Title: The Diabolic
Author: S.J. Kincaid
Narrator: Candace Thaxton
Series: stand-alone
Length: 12 hrs 30 mins
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 1, 2016
Source: ARC & audiobook received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon |
Barnes & Noble |
Audible
A Diabolic is ruthless. A Diabolic is powerful. A Diabolic has a single task: Kill in order to protect the person you’ve been created for. Nothing else.
For Nemesis, that person is Sidonia, heir to the galactic Senate. The two grew up side by side, and there’s no one Nemesis wouldn’t kill to keep her safe. But when the power-mad Emperor summons Sidonia to the Imperial 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 corrupt politicians and two-faced Senators’ children, and Nemesis must find within herself the one thing she’s been told she doesn’t have—humanity. With the Empire beginning to fracture and rebellion looming, that could be the one thing that saves her and the Empire itself.
Before I even started
The Diabolic, I knew I was going to love this book...I just wasn't aware
how much I'd enjoy it. I had an ARC, but once I realized Candace Thaxton was narrating the audiobook, I decided I'd go that route. Candace also narrated one of my favorite books ever --
The Sea of Tranquility -- and does a great job of portraying Nastya, another girl who doesn't allow herself to feel. So I knew she'd do a fabulous job performing as Nemesis, a ruthless killing machine who only cares about one person: her master and charge
. And, honestly, it was better than I could have imagined.
This was a book that I started listening to at work and continued listening to on my way home. Then I took my daughter to the park and cracked open my ARC
while continuing to listen and followed along that way. And I continued listening while I was cooking and washing dishes. Then I went back to reading and listening after dinner. I just
could not put this book down. I finished
The Diabolic in one day and I regret
nothing.
The Diabolic was damn near perfect. It had everything I was looking for: political intrigue, characters with violent tendencies, forbidden romance...
plus, it's set in SPACE. I don't think I picked up on that in the summary the first time I read it, but yes, political intrigue of galactic proportions. SO MUCH YES!
But probably my favorite aspect of this novel was that of a cold, calculating being having to come to terms with her humanity and actually allow herself to feel things. And it was glorious! She freaks out when she laughs by accident. She bonds with a mutant dog-thing and it's ridiculously adorable. And she allows herself to love, which is no small feat. I just adore characters who basically start out as robots and are a big ole pile of mush by the end of the story.
Even when they're being exceedingly violent. Especially then. Like, you read all the time about badass characters who do violent things but you never actually experience any of that once the story gets going. Not so for Nemesis, whose philosophy in life lies somewhere just shy of
Kill or be killed. There is all manner of brutality between the pages of this book, and it was gory but also awesome.
Also, I SHIP IT. So hard. It's pretty much forbidden. Except she's pretending to be someone she's not, so it's kinda okay and accepted? But it starts out as a partnership in a revenge plot. Then they become sparring partners. And then friends. And, well, it just snowballs from there. It's only a little angsty, and mostly because Nemesis is SO freaked out by all these new
feelings she's experiencing. And she's afraid. But they are such a good pair because they've both done unconscionable things, in the name of the greater good and those they love. And it just
works.
So...yay for evil tendencies? At any rate, this book was amazing, plain and simple.
And it's a stand-alone! Which makes it an even more perfect fit for me because I
hate waiting for the next book. :P I highly recommend the audiobook version, but whichever route you go, I guarantee you won't be disappointed with
The Diabolic.
GIF it to me straight:
About the author:
S.J. Kincaid was born in Alabama, grew up in California, and attended high school in New Hampshire, but it was while living beside a haunted graveyard in Scotland that she realized that she wanted to be a writer. Her debut, Insignia, came out in July of 2012. The second book in the series, Vortex was released in July of 2013. The final book in the trilogy, Catalyst, came out October 28, 2014. Her standalone novel The Diabolic will be released in fall 2016.
Find S.J.:
Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Tumblr | Facebook
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Blog Tour Review: SORCERY OF THORNS by Margaret Rogerson
Author: Margaret Rogerson
Series: n/a
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication Date: June 4, 2019
Source: ARC received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible
I absolutely adored An Enchantment of Ravens when I read it last year -- and then re-read it...and then listened to it again -- so I was beside myself with excitement when I was invited to review Margaret Rogerson's sophomore novel as part of the blog tour. Sorcery of Thorns is a magical tumble into a world full of witchcraft and necromancy and libraries with sentient books, and it was every bit as lovely as her debut.
