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Science Fiction. Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML:"The perfect kind of high-pressure adventure." �??TeenVogue.com A New York Times bestseller! Red Queen meets The Hunger Games in this epic novel about what happens when a senator's daughter is summoned to the galactic court as a hostage, but she's really the galaxy's most dangerous weapon in disguise. A Diabolic is ruthless. A Diabolic is powerful. A Diabolic has a single task: Kill in order to protect the person you've been created for. Nemesis is a Diabolic, a humanoid teenager created to protect a galactic senator's daughter, Sidonia. The two have grown up side by side, but are in no way sisters. Nemesis is expected to give her life for Sidonia, and she would do so gladly. She would also take as many lives as necessary to keep Sidonia safe. When the power-mad Emperor learns Sidonia's father is participating in a rebellion, he summons Sidonia to the Galactic court. She is to serve as a hostage. Now, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia. She must become her. Nemesis travels to the court disguised as Sidonia�??a killing machine masquerading in a world of corrupt politicians and two-faced senators' children. It's a nest of vipers with threats on every side, but Nemesis must keep her true abilities a secret or risk everything. As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns there is something more to her than just deadly force. She finds a humanity truer than what she encounters from most humans. Amidst all the danger, action, and intrigue, her humanity just might be the thing that saves her life�??and th… (more)
User reviews
Here's the premise - sometime far in the future and spread across the universe, an elite class
"We looked like people, to be sure. We had the DNA of people but we were something else: creatures fashioned to be utterly ruthless and totally loyal to a single individual."
When the Emperor decrees that all Diabolics should be destroyed and then summons all the young heirs to the galactic Senate, Sidonia's mother knows that the Emperor is up to no good. She decides to send Nemesis in Sidonia's place.
I was caught up in the first few pages. Nemesis was such a great lead character - she's ruthless, but ignorant of the ways of the court, the political machinations and human interactions with anyone but Sidonia and her family. She has to both imitate Sidonia and make her way through the minefield she's landed in. Kincaid does a great job with the tension, inserting one nail biting scene after another. The story is action filled and moves forward at a rapid pace. Kincaid's world building is laudable as well. Her society believes it has evolved to the highest pinnacle - unaware that they are simply repeating a history that has come and fallen before. The physical details of her settings are unique and well described. I loved all the 'future' technology Kincaid dreamed up.
"Human history, Tyrus said, is a repetition of pattern. Empires rise and fall into decadence and decay. Time and time again."
The plotting is just as wonderful - a political cat and mouse game well played out. And of course, it would not be complete without a possible romance. But will it be a two sided affair? After all, Nemesis can't feel emotion - or can she? Will Nemesis find her humanity? In time to save humanity?
The Diabolic was a really good read. Good enough that I devoured most of it on my day off and got up early to finish it the next day before I went to work. Take a second look at that cover - it's perfect for the story - sharpened steel sheathed in a beautiful guise. As well as the idea of the diabolic morphing into something perhaps a bit gentler.
And speaking of kicking - I'm kicking myself - this is the first book I've read of Kincaid, but it won't be the last!
The Diabolic is a stand alone - but I kinda wish Kincaid would do a sequel......
It is at the point where Nemesis starts questioning human emotion and the Emperor’s machinations start making themselves known when the story takes off on a roller coaster ride of action, drama, and emotion. The Emperor and his family prove themselves to be coldly calculating and callous of human life; the actions of the Court are chilling this regard. They prove an excellent counterpoint to Nemesis, someone who was created to be equally cold and unfeeling but proves to be so worthy of so much more. The dichotomy between the two are obvious but still very effective.
The same holds true with the story’s trajectory. Nothing about the overarching plot will come as a great surprise. There are a few twists which will catch readers offguard, and certain events do not happen when expected. However, one can predict the major plot points fairly early on in the novel. Yet, this is not necessarily a disparagement of the story. In fact, knowing what is going to happen and discovering how the characters reach certain points is half the fun of the novel. Just like most action-adventure movies, watching the action unfold is just as satisfying as being surprised by said action. Plus, like a good superhero movie, the ending leaves you on tenterhooks wondering what, if anything, is coming next.
