After a couple of chapters, I just lost interest. The premise did sound great at first but it just didn't live up to my expectations so I DNF'd it.

I'm afraid I've had to DNF this book. Maybe I'll give it another go at some point in the future, but I might not. I had high expectations for this book and was expecting to love it; however, I just couldn't get into it. I couldn't connect to the main character and I didn't click with the plot either. It's a pity, as most people love it!

Dark, raw and addictive, The Diabolic is a unique and thrilling perspective on the future of robots and genetic science.

The novel is predominantly based around a community in space which has developed the Diabolic to  protect their children; the Diabolic are robots. And personally I believe this is enough to pull anyone in! I went into this novel knowing nothing, and that is honestly the best way to have gone into this world.

Our characters were intriguing. Nemesis is a Diabolic, grown to have no emotion or conscience, and to do everything and anything to protect their master. It was an intriguing concept, and as Nemesis is put in more difficult situations, we see her character grow and develop into a more caring individual; she becomes more human. But the thing is, is that I don't feel like you will never completely like or know Nemesis due to her nature, because even though she is trying to do the right thing, she will always be a loose cannon; she would kill in a second, with little push. This makes for a rather intriguing and unusual character to read about, as she is unpredictable and hence, a character to watch.

The families you encounter are complex and riddled with secrets. You will not like any of them, it is simple as that. Their morals and beliefs will never alter and the complexity and how deep-rooted these beliefs are is what makes the families so foreboding and rememberable throughout; however problematic they are, the novel and its plot would not be what it is without them. I certainly found the politics of the whole system to be rather intriguing; usually I am not a fan of politics in novels as I find too much time is spent explaining, and it is always used to simply justify despicable actions, but Kincaid was very clever in the way she set this out, and for that I could not help but be intrigued to read further.

The plot of the novel certainly does take a while to get into. You really do have to persevere as Kincaid is setting up the world for you, but once you get past this stage, the plot really does pick up, and makes for an incredibly dark yet addictive read. The ending did however feel rushed; it would speak of something at one point, and switch topics the next, and then it would all miraculously come together and bang, done, that was it, onto the next book. It felt rushed and I really would have liked for it to have been slowed down a little to create a more solid standing and base for the sequel. But obviously, I am really excited to reading the sequel and what it has in-store.

When this book came out the amount of hype around this was crazy, everyone and their dog was loving this book.

With hype I end up staying as far away from the book as possible and wait for it to die down, and with this one the hype was true to it's word.



I found myself surprised by how much I did enjoy this book. I assumed with something like the world that Nemesis and Sidionia reside in, the start of the book was going to be so slow. I was absolutely surprised with how well the world building was written, I just breezed through it and enjoyed every minute.



I loved Nemesis as a character, and found her growth through the book to be well written, she reminded me a bit of Bambi. She is sent out on her own with very little guidance, and is having to deal with all these people playing political games.

At the end of the book you really feel for Nemesis, as she is tested to the limit with what she believes and because she is a Diabolic they have been told that she can't have feelings or care about anyone else but Sidionia, so this throws her through a loop.

Overall a really great book, and I have already bought the sequel, absolutely looking forward to reading that.

I was a bit apprehensive to read this for some unknown reason. Maybe it was the hype that surrounded it? I have no idea. Also, whilst I was reading it, I kept thinking that it was Scythe by Neal Shusterman (?) I genuinely have no clue what was going on inside of my head. I know that S.J Kincaid wrote a very popular series before The Diabolic, but this is the first book that I had ever read by her, and I was curious to see what all of the hype was about.

Nemesis is a Diabolic. Created to protect a galactic Senator's daughter, Sidonia. There's no one Nemesis wouldn't kill to keep her safe. But when the power-mad Emperor summons Sidonia to the galactic court as a hostage, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia.

She must become her.

Now one of the galaxy's most dangerous weapons is masquerading in a world of corruption and Nemesis has to hide her true abilities or risk everything. As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns that there is something stronger than her deadly force: the one thing she's been told she doesn't have - humanity. And, amidst all the danger, action and intrigue, her humanity might be the only thing that can save her, Sidonia and the entire Empire...

So yeah, we basically have a story about a killing machine and politics. That is pretty much what The Diabolic is about. There were parts of it (such as the way the upper-class families lived) that reminded me of the extravagance of The Hunger Games, with the druggy oils, and excessive ways of life. At first, I found myself slowly reading this. I didn't want to read it all of the time which meant (to me) that I wasn't really enjoying it. It didn't even have a slow start, we were thrown right into how Nemesis became part of the Impyrean family and how dangerous she can be.

