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rat_fairy's review against another edition
i wanted so badly to love this, and i did love it at first, but it honestly is just going so far downhill for me.
throughout this book i’ve been much more interested in the contemporary aspects of this book— as Gem and i share multiple similarities— than the magical aspects (to me the magic system just doesn’t feel unique, it reminds me of every other ya book with gods out there).
butwhen enzo was revealed to be the shade is where this book lost me. gem is defending him so hard and genuinely… for what??? i dont understand at all why they are defending the shade. also im sorry but willa mae has been a horrific guide since they first appeared on-page.
the point where i stopped reading was when marian basically tells gem that it wont be long until one of them finds the knife. that really frustrated me because: if red can download all of someones knowledge by touching them,,, and he punched gem,,, then he already knows everything about where the knife is. just in general very frustrating.
throughout this book i’ve been much more interested in the contemporary aspects of this book— as Gem and i share multiple similarities— than the magical aspects (to me the magic system just doesn’t feel unique, it reminds me of every other ya book with gods out there).
but
the point where i stopped reading was when marian basically tells gem that it wont be long until one of them finds the knife. that really frustrated me because: if red can download all of someones knowledge by touching them,,, and he punched gem,,, then he already knows everything about where the knife is. just in general very frustrating.
shaouais's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
bookschaosnart's review against another edition
4.0
The dedication in Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgmon is what solidified it as my next read. It releases on November 28th and you should definitely give it a read.
It’s the first of a planned duology and I walked in knowing nothing more than it was a fantasy with queer trans indigenous and morally grey characters. This story did not disappoint. Weaving together a pantheon of gods, mental illness, recognize of colonialism Edgmon writes a wonderful story with unreliable narrators and grappling with many forms of love, hate, survival, and the balance of dualities. Truly enjoyed this one and I can’t wait for the second book!
There is a list of full content warnings provided in the front but a few include: Mental Illness, Internalized Ableism, references to self harm, mentions of transphobia and racism.
It’s the first of a planned duology and I walked in knowing nothing more than it was a fantasy with queer trans indigenous and morally grey characters. This story did not disappoint. Weaving together a pantheon of gods, mental illness, recognize of colonialism Edgmon writes a wonderful story with unreliable narrators and grappling with many forms of love, hate, survival, and the balance of dualities. Truly enjoyed this one and I can’t wait for the second book!
There is a list of full content warnings provided in the front but a few include: Mental Illness, Internalized Ableism, references to self harm, mentions of transphobia and racism.
katiehj's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I genuinely can not stand books where the main character is this wildly unlikable. FOR. THE. WHOLE. BOOK. And I don't think there was one minute in this book where I actually liked Gem. Maybe in the last page or two. But that's it.
The book was written well enough that if the story had been slightly different I would have been super in to it. I mean, who wouldn't want to read a story about queer reincarnated gods?!?!
But there is not character growth enough in the universe to get me to feel anything other than annoyed hatred for shitty, self-centered characters who do Olympic level mental gymnastics to convince themselves they don't suck.
This book is for sure someone's cup of tea. I'm just sad it wasn't mine.
The book was written well enough that if the story had been slightly different I would have been super in to it. I mean, who wouldn't want to read a story about queer reincarnated gods?!?!
But there is not character growth enough in the universe to get me to feel anything other than annoyed hatred for shitty, self-centered characters who do Olympic level mental gymnastics to convince themselves they don't suck.
This book is for sure someone's cup of tea. I'm just sad it wasn't mine.
allivenger's review
3.0
I really wanted to like this book. The non-binary and queer representation in this book was amazing and it hooked me in with its raw and gritty take on what’s it’s like to be trans and non-binary while also battling mental illness. But where it lost me was about the halfway point and then was a dumpster fire from there.
All Gem wants to do is leave the little town they grew up in and move to New York to start their future with the boy (also trans and a beautifully flamboyant theater kid) that they’ve been in love with for years. But when Willa Mae shows up and says Gem’s a reincarnated God and their soulmate? Shit hits the fan. What happens after is the biggest bunch of bullshit I’ve ever had the displeasure of listening to.
::spoilers ahead::
I loved Enzo up until the point where I started to get suspicious. He’s got absolutely everything going for him and gets jealous easily and not in a cute way. So when it’s revealed Enzo is the big bad they locked away in the ether I wasn’t exactly surprised. What I was surprised about was Gem’s absolute devotion to this creature. And they had absolutely no redeeming qualities. And yet Gem made excuses and refused to let anyone kill Enzo or “reset the scales” that Enzo so obviously messed up by killing the other gods. I was screaming at Gem like they were a real person and I was their mother. Because the relationship between Gem and Enzo was TOXIC AF. And still is. Because the book ended on a cliffhanger and no one is redeemed. You could say that Gem learned nothing in their lifetimes because at the end of the day, why should Gem be the one to change? I’m not continuing the series.
