Library

The Empress

Posted on January 17, 2020

Hello again!

I had taken a break from writing reviews for the holiday, however, it’s time to jump into the new year with some awesome new books! I was so excited to read The Empress, which is the sequel to one of my favorite books, The Diabolic. The best part is that I picked up my copy of The Empress at BAM on clearance! If you haven’t experienced the first book yet, you can read my review on The Diabolic here. For those of you who are ready to continue the amazing adventure…read on.

The Empress (The Diabolic Book 2)

By S. J. Kincaid

YA Fantasy Fiction

Synopsis

An Empress is graceful. An Empress is a partner. But most important, an Empress is human.

It’s a new day in the Empire. With Tyrus on the throne and Nemesis at his side, they can find a new way forward – one without hiding or scheming or bloodshed. They can form a galaxy where science and information is shared with everyone and not just the elite.

But having power isn’t the same as keeping it, and change isn’t always welcome. There are those who have no intention of letting this teenage Emperor and Nemesis, who’s considered a mere killing machine, rule without a fight.

In order to protect Tyrus, Nemesis must prove her humanity to the Empire. But if this means she and Tyrus must do inhuman things, is the fight worth the cost of winning?

My Thoughts

This sequel picks up right where The Diabolic left off. After all their planning and hard work, Tyrus is the new Emperor and Nemesis is right there at his side. Nemesis’ character had grown so much in the first book that I was curious to see what more awaited her. It is clear that she still thinks mostly in black and white, rational and non-emotional thoughts. However, she constantly has internal debates concerning human feelings and emotion. At the beginning, the two main characters have a strong love for each other that is slightly tainted by an incident involving Sidonias death that occurred in the first book.

In an effort to fix one problem, Tyrus and Nemesis leave for a period of time and return to an even bigger one that completely demolishes any plans they had. Tyrus is described as an extremely smart, somewhat OCD type personality. Although is seems like he is always planning what to do next, he is thwarted at every turn, sometimes even by Nemesis herself.

The book spans several years and both Tyrus and Nemesis become such different people throughout, that by the end it’s hard to tell who is good and who is bad. I thought it was a bit slow out of the gate, but once one wrong turn was made, it definitely snowballed out of control.

Although not a happily ever after book by any means, The Empress did not disappoint as a “what happens after the happily ever after” read. The ending was not what I expected and the characters lingered in my mind after I read the last page.

Sequels are always a risk, especially if the first book was amazing. This one did not disappoint by any means and I highly recommend it to anyone who loved The Diabolic.