Diabolic got off to a great start but ultimately fell a bit flat for me. I didn't feel overly invested in the characters.

The opening to The Diabolic was brilliant we meet Nemesis who has been create to serve and protect the Impyrean family especially their daughter Sidonia. Almost immediately after meeting Donia and Nemesis bond and Donia becomes Nemesis’ whole world to protect. We then jump forward in time to a period where Diabolic have been banned and exterminated but Donia’s family protect Nemesis from this fate and in return she keeps their daughter safe and protects their secrets. Donia’s father a senator has been researching this against The Living Cosmos (whatever this is) and it is Nemesis who helps hide the evidence.


While only one chapter into this novel I was already invested in the characters especially Nemesis but I wasn’t quite sure on the state and purpose of their society yet. We slowly learn of the political and religious systems and through this we learns that the senator has turned the Emperor against the Impyrean family. The betrayal the senator was involved him has caused the Emperor to summon Sidonia to the Imperial Court which will surely be her death so Donia’s mother decides to send Nemesis in her place; a decoy. As the time for Nemesis to leave draws closer and closer Donia almost refuses to accept her best friend isn’t human and was designed to do things too damaging for “normal” people.

As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel we see Nemesis disguised as Donia travel to the Imperial Court where she is almost immediately propositioned to be allies – which she refuses because she intends to make no friends. After accepting an offer from an influential couple who attempt to drug and rape “Donia”, Nemesis reacts in the only way she knows how leaving the couple virtually comatose and in doing so she does make an ally in someone who had already suffered this fate. In this section I am beginning to understand the world a little more but there doesn’t seem to be that much drive in the novel, rather the characters just do what they want with very little restrictions.

As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel we see Nemesis struggling to understand what it means to be human and control her diabolic instincts that have been ingrained in her since her creation. Although we do see Nemesis use human gestures like compassion and laughter which unsettles her. As she attempts to gather the pieces to the puzzle in order to understand why the Emperor has been collecting the heirs to influential families Nemesis is trying to be Donia but is at the same time uncovering her own humanity and is slowly becoming her own person beyond her role as a diabolic.

As we approach the halfway mark in the novel some dramatic things take place leaving Nemesis in an unfamiliar situation with her true identity almost being revealed. In order to get what she wants Nemesis agrees to become Tyrus’ bride but in doing so she loses her only ally and in her mind it is a fair trade. I was really intrigued at this point because Nemesis’ role has gone beyond disguise and more is at risk than she first thought.

As we cross into the second half of the novel we see Tyrus and Nemesis work together to win over the different colonies within the empire and gain allies in order to bring down the Emperor. In between all the mayhem, chaos and betrayal Nemesis and Tyrus (although more Tyrus) start to feel genuinely attracted to one another despite the plot. As the tension and suspense are ramped up as well move towards the final section of the novel I was dying to find out whether Nemesis and Tyrus would succeed and what will become of the Empire should the Emperor be dethroned.

As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel we see many different players working to achieve victory in this deadly game of cat and mouse and in a shock twist the stakes are raised once again almost resulting in someone’s death. As everything heads towards the climax of the novel I was truly wondering whether Nemesis would become Tyrus’ Empress and rule as his wife by admitting she feels something for him or whether she will allow everything to fall apart at the hands of some political viper.

As we cross into the final section of the novel we see everything come together, we see who is evil and who is good and although it comes at quite a high cost Tyrus does become Emperor with Nemesis as his bride. There are so many twists and turns throughout this novel at times it was hard to keep up but once you get on board with the strange and dark events constantly working away in the background this is an brilliant read.

Overall, I found the Diabolic to be absolutely perfect. It is mysterious, dark yet laced with a hope that is a very rare find in a book like this. I would highly recommend The Diabolic to all fantasy/sci-fi lovers. The first time I read this book I DNF’d it at only 40% but reading it a second time gave me a completely different view on this novel and I can’t wait to read The Empress as soon as it is available.

After a couple of chapters, I just lost interest. The premise did sound great at first but it just didn't live up to my expectations so I DNF'd it.

I'm afraid I've had to DNF this book. Maybe I'll give it another go at some point in the future, but I might not. I had high expectations for this book and was expecting to love it; however, I just couldn't get into it. I couldn't connect to the main character and I didn't click with the plot either. It's a pity, as most people love it!

