The Empress by SJ Kincaid

yalitreader

June 11

Summary: Tyson is now the Emperor, and Nemesis will soon be his Empress. However, many other advisors are not on board with Tyson as Emperor with a non-human creature by his side, and they'll go to the most extreme lengths to put a stop to it.

Review: This was a disappointment. I didn't love it. Heck, I didn't even really like it all much. It was no Diabolic. This book was way too science fiction-y, which typically loses me and my interest.

One of my biggest annoyances was how lengthy this was. A lot of the stuff with the Interdict could've been taken out. I mean, I really didn't understand that plot at all honestly. I understood that he was kind of like their Jesus, but the whole purpose of him and his beliefs on technology versus nature were… confusing and uninteresting. I would've liked the book a whole lot more without that.

I did still enjoy Nemesis in the story. She was still interesting as a flawed protagonist, quite the anti-hero really. However, she did become a bit TOO lovey-dovey with Tyrus. It became slightly (heavily) annoying because it was soooooo different from where she had started the series, and I didn't love that.

Tyrus was also pretty interesting in this story. I kind of wish that the novel had been written in alternating POVs so that I could've seen more of his thoughts throughout. I was pretty fascinated by his back-and-forth of good and evil, and getting more insight to his psyche would've been intriguing. The back and forth plot twists about Tyrus's true intentions were interesting. I never really knew if he was good, bad, broken, whole. By the end, it was clear that he really was evil once he had killed Nemesis (though Neveni saves her), so I'm glad it was resolved nicely in this book and not dragged on.

While on the topic of Tyrus, his conflict with Pasus was interesting as well. It was a fun power struggle to explore, but again, I was glad that it got resolved by the end of the book. Pasus was a really good antagonist, though. He was perfectly malicious and evil, and I loved watching his downfall, though it did take awhile to happen. I'm excited that the antagonist role has now been passed onto Tyrus for the final book in the trilogy.

One thing about this whole series that I really dislike is the random planet-dwellers. I honestly care so little about them that I don't remember what they're actually called in the book. Anyways, I'm wondering if they'll have a larger role in the third book. Up to now, they've been mentioned a lot and used as a scapegoat, but they really haven't had any significant role in the story. There must be some larger plot significance with them I presume, so I'm just curious as to what that will be.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Recommended reader: Anyone who likes:

Science Fiction
Space
Elements of romance
Violence
Suspense
Time travel
Great villains

Reviews of Previous Books:

The Diabolic

Discussion Questions:

What role does the Interdict play in the universe? What is his importance to the Grandiloquy? What did the Interdict realize went wrong with his ruling and the way his followers interpreted his words?
How has Neveni changed from the beginning of the series to now? What has led her to change? Do you think there's any hope of her returning to the way she was, or is she too far gone? Explain your answer.
What control does Pasus have over Tyrus? What control does Tyrus have over Pasus? In the end, do either of them really WIN over the other? Explain your answer.
Do Tyrus and Nemesis truly love each other, or is it something else keeping them so close? Does one of them love their partner more than the other? What has led to the downfall of their relationship? How do you think it will impact both of them in the final book in the series?

Specifics of the book: