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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
I’ve never felt tired after reading a book before but holy shit did this book exhaust me
adventurous
dark
tense
I read the first book in this series a while ago, so there were a lot of parts in the plot and a lot of details that confused me because I didn't remember exactly what happened in the first book. I didn't really understand the plot as a whole because they're all enemies, but they're also all friends and they're all going to the same place with different goals but they're all lying to each other but they all trust each other... it was all just so confusing for me. I don't get why Nadya still trusted Malachaisz (I don't have the book in front of me idk how to spell his name) after finding out he was the black vulture and finding out he was lying to her the entire time and then he betrayed her.
I like all of the side characters, but there are so many of them that none of them are really fleshed out as much as I would like. We get a little bit about Parijahan's life, but it is never resolved and Rashid does basically nothing in this entire book. I want to know more about them, but right now they don't really contribute anything to the plot.
I'm still giving this a good rating because even though there were a lot of things that bothered me, I also really loved reading this. I love the vibes, the world, and the themes about religion. The characters frustrate me but I love them too.
I like all of the side characters, but there are so many of them that none of them are really fleshed out as much as I would like. We get a little bit about Parijahan's life, but it is never resolved and Rashid does basically nothing in this entire book. I want to know more about them, but right now they don't really contribute anything to the plot.
I'm still giving this a good rating because even though there were a lot of things that bothered me, I also really loved reading this. I love the vibes, the world, and the themes about religion. The characters frustrate me but I love them too.
Ruthless Gods picks up where the first book Wicked Saints left off, and the base characters are quickly reintroduced into the plot as Nadya, Serefin and Malachiasz each have their reason for making the journey to the place of the old gods.
The Something Dark and Holy trilogy is confusing because I never know how I feel about the books after I read them. It's a series of books that I want to like and actually do want to read, yet when I'm in the middle of reading them I don't particularly enjoy the book (and yet I'll still read the third one in the series when it comes out). As a few other reviewers have said, the book's pacing is so sluggish that it becomes a chore to get through. A lot of the plot and description is repetitive (how many do blood and eyeballs need to be repeated?). There are also places where the characters don't seem like themselves (ex: Nadya drops the f-bomb twice in the book in relative quick succession, but never before and never again. It stands out as odd).
Like the first book, the most entertaining part is the last 30 or so pages. Duncan packs a lot of suspensful action in those page, and that part is what saves the book.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
The Something Dark and Holy trilogy is confusing because I never know how I feel about the books after I read them. It's a series of books that I want to like and actually do want to read, yet when I'm in the middle of reading them I don't particularly enjoy the book (and yet I'll still read the third one in the series when it comes out). As a few other reviewers have said, the book's pacing is so sluggish that it becomes a chore to get through. A lot of the plot and description is repetitive (how many do blood and eyeballs need to be repeated?). There are also places where the characters don't seem like themselves (ex: Nadya drops the f-bomb twice in the book in relative quick succession, but never before and never again. It stands out as odd).
Like the first book, the most entertaining part is the last 30 or so pages. Duncan packs a lot of suspensful action in those page, and that part is what saves the book.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
Definitely not as good as the first novel but still enjoyable.
So perfectly dark, sad, and twisted. So thankful that I received an arc of this!
Full review: https://picturethisliteraturecom.wordpress.com/2020/04/08/ruthless-gods/
Full review: https://picturethisliteraturecom.wordpress.com/2020/04/08/ruthless-gods/
I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Full review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*
And wasn't this a bloody surprise! The sequel to Wicked Saints had even more monsters, blood, carnage, and romance. Nadya, Seferin, and Malachiasz along with their own allies and new friends will have to seek the deepest powers of the gods...even if their motives clash together and destroy them in the process.
I can't say that this book is all fluff and rainbows. On the contrary I got nightmares and knowing how gruesome the Slavic folklore can be I was surprised Baba Yaga didn't spring from the pages. I loved the dark world Emily wrote, even if I'd never dare to walk in it.
Now on the romance side of the book...I found it a tiny bit troublesome. But I loved Kacper and his devotion to Seferin; that boy deserves a good rest.
Pretty much everyone needs a good sleep.
The ending was a huge cliffhanger that left me sad and anxious. Because the gods are indeed cruel and humans are nothing but pawns in the greatest game.
