Seven Mercies picks up right after Seven Devils, but swiftly takes a turn to the completely unexpected. I don't think I could possibly have predicted the direction this book would go, and that made it all the richer a reading experience as I was waiting with bated breath to find out what would possibly happen next. There were two plots running alongside each other, which meant we got to explore a little more of the universe and see some of the characters in more detail. It was nice getting to see Clo and Rhea shine, especially after Seven Devils was very Eris focused (not that I minded that, Eris is still my favourite character). I did miss some of the group interactions that we lost from splitting the party - especially after Clo and Eris were slowly rebuilding trust, I wanted to see more of them together.

The book was action-packed the whole way through, and it has a cinematic pace that absolutely belongs on a movie screen. The found family vibes in this sequel were as impeccable as ever, and I'm impressed with how this book managed to have individual character arcs for each of our 'seven devils' without unbalancing the group cast and focusing too much on any one character. By the end of Seven Mercies I was more in love with the whole group than ever, and I was on the edge of my seat as we raced far too quickly to the brutal conclusion of the duology.

The ending was bittersweet but powerful, and I can't think of a more perfect way for this duology to have concluded. Elizabeth May and Laura Lam really stuck the landing with this one, and it was satisfying in a way that I've been really lacking with sequels lately.