Review Detail

GODLY HEATHENS is a YA fantasy that follows Gem, a nonbinary teen who has always had strange dreams. When a new girl, Willa Mae, arrives in town looking specifically for them, Gem learns that they are actually a god and embroiled in a multigenerational conflict that has been passed through their bloodline.

To escape this heritage, Gem will need to remember their past to find what needs to be found and carve a new path as themselves. This is even harder than it seems with vengeful gods following them closely.

What I loved: This was a really imaginative story, and I was incredibly interested in the mythology and histories of thread gods and their family lines. The current teens carrying these were also fascinating with their own quirks and motives, influenced heavily by their troubled pasts.

Themes of found family, complicated family relationships, mental illness, multigenerational trauma, religion, LGBTQ issues, honesty, and morality were all really thought-provoking. Aside from Gem, there were several other LGBTQ characters that provided excellent rep as well as indigenous rep that helped to show these cultures and struggles. While this was a fantasy, it was rooted in the present and so had a magical realism feel that worked well.

What left me wanting more: The story felt slow moving at first, especially as I needed to reread sections in order to understand them around the mythology and characters. It was easy to get lost amidst the different generations and powers, especially in the first half.

Final verdict: GODLY HEATHENS is an intriguing YA fantasy with great themes and rep.