Dark, raw and addictive, The Diabolic is a unique and thrilling perspective on the future of robots and genetic science.

The novel is predominantly based around a community in space which has developed the Diabolic to protect their children; the Diabolic are robots. And personally I believe this is enough to pull anyone in! I went into this novel knowing nothing, and that is honestly the best way to have gone into this world.

Our characters were intriguing. Nemesis is a Diabolic, grown to have no emotion or conscience, and to do everything and anything to protect their master. It was an intriguing concept, and as Nemesis is put in more difficult situations, we see her character grow and develop into a more caring individual; she becomes more human. But the thing is, is that I don't feel like you will never completely like or know Nemesis due to her nature, because even though she is trying to do the right thing, she will always be a loose cannon; she would kill in a second, with little push. This makes for a rather intriguing and unusual character to read about, as she is unpredictable and hence, a character to watch.

The families you encounter are complex and riddled with secrets. You will not like any of them, it is simple as that. Their morals and beliefs will never alter and the complexity and how deep-rooted these beliefs are is what makes the families so foreboding and rememberable throughout; however problematic they are, the novel and its plot would not be what it is without them. I certainly found the politics of the whole system to be rather intriguing; usually I am not a fan of politics in novels as I find too much time is spent explaining, and it is always used to simply justify despicable actions, but Kincaid was very clever in the way she set this out, and for that I could not help but be intrigued to read further.

The plot of the novel certainly does take a while to get into. You really do have to persevere as Kincaid is setting up the world for you, but once you get past this stage, the plot really does pick up, and makes for an incredibly dark yet addictive read. The ending did however feel rushed; it would speak of something at one point, and switch topics the next, and then it would all miraculously come together and bang, done, that was it, onto the next book. It felt rushed and I really would have liked for it to have been slowed down a little to create a more solid standing and base for the sequel. But obviously, I am really excited to reading the sequel and what it has in-store.

When this book came out the amount of hype around this was crazy, everyone and their dog was loving this book.

With hype I end up staying as far away from the book as possible and wait for it to die down, and with this one the hype was true to it's word.



I found myself surprised by how much I did enjoy this book. I assumed with something like the world that Nemesis and Sidionia reside in, the start of the book was going to be so slow. I was absolutely surprised with how well the world building was written, I just breezed through it and enjoyed every minute.



I loved Nemesis as a character, and found her growth through the book to be well written, she reminded me a bit of Bambi. She is sent out on her own with very little guidance, and is having to deal with all these people playing political games.

At the end of the book you really feel for Nemesis, as she is tested to the limit with what she believes and because she is a Diabolic they have been told that she can't have feelings or care about anyone else but Sidionia, so this throws her through a loop.

Overall a really great book, and I have already bought the sequel, absolutely looking forward to reading that.

I was a bit apprehensive to read this for some unknown reason. Maybe it was the hype that surrounded it? I have no idea. Also, whilst I was reading it, I kept thinking that it was Scythe by Neal Shusterman (?) I genuinely have no clue what was going on inside of my head. I know that S.J Kincaid wrote a very popular series before The Diabolic, but this is the first book that I had ever read by her, and I was curious to see what all of the hype was about.

Nemesis is a Diabolic. Created to protect a galactic Senator's daughter, Sidonia. There's no one Nemesis wouldn't kill to keep her safe. But when the power-mad Emperor summons Sidonia to the galactic court as a hostage, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia.

She must become her.

Now one of the galaxy's most dangerous weapons is masquerading in a world of corruption and Nemesis has to hide her true abilities or risk everything. As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns that there is something stronger than her deadly force: the one thing she's been told she doesn't have - humanity. And, amidst all the danger, action and intrigue, her humanity might be the only thing that can save her, Sidonia and the entire Empire...

So yeah, we basically have a story about a killing machine and politics. That is pretty much what The Diabolic is about. There were parts of it (such as the way the upper-class families lived) that reminded me of the extravagance of The Hunger Games, with the druggy oils, and excessive ways of life. At first, I found myself slowly reading this. I didn't want to read it all of the time which meant (to me) that I wasn't really enjoying it. It didn't even have a slow start, we were thrown right into how Nemesis became part of the Impyrean family and how dangerous she can be.

