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aimlesscolleen's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? No
3.0
darktwistedreads's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Pretty good, I enjoyed it enough to want to continue the series.
The concept and world was amazing and some of the descriptions were beautiful.
Out of all the characters I'd say that Gray was probably my favorite. Brooding, sniper rifle carrying possible serial killer Gray lol
The banter was cute and the little found family vibes were good too.
Only thing I disliked was how slow the writing seemed to be. 336 pages and it felt like it was taking forever even when something exciting was happening.
The concept and world was amazing and some of the descriptions were beautiful.
Out of all the characters I'd say that Gray was probably my favorite. Brooding, sniper rifle carrying possible serial killer Gray lol
The banter was cute and the little found family vibes were good too.
Only thing I disliked was how slow the writing seemed to be. 336 pages and it felt like it was taking forever even when something exciting was happening.
snoopydoo77's review against another edition
4.0
*I received a free copy from the publisher and chose to leave a voluntary review. Thank you!*
This was my first book by Kit Rocha and I'm happy to report that it will not be the last. This book sounded very intriguing so I thought why not try them out now.
I liked the wold building, while it was way in the future, there were still things we know from out world. The rest was not too far out there that is was hard to believe. Overall it was pretty easy to get into and understand and even enjoy.
I liked Nina, she was smart and quirky, funny but also strong and didn't want to rely on anyone . There were a few things that were off but I could overlook it.
I liked her friends and friendship and what she would do to help those she holds dear, She is very loyal .
For the most part I liked Knox, but he had to grow ob me and sometimes I had to hard time trusting him, overall I liked it.
I loved the banter between the two of them their journey together,they sure did find their match within each other for sure.
Overall it was a very enjoying book with romance, humor and suspense all nicely packaged into one . I look forward to reading book two and more by this author.
heabooknerd's review against another edition
3.0
So, I have very mixed feelings about DEAL WITH THE DEVIL and that hurts because this was one of my most anticipated new releases of 2020. I'm a big fan of science fiction romance, especially post-apocalyptic or dystopian so from the description this was checking all my boxes. And when it comes to world building and setting I was thrilled. I really liked the world that Kit Rocha created and while the cover and marketing made me think it would be grittier I have no complaints when it comes to the setting. I would have loved to explore more of Atlanta and dig deeper into the way things have changed, so I look forward to this in future books.
I also really enjoyed the characters and liked their mix of badass and dangerous, but also a little soft-hearted. While Nina and Knox are our love interests and theoretically the main characters, there were times where the other team members upstaged them and it felt more like everyone was a main character. This isn't necessarily a complaint because we still get plenty of Nina and Knox but the story isn't really about just them.
So what were my problems? First, while I liked the setting and the characters I never felt that extra thing that grabs my attention and keeps me sucked into the story. I even read another book in-between chapters of this one because I just wasn't that attached to the story. I also expected a lot more librarian-ness considering the name of the series, the description, and the way this was being marketed. We're told that Nina, Dani, and Maya are information brokers and they smuggle, print, and sell books to earn some money. But it's kind of dropped for the rest of the book and this was a disappointment. It felt more like these women were just soldiers who happened to like books rather than librarians who could kick ass.
But my biggest problem is centered on the reveal of the villain and the events that occur afterward. I don't want to give too much away but when we realize who is blackmailing Knox and the Silver Devils it kind of ruins everything that's happened up to that point and for me the book really falls apart in the last 40%. Knox, Nina, and their teams have been traveling, supposedly to look for the Rogue Library of Congress servers but they're really moving closer and closer to the ambush Knox has agreed to in order to get back their kidnapped contact, Luna. However, I can't figure out why Knox's team was hired for this job because they weren't needed at all and there doesn't seem to be any reasoning behind why our villain set up their attack this way. I get why they were after Nina but not why they didn't just do the job themselves. Because of this it felt like that entire plot line was just a convenient way to create betrayal between Knox and Nina instead of an actual meaningful plot point.
Then comes the aftermath which really frustrated me. Both Knox and the villain do the wrong thing but their intentions and reasons are completely different. Knox is trying to save his kidnapped hacker who the Silver Devils need because she can fix their tech enhancement and prevent them from dying an incredibly painful death. The villain is mad at Nina and just wants to hurt her so they kidnap Luna, blackmail Knox into giving up the last of his humanity by sacrificing Nina for Luna and even makes Nina and Knox fight each other to see which team will be allowed to leave alive. Knox made bad decisions because he was trying to save his only family (of course by giving up Nina and I'm not excusing that) and he's plagued by guilt for the entire book about that decision. But the villain made bad decisions because they're cruel and wanted to hurt Nina and get back at her. And yet Nina forgives the villain for "reasons" but she can't bear to be around Knox anymore. And to be clear, I'm fine with her needing to sort out her feelings toward Knox and work through that but the fact that she forgives the villain immediately even though the villain shows no remorse for what they did was beyond annoying.
