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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the cover reviews of this book pretty much nails it: describing it as a 'mix between The Hunger Games, and Game of Thrones with a pinch of romance thrown in'. And all that goes down in the distant future, in an unnamed distant galaxy. In space, y'all.
I was pretty impressed by this novel. It was engaging, the world building was solid, satsifying characters and subsequent arcs, and it was a pretty easy read as well. Definitely looking forward to checking out the following books in the series...
I was pretty impressed by this novel. It was engaging, the world building was solid, satsifying characters and subsequent arcs, and it was a pretty easy read as well. Definitely looking forward to checking out the following books in the series...
Ok, so I gave this book 4 stars because I like the plot but was a little confused here and there.
diabolic is a sci-fi dystopian book where Earth has spread across the galaxy and had many technological advancements. but in this book, we follow the nemesis a diabolic to Sidonia, a diabolic is a human-like creature that has been modified to protect and serve the person it is bonded to. We follow her as she protects Sidonia from the problems of their world at any cost. But in this time the learning of new and old science and education is strictly prohibited and an offense and treason against the crown. but one-day Sidonia's dad goes too far in his research and puts Sidonia's life at risk so Nemisis takes her place as Sidonia Imperian and infiltrates the imperial palace. Where she meets Tyrus and they work together to overthrow the emperor.
So I found this book slightly difficult to get through, it was very much a book that you had to really comprehend. The names and status of everyone was very confusing and wish the author had made a family tree explaining the titles and their rankings. Also, some of the deaths seemed unnecessary.
though I did really like the plot I feel like it progressed well and I liked the plot twists at the ending they were very good and I didn't see them coming.
diabolic is a sci-fi dystopian book where Earth has spread across the galaxy and had many technological advancements. but in this book, we follow the nemesis a diabolic to Sidonia, a diabolic is a human-like creature that has been modified to protect and serve the person it is bonded to. We follow her as she protects Sidonia from the problems of their world at any cost. But in this time the learning of new and old science and education is strictly prohibited and an offense and treason against the crown. but one-day Sidonia's dad goes too far in his research and puts Sidonia's life at risk so Nemisis takes her place as Sidonia Imperian and infiltrates the imperial palace. Where she meets Tyrus and they work together to overthrow the emperor.
So I found this book slightly difficult to get through, it was very much a book that you had to really comprehend. The names and status of everyone was very confusing and wish the author had made a family tree explaining the titles and their rankings. Also, some of the deaths seemed unnecessary.
though I did really like the plot I feel like it progressed well and I liked the plot twists at the ending they were very good and I didn't see them coming.
Redan när jag såg omslaget på den här så blev jag lockad (jag älskar fjärilar) och när jag läste vad den handlade om så förstod jag att den här boken måste jag bara läsa. Galaxer, politiska intriger och genmanipulerade varelser är ju bara så lockande. Läs mer på min blogg
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This type of book (YA dystopian sci-fi) is generally not what I gravitate towards. However, I liked the first half pretty well, and then the second was kind of frustrating for me. In the second half, it felt like a lot of things happened mostly for their shock value to the reader, and weren't really processed by the characters. (For example, the death of the dog Deadly. There was some kind of moments of grief, but mostly I felt like Deadly just died kind of suddenly and then was hardly mentioned.) And sure, some surprises are (usually) good, but they should be used in moderation, in my opinion. Also, some of the surprises were...not entirely surprises, but not so much because the book had good foreshadowing, but because they just aligned with all of the genre/trope conventions (Oh! The mad prince isn't actually mad but is pretending so his evil uncle doesn't kill him??? What a shock! ). However, there was a lot of tension, and what-will-happen-next, and what not, that did at a few points make it hard to put the audiobook down.
I think my biggest issue came when Nemesis, the main character, who is a genetically engineered human created to be a uber-loyal bodyguard for the one person she is bonded to, and is therefore seen as non-human/not a person, makes out with the love interest and feels all tingly, and then has some thoughts along the lines of "Oh, this feels so wonderful, I guess I must be a person after all because I can feel romantic love." A year ago I probably wouldn't have batted an eyelash, but as someone who has recently realized they are aromantic asexual, and is coming to terms with this realization, it upset me. The ability to feel (or not feel) romantic love isn't what makes us people. I don't really think any one thing makes us people, but probably some combination of things. I don't really think this was intentional on the author's part, but it's still alienating for those of us who don't feel sexual and/or romantic attraction. While there are other moments in the book where the reader can see Nemesis becoming more human/acting as a person rather than a killing machine, they aren't really recognized by Nemesis as such and I would have liked Nemesis's self-revelation to be around something else: her bond with Deadly, or her friendship with Neveni (sorry about spelling, I listened to the audiobook), rather than solely romantic feelings. I was also annoyed by the way the friendship with Neveni panned out.(I would have liked them to remain friends.)
