--- product_id: 146773446 title: "Ruthless Gods: A Novel (Something Dark and Holy Book 2) Kindle Edition" brand: "emily a. duncan" price: "€ 13.21" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.it/products/146773446-ruthless-gods-a-novel-something-dark-and-holy-book-2 store_origin: IT region: Italy --- # Ruthless Gods: A Novel (Something Dark and Holy Book 2) Kindle Edition **Brand:** emily a. duncan **Price:** € 13.21 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Ruthless Gods: A Novel (Something Dark and Holy Book 2) Kindle Edition by emily a. duncan - **How much does it cost?** € 13.21 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.it](https://www.desertcart.it/products/146773446-ruthless-gods-a-novel-something-dark-and-holy-book-2) ## Best For - emily a. duncan enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted emily a. duncan brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Ruthless Gods: A Novel (Something Dark and Holy Book 2) Kindle Edition - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51oIwlnwUfL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐ There was a boy...a strange and monstrous, brooding boy... *by S***A on Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2020* I am angry with this book. And not the good kind of angry, like when I become deeply invested in a character and they die spectacularly, or when a riveting book ends on a cliffhanger and it takes years for the sequel to be released. Both of those involve me loving a book.I DNF this book (50%). This is the first time I have ever written a review of a book that I DNF, because it ordinarily feels like I have not given the book every opportunity to sway me if I don't read the whole thing. I'm making an exception here, in part because I feel like I invested so many hours into the story that it should have ended. But also because I came to the creeping realization that nothing much was happening to advance the plot. At least, nothing that made any sense to me. In part, it may have been because I was listening to the Audible version rather than reading it. Not because of the narrators, who were great--I am very appreciative of their talents with multiple accents. The problem with listening to it, at least for me, was that I heard a lot of words that I could not make sense of (terms of endearment, maybe? curse words, maybe? monsters, maybe?). I did not know what they meant, and I don't feel like they were ever defined--or if they were, it must have been once, in passing, and possibly in the first book.I also got very tired of the excerpts from the Book of the Saints etc that preceded every chapter. This is a great literary device when it's done well. Here, it was often not clear to me whether/how any given excerpt related to the chapter that followed it, beyond providing a broad picture of this world's myth and magic and religion (and if that was its only function, it was serious overkill). To me, they only interrupted a narrative that was already having a hard time keeping itself together. This is one of several holdovers from Wicked Saints, where it annoyed me. But in WS, I tolerated it because of my overall interest in the story. In THIS book, it compounded my suffering. I'll return to the main source of that suffering in a moment.The narrative felt like a strange combination of characters skulking about in dark places (sometimes in the environment, sometimes in the mind); cryptic conversations with witches, monsters, and/or gods who may or may not be monsters; blood and bone and blood and bone; weird, gross eye stuff; being made and unmade and made and unmade; plus excessive hand wringing and teen angst.I get it, it's a YA novel. Hand wringing and teen angst are to be expected, and I consider myself pretty tolerant of it. There was enough in WS to annoy me, but at least in the first book, the angst does not set in until after some amount of story takes place. In RG, it's there from page 1, with Nadya as the angst-ridden hand wringer-in-chief.Which brings me to the reason why I abandoned this book. Nadya is one of the least likeable protagonists I have encountered in quite some time. Usually, the heroines of YA novels demonstrate some small element of strength, self-worth, or redeeming value, even if their judgment is often compromised by matters of the heart or the hormones. There is a glimpse of strength in WS Nadya. But RG Nadya is all about the "boy." As other reviewers have noted, she has a small, rotating list of adjectives that she likes to append to the word "boy." Her chapters are 99% musings about the "boy," and 1% complaints about the gods abandoning her because of said "boy." Even the Audible narrator for Nadya’s chapters sounded pained and reluctant every time she had to utter that word. I started to twitch every time I heard it. Maybe this somehow gets better in the latter half of the book. Maybe the “boy” becomes a “man.” Maybe the author enlists the aid of a thesaurus. Maybe Nadya thinks about something or someone else. But I found that I absolutely could not hear that word one more time.On top of all that, the relationship between Nadya and her "boy" is, as other reviewers have noted, toxic. But even that, in and of itself, has the potential to make a sad sort of sense. In WS, their relationship evolves in a more or less believable fashion until the climax. And then, it breaks. Ordinarily, the [SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN'T READ WICKED SAINTS--BUT I'M KIND OF ASSUMING THAT YOU HAVE] epic betrayal that we witness at the end of WS would be a solid reason for these two characters NOT getting back together. But in RG, Nadya can't seem to stay away from the tortured monster boy who causes her life-threatening physical harm. They exchange betrayals, exchange injuries, exchange blood, exchange magic, kiss, then beat each other up some more. Granted, that's only what I took from the first half of the book. But I'm not getting the sense from the other reviews I've read that Nadya suddenly starts making good life choices. Readers, don't be like Nadya.So, why 2 stars instead of 1? The second star is me giving the part of the book I did not read the benefit of the doubt. If there had been more of Serefin and less of Nadya (or maybe, all Serefin and no Nadya), I might have kept reading. