Seven Mercies | Book 2 of Seven Devils | ARC Review

I actually got approved for both the US and UK editions so here we are. Thank you to DAW Books and Gollancz and Netgalley for the review copies in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway!

 Book: Seven Mercies (Seven Devils 2) by Elizabeth May and Laura Lam
Release Date: January 25th/January 20th 2020
Tags: Adult | Sci-Fi | Royalty | Family | Rebellion | Contagion | LGBTQ+ | F/F Relationship | Disability |
Trigger/Content Warnings: Mentioned Loss of Limb | Mass Death | Contagion | Self-Sacrifice | Suicide
Other books in this series I reviewed
Seven Devils

After an ambush leaves the Novantae resistance in tatters, the survivors scatter across the galaxy. Wanted by two great empires, the bounty on any rebel’s head is enough to make a captor filthy rich. And the seven devils? Biggest score of them all. To avoid attacks, the crew of Zelus scavenge for supplies on long-abandoned Tholosian outposts.

Not long after the remnants of the rebellion settle briefly on Fortuna, Ariadne gets a message with unimaginable consequences: the Oracle has gone rogue. In a planned coup against the Empire’s new ruler, the AI has developed a way of mass programming citizens into mindless drones. The Oracle’s demand is simple: the AI wants its daughter back at any cost.

Time for an Impossible to Infiltrate mission: high chance of death, low chance of success. The devils will have to use their unique skills, no matter the sacrifice, and pair up with old enemies. Their plan? Get to the heart of the Empire. Destroy the Oracle. Burn it all to the ground.

I love it when authors can wrap up their story in two books. Especially as this was written by two authors. The challenge of keeping out all the things is real then. But nothing one has to worry about here. Elizabeth May and Laura Lam write a tight story with seven characters.

It took me a little while to find my bearing again with this story. Remembering where all 7 devils fit in and then the extra rebellion side characters that were mentioned. I would have loved a bit of a recap here on who was who. But I figured it out.

This story still focuses on the characters more than the action. There is time taken for the important bonding moments. And how to rid ourselves of our programming. How to fight and make our own choices. As someone currently going through therapy to see how my family’s history affected my upbringing and to figure out how to break free from all of that, I really appreciated that. I wanted to hold the hand of all our seven devils and squeeze them when times got hard.

I also appreciated how the story changed with the addition of the Oracle becoming the dangerous one and how our youngest devil had something to do with that. And yet our thornly ruler wasn’t ruled out as the enemy either. I loved seeing something of another species as well as their planet.

All in all this was just a worthy conclusion to an ass kicking, mostly, female crew space adventure with so much characterization to make you fall in love with each and every character.