“We are all of us but stardust shaped into conscious being.”
I was looking for a light YA sci-fi novel with morally grey characters, hidden identities and political intrigue and The Diabolic certainly delivered.
The main character, Nemesis, is a Diabolic who was created to protect Sidonia, the senator's daughter. In order to protect Sidonia, Nemesis assumes her identity. Nemesis is an interesting character. She's supposed to be unfeeling and unemotional because she's a humanoid, but the fact that she's starting to feel human emotions says otherwise. Her narrative style is 'robotic', but she's still a relatable character, well as relatable as a badass and deadly humanoid can be.
The relationship between Nemesis and Sidonia is my favourite part of The Diabolic. Sidonia treats Nemesis as her best friend and would do anything for Nemesis's happiness and vice versa. It's so sad that Nemesis has to go through Sidonia's death, twice.
The romance has a large role to play, but it's just alright. Tyrus is also an intriguing character - morally grey, clever, shrewd and calculating. Him and Nemesis are made for each other.
The Diabolic is a dystopian sci-fi and the world, with its technology, religion and politics is intriguing. The political intrigue and all its twists and turns are engrossing because nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted. I like how the premise, the concepts and the tropes are executed through the plot.
A minor disappointment is the ending scene. I didn't expect things to be resolved so easily and predictably. I wanted more excitement, more resistance and more blood. However, the ending is still satisfying.
I don't think The Diabolic is going to be for everyone, but it ticked all the right boxes for me.
An amazing read!
“I would make my life mean something.”