbooks
Ruthless Gods (Something Dark and Holy #2) by Emily A. Duncan
Description –
The stunning sequel to instant New York Times bestseller, Wicked Saints
“Ruthless Gods opens the door to a world of fallen gods and eldritch horrors… Gruesome, grotesque, and so, so glorious.” – Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows
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. Their paths are 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.
In her dramatic follow-up to Wicked Saints, the first book in her Something Dark and Holy trilogy, Emily A. Duncan paints a Gothic, icy world where shadows whisper, and no one is who they seem, with a shocking ending that will leave you breathless.
“Ruthless Gods will leave fans demanding the final installment in the trilogy.” – Christine Lynn Herman, author of The Devouring Gray
MyReview –
Gruesome, grotesque and glorious is such a perfect way to describe this outstanding sequel to Wicked Saints, and Erin A Craig (author of House of Salt & Sorrows) couldn’t have said it better! Wicked Saints set the scene perfectly and left you needing to know more, all while nursing a broken heart. I immediately started Ruthless Gods because I needed to know what happened to Nadya and Malachiasz, Serefin, and the rest of their unique group of travelers. Immediately I was drawn to the darkness surrounding Malachiasz, the leader of a Tranavian heretic cult known as the Vultures. His attempt to ascend from mortal to god was such an intriguing subplot, intertwined with Nadya’s struggle with her duties as a cleric and her belief in faith vs what her heart desires.
The character development was so intricate in Ruthless Gods, as we learned more about some of the secondary characters and met some new characters. The progress of the paths of the divine trio, which is what I like to call Serefin, Malachiasz, and Nadya, is so full of tension and action packed that it’s nearly impossible to pick which one to root for, let alone pick a favorite. There is never a lull in the plot line which can sometimes happen in sequels, but not in this one! The scenes in the divine forrest were absolutely horrific in all the best ways! Remind me never to go walking in the woods and especially at night, even if I’m with a group of people or not. The folklore included in the story was spooky and created the perfect mood. I don’t know about you, but monsters that scream and can impersonate those close to you with a single strand of hair are absolutely terrifying!!
I have so many questions after that ending, but I’m confident they will all be resolved in the third and final installment of the Trilogy. I hate that it’s so far away for the third book to come out, but that’s the downside to reading ARCs. It’s really not a bad thing at all though! Ruthless Gods has definitely left me heart broken, or rather absolutely shattered, and I LOVE it!! Having the emotional reaction to fictional characters in this way is always a sign of an amazing book in my opinion. I highly recommend that everyone who has read Wicked Saints reads Ruthless Gods, I promise you’ll like it more than the first book!! If you haven’t read either of these books yet then chop, chop!!! Go on, get it now!!! These are the perfect YA Dark Fantasy books in a series built around Russian cultural influences, Gods and monsters.
A HUGEEEE Thank You to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books for approving my request for this eARC!!! I had an absolute blast reading this book and have been talking it up to all of my friends and facebook book groups!
Until next time, Happy Reading!!
booksnbites 