I think my biggest issue came when Nemesis, the main character, who is a genetically engineered human created to be a uber-loyal bodyguard for the one person she is bonded to, and is therefore seen as non-human/not a person, makes out with the love interest and feels all tingly, and then has some thoughts along the lines of "Oh, this feels so wonderful, I guess I must be a person after all because I can feel romantic love." A year ago I probably wouldn't have batted an eyelash, but as someone who has recently realized they are aromantic asexual, and is coming to terms with this realization, it upset me. The ability to feel (or not feel) romantic love isn't what makes us people. I don't really think any one thing makes us people, but probably some combination of things. I don't really think this was intentional on the author's part, but it's still alienating for those of us who don't feel sexual and/or romantic attraction. While there are other moments in the book where the reader can see Nemesis becoming more human/acting as a person rather than a killing machine, they aren't really recognized by Nemesis as such and I would have liked Nemesis's self-revelation to be around something else: her bond with Deadly, or her friendship with Neveni (sorry about spelling, I listened to the audiobook), rather than solely romantic feelings. I was also annoyed by the way the friendship with Neveni panned out.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia
Man, what a disappointment this was following the excellent Insignia series. I felt like Kincaid colored all of her characters so well in Insignia, and figured that excellent character work would have to follow to anything else she writes, but that wasn't the case.
Kincaid wrote herself into a corner in that regard. The main character - Nemesis - is literally sub-human, and she stays so true to the character that all we ever get to see is the cold-hearted murder machine, and not much else. Her character growth is limited in this same vein.
On top of that, this book (and series) is so completely full of deus ex machina. Every time you think the plot is just gonna hang in there and grow and develop, Kincaid derails it, and never to my satisfaction. Add in tons of pointless and unfeeling death and I'm left feeling completely underwhelmed.
I've read both books one and two in this series, and upon finishing them, I'm not sure why. I think the goodwill that Kincaid built on her Insignia series was spent here. 2/5.
Kincaid wrote herself into a corner in that regard. The main character - Nemesis - is literally sub-human, and she stays so true to the character that all we ever get to see is the cold-hearted murder machine, and not much else. Her character growth is limited in this same vein.
On top of that, this book (and series) is so completely full of deus ex machina. Every time you think the plot is just gonna hang in there and grow and develop, Kincaid derails it, and never to my satisfaction. Add in tons of pointless and unfeeling death and I'm left feeling completely underwhelmed.
I've read both books one and two in this series, and upon finishing them, I'm not sure why. I think the goodwill that Kincaid built on her Insignia series was spent here. 2/5.
The Diabolic sits a little outside my usual reading selection in that it's Science Fiction where I normally choose fantasy, which probably led me to enjoy the book more than someone who is accustomed to the genre and its tropes. As it stands, though, I greatly enjoyed the setting for the Diabolic. Its premise is what hooked me into the reading the book. It centers around a cultivated, human-like entity, called Diabolics, named Nemesis who is genetically manipulated to love and protect one human absolutely. Beyond the love for this one human, Diabolics are engineered to be almost entirely devoid of emotion, their existence revolves entirely around their one "bound" human. I found this premise to be wonderfully compelling as you have the contrast of Nemesis's love for her Misstress contrasting with the acts of sheer brutality she's capable of. The author then adds a burgeoning sense of humanity along with the self-imposed stigma that it's impossible for her to be human. All in all, it made for an extremely compelling lead protagonist through most of the book (interrupted only by the occasional teen heroine trope.)
The romance in the book is a little simple, but still stands a little over many of the romances in the action fantasy/Sci-fi genre because of how dangerous it's two participants are. Both are capable of brutality, and where Nemesis is physically superior in every way (and intelligent to boot) her counterpart is wonderfully conniving, a boasts all the cold intellect and political deception you could desire (while still being likeable.)
There is a revolution aspect to book, but it takes the shape of a political coup instead of grunt warfare, which is a refreshing change.
The book does have some minor flaws. I thought its prose was a little weak and I feel it wasted some of the potential in the Diabolic premise. Still, those are some very minor gripes.
If you're interested in checking out some of my work, you can find it here for free-http://www.keeganandtristenkozinski.com/
The romance in the book is a little simple, but still stands a little over many of the romances in the action fantasy/Sci-fi genre because of how dangerous it's two participants are. Both are capable of brutality, and where Nemesis is physically superior in every way (and intelligent to boot) her counterpart is wonderfully conniving, a boasts all the cold intellect and political deception you could desire (while still being likeable.)
There is a revolution aspect to book, but it takes the shape of a political coup instead of grunt warfare, which is a refreshing change.
The book does have some minor flaws. I thought its prose was a little weak and I feel it wasted some of the potential in the Diabolic premise. Still, those are some very minor gripes.
If you're interested in checking out some of my work, you can find it here for free-http://www.keeganandtristenkozinski.com/
A "basic" YA futuristic dystopian novel. Pumpkin spice romance with North Face misunderstandings and betrayals. An Ugg boot main character we have to constantly be told about because either nothing or the opposite is actually shown. Brunch friends that can't stand the least stress and are always secondary and/or broken by the romantic relationship. Leggings-as-pants subjugated girl rises to princess/"powerful" political position. Basic. Basic blandness with basic bland writing and no sense of freshness or originality.
There's something about strong female characters masquerading as someone else in a royal court setting that gets me every time. This story had the added bonus of a truly unique premise, being set in space, and a social outcast (with kickass skills and sense) as the protagonist. I always enjoy a love interest but I really appreciated the fact that the romance wasn't obvious from the beginning or forced and built slowly. Kincaid refrained from big info dumps and while I didn't understand a lot about the world in the beginning, the gradual information we did get was well-timed and very helpful, but blended seamlessly into the story. And despite it's thin appearance this was a relatively long and action-packed book which I couldn't put down! Definitely recommend.