Reviews

Seven Devils by L.R. Lam, Elizabeth May

fin_pilot's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

qkat's review

2.0

Tried, but couldn’t finish this book. Too predictable and lost interest. Just not my cup of tea.

alex_conners's review

adventurous hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I was riding along at a solid 3.5 for most of this book. The last 100 pages had me bump it up. I really did not think Eris was going to be captured and that Sher was going to be compromised. We spend most of the book thinking Damocles somewhat incompetent, or at least obvious in his plans. I wasn't expecting the long con from him in terms of catching the rebels. I desperately want to know how a leader of the resistance was compromised so well no one noticed for a period of months at least.

I'm so invested I'll be reading the sequel immediately.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia and Classism

Moderate: War

Minor: Transphobia, Torture, Colonisation, and Genocide

hellybobs's review against another edition

5.0

You had me at "feminist space opera".

I bloody love a good space opera anyway, but throw in some epic female leads, fantastic explorations of different types of relationships (romance, friends and family), a universe in peril and you've got me hooked.

The first book of this gripping duology follows a group of resistance fighters, from different backgrounds, coming together to fight against the Tholosion Empire who have been destroying other worlds, civilisations and races for centuries.

Each chapter is told from a different character's POV, cleverly weaving the storylines together as the characters come together.

We have fantastic queer lead characters, a trans character - whose existence and narrative is not based on being trans, she just is, and she kicks ass, and women supporting women. We love to see it.

I can't wait for the next book to continue this amazing story.

*Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

jflorencemartin's review

5.0

Queer women!! Kicking ass!!! in SPACE!!

But also: fantastic character work, a high-stakes adventure, gorgeous and unique worldbuilding, and deep thematic relevance to modern cultural issues! Really, what more can even I ask for?

amybraunauthor's review against another edition

5.0

Ten stars!! This book is my new obsession. It starts off with a bang and nabbed me almost instantly. It is now one of my favourite sci fi books and I’m going to be stuck here waiting and waiting until the next book comes out.

Everything about Seven Devils is perfection. Its characters are all distinct, diverse, and powerful in their own right. I love them all dearly. Eris is the leader and carries a dark past. Clo is resourceful and tough. Rhea is a dream. Aridane is a treasure. Nyx is fierce and I want to give her a hug, but she probably wouldn’t appreciate it.

The best thing about these characters is that the found family they create. It takes time and there is definitely drama and tension as secrets and dark pasts make themselves known, but they genuinely care for each other and form one of the best sisters-by-heart bonds that I’ve ever seen.

The story is compelling, a blend of sci fi, action, mystery, and political drama. There are plenty of moving parts, but authors May and Lam forge them together seamlessly. I never felt bored, never felt confused, never wanted to do anything but keep hearing these complex stories from powerful women overcoming truly terrible circumstances.

And the villains! The villains were diabolical, and made the ending even more shocking. I was on the edge of my seat by the end and literally have no idea where it will go from here. But I can’t wait to find out!

Seven Devils is an absolute blast from start to finish. It has everything you could ever want from a space drama and is packed with powerful characters who will inspire everyone. A must have for all readers who want to dive into an eclectic crew’s story, and follow them through danger across the stars.

themanfromdelmonte's review

1.0

You could see this being serialised in Astounding like something by E E ‘Doc’ Smith. The author throws empires and galaxies around as if the Golden Age never ended,
It reads like they gave a chatbot The Bumper Book of Space Opera Clichés. I mean, seriously, who writes this stuff?
This should have a reading age of 8-12 and possibly a health warning.

frank_atlas's review

adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

4.25

lillanaa's review

5.0

This book was just fun, an amalgamation of cool science fiction, awesome aliens, and interesting heroines. While it may start slow, when the action starts picking up it keeps going and going until the end. The characters are awesome, and having multiple perspectives throughout helps understand what they're actually going through in the moment; though I will say the flipping time periods threw me off a little at first, it works as the story grows. I ended up actually loving having some kind of insight into backstory here and there without it feeling like a lore dump, a character spilling information to another close to the end of the book, it filled in the gaps perfectly.

The characters were definitely my favourite part of this one, their ambitions clashing while also working together so well. Having so many different narratives going at once helps keep the tone fresh without feeling overwhelming, and there were never moments of "who am I reading about right now" with how the characters differed, something difficult to accomplish generally with a large cast like this.

