Parj, Rashid, Kacper, and Ostyia complete the main characters and enrich the story as a whole. Ruthless Gods is truly made special by its characters, both main and secondary. Duncan has done a masterful job writing the interactions between these two characters, and I cannot applaud her enough for it. Throughout the novel, Nadya’s feelings are in such turmoil that it kept me on my toes up until the climax, even though her choice was cleverly foreshadowed. I especially loved the way Nadya and Malachiasz crashed into each other, as it’s a rare thing to see in YA. These dynamics were my favourite part of the novel. Serefin struggles to reconcile the boy he grew up alongside with the monster he became. Nadya is torn between her love for him, his betrayal, and her love for her country. Nadya and Serefin’s respective relationships to Malachiasz become the driving force of the novel. With Serefin in tow, they both have to save their countries and confront what Malachiasz has become.

However, this fragile peace the three have created quickly shatters when Nadya is forced to flee the capital. Serefin is now king while Nadya remains in the Travanian capital and Malachiasz is formally commanding the Vultures. Duncan picks up a few months after the end of the last book. The voices that Serefin hears in the darkness, the ones that Nadya believes are her gods, the ones that Malachiasz is desperate to meet - those voices want a stake in the world, and they refuse to stay quiet any longer. They’re pieces on a board, being orchestrated by someone… or something. As their group is continually torn apart, the girl, the prince, and the monster find their fates irrevocably intertwined. Malachiasz is at war with who - and what - he’s become. Serefin is fighting off a voice in his head that doesn’t belong to him.

Duncan went above and beyond in its delivery.ĭarkness never works alone… Nadya doesn’t trust her magic anymore. I expected a lot after Wicked Saints and Ruthless Gods by Emily A.

Ruthless Gods by Emily A. Duncan