Seven Mercies is the anticipated sequel to Seven Devils and the final book in this duology. I was eager to find out how this space opera would play out, and I have to say that it was an absolutely thrilling conclusion.

Continuing on where the previous book left off, the seven devils are in a tight spot: they have been framed for genocide by the new Archon and are wanted across the galaxy. On top of that, they learn that Oracle, the AI system, has gone rogue and has the capacity to end humanity. Just a few minor problems for the devils to fix, and limited resources for them to do so...

I love a found family, and the dynamics between the members of the seven crew ranged from highly entertaining to deeply moving. I enjoyed that we get all the different characters' perspectives and back stories in this book. The second half of the novel felt faster paced in terms of action, and the conclusion was brilliantly crafted. It's a duology that will stay with me for a long time, and one I'm looking forward to re-reading. Definitely one I'd recommended!

Seven Mercies picks up right after Seven Devils, but swiftly takes a turn to the completely unexpected. I don't think I could possibly have predicted the direction this book would go, and that made it all the richer a reading experience as I was waiting with bated breath to find out what would possibly happen next. There were two plots running alongside each other, which meant we got to explore a little more of the universe and see some of the characters in more detail. It was nice getting to see Clo and Rhea shine, especially after Seven Devils was very Eris focused (not that I minded that, Eris is still my favourite character). I did miss some of the group interactions that we lost from splitting the party - especially after Clo and Eris were slowly rebuilding trust, I wanted to see more of them together.

The book was action-packed the whole way through, and it has a cinematic pace that absolutely belongs on a movie screen. The found family vibes in this sequel were as impeccable as ever, and I'm impressed with how this book managed to have individual character arcs for each of our 'seven devils' without unbalancing the group cast and focusing too much on any one character. By the end of Seven Mercies I was more in love with the whole group than ever, and I was on the edge of my seat as we raced far too quickly to the brutal conclusion of the duology.

The ending was bittersweet but powerful, and I can't think of a more perfect way for this duology to have concluded. Elizabeth May and Laura Lam really stuck the landing with this one, and it was satisfying in a way that I've been really lacking with sequels lately.

Seven Mercies is the second and final book of the Seven Devils duology. We start back not long after the end of book 1 and with the same main characters, though I do think we get extra points of view we didn't have in book 1.
Anyway, my devils are still here, still doing mediocre and still trying to fight the empire any way they can.

I honestly loved this entire duology so much. All the characters were so layered and flawed, in the best way, and they all grow so much in only two books. To me this was definitely character driven, and had a great plot too. I really enjoyed going through the motions with all of them, and was surprised turn after turn. I also loved seeing the friendships and romances grow, I was just so invested all around.
I also loved the representation, it truly made it so special to me.
Finally, this ending. At no point did I see it coming and despite being what it is, I truly think this was the perfect way to end this. I just love Laura Lam's and Elizabeth May's writings and I think I'll have to dive head first into their back list.
Simply put, space opera done to perfection.

As with Seven Devils, the characters are funny and engaging, and the plot of Seven Mercies is fast-paced and full of high stakes, morality questions. The characters have baggage and all have been morally compromised at some point, and much of what I like about this series is these characters trying to become better people while still dealing with difficult circumstances.

It’s a straight continuation of the story after the first book, so I would recommend rereading Seven Devils before you start (if like me you forget the plot of a book as soon as you’ve read it).

It is a fantasy novel set in space, and thus the characters are hyper-real, and include, a genetically engineered killing machine who is former royalty, a former super soldier, a computer genius engineered by an AI. I actually found the characters to be much more relatable than I was expecting, Eris in particular. Although I did feel that Ariadne gets off a bit too lightly, as I don’t think ‘loneliness’ is a sufficient excuse for creating an AI with the ability to wipe out humanity.

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me access to these books, thank you to the publisher and the author for giving me access to this eARC.

Apologies for the late review life has been crazy.

this is a heavy high fantasy sci-fi novel with many intricate worldbuilding details. i liked the main female lead but the book did keep dumping information about the world on us and it felt natural interrupting the flow of the book.

