Godly Heathens by H. E. Edgmon | ARC Review

"But I also can't tell him I've spent my entire life looking at myself through fog, pretending to be alive and hoping that one day I'd actually start to feel like I was, and now I'm terrified there's no hope left."

Synopsis :

Infatuation. Reincarnation. Damnation.

Gem Echols is a nonbinary Seminole teen living in the tiny town of Gracie, Georgia. Known for being their peers’ queer awakening, Gem leans hard on charm to disguise the anxious mess they are beneath. The only person privy to their authentic self is another trans kid, Enzo, who’s a thousand long, painful miles away in Brooklyn.

But even Enzo doesn’t know about Gem’s dreams, haunting visions of magic and violence that have always felt too real. So how does Willa Mae Hardy? The strange new girl in town acts like she and Gem are old companions, and seems to know things about them they’ve never told anyone else.

When Gem is attacked by a stranger claiming to be the Goddess of Death, Willa Mae saves their life and finally offers some answers. She and Gem are reincarnated gods who’ve known and loved each other across lifetimes. But Gem – or at least who Gem used to be - hasn’t always been the most benevolent deity. They’ve made a lot of enemies in the pantheon—enemies who, like the Goddess of Death, will keep coming.

It’s a good thing they’ve still got Enzo. But as worlds collide and the past catches up with the present, Gem will discover that everyone has something to hide.

Review : 

Reincarnated gods from another world collide in a story of love, betrayal, choice, revenge, and deciding on who they are and what that means.

A raw, queer, contemporary fantasy, filled with interesting characters, a diverse cast, and a well developed plot that will keep the readers hooked throughout most of the story.

This book is so compulsively readable. It's about making mistakes and righting them, and fighting for yourself and what you want even if that's selfish. It's so many things wrapped up in a contemporary fantasy bow that is intriguing on every page.

The characterization here is what really sold Godly Heathens for me. Gem Echols oscillates between "good" and "bad", often landing in the morally grey camp, which is understandable. Some of their intentions and insights make sense, especially for a 17 year old going through what I can only describe as a uniquely traumatic situation. 

Edgmon doesn't shy away from frank conversations about Gem and their father's struggles with mental illness, or the coping mechanisms Gem has adopted along the way. It all feels very genuine and believable. I was a little disappointed that it's single POV, though. I look forward to book two, and hopefully seeing more of the pantheon. 

The world building was effortless and will fully immerse the readers in Georgia with Gem and this rag tag bunch of terrible, awful, messy but beautiful queer gods.  I bought all of this, hook, line & sinker and it was so refreshing to read a YA fantasy where the "bad" guys are quite literally everyone so it doesn't matter who you root for.

This is an unbelievably rich and nuanced story that might be intense to read in parts but definitely worth it by the end. The queer representative is embedded deeply within the story and within the characters themselves. This made it a really unique read. The duality of the characters as both gods and teens was expertly presented and well written. The plot might be seen as convoluted but it fit the characters and the way they experience the world.

While I did enjoy most of it, I also encountered a few roadblocks that gradually wore me down in my reading - a lot of the story revolves around stuff from the past that I haven’t seen and was only given scattered glimpses of; this made it difficult for me to believe the authenticity of feelings and motivations.  Also I felt as if the magic system lacked some structure that would have made this a little easier to follow. The Ouroborous, for example, seemed lacking. I also had trouble understanding some of the personal content; a little explanation in these areas would have helped. And while I did love the characters, I found the main character to be a little bit lacking in development. 

This book was something I feel many YA readers would enjoy; the LGBTQIA+ rep was done tastefully as well as mental health rep. There were a few times where I tilted my head with the plot but besides those I enjoyed the book. It was a great way to modernize mythology in a different ascent than most do.

A special thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

Reviewed by : Sabani Das

Audience : 

16+

Trigger Warnings :

Murder, Child Abuse, Transphobia