Seven Devils
From the Sunday Times bestselling authors Elizabeth May and L. R. Lam
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES TOP FIVE BESTSELLER
'Moves at a cracking pace and, with neat plot twists and cliffhangers, is page-turning fun' Guardian
Seven resistance fighters will free the galaxy from the ruthless Empire - or die trying.
After Eris faked her death, she thought she had left her old life as Princess Discordia - heir to the galaxy's most ruthless empire - behind. But joining the Novantaen Resistance, an organisation opposed to the Empire's voracious expansion, throws her right back into the fray.
Resistance fighter pilot Clo has been given a mission: infiltrate an Empire spaceship ferrying deadly cargo to gain vital intelligence. A task made all the more difficult when she's forced to partner with an old enemy - Princess Discordia herself, Eris.
They discover more than they bargained for on the ship: fugitives with first-hand knowledge of the Empire's inner workings. With this information, these women might just bring the Empire to its knees. But the clock is ticking: Eris's brother Damocles, new heir to the throne, plans to disrupt a peace summit with the only remaining free alien people, ensuring the Empire's total domination. Unless this band of unlikely rebels stops him, millions will die . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This first collaboration from Lam (Goldilocks) and May (The Falconer) revels in the frenetic energy of its girl power infused, space operatic premise but suffers from overwritten worldbuilding and underwritten characters. Eris, the former heir to the Tholosian imperial throne, and Clo, a mechanic raised on an imperial farmworld, both recently defected from the empire to join the Novantea resistance, becoming key operatives and bitter rivals. They're assigned to intercept a mysterious Tholosian cargo ship that resistance commanders notice because of its disproportionate security. Yet Eris and Clo conveniently encounter only two badly trained guards when they infiltrate the ship's hangar. As their mission continues, they acquire more team members, all painted in broad, badass strokes: there's Ariadne, the engineer; Rhea, the courtesan; Nyx, the soldier; Kyla, the resistance commander; and Cato, the pilot. The points of view multiply with each expansion of the cast, and the story jumps through time to accommodate their backstories, leading to narrative confusion. Still, a cliff-hanger ending will have readers eager for the next installment. This epic, if occasionally bumpy, voyage will appeal to fans of underdog stories and bombastic feminist sci-fi.