Readers are going to struggle with the slow start to The Diabolic. They may even be inclined to set it down in favor of something that grabs their attention sooner. However, to do so means ignoring what is a fairly creative and entirely enjoyable story. It may be predictable, but that does not stop you from enjoying the action and danger. The characters are also simple but have a way of getting under your skin and making you care about them more than you ever thought you would. The slow start soon fades into heart-pounding adventure with the addition of poignancy interspersed throughout the story, all of which creates a rich and emotional story that thrills, scares, delights, and entertains. To ignore The Diabolic would be to miss out on all of that, which is the saddest thought of all.
The Diabolic creates a fascinating universe. A far future with incredible technology, populated with a people who have both forgotten how to create it and have created a religion which forbids the study of science and mathematics. They live in opulence, creating nothing, while the universe literally falls apart around them. Those that value knowledge and wish to study science are branded heretics and enemies of the Empire. The Imperial court is actually a group of connected spaceships in a hard to reach section of space. “Planetbound” people are considered second class citizens.
The themes here aren’t terrible subtle, but they are well thought out and explored by characters you come to care about. Nemesis is a fish out of water, who with a crash course in court etiquette knows enough to get by, but lives in fear of being discovered, which would be a death sentence for Sidonia. If planetbound people are second class citizens, Diabolics and other genetically modified servants don’t even merit that much consideration. They are property, and disposable property at that. Sidonia views Nemesis as a person, even if Nemesis herself does not. By impersonating Sidonia, Nemesis is forced to explore what she truly is and whether she is different or just taught to believe she is.
The politics at court are vicious and devious. Navigating the affairs at court and knowing who to trust can have deadly consequences. Kincaid pairs this compelling plot with complex characters and relationships. She takes you on a ride where you are unsure how it will turn out until the very end, if not beyond. Themes of science versus religion and those with privileges versus those without are interwoven throughout. The relationship we have with technology, as well as what happens on the day we create an intelligence equal to or greater than our own is also explored.
The Diabolic gives you a lot to think about and explores it with characters that are fun to spend time with. The audio version is narrated by Candace Thaxton who does an outstanding job. The pacing is great and the characters are easy to distinguish. She does a particularly good job with Nemesis who starts as a character who feels more machine than human, and spends the novel exploring her humanity. Thaxton’s narration captures that transformation and enhances the story and the listening experience. Highly recommended.
I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.
Author: S. J. Kincaid
Narrator: Candace Thaxton
Published: 2016
Listen Time: 12:31
Page Count: 403
Read Date: August 28 - September 1, 2017
Description: Red Queen meets The Hunger Games in this epic novel about what happens when a senator’s daughter is summoned to the galactic court
A Diabolic is ruthless. A Diabolic is powerful. A Diabolic has a single task: Kill in order to protect the person you’ve been created for.
Nemesis is a Diabolic, a humanoid teenager created to protect a galactic senator’s daughter, Sidonia. The two have grown up side by side, but are in no way sisters. Nemesis is expected to give her life for Sidonia, and she would do so gladly. She would also take as many lives as necessary to keep Sidonia safe.
When the power-mad Emperor learns Sidonia’s father is participating in a rebellion, he summons Sidonia to the Galactic court. She is to serve as a hostage. Now, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia. She must become her. Nemesis travels to the court disguised as Sidonia—a killing machine masquerading in a world of corrupt politicians and two-faced senators’ children. It’s a nest of vipers with threats on every side, but Nemesis must keep her true abilities a secret or risk everything.
As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns there is something more to her than just deadly force. She finds a humanity truer than what she encounters from most humans. Amidst all the danger, action, and intrigue, her humanity just might be the thing that saves her life—and the empire.
