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Alliance #2
Nemesis
Discovering she's a walking magical weapon is just the beginning of Ada's problems.
Joining the Alliance might be the key to seeing the worlds she's always dreamed of, but Ada's new job causes a rift to form between her and her guardian, Nell. As she struggles to come to terms with the events of the previous month, Ada is reluctant to use magic again after the damage it caused.
Kay, meanwhile, faces his first challenge as one of the Alliance’s offworld Ambassadors - helping his colleague, Markos, investigate the mysterious death of the centaurs’ king back on his homeworld of Aglaia. When they realise magic is involved, Ada is pulled into the investigation. But tensions between humans and centaurs run high, and avoiding a bloodbath will be more difficult than any of them expect. Especially when Kay discovers something about his own magic that could affect the future of the Alliance.
Against an enemy they quite literally can’t see, Ada and Kay must face up to the power that almost destroyed their lives…
Joining the Alliance might be the key to seeing the worlds she's always dreamed of, but Ada's new job causes a rift to form between her and her guardian, Nell. As she struggles to come to terms with the events of the previous month, Ada is reluctant to use magic again after the damage it caused.
Kay, meanwhile, faces his first challenge as one of the Alliance’s offworld Ambassadors - helping his colleague, Markos, investigate the mysterious death of the centaurs’ king back on his homeworld of Aglaia. When they realise magic is involved, Ada is pulled into the investigation. But tensions between humans and centaurs run high, and avoiding a bloodbath will be more difficult than any of them expect. Especially when Kay discovers something about his own magic that could affect the future of the Alliance.
Against an enemy they quite literally can’t see, Ada and Kay must face up to the power that almost destroyed their lives…
- GenresFantasy
384 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2015
52 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
About the author
Emma L. Adams
88 books947 followersI'm Emma, a fantasy author, book collector, gamer, and wanderer. I write urban and epic fantasy novels, including the international bestselling Changeling Chronicles, the Relics of Power trilogy, and the Death's Disciple quartet.
*Note: I use Goodreads only to keep a record of what I'm reading. Please don't send me unsolicited review requests.*
*Note: I use Goodreads only to keep a record of what I'm reading. Please don't send me unsolicited review requests.*
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 31, 2015
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review
I really enjoyed Adamant, the first book in this series and was looking forward to see how the story continues. Nemesis was a nice book, but it fell a bit flat for me in parts. At some parts the story couldn't hold my attention and other parts were a bit confusing. I felt like it didn't completely live up to the excitement of the first book. The story takes a bit of a different direction while also keeping the same feel. While Ada and Kay where more on opposite sides in book, now they both work for the alliance, which shifted the dynamics.
Just like the first book there is a sub-plot for this book and it also fits neatly in the overarching plot. At times it felt like all we get is pieces and more pieces of a big puzzle. At first the events seemed random and not connected, even though I suspected they were. There is a death of a centaur king, which requires immediate attention as a war might break out. There are invisible creatures on the loose in another world, which isn't a big issue, but they doesn't seem a big issue at first, but the characters keep running into them. Then towards the end things fall on their place and we get a small glimpse of the bigger picture and how the events of book 1 and 2 are connected. I liked that, but I didn't like waiting till the end of the book for it.
The pace of this book felt a bit slower and there were the two seemingly unrelated incidents where focus kept returning to and no clues how they where connected until later. I also felt like we get most of the clues later one. It's starting slow and then ending with a big conclusion filled with story, clues and connections. It also felt like the subplot in this book was a bit too similar to the plot in the first book and while it fit I was also a bit disappointing there wasn't more or something different behind it. It just felt a bit too predictable and similar.
Part of the story and events felt a bit jarring. Parts where going too slow and then Kay was seeing connections and I wasn't understanding the relevance and then at the end there was too much explanation going on. The two main characters are also clearly the heroes and a few times they are sent on missions or take the initiative themselves, where I felt like they should've communicated with the Alliance first or maybe get some back-up. It just felt a bit unrealistic at times as both Kay and Ada are pretty new employees, but they seem to be in the middle of the action.
