I found it very hard to get into this book. Infact it became my first DNF in about six months.



The introductory chapters introduced the femme fatale crew. The outlining was cumbersome, and I found it flat.



Being the second installment of the series, I hope that the original was a lot better. It does work as a standalone as the crew is all introduced at the start.



Really not for me, and I've read a lot of sci-fi over the years.



Status: DNF.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

Firstly, I must give a huge thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for providing me with the e-ARC to Seven Mercies by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May. I had previously devoured and fallen for Seven Devils, which kicked off this epic space-opera.
Seven Mercies follows on relatively soon after the conclusion of Seven Devils, finding the Resistance at what appears to be it’s lowest point, scattered across the galaxy, held responsible for the attack attack that killed so many, but at their core, still a diverse found-family rooted in their love for one another and their desire to rectify past wrongs and bring down the Tholosian empire.
Seven Devils introduced us to this diverse family of queer, BiPoc and more characters, the range is spectacular and it transcends society, fearlessly facing topics such as disability, mental health, trauma and more. There is nothing to not love about these characters, their interactions, mutual support, love and respect for each other know no boundaries, and it is refreshing that this is shown in a way that is neither cloying, nor creepy. Trust me, it’s not all sunshine and roses, that is definitely not the Seven Devils family, and there is a lot of heartbreak in this story, that will stay with you beyond closing this book.
Seven Mercies goes beyond the initial steps taken by Seven Devils, giving us greater insight into the characters that we originally met, especially those that weren’t fully explore previously including Cato – total heartbreak!
The story itself is paced slowly to begin with before launching into juggernaut pace as this family try to find a way to forge a better future for all, and if you liked Seven Devils you’ll love Seven Mercies. It is packed to the brim with heart-break, love, found-family, rebellion, kick ass attitude and ferocious fighting delivered by a diverse cast!

Seven Mercies is a fantastic continuation of Seven Devils. I was delighted when the publisher approved me to read an early copy via netgalley!

The action takes place shortly after where the Seven Devils ended. The Rebels are scattered around the galaxy, they lost a lot of people and there’s a rogue AI on the lose!

What would the Oracle and the One do to bring Ariadne back home? Well, lots of evil. If that wasn’t enough, Nyx is sick and her chances of survival are low. Luckily her friends will do everything to save her. They all want peace and survive to live better days.

The book is written from the perspective of each character, we see them in the past and in the present time. The story teaches us about love and friendship, about the strength of loyalty and that nothing is impossible if you have a great team who’ll fight with you. I love that we learn back stories of the entire crew and that the characters are so diverse.

Full of action, tense and heartbreaking. Your emotions will be all over the place.

Seven Mercies is another incredible creation by Elizabeth & Laura and I hope that they’ll work together on more projects.

One of my favourite sci-fi!

This made me so happy! I absolutely loved Seven Devils so this was highly anticipated.

This picks up a short time after the events of the first book, and it was really interesting to see the changes in the characters, how what they went through changed them and their relationships

A sprawling space opera with phenomenally well written characters, diversity, representation of everyone. Yes, yes, yes please and thank you.
.

This is the follow up book to Seven Devils, and you do definitely need to have read the previous book, but it's worth it.

Seven people are going to take down the Empire, six women and one man, all with their own back story and relationship with the Empire and each other to unpick. There's an assassin princess, a soldier, a rebel leader, an engineer, a courtesan, a genius software engineer and a pilot-medic. They sound like they could be cardboard cut out characters but they're definitely not. Chapters are told from each of their points of view to follow the action in different places and explore different aspects of the Empire and the fight to bring it down. The breakdown of the rebellion following the events in Seven Devils is well-handled, as is the affect on each of the characters of what happened.

If you enjoyed the first one, you'll like this, and if you want an action packed, feminist sci-fi story then I absolutely recommend both books.

Things aren’t looking too great for the Resistance. Scattered around the galaxy, short a leader and blamed for an attack they had no hand in, they are at a new low point. That’s no reason to give up, though, and so the Seven Devils make new plans that may yet bring the downfall of the Tholosian empire.

Back then, I already liked the first inklings of a found family with a diverse cast: a whole bunch of queer characters including sapphic, mspec and ace rep as well as trans and now questioning rep. Various BIPoC characters, three out of seven are white. Disability and mental health topics that are directly discussed - trauma and anxiety, namely. And some that just are - Clo has a prosthetic leg and Ariadne is autistic.

Seeing that family expand and make a little more room for each other; seeing them interact and witnessing the trust and familiarity that built between them was my favourite part of the book. (Actually, not quite. My most favourite part was the acknowledgment that „Clo“ has an unfortunate meaning in other languages - thank you!!)