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
My Review: First off, let me start by saying I went back and forth between reading and listening. The narrator had a voice that was very easy to listen to, and I could somehow truly picture Nemesis.
Second let me say that this book is told in first person, which can be very off-putting, especially if not done well. This was done very well. I don't want to give too much away, but the story is about Nemesis, who is a Diabolic, or a biologically engineered being. Her sole purpose is to live (or die) to protect Sidonia. When the only way to keep her safe means posing as her at court, Nemesis does so without hesitation.
Nemesis has been told for her entire existence that she is a thing. Property. She has no soul, she cannot feel or laugh or love. Sidonia doesn't believe that and tells Nemesis so, but Nemesis just chalks it up to Sidonia's affection for her. She has been her only and most loyal friend for most of her life, even if she is considered Sidonia's possession.
Nemesis' whole world gets turned on its head when she is at court pretending to be the heir of a high senator. And that's all I'll say for fear of spoilers. This book is filled with anguish and intrigue and so many feelings. There were a few spots that were triggering for me, but only because of recent incidences in my life. Had I read this book 6-7 months ago, certain scenes would not have been an issue. I'm just mentioning it as my personal issue, I do not believe the book has anything so harsh that others should fear reading it. There were so many ups and downs and plot twists! Some you can almost anticipate, and some just take you completely off guard. I'm very impressed with how the author weaved the plot to lead you in one direction and then take you by surprise. It's not easy to do these days because everything has been done--in some cases overdone!
I am truly looking forward to the sequel!
I really enjoyed Nemesis as a character, and hope to learn more about Diabolics as a species in the next one!
Author: S. J. Kincaid
Narrator: Candace Thaxton
Published: 2016
Listen Time: 12:31
Page Count: 403
Read Date: August 28 - September 1, 2017
Description: Red Queen meets The Hunger Games in this epic novel about what happens when a senator’s daughter is summoned to the galactic court
A Diabolic is ruthless. A Diabolic is powerful. A Diabolic has a single task: Kill in order to protect the person you’ve been created for.
Nemesis is a Diabolic, a humanoid teenager created to protect a galactic senator’s daughter, Sidonia. The two have grown up side by side, but are in no way sisters. Nemesis is expected to give her life for Sidonia, and she would do so gladly. She would also take as many lives as necessary to keep Sidonia safe.
When the power-mad Emperor learns Sidonia’s father is participating in a rebellion, he summons Sidonia to the Galactic court. She is to serve as a hostage. Now, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia. She must become her. Nemesis travels to the court disguised as Sidonia—a killing machine masquerading in a world of corrupt politicians and two-faced senators’ children. It’s a nest of vipers with threats on every side, but Nemesis must keep her true abilities a secret or risk everything.
As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns there is something more to her than just deadly force. She finds a humanity truer than what she encounters from most humans. Amidst all the danger, action, and intrigue, her humanity just might be the thing that saves her life—and the empire.
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
My Review: First off, let me start by saying I went back and forth between reading and listening. The narrator had a voice that was very easy to listen to, and I could somehow truly picture Nemesis.
Second let me say that this book is told in first person, which can be very off-putting, especially if not done well. This was done very well. I don't want to give too much away, but the story is about Nemesis, who is a Diabolic, or a biologically engineered being. Her sole purpose is to live (or die) to protect Sidonia. When the only way to keep her safe means posing as her at court, Nemesis does so without hesitation.
Nemesis has been told for her entire existence that she is a thing. Property. She has no soul, she cannot feel or laugh or love. Sidonia doesn't believe that and tells Nemesis so, but Nemesis just chalks it up to Sidonia's affection for her. She has been her only and most loyal friend for most of her life, even if she is considered Sidonia's possession.