Starting off with the characters, you can't help but love Nemesis. Sure, she's a genetically engineered killer who was made to look after Donia no matter what. She was made with no feelings apart from those towards Donia as a protector. I love how Donia kept trying to make Nemesis see that she was no less of a person because she was genetically engineered and I loved seeing their relationship grow. There's was definitely some homosexuality underlying the relationship between these two characters, but it's a shame that it was never built upon as I think that would have really been the icing on the cake. I also love how Nemesis wills herself not to feel anything but when she's pretending to be Donia, she can't help it and she starts to feel things and I just kept getting so excited and emotional for her because she was experiencing new things and she kept getting so confused by it all.







“Perhaps scorpions were the only ones who could save each other. 
Whatever lay ahead, it would always be the two of us above the rest of the universe, and woe to any who dared step in out path.”

― S.J. Kincaid, The Diabolic





There are a lot of characters in this book but in no way was it difficult to keep up with who was who. Kincaid's writing style made it so easy to learn quickly on how to differentiate between the characters and she never info-dumped on the reader. She gradually built up the world and then slowly introduced us to more characters, making sure we knew the previous characters before she introduced us to new ones. AND THERE'S A REALLY CUTE (EX-KILLER) DOG AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH AND HIS NAME IS DEADLY AND OMG...!

This book was brilliantly written, had a superb plot right up until the last 10%. It became slightly messy and everything was happening at once and then then there was supposed to be a bit where you didn't know the plot twist, but IT WAS BASICALLY OBVIOUS WHAT THE PLOT TWIST WAS and yeah... it just wasn't as good as the rest of the book. The very ending was good, it wrapped up quite nicely and readied the reader for the second book well. However, the rest of the plot twists in the book were brilliant. I loved the mind games that the characters play with one another and how backstabbing everyone was. It was just brutal and full of conspiraces.

Do I ship Nemesis and Tyrus? I'm not sure... They are cute together and they are both have major trust issues so it will be interesting to see where Kincaid takes the relationship in The Empress.

This book wasn't for me, as I am not particularly interested in this genre anymore. I've decided to refrain from writing a review as I don't feel it would do the book justice. Apologies for any convenience.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

I am so frustrated with this book. This book was a highly anticipated read for me and was hyped by so many readers and yet when I read it I found it fell... flat. Honestly, books set in Space aren't really my thing anyway but I had to give it a go due to so many other positive ratings I'd seen.
Initially when I picked up this book I was really really enjoying it, I liked the concept and the characters and the world that was built. To me it all felt very different to what I usually read and was enjoying the newness of it all. Then about a third of the way through the book a big twist happens and I found myself losing interest after it but forged on through. I became hugely confused and kept feeling like everything I'd read was a lie and things that I'd been told hadn't happened or there were more twists and it all got too much for me. After all the drama in the book the issues get resolved incredibly quickly and I was just bored and didn't really care for the characters at this point. 
I unfortunately don't think I'll be picking up a book from S.J. Kincaid in the future.

2/5 Stars

in 2017, i have discovered some truly stunning YA sci-fi. there's been Defy the Stars, The Summer It Came for Us, and Illuminae. therefore, it is only fitting that i close the year with this book. this wonderful, astonishing, twisty book that i absolutely did not expect to love as much as i did. 

the diabolic starts out with a fantastically original plot - the Diabolics, genetically engineered humans to be the protectors of their ward. this facet of originality was planted into a masterfully-crafted world, its various elements revealed slowly throughout the book instead of the giant, dreaded info dump that is so pervasive in sci-fi and fantasy, and tops it all of with an unforgettable cast of characters. 

this is less of a sci-fi action-packed thriller in the vein of hollywood sci-fi movies, but an intricate political thriller that happens to be set in space (and with stakes to match its setting). some of the more basic elements of the plot were evident early on, but you have to be some sort of uncanny genius to predict all of the twists and turns that this mad rollercoaster of a book took me on.

and what's this - a believable romance without instalove? without blind devotion, without all of the irritating elements that usually infects YA books (and, indeed, books in general?) 

and WHAT'S THIS? a sort-of-love triangle that isn't technically a love triangle because nemesis doesn't requite the love of one of the participants? no annoying "oh-who-shall-i-choose"s but realistic, rather than manufactured conflict? 

i would quite like to inject this diabolically good novel into my veins if such a thing is possible. 

my dudes, YA is just getting better and better, and i can't wait to see what sort of frontiers the genre will go to next - not to mention the rest of this series, which i need to read immediately (and possibly invent a time machine to obtain the third book).