Seven Mercies is the latter book in Seven Devils duology that began with Seven Devils. It’s sci-fi set in a distant universe, where large part of humanity is ruled by Archon with the help of the Oracle, an AI that controls humans with a chip in their brains. The Devils are a group of former soldiers turned rebels against the Archon, added with the sister of the current ruler, and an engineer the Oracle considers as its daughter.

The book starts with the Devils on the run after the current Archon framed them for a genocide. The number of rebels has dwindled to a handful, which isn’t a good platform for launching an offensive against him. Then they learn that the Oracle can turn everyone into mindless drones—and intends to do so too. Only one choice remains: shutting down the Oracle for good. Easier said than done, even with surprise ‘help’ on their side.

This was a good book. It did an excellent job in reminding the reader who was who and what had happened in the previous book. Each of the seven characters struggled with their personal problems, which were given ample time. However, it took far too long with this, and the actual plot didn’t start until closer to the half-point, with nothing much happening before. The narrative choice of giving each character their own chapters slowed things down further, and it took days for me to get through the beginning.

Things became more interesting once the action started. Everything went maybe a little too easily for the Devils, but there were tense moments and heartbreak enough to leave this reader satisfied in the end. I’m sad to say goodbye to the Devils, but I’m content with where they ended.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.Seven Mercies is the latter book in Seven Devils duology that began with Seven Devils. It’s sci-fi set in a distant universe, where large part of humanity is ruled by Archon with the help of the Oracle, an AI that controls humans with a chip in their brains. The Devils are a group of former soldiers turned rebels against the Archon, added with the sister of the current ruler, and an engineer the Oracle considers as its daughter.

The book starts with the Devils on the run after the current Archon framed them for a genocide. The number of rebels has dwindled to a handful, which isn’t a good platform for launching an offensive against him. Then they learn that the Oracle can turn everyone into mindless drones—and intends to do so too. Only one choice remains: shutting down the Oracle for good. Easier said than done, even with surprise ‘help’ on their side.

This was a good book. It did an excellent job in reminding the reader who was who and what had happened in the previous book. Each of the seven characters struggled with their personal problems, which were given ample time. However, it took far too long with this, and the actual plot didn’t start until closer to the half-point, with nothing much happening before. The narrative choice of giving each character their own chapters slowed things down further, and it took days for me to get through the beginning.

Things became more interesting once the action started. Everything went maybe a little too easily for the Devils, but there were tense moments and heartbreak enough to leave this reader satisfied in the end. I’m sad to say goodbye to the Devils, but I’m content with where they ended.

4,5 stars

I love it when authors can wrap up their story in two books. Especially as this was written by two authors. The challenge of keeping out all the things is real then. But nothing one has to worry about here. Elizabeth May and Laura Lam write a tight story with seven characters.

It took me a little while to find my bearing again with this story. Remembering where all 7 devils fit in and then the extra rebellion side characters that were mentioned. I would have loved a bit of a recap here on who was who. But I figured it out.

This story still focuses on the characters more than the action. There is time taken for the important bonding moments. And how to rid ourselves of our programming. How to fight and make our own choices. As someone currently going through therapy to see how my family's history affected my upbringing and to figure out how to break free from all of that, I really appreciated that. I wanted to hold the hand of all our seven devils and squeeze them when times got hard.

I also appreciated how the story changed with the addition of the Oracle becoming the dangerous one and how our youngest devil had something to do with that. And yet our thornly ruler wasn't ruled out as the enemy either. I loved seeing something of another species as well as their planet.

All in all this was just a worthy conclusion to an ass kicking, mostly, female crew space adventure with so much characterization to make you fall in love with each and every character.

Like its predecessor, Seven Mercies took a long time to get going. I was surprised by this as I expected to hit the ground running as it's book two.
This wasn't the case and I had to commit to reading the first quarter wondering when it was going to click for me.

Thankfully, the second half started to pick up, and the ending was satisfying and fast paced. With a story told from so many points of view, there are always certain viewpoints you enjoy more and my favourites from book two are the same as book one - Eris and Nyx. I struggled more with Clo and Rhea's in this than in book one though. They had a side mission that I found it hard to invest in and I wish this has been considerably shorter (but I do feel like being a space opera they aren't exactly trying for succinct storytelling).

