How far would you go to save the ones you love?
Deal with the Devil is set in the not-so-distant future (2086), and is far too believable. After a solar flare wipes out the United States' infrastructure, large companies begin to unofficially rule over large geographic regions. Many humans are genetically enhanced or have implants to vastly improve their speed, power, reflexes, and minds. The story is primarily told from two points-of-view, Nina, the fearless leader of a trio of women striving to make their neighborhood better, and Knox, the Captain of the Silver Devils, a rogue group of Protectorate soldiers. The Devils receive a ransom demand from an unknown sender: deliver Nina alive or Luna, their friend, will die. Sounds status quo, right? Wrong. Not only is Luna their friend, but she also is the only person that can save the Silver Devils' lives as their implants begin to degrade. Thus ensues the plan to lure Nina and her friends to whomever is behind Luna's kidnapping via a fake promise of the holy grail of libraries.
There was so much about this book that I loved. The authors gave each supporting character the opportunity to be the narrator, helping me as a reader to get to know more about them and their motivations. I appreciated the logs/file notes shared at the beginning of each chapter, and I would go back and re-read them as I learned more. I felt that Nina and Knox were well-suited for each other, and I feel that the initial deception added another layer to the story. I loved Nina's compassion; the flashbacks with her sisters truly fleshed out her character. There were only two things that I wasn't a fan of. First, there was far too much sexual tension between Nina and Knox at the beginning of the book. I felt that there were sentences added in that could have been removed and the story would not have been impacted. Second, I was somewhat let down by the scene when they meet the unknown villain. So much time was spent building the tension, and I didn't feel like his/her motives were every truly explained.
I truly enjoyed this book, and cannot wait for the next installment in the series to come out. 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. Thank you to Bookish First and Tor Books for the Advance Reading Copy.
Deal with the Devil is set in the not-so-distant future (2086), and is far too believable. After a solar flare wipes out the United States' infrastructure, large companies begin to unofficially rule over large geographic regions. Many humans are genetically enhanced or have implants to vastly improve their speed, power, reflexes, and minds. The story is primarily told from two points-of-view, Nina, the fearless leader of a trio of women striving to make their neighborhood better, and Knox, the Captain of the Silver Devils, a rogue group of Protectorate soldiers. The Devils receive a ransom demand from an unknown sender: deliver Nina alive or Luna, their friend, will die. Sounds status quo, right? Wrong. Not only is Luna their friend, but she also is the only person that can save the Silver Devils' lives as their implants begin to degrade. Thus ensues the plan to lure Nina and her friends to whomever is behind Luna's kidnapping via a fake promise of the holy grail of libraries.
There was so much about this book that I loved. The authors gave each supporting character the opportunity to be the narrator, helping me as a reader to get to know more about them and their motivations. I appreciated the logs/file notes shared at the beginning of each chapter, and I would go back and re-read them as I learned more. I felt that Nina and Knox were well-suited for each other, and I feel that the initial deception added another layer to the story. I loved Nina's compassion; the flashbacks with her sisters truly fleshed out her character. There were only two things that I wasn't a fan of. First, there was far too much sexual tension between Nina and Knox at the beginning of the book. I felt that there were sentences added in that could have been removed and the story would not have been impacted. Second, I was somewhat let down by the scene when they meet the unknown villain. So much time was spent building the tension, and I didn't feel like his/her motives were every truly explained.
I truly enjoyed this book, and cannot wait for the next installment in the series to come out. 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. Thank you to Bookish First and Tor Books for the Advance Reading Copy.