Which isn’t to say it’s all sunshine and whatnot. Exactly like book 1, Seven Mercies delves into the characters‘ pasts, their traumas and the guilt they are carrying around. Fair warning, a lot of it is outright heartbreaking and I caught myself thinking about the implications of some of it long after I finished the book.

That, and that there just are some things we simply can’t get rid of, but there are still ways to forge a new, better future. Or at least ways to try.

I think the pace might (still) be an issue for some. Book 1 worked a lot with throwbacks to show us the characters’ pasts; book 2 still sometimes does that but also leads plus not everyone is at the same place all the time; but i found it more balanced this time.

That’s a lot of text to say: I liked book 2 just as much als book 1, and if you don’t know the first yet, you should definitely pick that one up for a rebellious space adventure with a diverse cast, found family and a lot of ass-kicking. Expect some heartbreak as well!

CNs: you can find an extensive list on Laura Lam’s website: http://www.lauralam.co.uk/book/seven-devils/
They refer to book 1 but are still very true for book 2.

This duology finale is another action-packed ride through a world where technology takes away free-will (even if you're not aware of it.) The horror-level of the Oracle/the One (the AI and its interface) controlling people is upped. A lot. The fact that it takes away control and subconsciously programs people (and then not subconsciously at all!) makes for such an insidious opponent.

There are plenty of twists and turns. Unlike the previous book, where the characters were coming together to focus on the same goal, in this one they're sent on separate missions (or those remaining behind have different focuses.) It gives the book scope to show the full awfulness of what they're up against, and spring a lot of reveals. The Elysium sequence probably has the most "uh-ohs" per word count!

Like the previous instalment, this one contains a mix of present day chapters and past/flashback chapters. There are fewer flashbacks in this book, the overwhelming majority of the book focused on the battles and conflicts of the book. This is because the first book revealed most of the important backstory necessary to understand the characters, so there are only a few snippets - and most of that comes from between the two books and for the characters (Kyla and Cato) who didn't narrate the previous book.

This series is stuffed full of Greek and Roman references, which has a lot of fun hints towards the story. "Eris" was the Greek god of discord, with a Roman counterpart in "Discordia" (and both are the names for one character at different points in her life.) It's a nice subtext layer to the book, as the world clearly isn't a classical Greek or Roman one (I mean, it's set in space with a very futuristic vibe.)

In all, it's a satisfying end to the action-packed duology about fighting for yourself and others, and also one that delivers on the high-cost world with real consequences.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Seven Mercies is a satisfying end to this duology, wrapping up the vast majority of the plotlines with relative ease while still ramping up the tension for the reader. May and Lam have created an interesting and diverse world, and I hope we hear more from them in the future.

I love the Devils! This beautiful found family ripped my heart out but I love them for it. I really enjoyed getting to know Cato better, his backstory was heartwrenching. Eris and Ariadne had some of my favourite storylines in this one, but Clo, Rhea, and Kyla had some great character development and gripping storyline of their own. I enjoyed learning more about Kyla's past, and what it was like to be trans under the control of the Oracle. I'm glad Kyla's dead name was never mentioned, and that her being trans isn't a big deal in this series. Sher has always respected Kyla for exactly who she is, and I wish he'd had a bigger part in this book, he's a good one.

I feel like I got to know all of the characters better in this book and I really appreciate how they're all morally grey and have done awful things, but are now fighting to make a better world. Your past doesn't define you. The ending destroyed me, I wasn't expecting it, but it made sense for the characters to do what they did. All of the Devils made sacrifices for the revolution, and all I want for them is peace. What an incredible ending to such a powerful duology.

Ships, rebels, space, it doesn't get better than that! Seven Mercies has it all. I love the story and the world-building but my favorite thing is the relationships between the characters, they feel so genuine but also very amusing, there were a few times when this book had me grinning like a silly person.

If you haven't picked up this book yet do yourself a favor and do it now!

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC! Since this book concludes the Seven Devils-duology, I was very excited about it. I enjoyed the first book a lot!

I'm not entirely sure why the book description already spoils a plot-point from way later in the novel, because the story starts out in the aftermath from the first book. While the rebels are trying to pick themselves up while being hunted not only by the Tholosian Empire, but also their new allies, the Evoli, two of the Devils get ready for a risky undercover mission to the planet of the Evoli, while the others try to rescue their team members from the Empire.

Even though it has been a while since I read Seven Devils, I felt immediately back at home when I started reading this book. It kicks off with action and keeps throwing new obstacles at the characters. All seven of them have their own problems and developments that interact seamlessly with the plot and with each other. It is impossible to feel bored with the book, because there is suspense in every single POV!

There aren't a lot of calm moments, which isn't bad at all, at least for me. However, sometimes I did wish for more moment of reflection in between the action. That is mostly because the purely emotional events that we do receive are written fantastically and I would have loved more of them. The authors are very talented not only with writing various high-stakes heists and fights, but also with writing gut-wrenching and genuine portrayals of the consequences of the characters' trauma. It was so beautiful that I almost cried in the first half of the entire book.