Overall an enjoyable conclusion for these rebels, and as mentioned above, a resolution that felt satisfying and true to these characters.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Seven Mercies is the second book in the Seven Devils duology. It could be read as a standalone, since all characters and most of their background is explained within the first chapters of the book.

I enjoyed the first book, Seven Devils, a lot, but had trouble connecting to the characters with this second book. It is due to the times we live in right now not the book!

Seven Mercies is an explosive, action-packed ending to a fantastic duology that’s somehow even more enjoyable than the first book.

Seven Mercies follows directly from the events of Seven Devils. This synopsis does have spoilers for the first book, so be aware if you haven’t read that one yet. The resistance has been destroyed, and small groups of survivors are scattered across the galaxy. The seven devils have a huge bounty on their heads and have been forced into hiding. But they’re not ready to give up. They’ll free the galaxy from the evil of the Tholosian Empire, or they’ll die trying.

This book has cemented the series as utterly fantastic by expanding on everything that made the first book enjoyable. You’ve got the action-packed, cinematic pacing that never lets you rest for too long. There’s amazing character development, and despite the large cast, no one feels left behind. If you loved the characters in Seven Devils, get ready to fall in love all over again. The found family vibes are superb. Even with all of the trauma and troubles the cast goes through, there’s always an undercurrent of hope. This team can do impossible things, and you never want them to fail. This finale expands heavily upon the Oracle, an AI that programmes citizens to serve the empire. It was one of the most intriguing world-building features of the first book, so its prominence was delightful and terrible in equal measure. This duology is perfect for fast-paced sci-fi fans who want a diverse, loveable cast.

Seven Devils, the first book in this duology by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May, was one of my top reads of 2021, and I had high expectations for its sequel. I am happy to say that those expectations were met and exceeded. I was immediately grinning at the story starting with Eris on a mission, just like in the first one. It was such a good way to reintroduce the world of Seven Devils because it is both familiar and entertaining with Eris’ wry inner monologue, but it also showed how much she has evolved as a character. At the start of Seven Devils, Eris says she is trying really hard not to kill anyone, as per her Commanders’ orders, but she still ends up sacrificing a lot of souls to the God of Death. In Seven Mercies, Eris is actually trying not to deliver killing blows, and lets herself see others as people a lot more. She is also not alone, and I loved getting reacquainted with all the Devils.

Each of the seven – Commander Kyla, ex-princess Eris, engineer Clo, sixteen year old super genius programmer Ariadne, courtesan Rhea, and soldiers Nyx and Cato – are given their time to shine, and I loved every one of them and I can’t really say I have a favourite (*cough* it’s Cato *cough*). I liked the fact that we get to see a lot more of Kyla, who was more of a background character in the first instalment, and the way she was so central to the rebellion and to keeping this group of people together. The thing that made every one of these characters so good to read is how they are all such emotionally broken people, all damaged by the Empire in one way or another, and watching them come out of that and learn to trust one another with their scars and secrets was so satisfying. Of course, it also made for some good twists as some secrets were bigger than others, and I definitely gasped out loud a few times.

There was a section of Seven Mercies that didn’t quite grip me right away, which is when two of the Devils go on a separate mission to Eve, homeworld of the opposing Evoli empire. I was very excited to get to see Eve, only alluded to before now, but found that the slower pace and the emotional conflicts weren’t enough to keep me excited – I wanted to get back to the scheming and the action! But that was just a brief thing, and the Eve side quest was absolutely necessary to the plot and was payed off really well later.

I don’t quite know how Lam and May managed to create a duology brimming with action, sarcasm, conflict, creepy AI’s, and politics while also imbuing it with so much hope, beauty, diversity, and pure relationships. I know this series will be one I will go back to, and will recommend to others a lot, because it does so much in just two books, with an ending that fit so perfectly and left me both devastated and satisfied.

