And get the sequel, MERCILESS SAVIORS!
A PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGIONAL BESTSELLER
A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF 2023
A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF 2023
AN INDIE NEXT KIDS’ NOVEMBER/DECEMBER PICK
Maybe I have always just been bad at being human because I’m not one.
American Gods meets All of Us Villains—in this epic first novel in a YA contemporary fantasy duology.
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 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.
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.
“A monstrously thrilling, deeply emotional, and mythologically rich fantasy about seizing your own power.”
– School Library Journal, starred review
“Electrifying… a high-stakes, action-packed plot; and a vibrantly drawn, intersectionally diverse cast embroiled in realistically thorny relationships.”
– Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Sharp as a blade, twice as vicious, and an outstretched hand all at once; a reminder to messy, angry kids that they can find their power no matter what they must do to survive. Absolutely unhinged and utterly unforgettable.”
– Andrew Joseph White, New York Times bestselling author of Hell Followed with Us
“This is the kind of book that changes young lives. The kind readers will force into their friends’ hands and shout, ‘Read this now!’ If only all the villain stories in YA could be this good!”
– Rebecca Roanhorse, New York Times bestselling author of Black Sun
“Vile, nasty, ill-behaved queerness—and I LOVED it. Godly Heathens takes the evil
stereotype of queers as monsters—particularly ones in trans bodies—and embraces
monstrosity with power and agency. A country-fried horror extravaganza you cannot miss!”
– Adam Sass, award-winning author of Surrender Your Sons and The 99 Boyfriends of
Micah Summers
“Godly Heathens is as whip-smart as it is delightfully unhinged, oscillating between heart-pounding action, laugh-out-loud humor, and poignant discussions of identity. . . . Edgmon does not miss.”
– Kayla Cottingham, New York Times bestselling author of My Dearest Darkest
“Intoxicatingly sexy, morbidly hilarious, and sharp enough to draw blood, this wildly
captivating story will devour you as you devour it. Forget ‘effortlessly’ queer—this book is loudly, magnificently queer and is sure to make a dramatic entrance into the contemporary fantasy scene, perhaps cackling wickedly as it does.”
– A.M. Strickland, author of Court of the Undying Seasons