Seven Mercies is the perfect conclusion to the duology. It combines fast-packed action with great diverse characters and the most hopeful impossible fights I have seen in a while. I wholeheartedly recommend this book (together with the first one) to whoever likes adult queer science fiction with rebels fighting against all odds.

I really enjoyed reading this sequel to Seven Devils.and I so happy that I preordered this one from Watersones. I can't wait to add it to my collection!
So in Seven Devils I really liked that we get to learn more about our amazing crew, We learn about their past and what led them to where they ended up today.

Seven Mercies ties up all the loose ends left over from the last book, and is action packed from beginning to end. We follow our Devils as they are seperating to complete their own missions that hopefully will help them figure out how to help the Garule.. Those people that the One has turned into mindless workers that will follow any and all commands they are given..

While I loved all of the characters that we follow I think my favorites would have to be Eris and Ariadne.. Eris is is still grappling with what happened to her at the end of the last book. Trying to come up with a plan that will take down her brother and the One.. Ariadne while super smart, is still a child at heart, and she really brings a new fresh perspective to whats going on around her.

The whole book was pretty fast paced, with loads of action and fighting. Even during the down time when our crew is planning things out, are still full of tension with the full scope of what they are trying to accomplish.

Also while it didn't exactly end they way I thought it would (you'll see what I mean when you read it) I really liked out it ended and the story was wrapped up.. Everything wasn't just done and fixed, this is just the beginning of a new world, and our favorite crew is up to the challenge.

Having read and enjoyed Seven Devils last year, I was quite excited to delve into this sequel and see just how things shook out. My main criticism of the first book was that I didn't necessarily feel like characters were making good decisions - and it wasn't entirely clear why that was.
I'm delighted to say that this book both surpassed my expectations and managed to deal with a lot of those issues I had had with book one.
For one thing, this book felt even more like an ensemble piece whereas book one felt as though it had more of a focus on a couple of characters. I liked getting to know the Devils a little better and seeing their various plots come to a head.
For another thing, I think this book has slightly less subterfuge and a bit more outright action which I personally felt worked much better for this style of writing and the character dynamics. That's not to say the tense, quiet moments weren't deeply stressful (in the best way) because they absolutely were, but it's those action sequences that will stay with me now that I'm finished with the series.
I will also say that one particular character's exploration of gender identity within this story really spoke to me and I applaud Lam and May for choosing to write it in the way that they did - things aren't tied off with a neat bow and labels all decided, there's a sense of progression without that completeness which I think spoke to me personally as someone also still figuring these things out. I can't speak to a lot of the other representation in this book from a personal perspective but I definitely felt like care was being taken to handle things sensitively.
Overall this sequel saved the duology for me, it's gone from something that I might remember idly to something I would definitely read again - and it may be the first time I've ever liked a second book in a duology more? Wild times.
My rating: 4*
I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

*thank you to NetGalley and Orion books for a copy in exchange for an honest review*

“Every death has a weight, and some are heavier than others.”

If you don’t know me, Seven Devils is my favourite book of all time. I read it in January of this year and before I even finished it, I already knew it was my new favourite book. Ask any one of my friends, they will tell you that Seven Devils is one of the books they associate with me. So when I got an arc of Seven Mercies, I was screaming and crying.

Seven Devils is not only my favourite book, but I also feel represented in a story, where the representation is actually amazing. The representation in the books are: LGBTQ (bi, pan, or lesbians, no labels put on their sexualities: includes Clo, Rhea, Cato, and possibly the others. Ariadne is asexual), trans mtf character (Kyla), autism, anxiety, and anxiety attacks (Ariadne), amputee (Clo), and trauma (Nyx and Cato especially, I don’t want to use the label of PTSD, but it is war trauma), plus 4/7 of them are BIPOC (Cato, Rhea, and Eris are white). The characters that I felt most represented by are Kyla (I’m trans ftm) and Ariadne (I have anxiety). Seven Mercies just deepened my love for these characters, ESPECIALLY Cato and Kyla.

The characters themselves all grow within this book. We get to finally see the backstory of Cato, Nyx grows from only believing her strength is from fighting to realizing that’s not all she can do, and so much more. But for me personally, getting to read from the point of view of Kyla and Cato really struck home for me. I finally could connect even stronger with Kyla. Even though she is mtf, everything she deals with regarding her gender is exactly how I feel, but obviously switched. I don’t know how to express how much I love Kyla and Cato, other than the fact that I connected with them so much deeper than other characters I’ve read.

I felt the plot was even stronger in this one. Laura Lam and Elizabeth May are both experienced writers, and reading pieces of work written by both of them is just amazing. I love The Falconer trilogy and the Micah Grey trilogy. But having their writing styles combined into a novel? Oh my GOD, it’s phenomenal.