Sadly I had to stop reading this book as I really was not enjoying it. I don't feel it is fair for me to post a review when I have not finished the book.

When this book first came out, there was a lot of hype surrounding the release. Having now read the book I can completely understand why. I found it really easy to get into, and to be honest it was so gripping that I finished it on a bench in town because I didn’t want to stop reading to walk home.

Nemesis was a really interesting main character who was actually much more complicated than she first appeared. I am so happy that she was written with deeper emotions as well as a  fierce protector, willing to do anything for the person she is bonded to. The nature of the bond was interesting too, that she was programmed to love and protect a single person without freewill is honestly kind of gross, but I really liked the relationship that she had with Sidonia, and thankfully that power imbalanced was acknowledged.

In terms of world building, I found this book to be very interesting. Despite its space setting and  very obvious science fiction elements, there are also a lot of familiar fantasy tropes at play making for a unique experience. The society in this world is very problematic, and is portrayed as such. Many people are oppressed by the ruling class, and there are some genetically engineered people who are considered more objects than people. The way they are treated is horrific, as a diabolic, Nemesis is considered to be property rather than a person. In addition to this, knowledge of science and mathematics have been forbidden for all, to attempt to study such things is considered not just a crime, but a heresy. It’s a messy system perpetuated by the elite to keep the population under control, and we learn more about this as Nemesis has to survive in court while pretending to be Sidonia.

This book is really fast paced full of twists and turns and blending genres so well that while elements are familiar the reading experience as a whole is gripping. I was surprised by how easy it was for me to relate to Nemesis as a main character, and I loved how well-developed she is. The is a slight romance plot line, but I honestly really enjoyed how that played out, it definitely built up slowly.

I would say that at times this book is quite graphically violent and gory, and I do think that it’s not for everyone in that respect. In many ways the society is brutal, and this book does not shy away from how terrible it is. I have included content and trigger warnings above to give you an idea of what this book deals with.

Overall the world building and character development were both really strong in The Diabolic, and I was gripped from beginning to end. S.J. Kincaid does an excellent job of blending genres to create something that is both unique and interesting. I like that the book works as a standalone, with the plot nicely resolved at the end of the book. but there is a sequel available if you want to continue to explore the world. I will be continuing on with the series, because honestly, The Diabolic was so surprising that I’m really interested to see where the story goes next.

The Diabolic is an intense sci-fi political thriller, filled with unexpected twists, turns, and double-backs. The concept was dynamic and unique, and I'm interested to see what's going to happen next after that ending! My only wish was for there had been more female friendship because it was set up so well in the beginning, and now the opportunities for this seem to have been taken away from Nemesis!

I loved this book. Just the kind of book pupils will love. We will definitely buy this for our library..

I was completely blown away by this story. From the moment it started I was completely hooked. Nemesis was such an interesting character and seeing everything from the perspective of this creature that was breed to protect another person was such a unique and intriguing thing to read. 

It was very easy to fall in love with Nemesis as a character. Although she was so hardened and made fierce by her upbringing, her relationship with Sidonia and Sidonia's love for her made her so easy to empathise with and like. 

The twists and turns and all the politics were thrilling. It was impossible to figure out what would happen next. The Emperor was brutal and the other members of the elite were wonderfully venomous. It was all exactly what I like from a political thriller and set in a great sci fi background.

I'll be really interested to see what happens in the next book.

SUCH an easy, fast-paced read. I loved the characters from the start and while some of it was pretty surface-level stuff, this has easily become one of my favorites!

This review appears on Goodreads, but because it's a rubbish review (sorry), I won't be cross-posting it to my blog unless I somehow remember more about the book to write a better one. 

I read this while travelling, which meant (a) it took me an uncharacteristic three days to get through and (b) I didn't write a proper review of it at the time, leaving me to try and recollect my thoughts a considerable time after the fact. So, thanks for that, past self. Seriously, I should just ban myself from ever saying "review to come" because it won't! It'll never come! 

Despite how long this took me to get through, I enjoyed it a lot, and managed not to lose the thread even though I was frequently interrupted. Partly, I think my enjoyment stemmed from the fact that Nemesis reminded me quite a bit of one of my own characters, although with distinct differences. (My character Isabel has normal human feelings and no enhanced strength or abilities, but she kills people anyway. Because she's messed up like that. Wahey.) 

The worldbuilding, on the whole, was a strength: it was detailed enough to give a strong impression of what was happening and to provide a concrete setting, but didn't get bogged down in details. The political machinations and names of characters were Roman-inspired, which I'm always a bit wary about; I've read a few books that do this, and rarely have I found it a positive trait (usually because it gets WAY TOO COMPLICATED). However, in this case it worked well, and wasn't too complicated or difficult to follow. 

