The Nemesis (Diabolic, #3)

by S.J. Kincaid

In the “intense and captivating” (Kirkus Reviews) conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Diabolic series, the Empire teeters on the edge of destruction as rumors spread that Nemesis is still alive.

Three years ago, Tyrus Domitrian shocked the galaxy by killing the woman he swore to love forever. The woman for whom he upended the Empire. The woman with whom he wanted to build a new and brighter future.

Now, the once-idealistic heir apparent has become the cruel Emperor Tyrus, wielding his authority with an iron fist, capable of destroying planets with a single word, controlling all technology with a simple thought. He has bent the Grandiloquy to their knees, and none has the power to stand against him.

But there is a muttering among the Excess. They say that Nemesis is not truly gone. They whisper of her shadow spotted in distant star systems. They say that Nemesis lives. That she will rise and rally the people to topple the man who was once her truest love—and is now her fiercest enemy.

• ISBN10: 1534409963
• ISBN13: 9781534409965
• Publish Date: 31 March 2022 (first published 1 August 2020)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 8 August 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

“How to salvage a dream, when the dreamer himself had been destroyed?”

This is a tough book to rate because I had such varying experiences within one book.  

It took me 8 slow days to get through the first half and I was almost tempted to dnf. The first half is well-written, but it's slow-paced, predictable, repetitive and uninteresting. If I had to rate The Nemesis on the first half alone, it would be a two star rating. 

I'm glad that I powered through, because the second half is epic, amazing and five star worthy. After an extremely important plot reveal, (show spoiler)[where Tyrus tells Nemesis that he's pretending to be a villain and engineered everything to inspire a revolution against him,] (hide spoiler) the plot picks up and I started appreciating the characters. It's like everything that I loved in The Diabolic came back as better versions in the last half of The Nemesis. I think I even prefer the second half of The Nemesis over The Diabolic . 

In both halves of The Nemesis, Kincaid is not afraid to put her characters through the most. There's risks and severe consequences for every character and some events seemed so hopeless that I had no idea how the characters would get out of the situation.

While I didn't care about the characters in the first half, I started loving them again in the second half. Nemesis goes from being a character who makes really silly decisions to one that I remember liking in the first book and she's such a badass. Tyrus might be the villain, but in the second half, his character arc made sense and he's such a complex and twisty character. I also like the sibling bond between Nemesis and Anguish. 

One thing that The Nemesis achieved where the previous books had failed is making me believe in Nemesis, Tyrus and their relationship. Nemesis and Tyrus have a messy, twisty and complex relationship and while they're meant for each other, I always felt a little iffy because of the deception, manipulation and betrayal. However, I ended up loving their relationship in The Nemesis.

My reading journey for this series is full of highs and lows. I'm satisfied with how this series ended, but I wish I could have completely fallen in love with it.

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

Series authors take note, this is how you end a series! I will obviously be keeping this one vague/short because series finale and all, but if you hadn't started because you've been let down by series in the past... yeah, this was one of my favorite series enders of... well, ever. So let me tell you all about what was awesome!

• ►Such high stakes! The whole series is full of high stakes, and this book is no different. The fates of our main characters are always in question, but that too of the universe around them. Add to it, the author isn't exactly shy about killing characters, so no one is like, guaranteed safe here.



• ►Morally gray, my fave! You all know how much I love an "impossible decision" by now, yeah? Well, they are aplenty in this series, especially in this finale!



• ►The characters go through a lot of change and development and growth. Again, I have to be vague (series are so hard to review, right?) but the characters have all changed so much from when we first meet them. Add to it that even more minor characters are really well developed, so it makes the reader care and connect for so many characters!



• ►I had so, so many feels. My emotions were amped during this book. And, all over the place! Which, I think is a huge win for any reading experience.



• ►I was not, for one minute, bored. The pacing was spot-on for me, a great balance of action and character-driven plot points, I absolutely never wanted to put the book down. At the same time, I loved it so much that I didn't want the series to end, and frankly that is the best way for a series to end!

Bottom Line: Honestly, the best of the series right here. It was so engaging and exciting and full of intense emotions and equally intense character development.