I’m not normally a YA or Sci-Fi reader but I found the book interesting from what I read of the books blurb. I wasn’t disappointed either. The book turned out to be very good. I really enjoyed the characters of Eric’s and Cloelia, their relationship and their goal to save the galaxy. The story kept me sucked in from beginning to end. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars

Seven Devils was a fantastic read following a group of characters who work together to bring down a corrupt regime.

After faking her death to escape life as heir to the galaxy's most brutal empire, Eris thought she was finally free. But it doesn't take long for her to become involved in the Novantaen Resistance, a group determined to stop the empire no matter what. Her newest mission is simple, gather intelligence about the cargo being carried on one of the empire's spaceships and return to the resistance with the information. But Eris and Cloelia, her partner on the mission, are in for a surprise when they board the ship and find three fugitives with the knowledge to take down the empire. Together the group has the ability to stop the empire in it's tracks but if they can't pull it off, millions may die.

The main group in this book consists of seven characters and we follow four POVs throughout the book. I liked that each character was unique and that the characters didn't all blend together as can sometimes happen with a large cast. Our group includes royalty, a mechanic, a courtesan, a soldier, a hacker, a rebellion leader, and a pilot for the empire. I liked the friendships that developed within the group and how ready they were to lay everything on the line to help each other, even when they didn't like each other. Everyone has their role within the group and I liked how well they worked together, trusting each other to do their part.

The world the authors created was incredibly interesting and I found myself wanting to learn more about the history of the empire. We get some flashbacks to Eris's past showing some of the innerworkings of the empire and I particularly enjoyed these chapters. Throughout the book, the characters travel to a number of locations within the galaxy and I thought the decision to keep the group moving around was a great choice as it helped the pacing of the story. The tension in the book increases drastically as we get closer to the end and the group puts their plan into motion. The ending surprised me as there were several things I didn't see coming. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where things pick up in Seven Mercies and how the events at the end of the book affect the group.

Overall Seven Devils was a fast-paced read that had me pulled in from start to finish. I highly recommend the book if you're looking for a great sci-fi and I can't wait to read the sequel when it releases next year.

You had me at feminist space opera. Seven Devils did not disappoint. Featuring an excellent, nuanced, and queer cast of characters. An intergalactic conflict with of course a band of resistance fighters. Seven Devils is filled with great story arcs as well as friendships and relationships you just cannot help to root for. Overall, Seven Devils delivers a punch in the science fiction genre with excellent queer representation and a plot that not only engages it readers but leaves them thinking long after it is done.

I absolutely loved this book. LOVED IT. I can't wait for the next one. I deeply appreciated the cast of characters and how diverse their experiences were that brought them to the point of working together. I thought the authors did an excellent job of managing the interpersonal dynamics of a group who are all in their own ways learning to love and trust while still dealing with the fear and trauma of their past and current lives. And amazingly, they managed to pull this off while not compromising on or detracting from the epic adventure Eris, Clo, and the others must undertake.

Although I'm a huge science fiction fan, I usually shy away from space operas as they can be tedious in their detail and excruciatingly slow in the plot department. But this was a delightful change of pace! Once I started reading this I did not want to put it down, even to sleep. Looking forward to the continuation of this story!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating 3.5 Stars

A Space Opera filled with badass female leads? Yes, yes, a million times yes. Seriously sign me up right the heck now. I have been so hyped for this book for months, and finally having it in my hands on release day was the highlight of that week for me!

There are so many thing to love about this book. It is jam packed with action, world building, character development, espionage, and strategy. The main characters are all incredible strong women in their own ways, and the growth brought to each character was astounding. Additionally, reading as they all came together as a team was incredible.

The plot overall had me intrigued, but this is definitely a book you need to read carefully. If you don’t take the time to ingest each detail, you’ll find yourself confused in later chapters as the world and politics are both incredibly intricate. The world building wasn’t presented in a way that can be considered an info-dump, which was nice! Information was doled out as needed throughout the book.

While there was quite a lot of action, I did find some minor issues with pacing and was able to put this book down for longer periods of time without feeling the overwhelming urge to pick it back up. If you’ve followed my reviews with any regularity, you’ll know that if a book is put-downable for me, I never rate it higher than 4 stars!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am definitely interested in seeing where the duology goes! I am so excited to have another book from Elizabeth May, as we haven’t seen anything since her AMAZING debut, The Falconer. Please keep the books and the badass female MCs coming!

