What's it about?

The Review

“Perhaps scorpions were the only ones who could save each other.

Whatever lay ahead, it would always be the two of us above the rest of the universe, and woe to any who dared step in our path.”

― S.J. Kincaid, The Diabolic

The Setting:

This book was set in space and if you're familiar with the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer then you will find the atmosphere really familiar in a sense. I can't put my finger on what it was exactly, but the whole time I was reading this I was constantly reminded of Meyer's series. Not that it's a good or bad thing, it's just something worth noting. The setting did play a role in a few scenes and it managed to add to the tension at times, but there was nothing that really stood out to me about the world they were living in. The only time I was paying attention to the setting was when they ended up on a planet called Lumina. The description of lightning bolts that set trees on fire was a great moment because it showed just how these people who lived on space ships were used to artificial living environments where things like bugs, rain and weather elements were created to suite specific needs and machinery that allowed them to emulate nature without the negative and uncontrollable elements that come along with it. Seeing nature organically from the perspective of Nemesis somehow reminded me of what a privilege and a risk it is to get to experience it at all. It just highlighted the beauty in a subtle moment that I enjoyed.

The characters:

Unfortunately, I think what bothered me the most about this book had to do with the characters. Diabolics like Nemesis, bonded with their owner and by doing so they protect them and love them (a weird form of love) with everything they had. The way this was written, however, had me recoiling from New Moon induced PTSD. The whole 'imprinting' aspect made things incredibly over dramatic at times and also a bit too predictable. I didn't like the relationship between Sidonia and Nemesis in the first half of the book, because Sidonia came off as incredibly childish and she came across as this 'object' that everyone needed to protect. As the story unfolded however the relationship became more natural. I didn't find it annoying anymore, but they didn't make me feel anything at all, which might be worse?

I enjoyed Cygna, the Emperor's mother. She was a worthier antagonist than the Emperor who in fact bored me with his incredibly dumb decisions. Like Geoffrey in GOT, only much less entertaining.

The character I liked most though is hands down Tyrus, the emperor's nephew. He didn't manage to surprise me, but he was the smartest potato and I applaud him for that. He also seemed the most developed. I was rooting for him and I was against him on various occasions. Basically, I just wanted to hug him lots.

Romance:

Okay, raise your hand if you didn't see this one coming from the first time Nemesis meets the love interest as a virtual Avatar. For the most part I wasn't against this relationship, but it did become annoying when everyone wanted to sacrifice their lives for Nemesis on several occasions. I don't know, does not wanting to die make you a bad person? Because that's the feeling I got from this story. Everyone wanted to die at some stage or they wanted to sacrifice their life for someone who was constantly trying to become a sacrifice.

The actual relationship in the story that was focused on however did make me feel the things which was great, but in a second love kind of way. Like I enjoyed it, but it didn't blow me away and I don't think it will last either despite the many declarations of undying love...

Final thoughts:

It took me a long time to get into this one and even once I got into it, I wasn't exactly blown away. It had lots of tropes that a less avid reader might see and really enjoy, but it just wasn't the ruthless heart pounding story that I thought I had signed up for.

Who should read the book?

If you don't read that much Science Fiction Fantasy then you might find this book really entertaining. If I couldn't see the twists for what they were I would have had a much better time with this read. Also, if you find the first half to drag a little but you don't like not finishing books then hold on until the second half and I promise you you'll be so much more entertained.

1. Anyway.....Firstly, I have to start with one of the most necessary and tickworthy things on this list. And oh boy, will this be great for my mental health and my sanity in 2018. As of February 1^st, 2018, I will officially be moving out of the house that I’ve been sharing with three other boys for the past year of my life. That’s right, I’m finally going to have my own space, and eventhough it’s but small, it will be fierce as hell hahaha. Most of you might not understand my eagerness, but if you have any male siblings or if you’ve ever had to share your space with strangers then you’ll get it and I’m sure you’re crying happy tears for me right now – they are very much appreciated <3

