by Emily A. Duncan
DISCLAIMER: It has come to my attention since posting this blog that this author has been identified as problematic. After doing my own research, that you can find as a report here, I have come to the same conclusion. Rather than take down this review, which I don’t believe adds any value and would just leave readers wondering if I just haven’t read the book, I’m adding this disclaimer note and a link to my research report for those who are curious. If, after reading my research report, you decide you want to hear my pre-research opinion on this book, please feel free to read it. If you also decide after educating yourself on this topic that you want to read this book anyway, I completely support your decision to do so. Everyone should have the choice, and I’d only like to give you the opportunity to make an educated choice rather than deciding for you.
Ruthless Gods. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect of this read, if I’m being honest, other than that I was glad I had it on hand when I picked up Wicked Saints. I will not be writing a review for that one, though, for multiple reasons, but not the least of which being because I immediately picked up Ruthless Gods.
Because of the rapid jump from Wicked Saints to Ruthless Gods, you will see some overlap in my review here. I won’t be warning about most spoilers for Wicked Saints, though – if you’re reading a review about Ruthless Gods, it’s implied that you’ve read Wicked Saints or, at least, don’t mind reading spoilers.
I like the jump of the god-that’s-not-a-god voice from Nadya to Serefin. I like the continued darkness and almost roughness from Wicked Saints to Ruthless Gods – and I like that it’s darker and rougher than before. I also like that it’s longer – Wicked Saints didn’t feel rushed, from my memory, but a longer book usually means a longer, more detailed story, and I’m usually here for that – to a degree, at least.
I also love the continuation of Nadya’s character arc. I love that it gets even darker, rougher, and “dirtier” than before. I love that the lines of good and evil are blurred for her, I love the challenge to what she believes, and I love the development of her relationship with the other characters.
In short, I can’t wait for this book to publish so I can add it to my shelf and be that much closer to the third and final book. I can’t wait to see how this concludes and how the characters develop, grow, and progress from here. So much has happened to them all – and there’s clearly so much more left to go.
This book almost immediately dives into changes for all the characters, so there isn’t much non-spoiler content for me to share before my typical spoiler “line” comes up.
Nadya struggles, as in the first book but on a much, much deeper level, with her faith and the identity of her gods. As you can probably guess, that also comes with a level of identity crisis, though the level of which that crisis take shape is a level you don’t really expect. Her character arc undergoes quite a change, in some ways, as the book goes on, though she somehow also stays, in some ways, very much the same.
Malachiasz. He seems to be the walking definition of theory vs practice. His theory and intentions are somewhat well intentioned, but the execution is getting messy, and he’s struggling with his own identity – and his next steps – to an anticipated but somehow still somewhat shocking degree. What happens in this book, and what happens in the next, are largely up in the air. Will he get what he’s aiming for, or will he fall short – having lost everything he’s sacrificed thus far without any of the rewards?
Serefin’s struggles in this book kinda tug at your heart a bit. While Nadya’s struggles have always tugged at your heart, Serefin’s have gotten more so in this book. He dealt with family/father issues in Wicked Saints, but, in this book, it is decidedly more person, closer to home for him. If you weren’t rooting for him to have a happy ending before, you’re more inclined to in this book. It’s not a character arc that guarantees that shift, but it’s definitely more likely.
Recommendation: if you liked Wicked Saints, you’ll almost definitely like Ruthless Gods. If you’re somehow reading this without having read Wicked Saints but this review so far sounds like a read you might be interested in, you’re unlikely to be disappointed. Ruthless Gods goes places you didn’t anticipate, and anything is on the table. Nothing is really off-limits for the characters to go through – and, if that sounds like your kind of read, I echo my statement before: this book/series is unlikely to disappoint, so long as you’re alright with reading things like questioning your faith, questioning your identity, especially in relation to the rest of the world, and if you’re open to some slightly a-typical, though not unusual, character relationships.
**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. I WILL NOT BE HOLDING BACK. PREPARE FOR A FLOOD OF OPINIONS – FULL OF SPOILERS.**
Alright, I’ve been thinking about this book a lot since I put it down.
I don’t know if maybe reading as often as I have has left me with me losing the ability to guess what’s going to happen next somehow or what, but I don’t know where a lot of these characters are going or what the final ending will be.
I normally would say that that’s impressive for a book but, outside my recent reads of The Infernal Devices, I’ve been struggling to guess endings and twists lately. That might also just be because Owlcrate tends to pick amazing books to feature in their boxes, and those are the books I seem to be picking up lately.
Nadya’s character arc in this, however, was something I kind of saw coming. I saw coming that her powers would end up being far greater than she thought – and not tied to her gods. I saw coming that she would question their identities, what they were, and where her powers are coming from – and why her Church is so afraid of what she’s capable of. I enjoyed her character arc of being more independent while still struggling with being that independent when her entire life she’s been tying her identity to her gods and faith. I think the run-in she has in the book with a different monastery was a tad cliché and something I easily saw coming, but necessary to the otherall development – both of her arc and the plot in general.
Serefin’s character arc, though, was quite the roller coaster. Between what’s going on in his mind and finally realizing about Kacper – it’s all quite a lot for poor Serefin, especially when we keep in mind that he died and came back in Wicked Saints – and at his father’s orders, by one of his closest friends, no less.
Malachiasz . . . I don’t really know what’s in store for him. Will all his sacrifices be in vain at the end? Will he and Nadya get to be together in the end, or does he lose out on everything? Is he playing right into someone’s plans for him – and does he continue to do so, as he has been, or will he rebel before the end, and break away from their plans for him?
I don’t even know at this point if I’m rooting for Nadya and Malachiasz to be together by the end of this. Not because their relationship isn’t one I’ve rooted for in the past – only that I can see how them not being together at the end of this can still make for a satisfactory ending. Emily A. Duncan has done a great job thus far in making her readers almost enjoy the destruction and twists she puts her characters threw. There is a certain beauty in this “dirty”, bloody darkness she’s created – and it’s leaving me wanting more.
While I have never shied away from dark books, I don’t think I truly appreciated them the way I do now, after reading The Nevernight Chronicles. That was definitely a distinct turning point in my reading choices and enjoyment that I doubt I’ll soon forget. And this Something Dark and Holy series is appealing to that new love of dark books.
Next up is The Infernal Devices trilogy – a return to the Shadowhunter world for me! Each book will be getting it’s own review, just as The Illuminae Files did. Stay tuned for those, if you’re curious for a peak into that world before Chain of Gold drops March 3rd!
The Fox Den 