{Review/Giveaway} NEMESIS by Anna Banks

IF I WERE NOT SUCH A coward, I would hurl myself from Nuna's back and plummet to the Underneath below. i would fall with purpose, headfirst on the rockiest part of the land. From this height, it would be painless. It would be swift./It would prevent war.

(Page 1, US sampler edition)

“Wise, brave Sepora. You were brave enough to flee from tyranny in Serubel and brave enough to jump from the Half Bridge and brave enough to withstand the pitiable advances of a foolish boy king. I have faith that you will find the wisdom to this conundrum you have unfurling inside you.”

~Tarik, NEMESIS

I really liked Anna Banks' debut Syrena Legacy trilogy (mermaids!!!), and when I heard that she was branching in a new direction with a duology full of political intrigue and warring kingdoms, and enemies in love, I was like, gimme, gimme. Thankfully, NEMESIS doesn't disappoint, and I'm so excited to pick up the concluding book ALLY next year because the way things ENDED!!!

Princess Sepora has fled her kingdom and let go of her princess title. If she stays, she will help her father obliterate the four remaining kingdoms surrounding them. She is a Forger, with the ability to produce the rare and highly sought-after Spectorium that has made her kingdom rich. Her Forging abilities are what allow her father to seek more control. Sepora decides to fake her death and flee to a life where she is in control of her own future. However, her escape doesn't go as planned. She's captured in the enemy nation Theoria and winds up working in the Falcon King's household. The King, Tarik, is mourning the loss of his father to a quiet, deadly plague, and struggling to step into his new role and lead his kingdom. Research has shown him that only Spectorium can cure the plague, but for some reason, the King of Serubel has stopped trading it. His daughter has committed suicide, so Tarik can't even ask for her hand in marriage to start trade going again. When Sepora and Tarik cross paths, they will change one another's lives forever...

I really liked all of the interesting twists and lore thrown into NEMESIS. Syrena Legacy fans, rejoice! While there aren't mer-folk swimming around in NEMESIS, there's a really interesting underwater race called the Parani that may prove to be Theoria's saviour. There are also great Serpen creatures reminiscent of dragons, and they have various abilities, including Sight. Sepora mourns the loss of her Serpen Nuna, when she is forced to flee, and has to help Tarik train a captured Serpen in order to prevent it from returning to Serubel and her father's control. Once in Theoria, Sepora encounters Lingots, truthtellers who can expose her lies if she isn't careful. And of course, Spectorium!!! Sepora's ability to produce this precious silvery substance can change the world. It can destroy a kingdom. It can save a nation. It can do so much, and she must be very careful not to reveal her gift to the wrong people. Her father already tried to take over the world with it. She knows the Falcon King needs Spectorium to cure a plague, and though she finds herself falling for Tarik, she can't bring herself to reveal her secrets. Lingots, Forgers...what other types of people with abilities exist in this world?? I just really liked the unique features in NEMESIS that set it apart from other books.

I also appreciated the way the romance was more of a slow-burn and not full of insta-love. Plus, there are still so many obstacles to overcome!! I really can't wait to see if Sepora and Tarik can bypass these hurdles in ALLY and follow them on the rest of their journey. Both are flawed, imperfect characters, but that makes them feel so much more real to me. I also liked the asides where Sepora compares Tarik to her father and finds her father lacking. Tarik is also really good with small children, and these scenes just endear him even more to me. We get to see a lot of both characters through split POV chapters. Interestingly, Sepora's chapters are in first-person and Tarik's are in third-person. While this makes telling them apart easier, it's also a little weird (for me) to constantly go back and forth between the two formats!

Another thing I enjoyed was the world-building.I liked the way Theoria and its Pharaoh managed to feel so very Egyptian! There's also a gorgeous scene where Tarik takes Sepora to overlook the beauty of Anyar. The elements used to describe the city are absolutely gorgeous. Some scenes from books resonate in my memory and I come back to them again and again (Like that starry lake in A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas? So beautiful!!!) This scene will be another to add to my collection of beauty worth returning to.

If you're a fantasy fan, NEMESIS is a worthy new contender in the category and well worth picking up when it debuts next week!

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C O N T E N T R A T I N G S

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details

Romance: PG ( Kissing. There's some sensual phrasing, such as "want," but there's nothing graphic in the scene itself )

Language: --
Violence: G ( Sepora is brought the bloody eyes of a Serpen in order to "see" what it has seen. )

Other: PG13 ( Tarik's father had a harem, and it is commented on that he never visits them. Sepora is sold into slavery and bought to be a "bed warmer" and winds up in Tarik's harem, but manages to change her circumstances without incident. There is also talk of being a mistress/concubine, and how Sepora doesn't want that for her future. It is also mentioned in passing that Sepora's father has beat her bloody in the past. )

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C O V E R   D E S I G N:

At first, I wasn't sure what I thought of this cover.

Also, when I read it at work on my lunch break, I got a few comments about the cover and what people (wrongly) I thought it was about based on that.

But this cover actually makes a LOT of sense in context when you've read. There are REASONS her skin is gleaming silver like that.

I also think the background is really interesting. I have a feeling there will be a lot of fun effects on the hardcover edition of this book and can't wait to see it!

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O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title: NEMESIS

Author: Anna Banks

Release Date: Oct. 4, 2016

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends // Macmillan
Received: Borrowed

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27414431-nemesis

Purchase Links:

Amazon | B&N
Pre-Order*: BookDepository
*Pre-orders will receive an exclusive NEMESIS print and a NEMESIS bath bomb.

SUMMARY:

The princess didn't expect to fall in love--with her nemesis.

Princess Sepora of Serubel is the last Forger in all the five kingdoms. The spectorium she creates provides energy for all, but now her father has found a way to weaponize it, and his intentions to incite war force her to flee from his grasp. She escapes across enemy lines into the kingdom of Theoria, but her plans to hide are thwarted when she is captured and placed in the young king's servitude.

Tarik has just taken over rulership of Theoria, and must now face a new plague sweeping through his kingdom and killing his citizens. The last thing he needs is a troublesome servant vying for his attention. But mistress Sepora will not be ignored. When the two finally meet face-to-face, they form an unlikely bond that complicates life in ways neither of them could have imagined.

Sepora's gift could save Tarik's kingdom from the Quiet Plague. But should she trust her growing feelings for her nemesis, or should she hide her gifts at all costs?

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About the Author

NYT Bestselling YA author of The Syrena Legacy series: OF POSEIDON (2012), OF TRITON (2013), OF NEPTUNE (2014).

Repped by rockstar Lucy Carson of the Friedrich Agency.

I live with my husband and daughter in the Florida Panhandle. I have a southern accent compared to New Yorkers, and I enjoy food cooked with real fat. I can’t walk in high heels, but I’m very good at holding still in them. If you put chocolate in front of me, you must not have wanted it in the first place.

Favorite Books:

Shatter Me, Cinder, Linger, Shiver, Forever, Pushing the Limits, Unravel Me,Shadow and Bone, Enclave, Divergent, Candor, Graceling, Fire, The Hunger Games Trilogy, The Host, Most of James Patterson, and Janet Evanovich makes me laugh through my nose in an unfeminine sort of way.

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