Review: The Empress (The Diabolic #2) by S.J Kincaid
Last year’s The Diabolic was one of my favorite books of the year so I was eager to see what happened in the followup, especially since this was never meant to have a second book at all. That was enough to give me a little bit of concern about how S.J Kincaid would expand and further the story after it concluded in a fairly (but not quite) tidy way in the last book, but Kincaid really, really committed to advancing the characters and the world she created.
And it was brutal.
The Diabolic was a brutal book, too of course, and The Empress shares its astronomical body count. But most striking is how seriously S.J Kincaid took the whole edict to “torture your darlings”. If you were satisfied by the mostly-happy ending Tyrus and Nemesis got in the first book and don’t want to see it tampered with, then…maybe leave this one unread. Because this book isn’t for the faint of heart, and it will pain you.
So of course it’s brilliant.
When we last saw Nemesis she was newly engaged to Emperor Tyrus, and as they inch toward their nuptials, no one’s happy about that. Least of all Senator van Pasus, still highly ambitious and also mourning the death of the daughter Nemesis killed (for killing bestie, Sidonia, in case you forgot). He’s got his eye on power, but to get it means knocking Tyrus and Nemesis from their perch which is looking very possible with Tyrus inexplicably unable to wield the scepter that will allow him to control the many ships at the Emperor’s disposal. Nemesis and Tyrus’s attempts to change this leads them across time (sort of) and into increasingly dire straits.
Nemesis, of course, is still in fine form. She’s poisoning someone in the opening pages, and her bloodlust may be a little less with Tyrus around to offer second opinions, but it’s still there. She’s easily one of my favorite heroines, not averse to violence and killing but still with a strong sense of what’s right and wrong. And with an even stronger sense of who’s important to her and who isn’t.
On a very basic level, The Empress is an excellent sequel. The sophomore slump is a real thing, usually stumbled upon when the stories and characters don’t expand and advance as much as they should, but The Empress puts Nemesis and Tyrus through the narrative ringer, and it’s not afraid of how ugly they could end up on the other side. You can be sure of very little except that Nemesis and Tyrus love one another, but that love may not be enough up against the challenges they’re facing. By the book’s end, neither Nemesis or Tyrus is the same, and neither is their relationship.
Rating: 5/5 stars