Nemesis' whole world gets turned on its head when she is at court pretending to be the heir of a high senator. And that's all I'll say for fear of spoilers. This book is filled with anguish and intrigue and so many feelings. There were a few spots that were triggering for me, but only because of recent incidences in my life. Had I read this book 6-7 months ago, certain scenes would not have been an issue. I'm just mentioning it as my personal issue, I do not believe the book has anything so harsh that others should fear reading it. There were so many ups and downs and plot twists! Some you can almost anticipate, and some just take you completely off guard. I'm very impressed with how the author weaved the plot to lead you in one direction and then take you by surprise. It's not easy to do these days because everything has been done--in some cases overdone!
I am truly looking forward to the sequel!
In a future where technology is so far advanced that humans have traveled through space and made an empire out of colonies out of planets and space territories, history repeats
At first, Nemesis doesn’t fit in well with other real humans because as a Diabolic she has never needed to express true emotions if they had nothing to do with protecting her charge. But as she starts to channel Sidonia’s mannerisms and personality Nemesis almost convinces herself into thinking she might have a sliver of inborn humanity. Just as the book sleeve hypes, that humanity is just what might save her and the empire.
At first, Nemesis was not a very interesting person. She was blunt, curt, and kind of heartless…as one would imagine an assassin would be. She didn’t have a personality. Once the Emperor sent for Sidonia and Nemesis took her place I was delighted to find something compelling. Her loyalty and I really liked how there were hints that it wasn’t just because Nemesis was bonded to Sidonia, it was a love built on trust and loyalty. Then as she started to correct her behavior and act accordingly to what people would expect of a “normal” person Nemesis began to pick up other feelings and traits. It was only then that I understood that a diabolic was supposed to be a deadly sack of potatoes. Her life’s purpose was to live to protect and when Nemesis was finally presented with the chance to do something well…let’s just say things got even more interesting.
“I would be a Diabolic who forged a new future. Not just for myself, but for all the real people too. And in that way, I would have the truest revenge of all: I would make my life mean something.”
So this world was being held back by a royal family and a religious order that considered anything outside of their norm a blasphemy. Emperor von Domitrian was a gambler and a petty ruler, he his mother Cygna murdered all family members that stood in his way to the throne except for his nephew Tyrus Domitrian a guy driven to madness after witnessing murder after murder. The villain of the story was cunning and truly the smartest of them all.
I really don’t want to spoil the love interest because even though it didn’t take me by surprise it might be a nice thing for someone else to discover I was hooked by
NEVENI MA GIRRRRRLLLL. I’m sorry but I just really like this girl. She deserves her own paragraph. She’s the anti-Sidonia but it’s not a bad thing at all. Sidonia is a dreamer, she’s kind and generous though incredibly smart and thirsty for knowledge. Whereas Sidonia wants knowledge to bring people together, Neveni shares her family’s desire to teach the masses so they can bring an uprise against the Emperor. Sidonia would never use knowledge and information as currency but Neveni would and does many times. She’s cunning and brave, smart and witty, her flaws are how rash she can be but Nemesis has to learn those types of things too. All these different human behaviors make people interesting and varied instead of cardboard cutout diabolics, exactly what Nemesis needed to avoid.
After I finished this book I found myself comparing it to the likes of Scorpion Rules (but only the whole holding family members hostage and enhanced humans), and Red Queen (it started when I read Elantra’s name[Elara] but then the whole corrupt Imperial Court and looming but not really present rebellion…I swear I don’t hate this book.) The history of the entire stop of technological advancements was plausible enough for me to overlook how little it was presented in the book. What I would have liked to see a little more of is an explanation about how the humanoids are created. There was a tiny mention scattered throughout the book but I want to know their histories too. The thing that stops me from giving this a full five stars is the ending. I knew this was supposed to be a series so I forgave lack of information on some things. But the ending just sounded too satisfying. I would not have thought to pick up the next book if I didn’t know this was a series.
