Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Merciless Saviors by H.E. Edgmon

3 reviews

mythian's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5/5, rounding up. This book, like its predecessor, is a fast read with loads of gore and morally complex characters.  It picks up right where Godly Heathens left off, with the scales of balance toppled and the Reaper and Lionheart after Gem and the other gods.  Since the magic has been disrupted, the gods have difficulties using their powers, or being able to access them at all.  It's interesting discovering who these characters are when their whole persona, literally the thing they are named for, isn't working as intended.

The last third of the book was emotionally gut-wrenching and was nearly a perfect ending...except for the last page.  The last plot twist was unexpected and I felt like it cheapened Gem's sacrifice, because in the end, it wasn't much of a sacrifice.  Although I could also see it being a metaphor for survivors reclaiming their power.  The cycles of time and time happening all at once is a recurring theme that I really liked, however I think it became too meta and went "is any of this really happening? Maybe it's all in your head!" which was annoying.

As a warning, this book covers the topic of child abuse by a family member and the repercussions of surviving such abuse.  

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

pm_me_book_recs's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 I actually liked Merciless Saviors better than Godless Heathens! I thought the first was a bit too camp, the dialogue was very edgy and didn't quite feel like teens? Merciless Saviors is more toned down with the forced quips and one-liners, they are still there, just not totally saturating the dialogue.

How the story all comes together was really heartbreaking and cathartic. A truly beautiful rendition of a child's experience with deep deep trauma. There were some parts that felt a bit repetitive, but then I thought about my own experiences and thoughts during CPTSD spirals and realized it was spot on. The evolution of the characters is really sweet. I was honestly fine with the story focusing more on the main three instead of the entire cast.

I do agree with other reviewers that the existential time crises were sometimes hard to follow, or maybe out of place? I can't put my finger on it, but something about the portrayal didn't quite mesh with the story? It wasn't enough to derail or ruin anything, just kind of distracting. There were a few confusing or convenient things towards the end of the book that I went back and read twice to make sure I didn't miss anything... but somehow I'm still not understanding certain characters survival... This is a hard part to dive into without spoilers, so I'll just leave it at that. The plot holes got me pacing.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC, appreciated as always. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

readingwithkaitlyn's review

Go to review page

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...