This book was compelling enough to deserve a better and more detailed review than this, but sadly, I failed to make notes while reading it and my memory for detailed responses is terrible, so it's suffered from being read on the move. On the plus side, I tend to dislike things I read in a disjointed way, and I remember always being a bit impatient to get back to this, so that's definitely a point in its favour. I just wish I could remember what else I thought of it. 

There were definitely some feelings involved. Looking at the quotes I highlighted on my Kindle, I honestly can't tell how many of those were feelings directly about the book itself, and how much I was projecting my feelings about my character Isabel (I can't help it), but still. FEELINGS.

So regardless of whether I was projecting or not, it still managed to make me feel stuff. Despite the disjointed reading. It definitely deserved better than this review. Sorry, book. I failed you.

It took me a while to get through this book but by the end I was completely caught up in Nemesis' world. I loved the mix of science and religion and how this world had been shaped by the decline of technology. Such an intriguing premise. It was like a world with Ancient Roman Empire foundations and scifi, space drama. I also loved Nemesis and her journey from stone faced, emotionless killing machine to someone spurred on by love and feelings. She's such a great character and I loved her character arch. I'm really looking forward to seeing how she develops more in the next book and how this world with its web of lies, deceit and hate changes also.

I loved this book and definitely want to continue the series. I liked the concept of diabolics  and enjoyed seeing Nemesis become more 'human.'.  I enjoyed the depiction of the Emperor's Court and the lengths individuals went to survive.  Her relationship with both Sidonia and the Emperor's nephew were well drawn and believable. 

There was plenty of intrigue, blood and gore to absorb. Overall an exciting read - I want to know what happens next!

*I received this for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* 
There will be some spoilers in this review as I discuss some slightly problematic content.
I remember hearing about THE DIABOLIC when it came out. I added it to my TBR but didn't pay much attention to it due to being in a weird slump. It wasn't a great time. So, imagine my surprise when I was scrolling through NetGalley one day and saw it up for request, as well as a sequel I had no idea was even in the works. 
THE DIABOLIC is such a intriguing sci-fi novel. The entire story is told through our main character's POV — Nemesis. Nemesis is a Diabollic. This means she's a genetically altered humanoid who's sole purpose is to protect the person they are bonded to. I really loved seeing her growth and change throughout the story, as she moves from someone who thinks of herself as a monster with no soul, to someone realising she deserves happiness ad respect. 
Her growth was one of the best things about the novel, which is really amazing because the rest of the book was incredible. It does take a while to get into the good stuff as the first few chapters are setting the scene, really. They're well written enough to be intriguing, to keep you hooked and patiently waiting for the action to start. 
I really loved how brutal this world was — I really did not expect that at all. We normally see books pitched as being dark but very rarely deliver. But in this we see innocents get killed, a tyrannical Emperor rule by fear that we see first hand. And twists and turns that even I did not see coming. Especially that one death. Oh my God!
I loved how fleshed out the secondary characters were as well, especially Tyrus who is my precious baby. I did love him a lot — I loved how clever and devoted he was but I did have a problem with his character. He's considered insane by the entire population of this world. Everyone thinks he's "mad". The casually ableist language can be quite harmful itself, but when it's paired with the fact that he's not really dealing with any mental health issues, it's just an act to keep him safe from his Gran/Uncle who kill their relatives with no remorse. 
I can understand the reasoning. Under such circumstances, when you're growing up with people who killed your parents and siblings, yeah, I think I would do anything to survive. But the problem I have is that, when he explains, there's not really a "I feel a little bad pretending to have this illness when I know people genuinely do suffer from it" moment. It's just seen as all right. Accepted. And that didn't really sit right with me. 
I wish we had seen more of Sidonia who is the girl Nemesis is bonded to. I really loved her and Nemesis' relationship and as I was reading the first few chapters, all I could think was "this is gay. This is so gay." even though I knew that it never would be because hey, I've seen the synopsis for THE EMPRESS. 
Now, I did like the fact that it was confirmed that Sidonia was in love with Nemesis. In a romantic way. And she would never do anything because she knew that Nemesis didn't have a choice about her feelings — the consent surrounding that would be extremely iffy, and I liked the way it was handled. I did wish it had worked out because hey, I'm a queer girl dying for queer girl rep, but I also really enjoyed Nemesis and Tyrus' relationship. 
But sadly, I have a problem with this as well… and it's because Sidonia very clearly admits to being in love with Nemesis. Really, she's the only person Donia has had feelings for. She's the only queer character officially stated in the book — and she dies. This is a huge spoiler, I know, it was that death I spoke of earlier. And it's not just once, it's twice. 
We're lead to believe that she dies early on in the book which is what brings Nemesis and Tyrus together. Then it turns out she lives, gets reunited with Nemesis and eventually gets killed in order to break Nemesis and Tyrus apart. Like I said, the book is dark and brutal and it's not out of place to kill innocents to further schemes of characters or undermine them… but why did the only queer girl have to die? And why did she have to die just to drive a stake between Nemesis and Tyrus; to further the Plot? I'm sorry, I really did enjoy this book, you can tell by my rating and rambling, but as a queer girl, I am sick of this kind of thing. I deserve more than this. 
And maybe it would have been all right — not all right, but not as bad — had THE DIABOLIC just been a standalone. But now there are two more books in this series. I need to be reminded of the fact that I wasn't deemed worthy enough to survive for the rest of the series. 
I did enjoy this book. I did. And I probably will continue with the series. But I just… I hate this. It's not fair to me. And it's especially not fair to younger queer girls who are growing up with this kind of narrative. 
I started this knowing it was going to be a M/F romance. And when I started reading, I really thought I was in for some serious queerbating so I was over the moon when Sidonia's feelings were confirmed. I mean, I've fallen for allocishet girls before, I know that feeling — that's normal. What's not normal is to be overjoyed with a sliver of rep and then to be killed off a few chapters later. 
All in all, this was a gritty, dark novel that I enjoyed but had some problematic content that upset me and I know would upset others. 
Until next time, 
~Charlotte.x