I tried...The fact that a slew of you LOVED this book kept me going as far as I did but I just can't do it. I made it to 56% but I couldn't scrounge up enough interest in all things Diabolic AND since there are so many yummmy books out there I'm moving on. There was nothing horribly
Set in a galactic-sized milieu that's ruled by an Emperor and Senate drawn from a privileged class known as the Grandiloquy, the story features a compelling protagonist, Nemesis, who exists at the very opposite end of the social hierarchy. Nemesis is a Diabolic, which means she is a genetically engineered humanoid bred for a single purpose: to protect a member of the Grandiloquy. In Nemesis's case, her singular devotion is to protect Donia, the daughter of a senator whose scientific curiosity has drawn the Emperor's ire. The reason for the Emperor's distrust is that his power rests upon the teachings of the Helionic religion, which distrusts all things scientific and has left the planet-dwelling Excess class living in a primitive state and the spaceship-dwelling Grandiloquy reliant upon an unsustainable and decaying technological infrastructure.
When Donia is summoned by the Emperor, presumably as a hostage for some ill purpose, her family decide to send Nemesis in her place. This takes some doing, as she needs to undergo physical alterations to hide her superior strength and etiquette training to allow her to blend in with the Grandiloquy. What follows is a fascinating sequence of political maneuvers, pitting the masquerading Nemesis against the corrupt Emperor and his evil and controlling mother, Cygna. Despite the subhuman status attached to Diabolics, Nemesis attracts the romantic attention of Tyrus, a member of the Emperor's family considered to be a madman, until he reveals to Nemesis that there's a brilliant method to his madness. Without revealing more, I can assure you that the Machiavellian schemes and counter-schemes to secure control of the galaxy will keep you flipping the pages and hoping for multiple sequels.
-Kevin Joseph, author of The Champion Make
I don’t want to go much more into the detail of story because there are twists and turns aplenty, some predictable, others not, I will say that this book is violent at times, though it felt like any graphic scenes were necessary to illustrate Nemesis’s growth and also necessary for world-building, to establish just how cruel those in power are and why someone might risk everything to overthrow them.
There is romance, sort of two (one is unrequited), I liked the chemistry, but more than that, I liked that the romance as well as the friendships and the interactions between Nemesis and a pet were so beautifully paced, how gradually she has these revelations about what’s right, about what it is to love, be loved and learn to love herself.
As much as I found the sci-fi plot entertaining and exciting, what really captured my attention here is the gamut of believable real-world emotions Nemesis experiences, particularly in the moments of loss and the moments involving the corrals, when she’s forced to face the harsh treatment she and others like her have received. As action packed as this is, it’s emotion packed, too.
I like Nemesis's cunning, resourceful nature. It's interesting to see her grow and become something aside from a "guard dog". I think the parents sending her as a replacement for Sedonia is an epic fail since "Donia", in my opinion, had the personality and temperament of wet paint. I know everyone can't be bad ass but...eh!
There are so many plots and subplots among the characters you'll get whiplash trying to keep track. A cruel Emperor, his conniving, blood thirsty mother, an insane royal heir...I enjoyed this novel from start to finish.
Everyone's got a reason for something what they truly do, ulterior or not: love makes us do some
Political back stabbing, familicide, rape, animal abuse, abuse mental and physical.
The book directs you to look at what is love, or it tries too.
The heroine was loyal to a fault at times, as she was designed to
The who was really the snake fooled me to the end and I'm still wondering
I enjoyed the book but had some issues with bits.
1) The love was too instant without any real reason for it. Why did he love her ? I never got it, it seemed just to be there. I needed some grounding on that.
2) Her jumping from robotic like to emotional to robotic like did not flow right for me it felt broken
3) The big happening was too easy, the ending too neat
I think Kincaid did a really good job with world building. I like that she didn't explain most of the customs of this world, rather she just had the characters perform actions that showed the reader how things are done in this world. I think this was really effective and cut down on whole sections of exposition that could have really slowed down the story. It really was a great demonstration of how much showing and not telling helps your story and doesn't confuse your reader.