All Gem wants to do is leave the little town they grew up in and move to New York to start their future with the boy (also trans and a beautifully flamboyant theater kid) that they’ve been in love with for years. But when Willa Mae shows up and says Gem’s a reincarnated God and their soulmate? Shit hits the fan. What happens after is the biggest bunch of bullshit I’ve ever had the displeasure of listening to.
::spoilers ahead::
I loved Enzo up until the point where I started to get suspicious. He’s got absolutely everything going for him and gets jealous easily and not in a cute way. So when it’s revealed Enzo is the big bad they locked away in the ether I wasn’t exactly surprised. What I was surprised about was Gem’s absolute devotion to this creature. And they had absolutely no redeeming qualities. And yet Gem made excuses and refused to let anyone kill Enzo or “reset the scales” that Enzo so obviously messed up by killing the other gods. I was screaming at Gem like they were a real person and I was their mother. Because the relationship between Gem and Enzo was TOXIC AF. And still is. Because the book ended on a cliffhanger and no one is redeemed. You could say that Gem learned nothing in their lifetimes because at the end of the day, why should Gem be the one to change? I’m not continuing the series.
themothermermaid's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.5
readingunderadesk's review
5.0
Hello good morning this is a book that was made for me!
"When small town Georgia's resident indigenous non-binary slut discovers the intense dreams they've always had means so much more..."
This is the sort of book I wished I had as middle/high schooler who spent the majority of my displaced not fitting in time wishing there was so much more than extremely boring classes (note: this was depression and moving 2,000+ miles in the middle of 7th grade) and friends who didn't respect me, the pre-Harry Potter days of the late 1990s/early 2000s where I had already graduated from RL Stine and Christopher Pike long ago to move onto Anne Rice and Stephen King...
Enough about my own past! Godly Heathens is about some teens in the rural south who find out/know/are forced to know that they are also gods reincarnated from a world parallel to our own-- but hand in hand with this, they are still the people that they were before 'awakening' to their old selves and the lifetime(s) of memories before them. It's violent, it's rife with mental health struggles and self-realizations and very Teenage in the best way. Gem, the main character, is a mess, and the first person point of view is a lot of self-talk and reasoning through various situations as their life is turned even more upside down than their own actions that affected their life before they got to the whole, 'also I was/am a very powerful god' thing... and met all the people that love/hate them.
I also really loved the whole, "no gods are cis" aspect (after being reincarnated a ton of times-- why would they be!), and the fact that Edgmon didn't straight out say 'so and so is transmasc/transfemme' but there were a lot of hints where if you know you know and if you don't it's not going to detract or distract from the story or characterizations either.
I can't wait to dig my eyes into the sequel to the duology even if I have ~deadlines~ and ~obligations~ first (boo) and skimming the other reviews it's fascinating how a lot of the things I loved (especially Gem being so flawed and so real) were so hated by other people!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for review!
"When small town Georgia's resident indigenous non-binary slut discovers the intense dreams they've always had means so much more..."
This is the sort of book I wished I had as middle/high schooler who spent the majority of my displaced not fitting in time wishing there was so much more than extremely boring classes (note: this was depression and moving 2,000+ miles in the middle of 7th grade) and friends who didn't respect me, the pre-Harry Potter days of the late 1990s/early 2000s where I had already graduated from RL Stine and Christopher Pike long ago to move onto Anne Rice and Stephen King...
Enough about my own past! Godly Heathens is about some teens in the rural south who find out/know/are forced to know that they are also gods reincarnated from a world parallel to our own-- but hand in hand with this, they are still the people that they were before 'awakening' to their old selves and the lifetime(s) of memories before them. It's violent, it's rife with mental health struggles and self-realizations and very Teenage in the best way. Gem, the main character, is a mess, and the first person point of view is a lot of self-talk and reasoning through various situations as their life is turned even more upside down than their own actions that affected their life before they got to the whole, 'also I was/am a very powerful god' thing... and met all the people that love/hate them.
I also really loved the whole, "no gods are cis" aspect (after being reincarnated a ton of times-- why would they be!), and the fact that Edgmon didn't straight out say 'so and so is transmasc/transfemme' but there were a lot of hints where if you know you know and if you don't it's not going to detract or distract from the story or characterizations either.
I can't wait to dig my eyes into the sequel to the duology even if I have ~deadlines~ and ~obligations~ first (boo) and skimming the other reviews it's fascinating how a lot of the things I loved (especially Gem being so flawed and so real) were so hated by other people!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for review!
nerp's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I wish I had this book as a teen. The reclaiming of monstrosity is one of my favorite queer “tropes” (for lack of better word). I love the exploration of gender and queerness and what relationships mean/look like, especially in light of the nonhuman.
alexlynx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
5.0
Instantly bought the second book. This is so unhinged in the best way, I am almost unsure if I just read a real book. The most fascinating part of all of this was (without giving too much away) that the main character has many versions of themselves and the writing style changes according to that. It adapts over time as well and it is hilarious, exciting, scary, marvellous. Can't wait to read the second part.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cursing, Dementia, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, Death, Grief, Animal death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Kidnapping, Slavery, and Self harm