The worldbuilding is fun and creative, the twists are generally satisfying, and it is super queer in the best way.

That's not to say I didn't very much enjoy the book. But, alas, I am an old, so my enthusiasm is a bit dampened. The kind where you fall in love with every character who is messy and sexy and terrible in their own way. The kind you force into your friends' hands and shout, 'Read this now!'. I do think that if I had read this as a teen, it would have become my favorite book hands down, the kind that changes your reading life, and maybe your larger life because you finally feel seen. But as worlds collide and the past catches up with the present, Gem will discover that everyone has something to hide.Ī YA contemporary fantasy where gods from another realm are reincarnated as teenagers in small town Georgia, and not all of them are nice.įirst of all, I love all the love this book is getting in the early reviews. It’s a good thing they’ve still got Enzo. They’ve made a lot of enemies in the pantheon-enemies who, like the Goddess of Death, will keep coming. But Gem – or at least who Gem used to be - hasn’t always been the most benevolent deity. She and Gem are reincarnated gods who’ve known and loved each other across lifetimes. When Gem is attacked by a stranger claiming to be the Goddess of Death, Willa Mae saves their life and finally offers some answers. So how the hell 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. The only person privy to their authentic self is another trans kid, Enzo, who’s a thousand long, painful miles away in Brooklyn.īut even Enzo doesn’t know about Gem’s dreams, haunting visions of magic and violence that have always felt too real. Known for being their peers’ queer awakening, Gem leans hard on charm to disguise the anxious mess they are beneath. Gem Echols is a nonbinary Seminole teen living in the tiny town of Gracie, Georgia.

Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgmon