Devils Like Us

Devils Like Us #1

by L.T. Thompson

Our Flag Means Death meets The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue in this YA historical fantasy about three queer teens and their found family of queer pirates facing down a secret magical society.

Remy wants to rescue her father.
Cas wants to finally be himself.
Finn wants to get the girl.

Nineteenth-century Massachusetts high society isn't kind to anyone who doesn't conform to its norms. For years, Remy, Cas, and Finn have done their best to blend in. But when they find themselves targeted by an evil magical society, they'll have to find the strength to stand out.

When a prophetic vision sets the three of them on a collision course, they embark on a journey that will take them aboard a ship of queer smugglers, into the path of a demon, and inside a sinister stronghold of dark magic. Together, they'll confront hidden secrets and face deadly odds-and, hopefully, find out who they truly are.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Queer, Historical Fiction, LGBT, Audiobook, Historical

Unknown Binding

First published June 3, 2025

Reviews

[Rick Riordan]

I found this book thanks to an article in The Boston Globe. Devils Like Us had just been honored at the Stonewall Awards, and the book takes place largely in Massachusetts back in the Age of Sail. The premise involved queer buccaneers on a magical adventure, and since one of the comps was Our Flag Means Death, how could I not give it a try? I'm so glad I did!

The story revolves around three young protagonists -- Cas, Remy and Finn -- who become entangled in a dark and dangerous mystery involving a secret society that seems to be kidnapping and disappearing people in search of some occult power.

Cas is a young lady of society, but has always chafed against the restrictions put upon her. When she gets the chance to go on an adventure to save a kidnapped friend, and decides to dress as a man to make the journey easier, she quickly realizes being a man isn't a disguise for her. It's who she is meant to be, who *he* is meant to be. Cas has a more dangerous secret, though. He has visions of the future -- specifically, visions of death that always come true -- and he isn't sure who he can trust with this knowledge.

Remy's father disappeared years ago under strange circumstances, leaving the family to fend for themselves, and Remy now spends all effort and time trying to figure out what happened to him. He was being watched by the nefarious local Reverend Dekker, who seems to be part of the Order of Lazarus, but what does the Order want, and why would they have taken Remy's father? To find out, she must join forces with her friend Finn and her former best friend Cas, who inadvertently ruined their relationship when Cas told Remy one of her visions of death . . . about Remy's dad.

Finn is a local house maid, an Irish immigrant with no family except her brother. She is scrappy and tough, and has a reputation for "corrupting" other young women in town, but Finn is starting to wonder if her sexual orientation is really going to send her to Hell, as the religious prelates have always preached. She is fiercely loyal and brave, and is happy to help Remy in her investigations about her father's disappearance. Finn just wishes she wasn't becoming quite so attracted to Remy romantically. Remy knows about Finn's various flings and doesn't seem to care, but a true relationship with her would be impossible, wouldn't it? Finn also has her own magical secrets, but to find out more, you'll have to read . . .

Once the trio of heroes boards the ship Memento Mori, bound for the isolated island where the Order of Lazarus has its headquarters, they fall in with a crew of wonderfully divergent rogues and outcasts, and find something they never expected -- a community where they can be themselves. The only problem now is whether any of them will live long enough to enjoy it.

This is a tightly constructed adventure, told from three alternating points of view, and each protagonist is wonderfully realized and fully sympathetic. Interlocking mysteries unfold one after the other, pulling the reader forward, as we come to know and love our heroes and the whole cast aboard the Memento Mori. In exploring gender and sexuality during the Age of Sail, Thompson has done solid research, and gives us a reminder that the human condition has always been broader and more diverse than the strictures of "proper society" would have us believe. Those who don't fit into the mainstream must find their place in the world through other means -- and this voyage into the unknown on a ship full of outsiders is a perfect metaphor for found family. The second volume in this story comes out later this year and I've already pre-ordered it!

[Muffinsandbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’ai adoré ! C’était bien écrit, original, hyper addictif, avec une ambiance un peu sombre et très prenante… et surtout j’ai tellement aimé les personnages, leur profondeur, les messages forts qu’ils permettaient de faire passer, le found family incroyable, les émotions qu’ils m’ont fait ressentir… vraiment je suis tombée amoureuse de Cas, de Rémy, de Finn. Excellente lecture grâce à ce premier tome !!

[Ditte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.25

This was such a great read, I really enjoyed it. YA historical fiction with magic and demons, alongside queer pirate found family and a whole lot of self-discovery for all three MCs.

Lots of queer and diverse rep both among the MCs and their new pirate family which was great.

The ending felt slightly underwhelming but I also only realized at around 97% into the audiobook that this was to be part of a series lol. I'll definitely be reading the next book when it's out, I'm not ready to say goodbye to Cas, Finn or Remy!

[Natasha Niezgoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was SOOO good! I want the sequel IMMEDIATELY!!

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really authentically adored this book, guys. I won't lie, with thee MCs, it took me a second in the beginning to really grasp who each of the main characters were, but they each were so uniquely lovely and I came out of this novel with a special place in my heart for each of them and the family they create along the way. This book will pull you in with immediate action and it won't let you put it down. It slows down for moments of beauty and laughter and then winds you right back up with action, mystery, and tension.

I really appreciated the way this book represented transness and neurodiversity. I'm keeping this review spoiler-free, but Cas's gender dysphoria and euphoria was shown so beautifully in a way I really related to. It has certainly stuck with me even after I've finished reading.

Queerness, Catholic guilt, magic, and mystery; this was certainly the book for me, and I hope it will be the book for you all, too! The torture of being an ARC reader truly is that it isn't even out yet and I'm already dying to read a sequel! Do yourself a favor and preorder a copy to check it out :)

Special thanks to L. T. Thompson and NetGalley for the eARC of this book

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Finn imagines folding up the sound of that laugh into a locket and stringing it onto a chain around her neck.Hanging it against her heart"

Remy and Cas had been close childhood friends..until Cas told her friend of a vision she had about Remy's father dying.

Cas has visions.

the friendship dies.

19th Century Massachusetts sees Remy looking for her missing father and Cas trying to help a friend who shared one of her visions and has now gone.

Both stories end at one location...a strange occult group..

[Alex M]

I read about 70% of this book but it just wasn't holding my attention to get the rest of the way there. This is definitely a me problem - it very much went into cozy fantasy territory, and I didn't know that's where we were going, and that is really not my jam. So if that IS your jam, please read this book! It's got great queer/trans rep and an interesting premise!

[Amber Scaife · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cas has visions of people’s deaths before they happen. When she saw her best friend’s father murdered shortly after he disappeared, she made the mistake of telling said best friend, and now for the past few years Remy won’t even talk to her anymore. So Cas has learned to hide her visions along with her feelings of discomfort at wearing ladies’ clothing and trying to fit into the role of a woman in general. Remy is obsessed with finding out what happened to her father, and the search has led her to the belief that a secret society is behind his disappearance. Her maid and friend, Finn, has helped her in her search, all while being completely and secretly in love with Remy. When another of Cas’ childhood friends disappears after Cas has a vision of Finn’s death, Cas, Remy, and Finn start on a journey that will lead them toward all sorts of answers and self-discoveries, along with a whole heap of danger.

Although it felt a little slow to get going at first, once this story is up and running it’s excellent, and the LGBTQ representation is equally great. I love that the story itself puts the characters into dangerous situations, but at the same time they all find a found family safe space early on in the plot that centers them and helps them along the coming-of-age path part of the story. Definitely recommended.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming and adventurous - each character has a distinct voice, motivations, and strengths/weaknesses that play off of each other well. Cas is a standout favorite (even among my bookclub) - he's quick to trust and action, and this headstrong energy plays well against Remy's deliberate research approach and Finn's stoic personality. Finn felt like the least developed of the three, but I'm hoping that her story is more fleshed out in the sequel, along with the ship crew, who were absolutely delights on the page.

The supernatural/secret society plotline is interesting and mysterious, and I like that despite the darker subject matter, the story feels exciting and has moments of lightheartedness. A quick, exciting read, perfect as a cozy fall pick.

[tillie hellman · Rating 4 out of 5]

read bc of a rick riordan recc!
enjoyable YA magic boat historical fiction (i’m not going to say pirates bc it rlly isn’t). two sapphic mcs and a trans masc mc plus a lot of side queer and trans characters. interesting and unique worldbuilding, strong characters/arcs, and a good time! i liked but wasn’t super obsessed with it.

[Leila · Rating 3 out of 5]

the book was engaging and somewhat suspenseful but i was not satisfied by the ending and the second half dragged on. interesting concept but not executed well. i wish the fantasy aspect was expanded upon. the characters were likeable but the story was lacking

[Daffodils_and_books · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that there are readers who would really enjoy Devils Like Us but it didn’t provide what I look for in a historical fantasy. I loved seeing queer representation and the evolution of the characters’ identities. However, I think that third person POV was not the best way to portray or explore identity. It felt detached. The story started really strong with fantasy elements but they weren’t built on enough and started becoming irrelevant. It is an easy read and I think that a lot of people can connect to the characters and themes that are explored.

Thank you to Bloomsbury YA for a gifted copy of the ebook.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, where's the sequel?

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 They join a crew on a ship in secret because they need to find a way to a secret society and save their most recent alcolyte. But the truth journey is a self-discovery and acceptance that the rules of society on land don't bring happiness to those who are free spirits and identify themselves as another genre.
Some supernatural light elements. Dreams as premonitions and revelations. Sweet one. Great 3 different main characters.

[Raaven💖 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The synopsis for this book hooked me and I knew I would really enjoy this story. I also love pirates and found families and this did both very well. Cas, Finn, & Remy were a great group to get to know. We have revolving POVs between them and we get to see everyone’s point of view.

There is a lot of magic and mystery here and I also didn’t realize this would be a series. It ends on a great cliffhanger and I’m super excited to read the next installment! The pirates were my favorite and I loved their little family. They all seemed to have each others backs. The idea of Death here is so interesting and I’m anticipating seeing how it expands in the next book. I also want to see some solution with Henry because he left a sour awful taste in my mouth but hopefully he can redeem himself. Excited for where this story goes!

[Adri_reads_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel follows the lives of three girls and their search for the truth about an occult organization called the order of the Lazarus.
Cas, a well mannered, sickly girl, whom also carried a secret. She could see whom was to die next. This realization over time strained her relationships especially with her former best friend, Remy.
Remy, whom is searching for answers regarding her missing father. She believes that he was abducted by the organization that focused on the occult and magic.
Finn, Remy’s current best friend whom also holds a secret infatuation for her friend. She will do anything Remy asks, if only to be closer to her.

I loved everything about this novel. The characters were so well written. I throughly enjoyed learning about them as they discovered their true selves throughout their adventure.

[rachel x]

"Our Flag Means Death meets The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue in this YA historical fantasy about three queer and trans teens facing down a secret magical society."

[Brielle "Bookend" Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

🏴‍☠️🌙🖤
“It’s not just the dead who haunt us. Sometimes it’s the people we could’ve been.”
🏴‍☠️🌙🖤

4 out of 5 Queer Pirate Visions

Best for: Fans of Our Flag Means Death, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, found family with sharp edges, and trans characters written with care and bite.
Skip if: You need your fantasy systems heavy and rule-bound, or you aren’t ready for YA that stares Catholic guilt—and actual demons—dead in the eye.

L.T. Thompson’s Devils Like Us is a salty, magical, tender scream of a book. It's also the second book this week I’ve read with a main character named Remy. Noetic Gravity gave us a haunted Remy wrestling with theoretical physics and time distortion. This Remy? She’s got a dagger in her belt, a missing father, and a vendetta against a secret magical society that may or may not traffic in death. Two Remys. One week. Both girls with fire under their skin. Love? Yeah. Love.

“Cas didn’t believe in destiny. He believed in decisions. Which is why it sucked so much when the vision said someone he loved was going to die.”

Let’s talk about Cas, Remy, and Finn—the messy, brilliant trio at the heart of this story. Cas is a sickly trans boy who sees visions of people’s deaths. Remy is his ex-best friend, hunting down the people who took her father. And Finn? Finn would burn the world for Remy, but she’s already made a deal with the devil and she’s running out of time. Their dynamic is constantly shifting: sometimes romantic, sometimes familial, always complicated. Thompson writes them with real emotional gravity—especially Cas’s dysphoria and Finn’s religious trauma. These kids aren’t just navigating magic and danger—they’re navigating themselves.

The plot moves fast—clandestine visions, demon deals, stowing away on a pirate ship full of outcasts. But the real heart of the book is found in quiet moments: Cas binding his chest while staring into the sea. Remy unraveling when she realizes her single-minded revenge might not bring her peace. Finn kissing Remy’s hand and knowing it’s the closest she’ll ever get.

The fantasy elements are light-touch but effective. The Order of Lazarus and their twisted magic hang in the margins, more threat than exposition. Think The Wicked Bargain meets A Marvellous Light, but younger and queerer, with more salt air and eyeliner.

Brielle’s Lens:
This book gets transness right. It doesn’t make it the whole plot. It lets it breathe. Cas isn’t a symbol—he’s a kid who gets sick on boats and still tries to be brave. The gender euphoria hits like a lightning strike in the middle of a storm: brief, dazzling, unforgettable. Finn’s arc is also one of the best depictions of Catholic queer shame I’ve seen in a YA book since The Miseducation of Cameron Post, but with demons and cutlasses. Love that for her.

And while this isn’t a book about race, there’s racial diversity among the pirate crew and some light touches of neurodiversity and class commentary that add flavor without overwhelming. That said, I’d love to see even more of those dimensions in future installments—especially since this clearly sets up a sequel.

“On land, they were outcasts. On sea, they were free.”

Final Thoughts:
Devils Like Us is sharp and sweet and a little bit sinister. It’s not trying to build a whole new fantasy empire—it’s carving out space for kids who never got to see themselves in fantasy at all. It’s got jokes, ghosts, longing, and just the right amount of sword fights. If you’re a queer teen (or used to be), you’ll probably find something here that makes you feel seen.

And look: if the universe wants to keep giving me books with fierce girls named Remy and strange, beautiful, grief-soaked adventures… I’m not complaining. I’m preordering.

[L. Luck · Rating 4 out of 5]

So happy that I picked this up!

This first book in a series has to do a lot of heavy-lifting. We need to understand the characters before their journey and after it, what pushed them apart and what brings them together, the stakes and the secrets, the crew and the community, the enemy and what’s been lost to them… all done quite well. Parts of the book likely will feel slow to some as we first spend time at home, then time at sea getting to know the crew, and only finally make it to the really big action, heist, and rescue at the very end. However, we needed the time to get the character and relationship development really going because it wasn’t going to happen back at home.

My only qualm about the ship portion is that I couldn’t quite figure out the timeline. I know at the end of the trip there was a comment on how long it had been, but even then it seemed like it had been longer yet put into an impossibly shorter amount of time, but I may just have a bit of time blindness on a personal level, so is it really a qualm with the book? There are a lot of crewmates to know, so only by the end did I think that I really figured them all out!

Overall, I loved our 3 main characters and wish them well on their personal journeys away from guilt, restrictions, and dysphoria and into fighting demons and maybe death itself. The revelations toward the end make me want the next part soooo badly!! But I’ll wait until it’s ready!