Starting off with the characters, you can't help but love Nemesis. Sure, she's a genetically engineered killer who was made to look after Donia no matter what. She was made with no feelings apart from those towards Donia as a protector. I love how Donia kept trying to make Nemesis see that she was no less of a person because she was genetically engineered and I loved seeing their relationship grow. There's was definitely some homosexuality underlying the relationship between these two characters, but it's a shame that it was never built upon as I think that would have really been the icing on the cake. I also love how Nemesis wills herself not to feel anything but when she's pretending to be Donia, she can't help it and she starts to feel things and I just kept getting so excited and emotional for her because she was experiencing new things and she kept getting so confused by it all.







“Perhaps scorpions were the only ones who could save each other.
Whatever lay ahead, it would always be the two of us above the rest of the universe, and woe to any who dared step in out path.”

― S.J. Kincaid, The Diabolic





There are a lot of characters in this book but in no way was it difficult to keep up with who was who. Kincaid's writing style made it so easy to learn quickly on how to differentiate between the characters and she never info-dumped on the reader. She gradually built up the world and then slowly introduced us to more characters, making sure we knew the previous characters before she introduced us to new ones. AND THERE'S A REALLY CUTE (EX-KILLER) DOG AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH AND HIS NAME IS DEADLY AND OMG...!

This book was brilliantly written, had a superb plot right up until the last 10%. It became slightly messy and everything was happening at once and then then there was supposed to be a bit where you didn't know the plot twist, but IT WAS BASICALLY OBVIOUS WHAT THE PLOT TWIST WAS and yeah... it just wasn't as good as the rest of the book. The very ending was good, it wrapped up quite nicely and readied the reader for the second book well. However, the rest of the plot twists in the book were brilliant. I loved the mind games that the characters play with one another and how backstabbing everyone was. It was just brutal and full of conspiraces.

Do I ship Nemesis and Tyrus? I'm not sure... They are cute together and they are both have major trust issues so it will be interesting to see where Kincaid takes the relationship in The Empress.

This book wasn't for me, as I am not particularly interested in this genre anymore. I've decided to refrain from writing a review as I don't feel it would do the book justice. Apologies for any convenience.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am so frustrated with this book. This book was a highly anticipated read for me and was hyped by so many readers and yet when I read it I found it fell... flat. Honestly, books set in Space aren't really my thing anyway but I had to give it a go due to so many other positive ratings I'd seen.
Initially when I picked up this book I was really really enjoying it, I liked the concept and the characters and the world that was built. To me it all felt very different to what I usually read and was enjoying the newness of it all. Then about a third of the way through the book a big twist happens and I found myself losing interest after it but forged on through. I became hugely confused and kept feeling like everything I'd read was a lie and things that I'd been told hadn't happened or there were more twists and it all got too much for me. After all the drama in the book the issues get resolved incredibly quickly and I was just bored and didn't really care for the characters at this point.
I unfortunately don't think I'll be picking up a book from S.J. Kincaid in the future.

2/5 Stars

in 2017, i have discovered some truly stunning YA sci-fi. there's been Defy the Stars, The Summer It Came for Us, and Illuminae. therefore, it is only fitting that i close the year with this book. this wonderful, astonishing, twisty book that i absolutely did not expect to love as much as i did.

the diabolic starts out with a fantastically original plot - the Diabolics, genetically engineered humans to be the protectors of their ward. this facet of originality was planted into a masterfully-crafted world, its various elements revealed slowly throughout the book instead of the giant, dreaded info dump that is so pervasive in sci-fi and fantasy, and tops it all of with an unforgettable cast of characters.

this is less of a sci-fi action-packed thriller in the vein of hollywood sci-fi movies, but an intricate political thriller that happens to be set in space (and with stakes to match its setting). some of the more basic elements of the plot were evident early on, but you have to be some sort of uncanny genius to predict all of the twists and turns that this mad rollercoaster of a book took me on.

and what's this - a believable romance without instalove? without blind devotion, without all of the irritating elements that usually infects YA books (and, indeed, books in general?)

and WHAT'S THIS? a sort-of-love triangle that isn't technically a love triangle because nemesis doesn't requite the love of one of the participants? no annoying "oh-who-shall-i-choose"s but realistic, rather than manufactured conflict?

i would quite like to inject this diabolically good novel into my veins if such a thing is possible.

my dudes, YA is just getting better and better, and i can't wait to see what sort of frontiers the genre will go to next - not to mention the rest of this series, which i need to read immediately (and possibly invent a time machine to obtain the third book).

