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katndrsn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, and War
Moderate: Mass/school shootings
Minor: Chronic illness and Torture
bookbrig's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
A really satisfying conclusion, I'm so glad I stumbled on these books. I loved the cast of characters in all their messy and complicated nuance, and the way the story is told from such a variety of perspectives worked so well. It's not a YA duology, but I'd give it to teen fans of The Disasters by M.K. England with some content warnings and a head's up that it was written with an adult audience in mind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Blood, and Medical content
starccato's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
The first chapter of this duology finale has a heist, an explosion, and banter. Aka all the things I loved in the first book condensed into a beautiful moment. It was the first of many signs that this series was going to end on the same fierce, fun terms that it began with. So what makes this series so easy to recommend? It's about consent and freedom from tyranny as human rights. It's about a fabulous found family with a sense of home that curls off the page like smoke from a welcoming hearth fire. It's about battles in space, impossible missions, and a resistance that would give its last breath to defeat an all-consuming, ever-grasping empire. It's queer as hell (among the seven leads: a trans woman, non-binary person, sapphic relationship, ace woman, and a bi man are specifically out on the page). Basically, it's about humanity.
The message is powerful and thoughtful, but it's the characters that made me feel some type of way. I genuinely couldn't choose a most or least favorite of the seven because all of their POVs have that spark of life that gets under your skin. They all suffered, they all carry guilt and hope, and they all fight tooth and nail to take down an empire and to protect each other. I love how there's some light romance, but it's really the found family bonds that tie the story together. You could point to any combination of the team and identify special moments they've had, major turning points in their relationship, or a meaningful connection they share. I (obviously) love a romance as much as the next person if not more, but it felt like a warm hug to read a book that prioritizes the other ways we attach ourselves to one another, with no less value or dedication.
Omg how I cried at a few points. I knew on some level that it would be a rough journey given the scale of the task before our intrepid team. But that didn't make it less painful at times or nerve-wracking. There's undercover work on an alien planet, a mass prison break, and one final, explosive mission against an emperor and an autonomous AI. So I would describe my stress level as 10/10 because I love them all so much and was freaked out about the odds.
Science fiction fans should definitely get their hands on this now complete series. Even for those who are intimidated by the genre, I recommend this as an approachable, character-driven series with all the action and wit one could wish for. Thanks to DAW for my copy to read and review.
The message is powerful and thoughtful, but it's the characters that made me feel some type of way. I genuinely couldn't choose a most or least favorite of the seven because all of their POVs have that spark of life that gets under your skin. They all suffered, they all carry guilt and hope, and they all fight tooth and nail to take down an empire and to protect each other. I love how there's some light romance, but it's really the found family bonds that tie the story together. You could point to any combination of the team and identify special moments they've had, major turning points in their relationship, or a meaningful connection they share. I (obviously) love a romance as much as the next person if not more, but it felt like a warm hug to read a book that prioritizes the other ways we attach ourselves to one another, with no less value or dedication.
Omg how I cried at a few points. I knew on some level that it would be a rough journey given the scale of the task before our intrepid team. But that didn't make it less painful at times or nerve-wracking. There's undercover work on an alien planet, a mass prison break, and one final, explosive mission against an emperor and an autonomous AI. So I would describe my stress level as 10/10 because I love them all so much and was freaked out about the odds.
Science fiction fans should definitely get their hands on this now complete series. Even for those who are intimidated by the genre, I recommend this as an approachable, character-driven series with all the action and wit one could wish for. Thanks to DAW for my copy to read and review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Dysphoria
queenmackenzie's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Seven Devils, the first book in this duology by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May, was one of my top reads of 2021, and I had high expectations for its sequel. I am happy to say that those expectations were met and exceeded. I was immediately grinning at the story starting with Eris on a mission, just like in the first one. It was such a good way to reintroduce the world of Seven Devils because it is both familiar and entertaining with Eris’ wry inner monologue, but it also showed how much she has evolved as a character. At the start of Seven Devils, Eris says she is trying really hard not to kill anyone, as per her Commanders’ orders, but she still ends up sacrificing a lot of souls to the God of Death. In Seven Mercies, Eris is actually trying not to deliver killing blows, and lets herself see others as people a lot more. She is also not alone, and I loved getting reacquainted with all the Devils.
Each of the seven – Commander Kyla, ex-princess Eris, engineer Clo, sixteen year old super genius programmer Ariadne, courtesan Rhea, and soldiers Nyx and Cato – are given their time to shine, and I loved every one of them and I can’t really say I have a favourite (*cough* it’s Cato *cough*). I liked the fact that we get to see a lot more of Kyla, who was more of a background character in the first instalment, and the way she was so central to the rebellion and to keeping this group of people together. The thing that made every one of these characters so good to read is how they are all such emotionally broken people, all damaged by the Empire in one way or another, and watching them come out of that and learn to trust one another with their scars and secrets was so satisfying. Of course, it also made for some good twists as some secrets were bigger than others, and I definitely gasped out loud a few times.
There was a section of Seven Mercies that didn’t quite grip me right away, which is when two of the Devils go on a separate mission to Eve, homeworld of the opposing Evoli empire. I was very excited to get to see Eve, only alluded to before now, but found that the slower pace and the emotional conflicts weren’t enough to keep me excited – I wanted to get back to the scheming and the action! But that was just a brief thing, and the Eve side quest was absolutely necessary to the plot and was payed off really well later.
I don’t quite know how Lam and May managed to create a duology brimming with action, sarcasm, conflict, creepy AI’s, and politics while also imbuing it with so much hope, beauty, diversity, and pure relationships. I know this series will be one I will go back to, and will recommend to others a lot, because it does so much in just two books, with an ending that fit so perfectly and left me both devastated and satisfied.
Each of the seven – Commander Kyla, ex-princess Eris, engineer Clo, sixteen year old super genius programmer Ariadne, courtesan Rhea, and soldiers Nyx and Cato – are given their time to shine, and I loved every one of them and I can’t really say I have a favourite (*cough* it’s Cato *cough*). I liked the fact that we get to see a lot more of Kyla, who was more of a background character in the first instalment, and the way she was so central to the rebellion and to keeping this group of people together. The thing that made every one of these characters so good to read is how they are all such emotionally broken people, all damaged by the Empire in one way or another, and watching them come out of that and learn to trust one another with their scars and secrets was so satisfying. Of course, it also made for some good twists as some secrets were bigger than others, and I definitely gasped out loud a few times.
There was a section of Seven Mercies that didn’t quite grip me right away, which is when two of the Devils go on a separate mission to Eve, homeworld of the opposing Evoli empire. I was very excited to get to see Eve, only alluded to before now, but found that the slower pace and the emotional conflicts weren’t enough to keep me excited – I wanted to get back to the scheming and the action! But that was just a brief thing, and the Eve side quest was absolutely necessary to the plot and was payed off really well later.
I don’t quite know how Lam and May managed to create a duology brimming with action, sarcasm, conflict, creepy AI’s, and politics while also imbuing it with so much hope, beauty, diversity, and pure relationships. I know this series will be one I will go back to, and will recommend to others a lot, because it does so much in just two books, with an ending that fit so perfectly and left me both devastated and satisfied.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, and Genocide
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Transphobia