I thought the characters in this book were good. I liked Nemesis and I liked her relationship both with Sidonia and her relationship with Tyrus. I thought there romance was well built, even if did progress maybe a little more quickly than an actual relationship would. The only thing that I thought might have been improved a little is that I personally did not think the people that were supposed to be evil characters acted that evil. Yes they did perform evil acts but nothing that evoked a super strong reaction in me, with a few exceptions. I just wish they had been a little more despicable.
I thought the plot was really good and it definitely kept me hooked. Like I said, I couldn't remember what the plot of this book was so everything was surprise to me. I thought this did start a little bit slow with the plot, especially during the time Nemesis is preparing to go to the Emperor, but after that the plot picks up a lot. I thought the ending was a little fast. There was so much action crammed into the last 5% of this story that it left me feeling a little unresolved at the end. I wish there had been a bit more room to breath after the last action sequence but that didn't take away that much from my overall enjoyment of this book.
I think this is one of those books that I heard a lot of excitement for before it came out and after it was released it felt like not as many people actually picked this one up. I would definitely recommend this one if you were excited about it before it came out and just never picked it up.
Spoiler section!
It was so well done that I chose to buy the second one when I happened across it on sale years later.
Advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.
But then I remembered that there were, in fact, more non-straight characters in the book! In the form of a couple of depraved bisexuals who drug and molest naive young women who are new to the imperial court. (Well, the female half of the couple is bisexual, at least. I don't remember any mention of drugging and molesting naive young men.) So it wasn't as bad as I thought it was, after all. It was worse.
Really, the hell of it is that I don't think the author at all dislikes gay or bi people, and I feel like she probably patted herself on the back a bit for the inclusion of, at least, the non-evil one who dies. Gotta have diversity, right? But the author clearly hasn't paid enough attention to discussions of LGB representation in fiction to avoid rehashing some of the most shopworn (and widely complained-about) tropes and stereotypes there are.
I received this book as part of the Jellybook test group.
The Diabolic has a lot of unexpected science fiction and dystopian elements. A diabolic is an engineered person training from creation to be a killing machine. An artificial connection is made to a person who they protect at all costs against any foe even at the cost of their own life. Of course this doesn't work out well for some as they end up killing family members or friends when they are perceived as a threat. Nemesis is treated as less than human by everyone except Sidonia. She insists upon loudly acknowledging her as a person with a soul even when society looks down upon her and Nemesis fights against it. There are other artificial people that serve different functions and sometimes purposefully don't have full mental faculties like servitors who live to serve and
When Nemesis goes to the Galactic court to pose as Sidonia, she's then treated and viewed as person, which changes her perception of herself, the way she acts, and the way she presents herself. It's kind of a reversal of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein which examined how a person treated as inhuman will become inhuman. In this, it's someone treated as inhuman and then by being treated as human becomes human. Nemesis' journey came with a lot of character development and surprising events. Looking through her eyes was different than other teen protagonists because she pushes the emotion she does have down and denies it, leaving the predatory thoughts at the forefront to protect her charge.
The world building is impressive and takes place in the far future. Mankind built crafts to travel across the galaxy and live in space, but knowledge is suppressed. Only robots fix technology. No new technology comes out. Everything is falling apart. Ships can tear holes in space that eats everything around it. The upper class ignores it to keep their position of power. This is all motivated by their Helionic religion. They believe the universe and planets are divine and bestowed their spark upon mankind. Things mankind makes don't have that spark and thus don't have souls. Trying to learn about science is blasphemous and punishable by death, leading eventually to their demise since most don't live on planets anymore. This interested me and I definitely saw some parallels religious fanatics in the present.
The Diabolic is an enjoyable science fiction novel that includes a lot of subjects that interest me: the definition of humanity, crazy zealous fanatics, artificial intelligence, and assassins. When the romance is introduced to the story, I thought it took away from the story since it took precedence for the last half of the novel. It made Nemesis act in uncharacteristic ways that I didn't appreciate. A love triangle appears out of nowhere and is dealt with predictably. I thought this was the opening to a series and I'm disappointed it isn't since the world is so well written. I recommend the book despite my annoyance at the romance.