The Diabolic is an intense sci-fi political thriller, filled with unexpected twists, turns, and double-backs. The concept was dynamic and unique, and I'm interested to see what's going to happen next after that ending! My only wish was for there had been more female friendship because it was set up so well in the beginning, and now the opportunities for this seem to have been taken away from Nemesis!

I loved this book. Just the kind of book pupils will love. We will definitely buy this for our library..

I was completely blown away by this story. From the moment it started I was completely hooked. Nemesis was such an interesting character and seeing everything from the perspective of this creature that was breed to protect another person was such a unique and intriguing thing to read.

It was very easy to fall in love with Nemesis as a character. Although she was so hardened and made fierce by her upbringing, her relationship with Sidonia and Sidonia's love for her made her so easy to empathise with and like.

The twists and turns and all the politics were thrilling. It was impossible to figure out what would happen next. The Emperor was brutal and the other members of the elite were wonderfully venomous. It was all exactly what I like from a political thriller and set in a great sci fi background.

I'll be really interested to see what happens in the next book.

SUCH an easy, fast-paced read. I loved the characters from the start and while some of it was pretty surface-level stuff, this has easily become one of my favorites!

This review appears on Goodreads, but because it's a rubbish review (sorry), I won't be cross-posting it to my blog unless I somehow remember more about the book to write a better one.

I read this while travelling, which meant (a) it took me an uncharacteristic three days to get through and (b) I didn't write a proper review of it at the time, leaving me to try and recollect my thoughts a considerable time after the fact. So, thanks for that, past self. Seriously, I should just ban myself from ever saying "review to come" because it won't! It'll never come!

Despite how long this took me to get through, I enjoyed it a lot, and managed not to lose the thread even though I was frequently interrupted. Partly, I think my enjoyment stemmed from the fact that Nemesis reminded me quite a bit of one of my own characters, although with distinct differences. (My character Isabel has normal human feelings and no enhanced strength or abilities, but she kills people anyway. Because she's messed up like that. Wahey.)

The worldbuilding, on the whole, was a strength: it was detailed enough to give a strong impression of what was happening and to provide a concrete setting, but didn't get bogged down in details. The political machinations and names of characters were Roman-inspired, which I'm always a bit wary about; I've read a few books that do this, and rarely have I found it a positive trait (usually because it gets WAY TOO COMPLICATED). However, in this case it worked well, and wasn't too complicated or difficult to follow.

This book was compelling enough to deserve a better and more detailed review than this, but sadly, I failed to make notes while reading it and my memory for detailed responses is terrible, so it's suffered from being read on the move. On the plus side, I tend to dislike things I read in a disjointed way, and I remember always being a bit impatient to get back to this, so that's definitely a point in its favour. I just wish I could remember what else I thought of it.

There were definitely some feelings involved. Looking at the quotes I highlighted on my Kindle, I honestly can't tell how many of those were feelings directly about the book itself, and how much I was projecting my feelings about my character Isabel (I can't help it), but still. FEELINGS.

So regardless of whether I was projecting or not, it still managed to make me feel stuff. Despite the disjointed reading. It definitely deserved better than this review. Sorry, book. I failed you.

It took me a while to get through this book but by the end I was completely caught up in Nemesis' world. I loved the mix of science and religion and how this world had been shaped by the decline of technology. Such an intriguing premise. It was like a world with Ancient Roman Empire foundations and scifi, space drama. I also loved Nemesis and her journey from stone faced, emotionless killing machine to someone spurred on by love and feelings. She's such a great character and I loved her character arch. I'm really looking forward to seeing how she develops more in the next book and how this world with its web of lies, deceit and hate changes also.

I loved this book and definitely want to continue the series. I liked the concept of diabolics and enjoyed seeing Nemesis become more 'human.'. I enjoyed the depiction of the Emperor's Court and the lengths individuals went to survive. Her relationship with both Sidonia and the Emperor's nephew were well drawn and believable.

There was plenty of intrigue, blood and gore to absorb. Overall an exciting read - I want to know what happens next!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.


There are times when a book comes into your life that you think you won’t like, but you somehow end up loving. That book for me was The Diabolic. It has so many elements that I usually dislike: an overpowered heroine, a cocky-on-the-outside-but-soft-and-squishy-on-the-inside hero, the ‘this could all be resolved if we actually sat down and talked about our feelings’ romantic subplot. However, everything came together really well and just works.