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  This review is spoiler-free.


There are times when a book comes into your life that you think you won’t like, but you somehow end up loving.  That book for me was The Diabolic.  It has so many elements that I usually dislike: an overpowered heroine, a cocky-on-the-outside-but-soft-and-squishy-on-the-inside hero, the ‘this could all be resolved if we actually sat down and talked about our feelings’ romantic subplot.  However, everything came together really well and just works.

Nemesis is a Diabolic. Created to protect a galactic Senator’s daughter, Sidonia. There’s no one Nemesis wouldn’t kill to keep her safe. But when the power-mad Emperor summons Sidonia to the galactic court as a hostage, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia.

She must become her.

Now one of the galaxy’s most dangerous weapons is masquerading in a world of corruption and Nemesis has to hide her true abilities or risk everything. As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns that there is something stronger than her deadly force: the one thing she’s been told she doesn’t have – humanity. And, amidst all the danger, action and intrigue, her humanity might be the only thing that can save her, Sidonia and the entire Empire…*

The world that Kincaid creates is astonishing.  It’s not the kind of gritty sci-fi dystopian world that we are so well acquainted with these days — it is a very different kind of dystopia.  The upper classes live on fantastically opulent spacecraft and rule from among the stars.  Lesser humans are planet-bound and rely upon the nobility for literally everything — they can never be self-sufficient and therefore can never rebel against the ruling classes.

The best bit for me was the religion and the halt on scientific progress.  Study of the sciences is completely banned.  So how did they get these ships and the space-faring technology that allows them to rule from above?  They’re using the technology left behind by their ancestors — technology that they don’t know how to repair or replicate.  These factors come together to create an empire on the brink of collapse and a commentary and warning on certain segments of our own society.

Although the world is interesting and well-written, this novel would have sunk without Nemesis.  When the novel opens, we are introduced to the Diabolic, genetically engineered bodyguards that protect only the highest of the nobility.  Nemesis is a Diabolic who has been bonded to Sidona, the daughter of a galactic senator.  The plot revolves around Nemesis taking Sidonia’s place as a hostage at the emperor’s court. Nemesis is the key that holds the book together.  The book is told in first person, so we get her inner thoughts as she struggles to suppress everything she has been created to do.  She isn’t the Terminator, running around completely stone-faced and killing everyone in sight.  Nor is she hiding a fluffy conscience underneath her hard exterior.  She’s a character who struggles with the humanity she was always told she never had.  As Sidonia’s double, she is finally treated as an equal rather than an object.  She sees the treatment of other genetically manipulated beings under the aristocracy’s control and wants to change things for the better.  Nemesis could easily have been a one-dimensional character, but Kincaid makes her so much more.

There is so much more to discover in The Diabolic.  From romance, to political back handedness, to betrayal, this book is a fun, fast-paced read that hooked me from the beginning.  It is a ridiculous roller coaster of a book that hides a surprising level of humanity and social commentary.  It’s an easy story to fall into for anyone looking to begin reading science fiction, but will still please established readers of the genre.