4.5 stars

CW: torture, violence, drug addiction

I’m distraught. Really, genuinely distraught. I liked the first book and I expected to like this one as well, but I never expected anything like what I got. It’s an absolutely unpredictable ride and it’s rendered me speechless. If you know me, you know I ramble; this should be some indication of how good this book is.

However, it’s a good thing I waited a bit after finishing before writing this; I did realize that this novel has a few imperfections. I didn’t fully understand the subplot about Nemesis’ personhood and how that affected her Diabolic abilities. I think that should’ve been expanded upon more. And, while I enjoyed the story’s twists and would definitely say it played hot potato with my heart, I’m wondering if S.J. tried to incorporate too much into too few pages. Some things that happened were almost inexplicable, and others seemed to come from nowhere. The first half took a bit of time to build up, and then all of this happened; maybe pacing is the issue here, or perhaps a few plot points needed to be reevaluated.

Nemesis has become a vicious, full-on antihero and I support her. There’s lots of vengeance and manipulation, a couple of unexpected allies, and one thing that especially hurt my heart. My ship didn’t just sink, it was sucked into a black hole and torn apart. That was fun.

Bring on the final book, and some ice cream. I think I’m going to need it.