Review – Ruthless Gods by Emily A. Duncan

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title Ruthless Gods (Something Dark and Holy #2)

Author Emily A. Duncan

Description from Amazon

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.

Release Date April 7, 2020

Initial Thoughts

The ending of Wicked Saints left me absolutely destroyed. That. ending. Wicked Saints was one of my most anticipated reads of the Spring and it did not disappoint. I was so excited to receive the email that I snagged an ARC of the sequel.

Some Things I Liked

• Interlude chapters. I loved the structure of this book and I loved that the interlude chapters allowed the reader to see small insights into the minor characters’ POVs.
• SO MUCH BETRAYAL. In a semi-twisted way, I loved that everybody was planning on stabbing everyone else in the back. Everyone in this book was totally ruthless and I loved every page.
• THAT. ENDING. AGAIN. Fool me once… so Emily A. Duncan totally fooled me again. I totally thought I knew where the story was going but no, she had to throw in an amazing twist right at the end. I loved how the story kept me on my toes. And, furthermore, I am absolutely and utterly ruined now because I don’t have an ARC of the third book (which, from what I understand, isn’t even fully written yet).

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

• Gore. The story was a little gory for my taste. I can embrace it, because the rest of the story is stellar, but fair warning, it’s pretty dark and full of blood. This is not a book for the faint of heart.

Series Value

I thought the end of Kingsbane by Claire Legrand left me destroyed. Boy, was I wrong. Nothing could have prepared me for this ending and the inevitable waiting period I must now endure while I wait for Wicked Saints #3. I am totally hooked on this series.

Final Thoughts

Ok, confession time. I have had this book in my NetGalley queue since August. I just finished it yesterday. It was a slow start but I’m so glad I pushed through. This book was a fantastic sequel and I loved it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

• The Crown’s Game and The Crown’s Fate by Evelyn Skye – if you like Russian inspired, magic infused, romances, definitely check this duology out.  It also uses alternating POV structure.
• The Grisha Series by Leigh Bardugo – this is another series set in a Russia inspired world.  Also, as an added bonus, there is a very charismatic and magnetic villain (remind you of anyone ).
• Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie – what a surprise, I am recommending another Russian inspired series.  I can’t help the fact that all of these books have that in common.  But, there’s more than setting that makes me want to recommend this one.  Romance, setting, magic, and the politics all made me think of this book while I was reading Wicked Saints.  Definitely give it a try.