Such a beautiful ending to this duology
The character development that happens, both individual stories and as a team and in their mission is stunning and so beautiful to see, and is done so well and so fitting with the characters.
Getting more from Kyla and seeing her motivations for the rebellion really helped push the story
Cato's story just destroyed me
The skipping around the Galaxy, and showing the plan coming together is something I love
The ending, God the ending. Just perfect. I can't see any more perfect way of the mission ending
I'll miss the Devils

I absolutely adored Seven Devils and loved the sequel even more. It was so much fun being back in the world. I cried at multiple points of the book and also the end. The representation is amazing, as it was in the first book, I loved the character growth and that we finally got to see the backstory behind some characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TWs: mind manipulation, death, trauma, violence

Seven Mercies picks up where Seven Devils left off, with the rise of Damocles in the aftermath of the horrific ichor virus spread across the galaxy. The first book was one of the top of 2020 for me and I was delighted to find that Elizabeth May and Laura Lam took the journey to brand new levels in this sequel. All of the main characters got their chances to shine and show their flaws, my favourites were definitely the revelations about Cato and the storyline of Eris as she learned to be more than what her father made her. Cleo and Rhea's relationship was a focus, with their journey to Rhea's true planet making Cleo realise how much the other woman meant to her. The Seven Devils are a wonderful team, with a variety of backstories, and their relationship was the true highlight of this book for me. Seeing them all together at the end, fighting so hard for the future they believed in despite the odds, was heart wrenching and incredibly written. The ending was bittersweet, especially knowing what certain characters dreamed of going forward, but absolutely perfect for this duology.

I appreciated this second part of the Seven Devils duology but I preferred the first book.
I supposed it's my mood as I want to read fast paced stories and this one was a bit slow even if there's more character development and we get to know the background of the characters.
A compelling and entertaining read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Seven Mercies, the incredible sequel to Seven Devils (one of my favorite reads from 2021), is a book that broke my heart in a thousand pieces and still delivered a cohesive and satisfying conclusion to this fascinating sci-fi duology.

The evolution of the story is truly brilliant and thoroughly structured, especially in how it handled the progression of the Oracle/One situation, creating a plot that is gripping and entertaining.
All the “loose ends” and secondary storylines got handled in a meaningful way, and it was so lovely to see the development of the characters and of the relationships between them- they grew profoundly thanks to each other, and their found family dynamic is definitely one of the sweetest and emotionally deeper one I’ve ever read of. Each of the Seven Devils got the end that made the more sense with their unique path and experience, and I just adore this.

Seven Mercies also draws, once again, a realistic (maybe even too much for my poor heart) and genuine portrait of a rebellion: bloody, not nice, often built upon the sacrifice of the innocent- it’s the gamble of few, in the hope that all this pain, all this atrocious guilt, will be worth it and allow a future generation to live a safe and peaceful life.

But this book is not only a space opera focused on epic battles and taking down an evil empire, but also a narration that takes the time to truly understand and portrait the inner exploration of its protagonists. And it’s amazing how, despite everything, is able to so joyfully queer, with a representation that is always carefully and respectfully executed.

Even though Seven Mercies was as traumatizing as Seven Devils, I still can’t recommend this duology enough. It has everything I love in a space opera, and it’s written so well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion for letting me read an ARC of Seven Mercies in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Seven Devils was one of my favorite sapphic books that I've read in the last year, so I was beyond excited to read the sequel and conclusion to the duology. A lovable cast of mostly queer, mostly absolutely unhinged rebels trying to right the many wrongs they accidentally did in book one? Heck yeah.

Seven Mercies, by nature of the ending of the first book, dives into even darker themes and explores the many crimes of the empire even further. We are allowed more insight into how some of the crew came to join the rebellion, and I won't lie, much of it is absolutely heartbreaking and beyond jarring.
The relationships the Devils build with each other are as complex as they are heartwarming. The way they help each other grow and work on processing the trauma they have experienced is written in a way that makes it impossible to not come to care for them.

Ariadne, specifically, steps into the spotlight in this book, and the issues and moral questions she must grapple with are intriguing, to say the least.

I really enjoyed the ending. Did it hurt me on a personal level? Potentially yes. Did it also make perfect sense and serve as a brilliant wrap-up to the story told within this duology? Absolutely.

