I enjoyed The Diabolic very much. In a normal, great book sort of way. But it didn't surprise me. And I thought it was a stand-alone. Apparently, plans changed.
Tyrus is now the emperor. And Nemesis is supposed to be the empress, but no one wants a diabolic to be empress. So everyone is fighting against them. The beginning of the book is them trying to establish their control over the kingdom, but it isn't easy. Perhaps not even possible. Too many are scheming and plotting. Loyalties change at the drop of a hat. The vicars won't give their support, so Tyrus doesn't have the true power the emperor should wield. Tyrus and Nemesis come up with a scheme that will assure their power, but on the other hand, it may result in their death.
The first 30 - 40 percent of the book is about the politics and religion that drives these people. It was a bit too much for me, but once they executed the aforementioned plan, the pace ramped up, and it was relentless. The twists in The Empress came so fast a furious that I really had to stop and catch my breath, but no, I couldn't because I had to know what happened. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that no reader could possibly predict these events. They are brutal. If you are expecting an eventual "and they lived happily ever after..." for these two, well, you've got another thing coming. Kincaid doesn't pull any punches even with our main characters.
And now that this is a series, the ending is pretty cliffy. I can't imagine what's up next--I wouldn't even hazard a guess. Becuase everything is up for grabs.
My teens really enjoyed The Diabolic and I can't wait to give them The Empress. Well done Ms. Kincaid!
Published by Simon & Schuster BFYR, October 31, 2017
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
384 pages
Rating: 4.5/5
