“‘You are always there little bird,’ he continued slowly. ‘Fluttering outside of everything, but you cannot be caught. I try to cast you out yet you r“‘You are always there little bird,’ he continued slowly. ‘Fluttering outside of everything, but you cannot be caught. I try to cast you out yet you remain, irritating, useless, constantly, constantly, fluttering.’”
TW: body horror (including massive eye trauma), blood/gore, self harm for blood magic purposes, substance abuse
4.5 stars!
A dark fantasy with cosmic/body horror, angry gods, blood magic, a bickering frenemies group, and angsty villain romance. What else could I ask for? A captivating and immersive plot, which Ruthless Gods delivers masterfully.
Amongst a sea of mixed reviews for Wicked Saints, I felt quite on the fence regarding my thoughts on the first installment of the Something Dark and Holy trilogy. Was I mostly underwhelmed throughout most of the book? Yes. But did I enjoy the world building and magic systems? Also yes. So my interest remained piqued despite pacing issues and at times, clunky plotting. When I had finished reading, I wondered why the rest of the book could not have been as good as the last 100 pages. So, I settled upon my 3.75 rating and added Ruthless Gods to my TBR.
And oh am I glad I did. This is one of the best follow ups to a debut, when so often the second book in a trilogy is so lacking. Nearly instantly, Duncan arrested me with her writing and I just knew that I would love this story far more than Wicked Saints. With the world already established, more care and precision is able to be given toward further developing characters and the plot line. We are able to spend significant close time with Nadya and Serefin, as Nadya struggles with her faith, powers, and feelings toward Malachiasz and Travania as a whole, while Serefin is plagued by a malevolent intruder in his mind, political conflict as he ascends the throne, and moral dilemma concerning how his actions will dictate the outcome of the holy war. While we don’t get too many sections from Malachiasz’ POV, the snippets we do are eerie and heartbreaking, adding a delightfully sinister tone to an already quite dark book.
I absolutely cannot wait for the conclusion of this trilogy, as Ruthless Gods ended with much uncertainty and dread. I think if the increase of enjoyment from Wicked Saints to this sequel are any indication, I am absolutely going to adore Duncan’s final installment and agonize in the coming months over what she has in store for her vicious children. ...more