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A dark and bloody masterpiece. My new favorite series. *by M***N on Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2020* ”Once there was a boy who was shattered into pieces and put back together in the shape of a monster. Once there was a boy who clutched at the remnants of what he had left as it fell through his fingers. Once there was a boy who destroyed what little there was remaining because it wasn’t enough.” — Wicked SaintsWicked Saints was a book that ripped hearts out and laughed about it. Ruthless Gods was a book that took those hearts, smashed them with a hammer, ran them over with a steamroller, and lit them all on fire to make sure they were well and truly dead. So much happened in this book, much of it very Not Good and the stakes are incredibly high for all involved. The Holy War is far from over and now there’s something deep, dark, and vicious at the center of it all.Wicked Saints was, without a doubt, a very dark book and if you thought things couldn’t get darker (more hopeless), well, you were wrong. Ruthless Gods is Wicked Saints bigger, meaner, uglier, bloodier sibling, but gods! it’s also such a beautiful book. From Duncan’s impeccable, lyrical writing, to the interactions between some of the characters and their sweet honeyed words. Do not be fooled though — there is no brightness in this book and just when you think there could be, something comes along and murders that thought.”Things are waking up. Old things, dark things. The old ones who have slept for so very very long.” — Ruthless GodsThe three fated characters are still very much a part of the overall story arc, but their capacities have changed quite a bit from the first book. There are bigger forces at play between the Divine and the heretics, the war between Kalyazin and Tranavia, and things are spiraling out of control very quickly. All are pawns in this game of ruthless gods, but they each have their own agendas as well. Trust isn’t possible when the fate of their world hangs in the balance and it’s anyone’s guess whether this world or these characters will endure.Aside from the war ramping up by one million notches, there were quite a few surprises and revelations thrown about in this book. Some of those revelations will have a giant impact on the fate of this world, while several others will have a giant impact on the fate of readers’ hearts. All I can say is if you think you’re immune to pretty books breaking your heart, think again. And if this book doesn’t break your heart, then perhaps you didn’t have one to begin with.”His was not a power that could save. He was made for nothing but destruction, chaos, disaster, pain, pain, pain. — Ruthless GodsBottom line — the Something Dark and Holy series is a bloody, dark, gothic masterpiece that’s become one of my top 5 favorites. I can’t wait to see what the third book of this beautifully monstrous series brings to these beloved and broken characters.*eARC received via NetGalley. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ruthless *spoilers* *by B***M on Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2020* This book was beautiful, brutal, terrible (in a good way). Despite the fact that Nadya falls prey to the typical YA heroine characteristics at times (falling for the "bad boy", and drawn to him even though he is, you know, a bad boy), the sheer amount of trauma she (and everyone else) goes through makes you feel for her. She annoyed me at times, and, in some ways, her development falls a little flat, but it didn't detract too much from the reading.This is YA, but that doesn't mean it is a light read. There is a lot going on in these pages, and it is dark.*spoiler*I forgot about Kacper, but I remembered when I saw his name, and I am rooting for him and Serefin as much as I am for Mal and Nadya.The ending...I did feel like one thing in particular came a bit out of nowhere. Is killing a god really that quick and easy? But now I am of course eager to learn about the ramifications. I am curious about how the afterlife works in this world (if the author thought of one), especially since we're dealing with gods. I hope we learn more about the gods in the next book (I am sure we will).This books ends on a cliffhanger, and I really want to see how it all comes together. It will either be happy or tragic. I feel like it could go either way at this point (I hope, of course, for a happy ending).I do wonder if Duncan is ultimately vouching for the gods or against them. This, too, could go either way. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.it/products/146773446-ruthless-gods-a-novel-something-dark-and-holy-book-2](https://www.desertcart.it/products/146773446-ruthless-gods-a-novel-something-dark-and-holy-book-2) --- *Product available on Desertcart Italy* *Store origin: IT* *Last updated: 2026-05-10*