The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

Synopsis: 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...

Review: First off, this book is definitely more politic heavy and character driven than plot driven. So, if that isn't your speed, then this might be a book to skip. As a whole, the characters were interesting. I didn't really trust anyone while reading this book. One thing I enjoyed was how it opened up the discussion of humanity, and how Nemesis showed more emotion and care than some of the other characters. I found that interesting. In the world we live in now, humans can be pretty despicable. I like seeing how other people depict human nature in books. The story itself hinges on Nemesis going to the galactic court in place of Sidonia. I gotta say, this whole "character A acts like character B" trope is a peeve of mine. In large part because I never felt like we got to know Sidonia as a character on her own. It was always Nemesis' view of Sidonia which is naturally going to lean more favorably towards Sidonia.

As far as the story goes, it's a pretty light sci-fi book. I could see this being a good way of easing someone into the sci-fi genre. There isn't much in the way of world-building and, like I said, it focuses much more on the politics of the world and the relationships. There is heavy talk of religion versus science which I know some people are not a fan of. One really nice thing is that this book reads as a stand alone. There is another book after this one, but The Diabolic tells a complete story on its own. 

Quick intro to sci-fi with possibilities for interesting discussion about humanity and religion.

3.5 howls