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.
This was one of my most anticipated sequels this year – and it was so worth the wait.
The followup to Wicked Saints is dark, powerful, bloody, and cerebral. And it hurt my heart so many times. Serefin is caught up in something he has no control over and struggles to keep his throne and his sanity. Nadya makes impossible choices and discovers shocking truths. And Malachiasz – what can I say? He’s broken, dangerous, cunning, tortured, and by far my favorite character. His relationship with Nadya is complicated beyond explanation – love/hate on steroids. Character development is magnificent – at times I wanted to throttle each of them.
Pacing is a bit slower in this book, and occasionally the dialogue was disjointed and confusing, almost as if some lines were missing – possibly a whole scene. But this was an ARC, so that occasionally happens.
Ruthless Gods is a heavy, chaotic, and long read, but something dark fantasy fans will devour. The next book can’t come soon enough.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Books and Such 
So glad it lived up to your expectation.
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So am I, John. Sometimes those middle books are a letdown.
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Great review–honest and thorough. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks, Jacqui!
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You always write substantive reviews. Ruthless Gods sounds pretty good, and the cover makes me cringe (in a good way).
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Thanks so much, Priscilla! Those covers are awesome – the first, Wicked Saints, is just as good.
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Great review! I’m very curious to the conclusion of this one!
(www.evelynreads.com)
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So am I, Evelyn – some pretty interesting developments there at the end. Once that nearly broke my heart.
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I’ve heard great things about Wicked Saints. Is it better to read these in order, Teri?
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Absolutely – you’d be totally lost, Jacquie.
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You know it a great book when you can’t wait for the next. Thanks for sharing, Teri.
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Exactly, Jill. And now I have a year to more to wait for the next. *Sigh*
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Oooh, this sounds very interesting.
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Very dark fantasy at its best, Robbie.
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Really liked your thoughts on this one. I really enjoyed it as well. I did feel the pacing was off and different from the Wicked Saints. I loved Wicked Saints better though. Which one was your favorite of the two?
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For me, they were two different books. Wicked Saints was more action driven, where Ruthless Gods is definitely more character driven. Yes, the pace was slower, but I enjoyed learning more about the three MCs.
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I agree! We did get to see more of them and get to know them very well.
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