Ultimately, I loved this one, bringing the best of some of my favourite tropes, I'm excited for the sequel!

thebooklovingpanda's review against another edition

4.0

She looked out at the stars and planned her next game.
Queens kill king.

4.5 stars

If you enjoyed 'Six of Crows' or 'Star Wars', you'll probably like this one too! 'Seven Devils' boasts an epic interstellar journey of resistance and undercover ops against the totalitarian Tholosian Empire, over which stands the watchful gaze of the Oracle (also known as One), an AI program that brainwashes and surveils the regions under Tholosian rule. There are also distinct, diverse characters, including BIPOC, disabled, trans, queer, neurodivergent characters, which is both important to their characterisation (for example, attention is paid to how Cloelia's prosthetic leg affects her daily life) but it is not all they are. (Note: the racism/xenophobia in this book is not based on skin colour, but rather a fear of alien superpowered abilities.) 'Seven Devils' also has an irresistible found-family dynamic with excellent banter!

'Don't make me regret this,' Clo grumbled.
'Don't be an asshole,' Eris sang back.
'Assholes are warm and sensitive,' Clo returned.

The gang's personalities are all so different and makes for some truly hilarious exchanges.

'[I]f that thing is dangerous,' Clo [asked], 'what would happen to us?'
'Oh, who knows?' Ariadne gave a dismissive wave of a gloved hand. 'But some substances can make you really sick from organ and bone marrow damage. Or you might start hemorrhaging. Or you can become incapacitated and eventually die. It's like a surprise! Only the surprise is your death and how quickly it happens.'
'I shouldn't have asked.'

It was a bit of a rocky start with this one - a flood of place and people names, a few info-dumps that were interesting but still info-dumps, and plot-wise, a relatively slow beginning. During introspective passages, some lines felt a little overdramatic but once the stakes shot up, these lines fit much better. Once 'Seven Devils' gets going, it really digs its claws into you and keeps you hooked. The last quarter in particular was a slew of rocketing plot twists and high octane scene flow.

The world-building is quite intricate, built up through flashbacks and *ahem* the aforementioned info-dumps, and everyone's backstories are similarly layered in complexity. (Even the antagonist develops too - at least from our original concept of them - and I anticipate we may get some more of their backstory in the sequel.) Flashbacks take place as whole chapters, which I think is smart as it's a lot less confusing than having random backstory passages in the middle of a stressful present-day scene, but it does make the plot seem like it's slower than it actually is.

Their backstories built character depth, especially for Eris/Discordia. Eris used to be Princess Discordia, (also known as General Discordia), Heir to a brutal Empire that demands its potential rulers to kill all but one of their siblings (the Spare) in order to earn their place as successor. Eris/Discordia was my favourite, utterly fascinating and compelling in her character arc. She's particularly interesting because most of her character arc has already taken place before this book, in the years leading up to her faking her death and defecting to the Resistance.

Change the damn Empire, Discordia. Make it yours. Make it better.

While there was a sweet sapphic romance blossoming between two other characters (Cloelia and Rhea), the bond I was most invested in was the sibling love between Eris/Discordia and her gentle brother Xander, so different to her other brother Damocles, the present-day Heir. The crumbs of Xander's story, scattered throughout Eris' flashbacks, built up his bond with her until I grieved him too, despite Xander never appearing in the present-day. I actually wept real tears.

Discordia wanted Xander to live. She wanted him to live more than she wanted to rule an empire.

By virtue of having characters with wildly different backgrounds, 'Seven Devils' could address several themes quite well. For example, through Eris/Discordia and another character, Ariadne, the difference between toxic love (from their parents) and healthy love is illustrated.

Even if her father cared about her in his own way, it was destructive. Toxic... It was Xander who had truly cared for her. His affection had not come with pain.

It also portrays the dangers of nationalism, institutionalised violence and heteronormative, binary thinking.

This is what the Empire did: forced you to become complicit in the dehumanization of others... Nationalism cultivated prejudice. Everyone here was fighting against their own upbringing.

The Oracle forces people into neat little boxes because One only understands order. But humans are messy. We are not binary; we don't exist in ones and zeroes. This or that.

I have some remaining questions, like how Eris first came to the resistance, why Discordia and Damocles are blonde versus their 49 other brunette siblings, but I trust these will be addressed in the sequel. The final line was absolutely amazing. Gave me literal chills. I am SO excited for the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gollancz for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!