With all of that being said, I do plan to give the next book in the series a try because I am intrigued and I can see the potential even if it wasn't there for me with this one.
**ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review**
Content Warning: References to abuse and torture in the histories of several characters
I also really enjoyed the characters and liked their mix of badass and dangerous, but also a little soft-hearted. While Nina and Knox are our love interests and theoretically the main characters, there were times where the other team members upstaged them and it felt more like everyone was a main character. This isn't necessarily a complaint because we still get plenty of Nina and Knox but the story isn't really about just them.
So what were my problems? First, while I liked the setting and the characters I never felt that extra thing that grabs my attention and keeps me sucked into the story. I even read another book in-between chapters of this one because I just wasn't that attached to the story. I also expected a lot more librarian-ness considering the name of the series, the description, and the way this was being marketed. We're told that Nina, Dani, and Maya are information brokers and they smuggle, print, and sell books to earn some money. But it's kind of dropped for the rest of the book and this was a disappointment. It felt more like these women were just soldiers who happened to like books rather than librarians who could kick ass.
But my biggest problem is centered on the reveal of the villain and the events that occur afterward. I don't want to give too much away but when we realize who is blackmailing Knox and the Silver Devils it kind of ruins everything that's happened up to that point and for me the book really falls apart in the last 40%. Knox, Nina, and their teams have been traveling, supposedly to look for the Rogue Library of Congress servers but they're really moving closer and closer to the ambush Knox has agreed to in order to get back their kidnapped contact, Luna. However, I can't figure out why Knox's team was hired for this job because they weren't needed at all and there doesn't seem to be any reasoning behind why our villain set up their attack this way. I get why they were after Nina but not why they didn't just do the job themselves. Because of this it felt like that entire plot line was just a convenient way to create betrayal between Knox and Nina instead of an actual meaningful plot point.
Then comes the aftermath which really frustrated me. Both Knox and the villain do the wrong thing but their intentions and reasons are completely different. Knox is trying to save his kidnapped hacker who the Silver Devils need because she can fix their tech enhancement and prevent them from dying an incredibly painful death. The villain is mad at Nina and just wants to hurt her so they kidnap Luna, blackmail Knox into giving up the last of his humanity by sacrificing Nina for Luna and even makes Nina and Knox fight each other to see which team will be allowed to leave alive. Knox made bad decisions because he was trying to save his only family (of course by giving up Nina and I'm not excusing that) and he's plagued by guilt for the entire book about that decision. But the villain made bad decisions because they're cruel and wanted to hurt Nina and get back at her. And yet Nina forgives the villain for "reasons" but she can't bear to be around Knox anymore. And to be clear, I'm fine with her needing to sort out her feelings toward Knox and work through that but the fact that she forgives the villain immediately even though the villain shows no remorse for what they did was beyond annoying.
With all of that being said, I do plan to give the next book in the series a try because I am intrigued and I can see the potential even if it wasn't there for me with this one.
**ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review**
Content Warning: References to abuse and torture in the histories of several characters
podanotherjessi's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I was tempted to put this book down very early because it felt very cliche "ooh, look at this hot bad A woman in a tight tank top during the apocalypse" at the beginning. But I trust Rocha, so I pushed through that feeling, and I'm glad I did. The world building was really cool, and I want to learn more. The characters are really fun. It's a bit predictable, but that's a comfort sometimes. Overall, a fun time, and I look forward to continuing the series!
xx_jade_xx's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
This slapped and I will now be reading everything by Kit Rocha.
attackrat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
I have mixed feelings. There was a lot of good writing in this book, but there was also a lot of nonsense and things that didn’t make sense. The overall plot / big baddie was sort of disappointing and rushed, and honestly I didn’t like Knox or think he had any chemistry at all with Nina. But I love most of the characters!! The other pairings were lovely and I loved the other women but I unfortunately was stuck hearing about Knox for most of the time. And he is just boring :(
But there were moments in this book that sincerely moved me.Maya’s panic attack and her whole thing with Gray? Chef’s KISS. Knox’s voice coming through the comm while he’s comforting the hostage woman and being a lifeline to Nina after she was just hurt… good stuff. There is good character writing but the other parts just didn’t feel that real to me.
But there were moments in this book that sincerely moved me.
yourfairygodmother's review
adventurous
funny
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
4.25
I want more library!
I loved the characters and rooted for them in a big way. I’ll listen to the next one and look for more Kit Rocha
I loved the characters and rooted for them in a big way. I’ll listen to the next one and look for more Kit Rocha