I'm just gonna start this off by saying I am not at all ok! This book took me on the wildest ride of emotions and had me in a blubbering mess by the end. The Novantae resistance is in tatters, a shell of it's former self, flying from planet to planet desperately trying to hide from the Tholosians. The Devils are trying not to feel too dejected, but the more they struggle to come up with a plan to defeat Damocles, the harder being on the run gets. That is until Ariadne learns something that could tip the battle in their favour, The Oracle, in it's need to keep her safe, has gone rogue. Not only has it planned a coup against Damocles, but also one to take over the mind of every citizen, turning them into husks of their former selves. The Devils know that they have to do, but it doesn't mean they have to like it, and if they're not careful, their plan to destroy the Empire could bring it all burning down.

Man I can't tell you how much I love these characters. Lam and May give us the same POV's as in book one with the addition of Kayla, the leader of the rebellion and Cato, the ex-pilot who the Devil's managed to un-brainwash in book one. They all grow so much in this book whether from learning about their pasts, or finally accepting how they are now, and I just loved all their interactions. The subtleties in how they interact with each other and seeing how all the different relationships develop ensure that you get invested in this story whole-heartedly. They all have trauma of some kind in their past whether it be from betrayal or abuse, but that trauma is what makes them stronger, it's what ties them together, they have all been hurt in some way by the Tholosian Empire and because of that are determined to bring it to it's knees BUT they don't let that trauma overshadow the mission which is to disassemble the Empire with as little loss of life as possible (yes, even Eris gets less stabby in this one.) Lam and May really manage to show us the dark reality of war, but with plenty of levity and lighter moments so we don't get too bogged down.

I think I might have enjoyed this book a little more than book one, mainly thanks to already knowing all the players and, while while that may seem a little dull, the way they implement plot twists, as well as their overall world building, and brilliance at writing characters, make sure we are always kept on our toes. I can't tell you the amount of times I snorted with laughter, gasped out loud or held back a sob whilst reading this, just when you think you have an idea of how things are going to pan out, they manage to throw another spanner in the works, making this book almost impossible to put down.

Lam and May write some of my favourite, and the most epic space battle scenes ever. Their descriptive writing effortlessly drags you into the story ensuring you're there alongside the characters for every little skirmish or huge ass battle and one in particular had the hairs on my arms standing on end, it was just *chefs kiss* and I had to scream into the void because I had no friends who'd read it to scream at. I loved how certain characters got a little more one on one time than they did in book one, seeing all the different relationships develop be it the romantic kind between Clo and Rhea as well as another couple I wont mention for spoilers, or the friendship/familial kind because our Devil's are a family, dysfunctional as they are.

This is one hell of a chunk and it definitely reads like one in parts, only because every single one of the characters gets a fully fleshed out back story which, for those who prefer more action filled books, may get a little slow in parts. But, if like me, you're a sucker for well developed characters as well as worlds, then I can guarantee you will love this series. For me, Seven Mercies was the perfect blend of action and character development and, had we not had as much time with the characters as we did, I don't think the emotional impact of this story would have hit as hard as it did. I was desperate for out Devils to get their happy ending and Lam and May mostly managed to give us that, whilst also managing to show the realities of war. This series is perfect for fantasy lovers looking to make their first foray into Sci-Fi and I'm hoping that Lam and May collaborate again in the near future.

A satisfying ending to a duology. I loved this duology and it’s characters. I loved how the authors plays on AI tech and personal development of the characters. I loved how it ended and how it wasn’t the picture perfect ending but a positive and satisfying ending. I had some minor issues with the story and felt a little disconnected to some of the characters and elements, but apart from that it was a fun ride.

I loved the first book so I was excited to read this! After the ending of book one I couldn’t stop thinking about what could happen next. This book is very fast paced and kicks off right from the start. It was so fast I almost found it hard to keep track of what was happening. I probabilities should have reread the first book before diving into this.
The characters in this book are good, I enjoyed seeing them again and seeing them develop more. I liked Eris more in this and finding out more about Cato was great. I felt there could have been more time spent with certain characters,
Overall this is a super fast paced, emotional journey that kept me engaged. I really enjoyed it.