ARC Review--The Nemesis by S.J. Kincaid

In the heart-pounding conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Diabolic series, the Empire teeters on the edge of destruction as rumors spread that Nemesis is still alive.

Three years ago, Tyrus Domitrian shocked the universe by killing the woman he swore to love forever. The woman for whom he upended the Empire. The woman with whom he wanted to build a new, and brighter, future.

Now, the once-idealistic heir apparent has become the cruel Emperor Tyrus, wielding his authority with an iron fist, capable of destroying galaxies with a single word, controlling all technology with a simple thought. He has bent the Grandiolquy to their knees, and none have the power to stand against him.

But there is a muttering among the Excess. They say that Nemesis is not truly gone. They mutter of her shadow spotted in distant galaxies. They say that Nemesis lives. That she will rise, and rally the people to topple man who was once her truest love—and is now her fiercest enemy.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

 
After years of waiting, S.J. Kincaid finally brings us the conclusion to The Diabolic trilogy with The Nemesis! This is the long waited sequel we’ve all been waiting for and trust me, you’re going to enjoy this one because it was absolutely amazing!
 
It’s been so long since we were last in this world, that I was worried how this one would go. I’ll admit that there was some confusion. Even my notes were of little help since so much time and so many more reads had passed, but in the long run, it wasn’t too bad in terms of getting back into the swing of things.
 
As you might recall, Tyrus has gone off the reservoir, he attacked Nemesis, believing he killed her, though we soon learned otherwise when she’s rescued by Neveni and Anguish. Together they’ve formed a plan, it’s simple really; kill Tyrus and save the galaxy.
 
I forgot how deeply politics are entwined in this series. I mean, it’s not a political read for sure, but the way the galaxy is run by the emperor is a thing that presents issues. I can’t really remember how this went in the first two books but we see things differently I felt like.
 
It’s not long before Tyrus learns of Nemesis’ survival and wants her back with him, but for what purpose? Nemesis knows that she can’t trust him. He’s betrayed her before and he’s bound to do it again.
 
This book was intense! Oh my gosh, just wow. For the longest time I couldn’t understand why Tyrus would do all this. How he could deceive all of us for so long? Usually you can get a sense of these things from the characters as a series moves along, but Tyrus just blindsided me! Kudos to Kincaid for this method!
 
I will say that the pacing to this one ran a little slow at times, but it was more of a tension brewing kind of slow. While there might not have been a lot happening, things were being planned and laid out. So it’s not boring, but it does move along at a slow pace here and there.
 
The characters were still so amazingly done in this one! I know I can’t remember all my thoughts on them from books 1 and 2, but I feel like they’ve all grown a lot over this series. Some maybe not for the best, but definitely a lot of positive growth.
 
Kincaid does throw a few surprises at us in this one. I was honestly blown away by this book entirely! It’s sometimes hard for me to read “space age” books and while this series did lead to a bit of confusion here and there, it wasn’t too bad. Other than a few space like happenings and a bit of confusion on politics and its history, this one was entirely enjoyable! I especially enjoyed Nemesis’ character. I think she went through the most growth being a Diabolic and all.
 
The end was by far one of the best kind of series endings I’ve read in a while…and I was reading a lot of series finales at the time of reading this one! I pretty much loved the twist the story took and thought it was best course for the story. The Nemesis is a perfect series finale filled with an intense plot and a good dose of suspense and action. If you’ve been looking for a suspenseful read filled with amazing characters, an intense plot, coupled with a spine tingling romance than you should definitely check out The Diabolic trilogy!
 
 
Overall Rating 4/5 stars
 
 
The Nemesis releases August 25, 2020