I just have to say the collected hate between everyone for Damocles is easily my favourite part of the entire novel (and also because I hate him, who actually likes Damocles?). The words they used to describe him will make you snort out loud/burst out laughing.

If you are looking for a kick-ass queer-found family who are revolting from an Empire while traveling in space, the Seven Devils duology is for you. It is described as a queer space opera, and that is exactly what it is. And it is phenomenal! Easily will be my favourite series forever.

*Please make sure to look at TW on Laura Lam’s website: http://www.lauralam.co.uk/book/seven-...*

I really enjoyed seven devil's, the first book in this series, so I had high hopes for seven mercies. It didn't disappoint. Well written and gripping. I highly recommend

3.5 stars

Seven Mercies is the sequel to Seven Devils and we are again following the devils as they deal with the fallout from book one and attempt to overthrow both the evil archon, Damocles and the insidious AI the Oracle. It is a fun fast paced adventure with a great group of misfits and rebels as they try to save the galaxy.

I really like the characters in this series and enjoyed the development we got from them in this book. In particular I really loved Eris in this book, she went from being meh in book one to being probably my favourite character. I do think the fast paced nature of the book and the fact we get POVs from everyone meant we didn't get to spend as much time with each character as I would have liked to truly love the book. I also really liked Clo/Rhea and their relationship (Rhea again is a character I really love, I love her gentleness and inner strength) although there was some unnecessary drama in my opinion. Cato also was super interesting in this book and his backstory broke me T__T

I think my main reason I felt like I didn't connect with this book as much as I remember in book 1 was it felt very fast paced and there wasn't enough time spent with each character or to give events time to fully digest. I enjoyed the general direction of the plot but felt like nothing was given the time it needed to develop in order to make it more satisfying. However despite this there are some very emotional and touching moments and I think it is largely a personal preference thing and if you love fast paced stories that keep you super engaged you will probably not have a issue.

I was a little unsure whether this was the concluding book or not, for some reason I had in my head this was a trilogy but this book felt like it had a satisfying end point, kind of bittersweet but hopeful.

Overall I would recommend this series as an enjoyable, fast paced ride with loveable characters, especially if you are new to sci-fi and looking for something fun and easy to follow, whilst touching on some deeper themes. Despite a few issues I had with it I will always appreciate having super queer sci-fi because there is nothing better than gays in space lol.

I adored "Seven Devils", so I was a bit upset when I found out that "Seven Devils" was the final offering in this series. This book does feel a little slower than the last, and I was grateful for that because it felt like it lasted longer! The writing is brilliant, the plot fantastic, and I will miss these incredible characters.

My thanks to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

A good end to the duology. I’ve moved on a bit from YA since I read Seven Devils but I still found this fun, accessible and enjoyable. Read both books for best reading experience.

Book review: Seven Mercies by Elizabeth May and Laura Lam 4.25/5⭐

This is the conclusion to the Seven Devils duology and omg this was such a good ride.

IF YOU WANT TO RESIST, YOU HAVE TO REBEL.
Elizabeth explains Seven Devils in just a few emojis for people who havent read the series yet:
🚀 Adult scifi
💪 Feminist as fuck
🌈 Queer as a rainbow
💩 Fuck imperialism
👩‍❤️‍👩 Ladies being soft
🤬 Ladies kicking ass
👨 One good dude
🧔👨🧔 Some shitbags
🌌 A whol lotta stars

Seven resistance fighters come together from across the galaxy to help defeat the ruthless Tholossian empire. In the first book they get word of a heaviluly guarded Tholossian ship carrying deadly cargo. Two fighters Eris (ex-Tholossian princess) and Clo, who have been at eachothers throats forever, team up in a heist way to secure the cargo and gain some allies (Nyx ex-Tholossian warrior, Rhea emotinal manipulative semi-alien, and Ariadne the hacker) by accident.

In the second book Seven Mercies the Novantae resistance is shattered and recovering from an ambush. While they still hate the Emperor's ass and really want to rip him to pieces, they now have a bigger threat to deal with: the oracle. The AI used by the empire to ensure its citizens obedience. Ariadne, one of the Devils was once the Oracle's coder and desperate for human contact and understanding. She tried to make the Oracle understand human interaction and care. The Oracle sees Ariadne as its daughter and is now taking over every human in the galaxy to get her back. Turning them into living human shells.

Part of the team goes on an infiltration mission with alien species to gather allies. The others try to find what is left of the resistence in order to recover, get to the heart of the empire, destroy the oracle, and burn it all to the ground.🔥

If you love resistance fighters taking on the patriarchy in space please pick this book up! In addition, the character development, queer rep, friendship and relationships in this book were very well done! I hope Elizabeth and Laura team up again in the future as I love to read more by the two of them.😊