4.25* is what I’ll go with!
Warnings for death/murder, torture, drowning, violence, injury, body horror, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, abuse (including child abuse), emetophobia, religious harm, religious abuse, implied cult indoctrination

[Edward "Gryftkin" Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story focuses on three girls (at least, at the beginning, one of them transitions to a boy part way in) in a world where they have very little power. Set in the States sometime during the horse and carriage age (I don't believe a date is ever mentioned) it is also an age of magic, of a sort. Remy has spent years researching what happened to her father and the order responsible for his disappearance. Finn has spent years hiding both her secrets and her desires. Cass has spent years ignoring the visions that let her (and then him) see someone's demise (a power that is frowned upon, after all, who could know how someone will die unless they're the one responsible for it?) When Cass's best friend is captured by the same order that Remy's father was investigating when he disappeared, their disparate motivations bring them together to seek out the order, find out what happened to Remy's dad and rescue Henry. Some of the story seemed a little forced, but all in all a fun little plot. Not a 5 star, but I still enjoyed it... 3.5 to 4 stars.

[Liam Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three young adults in a fictional Massachusetts town find themselves in adventure involving pirates, supernatural powers, and an evil society called the Order of Lazarus. Cas Sterling lives with visions of the gruesome deaths of people in the community.  One of these deaths is the father of friend Remy DeWindt, but Remy breaks off the friendship when she learns of Cas' vision. 

They are reunited when Remy's father goes missing, and Remy's research leads her to believe that he's been abducted by the Order of Lazarus and taken to their compound on Mount Desert Island in Maine.  Cas' brother Henry has also been taken by the order.  They are joined by Irish immigrant friend Finn Robinson as they stowaway on ship crewed by pirates. While the pirates may prove to be unexpected allies, shipboard life also exposes Cas, Remy, and Finn to greater women's equality, racial diversity, sexuality, and gender expression than they've ever though possible in their white, Christian town.  The novel works as a coming-of-age story - and a coming out story - within a supernatural adventure tale!

[Kiyomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have decided not to include any spoilers for this book, as I want everyone to be able to experience it for themselves, so some of my review may be vague. It is not a spoiler to say that I was not prepared, going in, for how many things this book would make me feel. I think it hits a perfect storm of things for me at a time when the world feels like a very hostile place. Cas' journey gave me shivers. It was easy for me to recognize who Cass was and I was filled with joy and envy for Cas. But it's not just Cas--Thompson's main characters have rich internal lives that are convincing and deeply sympathetic. But it isn't just the main character's: the entirety of Thompson's cast of variously queer and neurodivergent characters is well realized. I was filled with a sense of joy and longing and envy for the family that Cas, Remy, and Finn discover and for the acceptance they find both from without and within. This is a great book for people who enjoy found family, queer hope, and swashbuckling adventure.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

2026 ALA Stonewall YA Honor book.
Cas(Cassandra) Sterling, Remy DeWindt and lowly Finn (Finnuala) Robinson have tried to fit in, but 19th C high society in Massachusetts is cruel to those who don’t conform to its strictures. Cas doesn’t want to marry her friend and co-conspiritor Mr. Henry Ashworth as their parents have long planned.
CAs has visions depicting gruesome deaths that have not yet happened. Reny’s father who research things occult has disappeared. Pastor Dekker is haunting the DeWindt household offering help. The Order of Lazarusthat wishes to control who is marked for. Death is on their trail as the three teens board a ship of queer pirate smugglers to try to rescue Henry whom the Order has “admitted” to their seminary on Mount Desert Island in Maine.
Discovering who you really are, who are friends and who foes, accepting non traditional relationships and fighting for what is right make this an intense, emotional historical fantasy for teens.
There is a sequel, Devils We Know.

[alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was a fun read! I love a found family and the lgbtq and pirates elements were a lovely addition. The beginning is a bit slow to get going but after about 40%, I couldn’t put it down. The crew of the Momento Mori were wonderful, and as I anticipated, they were easily my favorite part. They reminded me of the adults in Impossible Creatures. Some of the revealed storylines were quite a surprise: the story is actually much more supernatural then I expected. However, as someone who likes those elements, they were a pleasant additional hook. It will be interesting to see how it progresses in the next book. I do feel like most of the book was so focused on our three MCs figuring themselves out and their dynamic that it came at the loss of the overall story. There is a lot of room there and it’s only scratched the surface in the lore and world-building so I hope for more there in the next one.

[Cherie • bookshelvesandtealeaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Bloomsbury and Librofm for providing me with an ALC. All thoughts are my own.

This was such a fascinating book from start to finish.

I LOVED our main characters. I loved watching them truly find themselves and start to feel comfortable with their true selves over the course of this book and I absolutely loved that a group of queer pirates helped them with that.

Cas was probably my favourite. His prophetic powers had me drawn to him from the start but his gender journey through this book brought me so much joy.

Finn and Remy were utterly wonderful too, though. I shipped them so hard. They were just wonderful!

I ADORED this queer pirate found family. So, so much. Everything about it made my heart feel full.

[Bebo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Sometimes alternating voices are a struggle because I like one or two more than the other. Thankfully, the three main characters here are all such fully realized characters, and I loved them all! This novel has a wonderful blend of dark academia, occult fantasy, mystery, pirate adventure, and queer coming of age. The pacing is excellent, and have I mentioned how lovable the characters are? I adored seeing Remy become bolder and more confident, Finn become more kind to herself, and Cas become more attuned to his needs and wants.

I can't wait for the next installment of this series to see what our rowdy crew discovers next!

[QOTU33 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soooo good! Love the found family queer crew on the ship. Love the three MCs and their complicated relationships as they navigate betrayals, friendships broken and reborn, and other emerging relationships. Love the captain’s 20 year relationship with his super cool partner we have yet to meet.

I can see a lot of research went into this book, worked into the setting and plot so seamlessly. I appreciate that the tone is not like most YA novels out there, but more mature, so it reads well.

Toward the end I began to think about how much I’d love to read about this crew and our three MCs going on other adventures together after this one. Then I realized this story, this first adventure, isn’t over just yet. It’s book one of a series and I’m totally here for the rest of it!

[Caity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC book.

Queer, cozy, found family are some of my must read descriptors and this book did those so well while also keeping the creepy and mysterious elements going strong too. Seriously impressive balance there. The characters are well written and I appreciated the complex bonds of friendship between the main trio as they grow to trust each other more and also learn more about themselves. The magic system is really interesting too and had some great slow reveals through the book. All around this was a well paced and balanced book. I think it's hard to have both the cozy and creepy vibes this book did in such good balance.

[Amanda GB B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good! It’s also for people much younger than I am. The main characters are 17/18 but I think this will really resonate with slightly younger teenagers. The queer self-acceptance points were clear and fairly unchallenging, the plot was pretty solid, the characters had their own personalities. I think a lot of the historical elements were pretty unrealistic, and the dialogue was pretty modern, but it wasn’t too jarring. I might not go out of my way to read the sequel but I bet this will do well with lots of readers. (My personal annoyance at everything being a dang series and not wrapping things up better in one book is probably irrelevant here).

[Daryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This premise was really cool, and I liked Remy and Cass’s PoVs a lot. Finn’s may be one I’d appreciate more on a sequel, when the revelations that we learn about her pay off. I appreciated the queer rep in the story too. I did think the pacing fell flat and the middle of the story really dragged. The Memento Mori crew was nice but I felt like there were too many of them to the point where even with the filler I didn’t get attached to anyone. I felt like there could’ve been an actual fight or mission in the middle to really get us used to the crew. This story definitely had a great foundation and good core characters, but the actual suspense and pacing lost me.