Ruthless Gods (Something Dark and Holy, #2)

by Emily A Duncan

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Ruthless Gods is the second book in the Something Dark and Holy trilogy by Emily A. Duncan. Released 7th April 2020 by Macmillan on their Wednesday Books imprint, it's 544 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. It's especially convenient with huge doorstop fantasy tomes like this one.

This is a very dark, graphic, atmospheric, and creepily compelling YA/NA fantasy. It starts, chillingly enough, with a young girl chained to a rock who is to be sacrificed to an eldritch horror/god. There is an overarching war, invasions, lots of skullduggery, frenemies, and machiavellian machination behind the scenes. The alternating point of view narrative is easy to distinguish by the chapter headings as well as the author's alternating stylistic voice.

As the second book in the series, I found myself struggling a fair bit to keep the dramatis personae straight in my head and make sense of what had gone on in the first book. I don't recommend it as a standalone unless the reader is willing to put in the effort - there's definitely no spoon feeding on the part of the author. (The first book in the series is 385 pages, it's worth reading them in order).

On a very positive note, the writing is exceptionally good. The descriptions are crystal clear and evocative, the dialogue "fantasy-standard" but never clunky or awkwardly written. It's a very good, very creepy book written by a gifted storyteller. My middle aged self is trying not to say that it's too creepy for teens/YA, but it was quite creepy for *me*. (Then again, I'm not really the target audience).

Four stars for me, four and a half for fans of creepy epic campaign fantasy.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.