Though this novel is a bit slower in pacing, there's no lack of action to keep the characters on their toes. It's just a little more understated, a little less obvious, and it felt right for the mystery at hand. The pacing also lends itself to a more atmospheric story; it was not difficult at all to imagine myself in the Great Libraries, to smell the musty old books and the scent of sorcery in the air, to fear losing a finger to those same books.
It was easy to connect with the characters, as well. Elisabeth is strong-willed, though a bit naive, but that's due to her sequestered upbringing. She dreams big and her moral compass will not allow her to sit idly by while the Great Libraries are destroyed. Enter Nathaniel, who sees something in Elisabeth, even if his tragic past makes him wish he didn't. He's the guy who projects confidence and self-deprecating humor while he dies a little inside each day. Literally. Which brings us to Silas: the demonic presence I never knew I needed. How can you not love a demon who turns himself into a white cat and allows himself to be called Sir Fluffington in order to assure your well-being?
Speaking of love, the romance is very slow burning but very worth the wait. The relationship is intense, though, and must overcome some serious obstacles along the way, including the characters themselves. But the banter from before remains, and in my book -- sadly, not a grimoire -- that's #relationshipgoals.
I wouldn't say the ending left something to be desired...but, well, it did. As in, a desire for more. The writing was gorgeous. The characters were enigmatic and engaging. And I could read every magical adventure they have, even if it was only teaching the grimoires to tap dance or some such nonsense. This was such an enchanting novel and I can't wait to read more from this author.
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
🌟 A Book Named After Me!!! 🌟 STARRY EYES by Jenn Bennett 😊😊😊
Author: Jenn Bennett
Series: stand-alone
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: April 3, 2018
Source: ARC received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible
Let's get this out of the way before I delve into all the reasons you're going to want this book. Sure, this book appears to be named after me, but that's not why I loved it so. (It doesn't hurt, though!) And, yeah, Jenn Bennett is my new favorite young adult contemporary novelist, though I love all of her books, including the adult-themed Roaring Twenties series. (I haven't read the Arcadia Bell series yet because my library doesn't have it on audio and I do all my backlist reading via audio. Someone get on that, please.) Of course, Jenn also gets some of the best YA contemporary covers, too. Like, this book is set at the end of summer, but that cover just screams lovely fall camping weather to me. Which was kinda perfect at the time I was reading this.
But those aren't the reasons I enjoyed the hell outta this book. Allow me to enumerate why this is now my favorite Jenn Bennett book of all time:
1. The Maps - Have you ever read a story and continually had to flip back to a description to understand where places were in relation to one another? Not so with Starry Eyes because Jenn -- yes the author -- has created maps for each section of the book. (It's one of the character's hobbies, so it's totally relevant and completely adorable.)
2. The Awkward - So, in this story, the awful has already happened -- we don't have to read about the communication breakdown that led to friends who were becoming more suddenly becoming bitter enemies. BUT, we do get to see all the awkward as they find their way back to becoming friends on one ill-fated camping trip. And it is so incredibly awkward at times that I wanted to reach into the book and give everyone involved a big ole hug.
3. The Genuine - Zorie and Lennon talk. Like, a lot. And it's real and it's weird and totally inevitable but also totally adorable. And then that fight out in the woods? That is amazingly accurate, the way it went down and the aftermath. Jenn doesn't write down to her readers; she writes on their level. So much so that while I'm reading, I feel a resurgence of all those emotions and I have to tell myself to calm down. But she captures it beautifully.
4. The Sex Positivity - Gawd, I think Jenn Bennett probably writes the best, most sex-positive stories in YA. Her characters always talk about it before jumping into bed...or wherever they happen to be. ;) They're always careful. And there's no fade-to-black to escape the awkwardness. It's the same here. But these characters have known each other for ages and I think it felt even more meaningful because of that. Basically, I just adore the overall message Bennett is dropping.
5. The Family - The familial situation in this book is beyond different. It's diverse but it's also full of drama. And yet, the parents remain involved in their kids' lives. Regardless of what happened between Zorie and Lennon, they're all still friends on a deeper level. (Well, most of them.) And the love is obvious. Even when the biological link isn't.
I read this back in November and I've been waiting for it to release so I could immediately download a copy of the audiobook and re-read that way. I just loved this story so much! It was lovely and profound but also left me feeling content and cozy in the knowledge that I made it past young adulthood and all this awkwardness. :P I can't wait to read it again!
