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A review by mxharriet
The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid
4.0
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.
*Received in exchange for an honest review*
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.
*Received in exchange for an honest review*