Wow. Apparently this is what it feels like to have your still beating heart ripped right out of your chest.

I only finished Seven Devils a couple nights ago, but I’ve been thinking about it ever since. Boy, oh, boy, was it a wild ride! Equal parts feminism, humor, and gritty sci-fi action, this book is all kinds of awesome.

This story is told from the perspectives of five main characters: Clo (the mechanic), Eris (the rebel princess), Nyx (the soldier), Rhea (the courtesan), and Ariadne (the engineer). I’m not always a fan of alternating POVs, because usually I find one or more of the perspectives boring, but that certainly wasn’t the case with Seven Devils. All five characters contributed something different to the story, and they each had such interesting perspectives of the book’s vast sci-fi universe dictated by a vicious Empire. With five core characters, you’d think it’d be easy for all of those personalities to blur together, but by the end of the book, I found myself loving, admiring, and rooting for each of the five women. They all had individual strengths and weaknesses, but their flaws were what resulted in me really connecting with them.

The female relationships in this book were complex and refreshing as well. I love how Eris and Clo’s relationship went from friends, to enemies, to sort-of-friends again. They had a lot of barriers between them, but they still cared about one another deeply and would risk their lives for each other at any costs. Nyx and Ariadne’s relationship was sweet as well, and I love how they kind of had a mother-daughter thing going on. It was so heartwarming! The romance between Clo and Rhea was one I could root for, but I love how the authors made sure it didn’t take away from the overall plot.

The story is told mostly in the present, but there are numerous flashbacks to the past that pop up every few chapters. I’m so glad that the authors took the approach of including flashbacks in the book, as they were expertly written and deeply absorbing. Learning about each character’s past made my reading experience THAT much better. I have to admit it, I especially enjoyed the flashback chapters that were in Princess Discordia’s perspective. Her past was so interesting to read about, and it really helped set the dark, patriarchal atmosphere of the story. Discordia was easily my favorite character, probably because she was so complex. She spent her whole life being forced to be ruthless, cruel, and emotionless, but that didn’t stop her from standing up against the Empire and risking her life to do so. I loved how intricate her relationships with her brothers were, and it was so fascinating to see how her past influenced the choices she made throughout the book. Discordia was such a compelling character to read about, and I can’t wait to see how the rest of her story unfolds in book two.

Beyond characters, the world-building in Seven Devils was excellent. A lot of information was dumped on us within the first few chapters, but I found the politics of the world so interesting that I didn’t really mind. What surprised me about this book were the startling connections that could be made between the Empire and our own society. Not only is the Empire ruled with an iron fist, but it also wipes out anything and everything in its way of achieving Galactic domination. In the book, the Empire has slaughtered sentient life forms native to many planets, only to claim said planets for itself in order to gain more power, wealth, and resources. This reminds me much of our own planet’s history in many ways, and whether it was the authors’ intention to shed light on that or not, I highly respect them for doing so.

I ALSO respect the authors for including so much diversity in this book! Trans, bi, ace, and autistic rep? Yes please! The noteworthy themes of feminism and female strength were very empowering as well, and they’re largely why I loved this book so much! #smashthepatriachyinspace

Even if sci-fi isn’t your go-to genre, I’d still consider picking up this book. With strong female characters, an action-driven plot, a thoughtfully crafted setting, and refreshing diversity, there’s something for everybody!

Unapologetically feminist and endlessly thrilling, Seven Devils is a phenomenal start to what I’m sure is bound to be a fantastic science fiction duology!

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy to review!

And now...

HOLY. CHEESE. THAT... that was amazing. It was the feminist space opera of my dreams that I NEVER KNEW I NEEDED. It was so... Fantastic. I don’t know what else to say without spoiling anything! If you love Star Wars, but always wanted more from Princess Leia, or if you loved seeing the Ladies of Marvel in Endgame come together to protect Peter Parker, then yes. Yes. This is FOR YOU. And I hope that helps someone to pick up this book! I will be adding it to my ‘favorite space epics’ beside Illuminae Files for certain!

So, there’s an evil, genocidal, monolithic evil empire and a scrappy resistance...
Ah, heck with it. Just roll with it! It’s a good time and a fast read. There’s nothing wrong with a little light escapism!
It’s not a great book but it is a good time,