Friday, June 2, 2017
2 CUTE 4 WORDS: WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI by Sandhya Menon
Author: Sandhya Menon
Series: n/a
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: May 30, 2017
Source: ARC received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible
That. Was. Adorable! Like a sparkly unicorn farting rainbows and wearing fuzzy slippers adorable. I didn't know that much cute was possible in one little book, but I couldn't help but smile stupidly the entire time I was reading this story. I probably looked deranged to anyone who saw me, but who freaking cares?!?
When a book makes you this unabashedly happy, well...there's just nothing quite like that feeling. Sure, there was tension in the story -- it would have been pretty tame otherwise -- but it was well-placed and was genuine and made everything else that happened worth it. And for me, any story about #nerdlove is TOTALLY worth it.
I loved Dimple's rebellious streak. I adored Rishi's easy manner and his dedication to family and tradition. In fact, I loved the emphasis on that, in general, because Dimple also had to deal with familial expectations and also how to remain true to herself without disappointing her parents. I also enjoyed the glimpse we're given into Indian-American culture. At times, perceptions were brutally honest and I applaud that.
The romance was unbelievably sweet. The friends and side characters only added to the story. And that ending was truly precious. I pretty much adored When Dimple Met Rishi, and I can't wait to read the author's sophomore novel.
Thursday, March 30, 2017
IT ME: ALEX, APPROXIMATELY by Jenn Bennett
Author: Jenn Bennett
Series: n/a
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: April 4, 2017
Source: ARC received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Do you ever get a book and then put off reading it for eons because you're so afraid it won't live up to your expectations? That was me with this book. I adored Jenn Bennett's YA debut The Anatomical Shape of a Heart, going so far as to name it as my favorite contemporary of 2015. So, to say I had high expectation for Alex, Approximately would not be an exaggeration.
But I just couldn't hold out any longer, and you know what? I absolutely loved it. It was quirky and adorable and just all around clever. I really related to Bailey and her status as an evader, her way of avoiding uncomfortable situations by running away or simply pretending it's not happening. But even when she did find herself in an awkward situation -- and Bailey herself was being incredibly awkward -- I didn't find the scenario cringe-worthy. Instead, there was this sense of solidarity because I could easily have found myself in the same situations.
This book was sooo sex positive, too, much like Bennett's last novel. Sex wasn't presented as this insurmountable obstacle, nor was it glossed over in some fade-to-black scene. The awkwardness of first experiences is there but also the open discussion that needs to happen between two consenting adults. Self-pleasure is even presented as a normal, healthy thing. I truly wish there had been books like this when I was a teenager so that I wouldn't have felt so woefully unprepared in those days.
And the relationship that develops between Porter and Bailey is just so genuine and honest. Sure, it has its ups and downs and things aren't perfect 100% of the time, but what relationship is? They have frank discussions about trust and their pasts and how to handle going public with their relationship, and I think it's just such a great portrayal of how a healthy relationship progresses.
This take on You've Got Mail is so unbelievably charming, with the classic movie references and the movie quotes at the beginning of each chapter. But what I especially adored were the forum messages between "Mink" and "Alex". They reminded me of how me and my best friend met online, how we synchronize watching shows together and how well we've gotten to know each other through email and text and miracle of miracles, via chatting on the phone every weekend for hours on end. We're even planning a meet-up this summer. So, I get the sense of camaraderie that Mink and Alex share online but also the anxiety of finally meeting face-to-face.
The only thing I'd change about this book is that summary. It hints at too much. I was constantly waiting to see proof that Porter had discovered the truth; I think it would have been less stressful if I didn't know beforehand that he figures out Bailey's online alias...or even that he was Alex, at least not from the beginning. That's something I like to learn as I read, not know from the get-go.
Even with that looming over my head, this book still managed to be everything I wanted it to be...and more. Bennett easily balances the depth of her characters' pasts with the frivolity of a summer job in a weird museum in a tourist town, along with a swoony romance that is aces above what I usually find in contemporary YA. I already can't wait to read it again. I just hope there's not so long of a wait between this book and her next. ;0)
Friday, March 10, 2017
The Beast is an Animal...But Are There Worse Things in the Forest?
Author: Peternelle van Arsdale
Narrator(s): Candace Thaxton
Series: stand-alone
Length: 8 hrs 48 mins
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster Audio
Publication Date: February 28, 2017
Source: galley & audio received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible
I was so sure I was going to love this story. I even featured it as a Waiting on Wednesday pick, back when I was still doing those. But despite all signs pointing to this being a "Jen" book, I just didn't click with it.
It's perfectly eerie and odd and something I totally should have loved, but when I attempted to read the galley I was provided, I only got to about 10% before setting it aside. I thought I'd come back to it eventually, but I just never felt compelled to keep reading. But then I was offered a copy of the audio for review, and my curiosity was renewed. Surely, someone reading this creepy, folksy tale would make all the difference.