1. Secondly, and maybe the most important thing on this list that has to do with my future career prospects. I won’t go into detail, because I have way too much to say and to be honest, I don’t know you well enough to be baring my soul right now, sorry about that. Maybe once I’ve reached goal number five on this list (not a spoiler).This goal can be shortened into one sentence; Not where I am today, but where I’ve found I want to be.
2. I have to follow that very dramatic one liner with a goal that combines career growth and personal growth elements. Ah yes, This goal involves me finally finishing the novel I wrote during Nanowrimo last year. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was when I first came upon the idea for The Wolf and The Owl. I ploughed through the first half of writing it as fast as I possibly could while drinking copious amounts of coffee and energy drinks to keep the momentum going late into the evening. Now, I’ve made it to the dreaded middle point and I need to force myself to sit down and get the words done. I don’t feel too bad though, because I know that this happens. It’s a thing, and I’m not crazy or stupid or lazy... I’m doing a normal thing, but I still need to get the hell over it because it might be normal in the sense that we all experience this passivity, but there’s no way around it if you don’t get through it. So number three, is to finish writing, editing, and getting my WIP beta read by readers. It’s a lot, but if you’re going to dream you might as well dream big. Amiright??
3. Of course, this would also be on my list, as I’m sure you all predicted. Give yourself a cookie, because this girl needs to finish her TBR pile! Or at least get 50 books read this year. That’s not too ambitious, I’ve seen some incredible Goodreads goals that I know people will completely annihilate, but I will eat my humble pie and just do the best I can with the time that I have available. 
4. With that being said... My blog you guys!! I’m really making it my goal to get this blog to work like a well oiled machine, where I upload two posts a week. They can be posts about anything, as long as I continue to force myself to do the things that I love. I love writing about books and reading books or posts about books, but I always convince myself that I need to focus on the things that matter in the ‘real world’. Like work deadlines, getting enough rest for the work week or whatever else I can think of at the time. Yes, those things are important, but so is this community and so are the things that bring me joy. It’s easy to get too stressed when you’re starting out in your career. You’re constantly wondering if you’re doing enough, if what you’re doing will help you maintain your lifestyle and carve out a way of becoming your livelihood. Things become messy and sometimes you just want to push aside the things that aren’t that urgent, because you believe that the more stressful something is, the more important it must be. This is wrong, this is not healthy and I’m not condoning it this year. My goal for 2018 is to focus on the things that make me happy, to take pictures of books, to review books, meet more people in this community and to continue sharing the love with anyone willing and excited enough to listen.

It's funny how our very first decision in life was based on hope. A hope that we wouldn't fall, that we'd make friends on the first day of school, that the boy we liked actually liked us back, and some 20 odd years later... We'd still be here, hoping that all those decisions we made, with the little we knew of what was still to come in the future - would eventually lead us to where we want to be - now that we do have most of the answers, but the time for choosing has passed.
I think about this more than I probably should and it continues to blow my mind that I could be someone completely different if I had chosen differently.
One thing that would be the same though, no matter where I ended up or who else I could have been. I would still be somewhere, hoping that I somehow made the right choices..🦉🍃🍃🍃

'I truly love you' Anna thought as she lay awake next to Peter, his chest rising and falling to the rhythm of her own. A smile tugs at her lips as a tiny snore rippled through his body, it was the kind of snoring she could wake up to every morning. She caught herself smiling and staring at him unaware so often it made her nervous. Even though they had been together for more than two years she could never get rid of that nervous feeling. The one you get when you realize that you actually had something to lose, something other people would want. Because who wouldn't want to wake up to this, the snoring, the love, the feeling of contentment.No, she had reason to be nervous. The smile slipped from her lips as she thought about the way she was looking at him, the way she always looked at him. As if he was the sun. As if he held the most beautiful constellations in his eyes. As if he were a cosmic explosion, terrifyingly beautiful, possibly unreal, something she could fall and disappear into. Her chest grew tight and she fought against the negative thoughts that tried to slip into her mind, the ones that asked what if and until. No, she pushed them all the way to the back of her mind, leaned in closer and kissed him lightly on the lips before she turned back around and drowned in the bliss of his snoring, the love, the feeling of contentment...

'I don't want to wake up' Peter thought as he felt Anna's eyes on him and the light kiss she placed on his lips before she mercifully turned around and went back to sleep. More than two years of waking up next to someone held a lot of room for repetitiveness. That's what his life has become, a series of rituals and habits. He would wake up and tell her that he loved her even though he wasn't sure he still knew what that meant or if it was true or not. Wasn't love something you were supposed to want to wake up to? He opened his eyes slowly, making sure that Anna wouldn't see that he was awake because he needed the time to himself. A time before the lying begins. He looks at the hairs curled down the nape of her neck, the steady movement of her breathing and wondered when the thought of her next to him stopped making him happy. She always looked so content and happy when she saw him, her eyes practically lit up. He wished he could tell her to just stop, stop loving me! Stop taking away reasons I can use to leave you. Because he wants to leave so badly but he knows if he does it would break her and you can't just break someone if they don't give you a reason to. Or could you? At this point he didn't even care about it that much. She would be leaving soon and then he could break her. It would be easier over the phone anyway he thought as he pictured her tear stained face, the betrayal in her eyes as her soul turned bitter in front of him. No, he would wait. He could deal with a few more days of false I love you's and the repetitiveness of it all. Peter closed his eyes and turned away from her. Cursing the fact that he couldn't see the same stars in her eyes that he knew she saw in his. She wasn't his sun and she wasn't made out of constellations. She was soggy bread eaten out of hunger next to dying candle light. Necessary but not enough, never enough.