Cruel, ruthless and totally enchanting Ruthless Gods adds another milestone in this dark series.
And wasn't this a bloody surprise! The sequel to Wicked Saints had even more monsters, blood, carnage, and romance. Nadya, Seferin, and Malachiasz along with their own allies and new friends will have to seek the deepest powers of the gods...even if their motives clash together and destroy them in the process.
I can't say that this book is all fluff and rainbows. On the contrary I got nightmares and knowing how gruesome the Slavic folklore can be I was surprised Baba Yaga didn't spring from the pages. I loved the dark world Emily wrote, even if I'd never dare to walk in it.
Now on the romance side of the book...I found it a tiny bit troublesome. But I loved Kacper and his devotion to Seferin; that boy deserves a good rest.
Pretty much everyone needs a good sleep.
The ending was a huge cliffhanger that left me sad and anxious. Because the gods are indeed cruel and humans are nothing but pawns in the greatest game.
Cruel, ruthless and totally enchanting Ruthless Gods adds another milestone in this dark series.
I enjoyed it but thought that Malachiasz and Nadya’s relationship wasnt the most healthy because Malachiasz could harm Nadya at anything with his claws and all the two did was lie to each other. Other than that I thought that the plot was very intriguing and page turning. I also felt like Kacper and Serefins relationship came out of the blue and was a little forced. Overall I thought it was pretty good
Don't ever trust Goodreads
https://www.burtonbookreview.com/2020/02/wicked-saints-and-ruthless-gods-by.html
https://www.burtonbookreview.com/2020/02/wicked-saints-and-ruthless-gods-by.html
If someone tucks another frickin’ tendril of hair behind someone else’s ear in the final book I will not read it. Enough, already!!! However, besides all of the hair-tucking, I still love Nadia and Malachiasz. I found this book to be tedious - much of the middle section of the book could have been edited out. And the Kacper-Serefin storyline was forced. But for some reason I still liked this book!
☆ Fun Factor 4/5
☆ Writing Style 4/5
☆ Characters 3/5 (for the side characters's ultimate irrelevance)
☆ Plot 3/5 (I still don't really know why half the stuff that happened did)
☆ Setting 5/5 (all that delicious dark ambience!)
☆ Feels 3/5 (Nothing really moved me here too much)
Ultimate verdict ☆☆☆☆/5
☆☆☆Best Character Award goes to:☆☆☆ Malachiasz, without a doubt!
REVIEW
I was very unkind to this one too in my initial reads of it similar to the first book [bc:Wicked Saints|36118682|Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy, #1)|Emily A. Duncan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539378101l/36118682._SY75_.jpg|57709985], but taking a couple years before attempting them again was beneficial to my opinions. The worldbuilding seemed a little better this time and the story over all is more cohesive and enjoyable than I remembered. Malachiasz especially is a favorite for me, I like a villain that actually gets to do something.
My only complaint really is that the side characters never really matter; Ostyia, Kacsper, Parj, and Rashid especially could just vanish right off the page never to return, and I honestly don't think anything in THIS book would've changed. Can't say if that's true for the third and final since I haven't read it yet, but it's definitely so for the first two.
☆ Writing Style 4/5
☆ Characters 3/5 (for the side characters's ultimate irrelevance)
☆ Plot 3/5 (I still don't really know why half the stuff that happened did)
☆ Setting 5/5 (all that delicious dark ambience!)
☆ Feels 3/5 (Nothing really moved me here too much)
Ultimate verdict ☆☆☆☆/5
☆☆☆Best Character Award goes to:☆☆☆ Malachiasz, without a doubt!
REVIEW
I was very unkind to this one too in my initial reads of it similar to the first book [bc:Wicked Saints|36118682|Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy, #1)|Emily A. Duncan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539378101l/36118682._SY75_.jpg|57709985], but taking a couple years before attempting them again was beneficial to my opinions. The worldbuilding seemed a little better this time and the story over all is more cohesive and enjoyable than I remembered. Malachiasz especially is a favorite for me, I like a villain that actually gets to do something.
My only complaint really is that the side characters never really matter; Ostyia, Kacsper, Parj, and Rashid especially could just vanish right off the page never to return, and I honestly don't think anything in THIS book would've changed. Can't say if that's true for the third and final since I haven't read it yet, but it's definitely so for the first two.