To some extent, it did. As the narrator was reading, I felt the pull to the supernatural that Alys did. There was always something there at the edge of my subconscious, niggling and gnawing for notice. Like there was some greater knowledge I was chasing as I listened. And I think that's the thing that kept me listening, even as I wondered if anything truly interesting was ever going to happen.
There's plenty of weirdness and awfulness that does occur in the book and yet I was numb to it. Probably because that's how Alys seemed. Like the shell of a girl. And maybe that's the point of the story, too, but I just wanted...more. I wanted Alys to be more. I wanted the Beast to be more. The soul-eating sisters...they were perfectly creepy, but they were the only aspect that really felt the way it was supposed to, I think.
I'm usually all for a slow, disturbing story, but I just couldn't connect with this one, despite the atmospheric writing. I feel like there are probably loads of people who will enjoy it for what it is, but I think I was expecting a story not unlike Hunted by Meagan Spooner, which I am reviewing next week, and incidentally I read after this book, and so it had no bearing on my opinion of this particular story.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
It's Kill or Be Killed in THE DIABOLIC by S.J. Kincaid
Author: S.J. Kincaid
Narrator: Candace Thaxton
Series: stand-alone
Length: 12 hrs 30 mins
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 1, 2016
Source: ARC & audiobook received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible
Before I even started The Diabolic, I knew I was going to love this book...I just wasn't aware how much I'd enjoy it. I had an ARC, but once I realized Candace Thaxton was narrating the audiobook, I decided I'd go that route. Candace also narrated one of my favorite books ever -- The Sea of Tranquility -- and does a great job of portraying Nastya, another girl who doesn't allow herself to feel. So I knew she'd do a fabulous job performing as Nemesis, a ruthless killing machine who only cares about one person: her master and charge. And, honestly, it was better than I could have imagined.
This was a book that I started listening to at work and continued listening to on my way home. Then I took my daughter to the park and cracked open my ARC while continuing to listen and followed along that way. And I continued listening while I was cooking and washing dishes. Then I went back to reading and listening after dinner. I just could not put this book down. I finished The Diabolic in one day and I regret nothing.
The Diabolic was damn near perfect. It had everything I was looking for: political intrigue, characters with violent tendencies, forbidden romance...plus, it's set in SPACE. I don't think I picked up on that in the summary the first time I read it, but yes, political intrigue of galactic proportions. SO MUCH YES!
But probably my favorite aspect of this novel was that of a cold, calculating being having to come to terms with her humanity and actually allow herself to feel things. And it was glorious! She freaks out when she laughs by accident. She bonds with a mutant dog-thing and it's ridiculously adorable. And she allows herself to love, which is no small feat. I just adore characters who basically start out as robots and are a big ole pile of mush by the end of the story.
Even when they're being exceedingly violent. Especially then. Like, you read all the time about badass characters who do violent things but you never actually experience any of that once the story gets going. Not so for Nemesis, whose philosophy in life lies somewhere just shy of Kill or be killed. There is all manner of brutality between the pages of this book, and it was gory but also awesome.
Also, I SHIP IT. So hard. It's pretty much forbidden. Except she's pretending to be someone she's not, so it's kinda okay and accepted? But it starts out as a partnership in a revenge plot. Then they become sparring partners. And then friends. And, well, it just snowballs from there. It's only a little angsty, and mostly because Nemesis is SO freaked out by all these new feelings she's experiencing. And she's afraid. But they are such a good pair because they've both done unconscionable things, in the name of the greater good and those they love. And it just works.
So...yay for evil tendencies? At any rate, this book was amazing, plain and simple. And it's a stand-alone! Which makes it an even more perfect fit for me because I hate waiting for the next book. :P I highly recommend the audiobook version, but whichever route you go, I guarantee you won't be disappointed with The Diabolic.
Current Giveaways
A Starry-Eyed Prize Pack!
Subscribe by Email
Follow Via Bloglovin
Follow Jen on Instagram
Jen's Currently Reading
Sabrina's Currently Reading
2019 Reading Challenge
Followers
Search This Blog
Ratings
Twitter
Quotes We ♥
Blog Archive
Labels
About Me
-
starryeyedjen
- I work with numbers by day, and I'm a mommy and avid reader by night. I'm a self-proclaimed Spreadsheet Queen, and I'll read anything you put in front of me. I seriously love all the books! And I adore audiobooks, too!
View my complete profile