Review: Ruthless Gods by Emily A. Duncan (Spoiler-Free)

~ Thank you to Wednesday Books and Goodreads for hosting a giveaway of the ARC, which I won! ~ 3.75 stars! I feel very similarly about this book as I do with Strange the Dreamer and ACOMAF: At the heart of it, there is something incredible, especially the characters, but the book is too slow! Yes, I can appreciate a slow burn when it's done well, but this book drags out the inconsequential moments and rushes the essential ones. There were so many times when I felt like I accidentally skipped a part because the setting abruptly altered. All of a sudden Nadya and Malachiasz were outdoors in a tent when five seconds ago they were chilling on the balcony of a palace. Additionally, dialogue constantly confused me because I couldn't tell who was speaking when. Besides these mechanical problems (which may very well be fixed in the final version), the story is extraordinary. I love the growth in Nadya's perception of magic and deities. It truly was fascinating. The character work was also exceptional. The relationship between Nadya and Malachiasz is not quite like any I've read before, so I applaud that. However, I personally thought the most interesting characters were the side characters and I hope we get more of them in book three. Kacper, Ostiya, Katya, and Parijahan kind of stole the show (sorry, I know Rashid exists but I can't say I really care about him). I'm interested in reading the sequel, but that's a long ways away and who knows if I will still have interest by then. Only time will tell, I suppose!

RELEASE DATE: April 7

Song I was reminded of while reading: everything i wanted