Nemesis is a Diabolic. Created to protect a galactic Senator’s daughter, Sidonia. There’s no one Nemesis wouldn’t kill to keep her safe. But when the power-mad Emperor summons Sidonia to the galactic court as a hostage, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia.

She must become her.

Now one of the galaxy’s most dangerous weapons is masquerading in a world of corruption and Nemesis has to hide her true abilities or risk everything. As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns that there is something stronger than her deadly force: the one thing she’s been told she doesn’t have – humanity. And, amidst all the danger, action and intrigue, her humanity might be the only thing that can save her, Sidonia and the entire Empire…*

The world that Kincaid creates is astonishing. It’s not the kind of gritty sci-fi dystopian world that we are so well acquainted with these days — it is a very different kind of dystopia. The upper classes live on fantastically opulent spacecraft and rule from among the stars. Lesser humans are planet-bound and rely upon the nobility for literally everything — they can never be self-sufficient and therefore can never rebel against the ruling classes.

The best bit for me was the religion and the halt on scientific progress. Study of the sciences is completely banned. So how did they get these ships and the space-faring technology that allows them to rule from above? They’re using the technology left behind by their ancestors — technology that they don’t know how to repair or replicate. These factors come together to create an empire on the brink of collapse and a commentary and warning on certain segments of our own society.

Although the world is interesting and well-written, this novel would have sunk without Nemesis. When the novel opens, we are introduced to the Diabolic, genetically engineered bodyguards that protect only the highest of the nobility. Nemesis is a Diabolic who has been bonded to Sidona, the daughter of a galactic senator. The plot revolves around Nemesis taking Sidonia’s place as a hostage at the emperor’s court. Nemesis is the key that holds the book together. The book is told in first person, so we get her inner thoughts as she struggles to suppress everything she has been created to do. She isn’t the Terminator, running around completely stone-faced and killing everyone in sight. Nor is she hiding a fluffy conscience underneath her hard exterior. She’s a character who struggles with the humanity she was always told she never had. As Sidonia’s double, she is finally treated as an equal rather than an object. She sees the treatment of other genetically manipulated beings under the aristocracy’s control and wants to change things for the better. Nemesis could easily have been a one-dimensional character, but Kincaid makes her so much more.

There is so much more to discover in The Diabolic. From romance, to political back handedness, to betrayal, this book is a fun, fast-paced read that hooked me from the beginning. It is a ridiculous roller coaster of a book that hides a surprising level of humanity and social commentary. It’s an easy story to fall into for anyone looking to begin reading science fiction, but will still please established readers of the genre.

The Diabolic by S J Kincaid is a book that I've wanted for a while now but haven't been able to get my hands on. So you can imagine how excited I was when I saw it on NetGalley. Unfortunately for me, I got it at a busy time so I found myself unable to focus sometimes but that didn't take away from how great this book was.

This is a YA sci-fi book about a genetically engineered girl called Nemesis who was made to protect her owner, Sidonia. Only Sidonia becomes a close friend, one who when is targeted, Nemesis us happy to pretend to be to keep her safe from the Emperor's imprisonment.

What I Liked

I really liked Nemesis as a character. You understood her from the off but were able to watch as she grew. I loved the fact she loved dogs and I loved that she was unapologetic. What I loved, even more, was Nemesis and Sidonia. They were so cute and it was so obvious from the off that Sidonia was in love with Nemesis. I wanted it to happen so bad but I knew it wasn't going to happen. I'm just glad that Sidonia's feelings were voiced. As for the romance that did happen...I did like Tyrus and Nemesis but not as ugh. I felt like we could have seen more of them though so I'll be looking forward to that in book 2.

The world building in the book was good. I liked seeing all the different ships and the planet. I do wish we'd gotten more on the religion and history but again, hoping for that in book 2. I liked the political intrigue and I liked seeing how people could be almost anything.

Finally, I liked Nevani.

What I Didn't Like

I think it was last year that there was a big thing of TV shows burying their gays, especially the female characters. And, spoilers, this book did the same thing and killed off its single lesbian character after she admitted her feelings. It was depressing as hell and as much as I loved the book, I didn't like that.

Kincaid also killed off the adorable pet dog and that was a nope for me as I know it will be for many others.

In general, I really loved the book and I would definitely recommend it to others. I just feel that readers should be warned about certain things.