Devils Like Us

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, Audiobook, LGBT, Historical, Historical Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published June 3, 2025

Reviews

[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!

[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.

[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

[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.

[Jacq · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5⭐️s - Palsss... I loved this. I was lucky enough to get to read an ARC of this YA historical fantasy novel - and I'm eager for whatever L.T. Thompson puts out next! I'm not cut out for horror stories most of the time, but I've found that YA is right up my alley for just the right level of scary - and that's precisely what I got with Devils Like Us. The "scary" is there, but it's also full of adventure (on the high seas), found family (borderline as warm as TJ Klune's found family vibes), self realization and acceptance, loyalty, trust, pining, and secrets. It's got this whole dark, piratey, magical, and queer thing going for it, too. Cas, Remy, and Finn are such a lovable trio - not to mention the crew of "outcasts" they end up setting sail with.3 Together they create a lil family I'd absolutely want to befriend and adventure with. I was hooked after the first couple chapters and tried to keep myself from zooming to the end to find out what happened. I think YA audiences will love this as much as I did!
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Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for this advanced reader copy to and review. Its expected publication date is 6.3.25

[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!

[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 Saucier Carrick · 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!

[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.

[Amanda Shepard (Between-the-Shelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Oh I loved this! Definitely a great read-a-like for those that liked Our Flag Means Death, but with magic, demons, and three teens at the helm. I was hooked in from the beginning, with a lot of action to keep you moving forward. Plus, there's a found family dynamic and that's one of my all-time favorite tropes. If you like pirates, magic, and found family, definitely check this one out!

[Hojo · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank you to Bloomsbury for the arc! All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this a lot. I felt like the characters were unique and had their own distinct voices, which is not something I can say about every book with multiple POVs. Devils Like Us had a really good pace and immediately throws the reader into the action, which i appreciate.

From secret societies and queer found family pirates to exploring gender and magic, this book hit every mark.

This isn’t a shock because I somehow do it all the time, but I once again have read nearly any entire book before realizing it is not a standalone. That one’s on me, I guess.

The only thing that threw me off was the sudden pronouns change when it was in Finn and Remy’s POVs. It made total sense for Cas’ POV to immediately start using he/him for himself once he came out to himself, but then from that scene on, everyone used he/him pronouns when talking about him. Initially, I was just like “oh, okay cool so they must know he’s trans then” and then there was a scene later on where Cas actually tells them and I was just like okay so they didn’t know? it’s not a fault of the book, to be clear. Definitely just a personal opinion and not an actual flaw of the book, because I’m sure it was purposeful on the authors parry and more power to them!

Overall, though, I did enjoy this read.

[Lucy Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read! I loved our three leads and how real they all felt. I didn't realize this was the start of a series, but the end isn't a full cliffhanger, there's just more work to be done. I am looking forward to the next book! Thanks to Bloomsbury and libro.fm for the advanced listening copy.

[Tara Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found family. Fantasy. Queer. Magic. Dark.

Much more to be discovered in this book of three stories following Cas, Finn and Remy’s stories and lives. A lot of action, questions, and pirates! Definitely a read if you love cozy queer / trans fantasy! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

[Jessie Weaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5ish stars? I didn’t realize this wasn’t a stand alone novel so that threw me off a little. I liked all of the three main characters but there were so many people on the boat I got confused and some of the fantasy elements felt off to me. 🤷‍♀️ I am sure it will find the right audience though!

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of learning to find acceptance not only for yourself but among others and for others as well and finding out we are all not all so different. Having it take place on the high seas made it all the more fun.

[Laura Marchant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this at a local used book store had no idea it wasn’t released yet! What an honor! Loved this so much! Can’t wait to see if there will be more

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

As hard as I tried I just couldn’t find anything to like about this book.