Godly Heathens is an explosive, vivid, trans, queer, morally grey, dark rollercoaster of a ride! I’ve not read anything by H.E. Edgmon before but, now I’m hooked! Each and every character is morally grey and the epitome of messy, vicious, angry, emotional whirlwinds!

Gem Echols in a non-binary Seminole teen who lives in small-town Gracie, Georgia – a back end of nowhere, small (in all senses of the word,) swampy, southern town, where they just don’t fit in. They are struggling with life, anxiety and an all-consuming fear that they are just as mentally ill as their father, a gap they try to fill by being what their peers want, including a vessel for sexual flings that only serve to exacerbate their feelings of loneliness and separateness. The only person who comes close to knowing them is Enzo, another trans teen who lives far, far away in Brooklyn. Gem dreams of a future post-school with Enzo but, still doesn’t dare to share the whole truth with them about their feelings, dreams and fears.

In the midst of this struggle, Gem encounters a new student at their school, Willa Mae, whose arrival triggers a tsunami of physical and emotional events, and breaks the news to Gem that not only are they soulmates but, they are also gods from another dimension/world. From this point the pace increases in speed exponentially, Gem is in the midst of a tornado that just keeps spinning faster and faster as Gem’s eyes and mind are opened to a whole new world of gods and monsters.

The characters, world building, magic system and plot in Godly Heathens are a gut punch, Edgmon doesn’t hold back from trauma, emotional damage, struggle, death or mutilation. If you have concerns about triggers, there are many (and the author provides a specific list in the intro) but, despite the darkness of the story and the morally grey characterisation, there are moments of levity that truly lift your spirits…I absolutely love the dates in a graveyard.

And the quotes, I can’t not mention these! There are so many quotable sections in this book that I absolutely adored, and whilst I can’t share one of my favourites with you, total spoiler…this was another favourite:

“For all they’d like you to believe otherwise, nature is neither good nor evil. It just is. And it finds a way to survive.”

If you are looking for morally grey characters, a thrilling roller coaster ride that will leave you tilting at the edge of a cliff and that doesn’t fear the challenge of and challenging the trauma of mental illness, true representation, violence, and more, definitely pick up Godly Heathens. I was left gasping at that end and will be picking up the second half of this duology as soon as it is published!

Thank you Daphne Press and NetGalley for the arc of Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgmon in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I feel genuinely bad for having to DNF this one because there was so much to love here. Ultimately the writing style just wasn’t working for me. It read like one of those teen superhero shows like Batgirl and they’re just not my kind of thing. It was also way too horny for my asexual ass.

The representation was absolutely solid though and the plot was very promising, so this still gets 3 stars from me despite not finishing it.

This book started as a four star but i feel like the quality of the book got worst as the story progressed. The book has a lot of potiential, the idea is great but i feel that this was not the best execution. There are a lot of confusing parts to the story (like the willow mae/rory name change) and i feel like all the gods and the list should have been introduced a litle bit earlier in the story.
Overall the book still feels like a first, maybe second draft and still needs a lot of polishing. I was gifted this copy by NetGalley so the editors can still make changes that would lead this book to be a four maybe even four stars.
Still, the characters were very well built, they were relatable and fun to watch. The conflict that Gem deals with because of his feelings for more than one character is realistic and feels well tought out.
Overall, this book wasnt the best but there is still a chance for the next book in the series to be amaizing

Godly Heathens follows Gem Echols, a nonbinary Seminole teenager who has vivid, magical, terrifying dreams that feel completely real. With the arrival of Willa Mae Hardy, who somehow knows more about Gem than she should, they find themselves thrust into a world they could never have imagined, and it is only their trans best friend, Enzo, whom they want to speak to about it. Considering the fact that Gem finds out they are a reincarnated god, that can't really happen, so they are forced to work with Willa Mae in order the escape the wrath of the Goddess of Death and the other reincarnated gods who are (largely) extremely displeased with their current situation.

This book had everything, from a fast-moving plot to incredible character relationships, not to mention an excellent exploration of queerness, in terms of both gender and sexuality. Gem's Indigenous ancestry plays an important role in their story, and I felt that every topic touched on was done with mastery. As a point of view character, Gem is the perfect mix of funny and determined, making them a joy to follow, even through the darkest of pages. Humanity is explored in a viscerally honest way, and Edgmon asks questions of justice and duty in a way that I rarely see in fiction.

The twists in Godly Heathens didn't always take me by surprise, but that didn't detract from their impact. This is a book that so many people will need and, undoubtedly, treasure, and I cannot wait for the next installment to see where the story takes our favourite godly chaos teens.

Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for approving my request to read an arc of this book

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book or more like I couldn’t start it. The author very kindly provided content warnings on the first page and after reading through them I decided to give this book a miss for my mental health. I don’t feel comfortable reading about sexual assault and definitely not to do with children. I wish that NetGalley would list the authors content warnings on the request page so that the reader knows what kind of book topics they’re getting into before requesting the book.
None of this is the author’s fault though so I’m marking it as four stars so that I don’t hinder the overall rating.