The story is again told from both Kay and Ada their point of views, which worked great as they both have different stories and are apart more often than together. For the scenes where they are both in, we don't get recaps form the other pov, we only get the story from one point of view. I did have a bit of trouble knowing who's pov it was a few times, especially when I stopped in the middle of a chapter as their voices are pretty alike.
One of the things that bothered me in this book were the characters. I had grown to like both of them in the first book, but in this book they were almost hostile towards each other. They hardly interacted and misunderstood things and thought the worst of the other. I had no idea what happened, things seemed to go well between them at the end of the first book and I was hoping their relationship would slowly progress further, but it didn't, they drifted apart. And at the end of this book I felt like we're finally back at the level where book 1 left us. It was frustrating to say the least. It just felt like unnecessary drama was added to their relationship.
Ada struggled a bit with things that happened in the previous book, I liked this as it was realistic and it showed she didn't forget it easily. She needed time to deal with it and I respected that, if only the other characters would as well. Kay is really being nasty about it during one scene and her guardian Nell doesn't like Ada her new career. I felt a bit sorry for Ada as it seemed al she had left were her brothers. She seemed to have lost a bit of her spark.
Kay also felt different than in the first book, he seemed to think a bit too highly of himself at times, demanding things and speaking to their boss like they were equals. And then when he knows something is going wrong, suddenly he doesn't explain properly and he rushes into the action himself every time. He was a bit reckless and then at the end was a scene and I didn't blame Ada for being afraid of him. So it felt like the two main characters I've grown to like in the first book had changed a bit too much for my liking, although they are still sparks of the characters I like.
One thing that stayed the same is my love for this world. I was hoping we would get to see more of the multiverse and we did. The story in this book takes place on three different world and then there are the Passages and the magic and we learn more about how it all works. And I was really happy getting to know more about the multiverse. Each world has their own politics and there was a bit on how and why the alliance should be present and it was interesting getting more of a feel for that. There is also bit more about the magic, although that stays pretty vague. I am still liking the whole backlash idea, although I would like to know a bit more about both Kay and Ada and what they can and what their limits are. But overall I am really happy how the world building is handled in this book, we get a few new pieces of info and a few more questions pop up and I am eager to learn more.
To conclude: While still a great book, I didn't enjoy it as much as the first. I just wasn't feeling it, the story felt a bit off at times and the beginning was a bit slow with all the action and explanation towards the end. I did love how the books neatly fit together and the plot points are related and fit into the bigger picture, it was well done. I had a bit trouble relating to the characters in this book and while I had expected their romance to pick up in this book, they are almost back to square one with being violent and aggressive towards the other and only at the end things go well between them again. They spent a big portion of this book apart. I did like how Ada was struggling with the event from last book as it felt realistic. She goes through a hard part in this book and I really felt sorry for her, hope thigns are looking better for her in the next book. I love the world building and magic system in this series and how we learn more in this book. More world, more about the Passages and more about magic and magic stones. All in all a bit of a meh sequel, but kept me interested enough and I will continue the series.
I really enjoyed Adamant, the first book in this series and was looking forward to see how the story continues. Nemesis was a nice book, but it fell a bit flat for me in parts. At some parts the story couldn't hold my attention and other parts were a bit confusing. I felt like it didn't completely live up to the excitement of the first book. The story takes a bit of a different direction while also keeping the same feel. While Ada and Kay where more on opposite sides in book, now they both work for the alliance, which shifted the dynamics.
Just like the first book there is a sub-plot for this book and it also fits neatly in the overarching plot. At times it felt like all we get is pieces and more pieces of a big puzzle. At first the events seemed random and not connected, even though I suspected they were. There is a death of a centaur king, which requires immediate attention as a war might break out. There are invisible creatures on the loose in another world, which isn't a big issue, but they doesn't seem a big issue at first, but the characters keep running into them. Then towards the end things fall on their place and we get a small glimpse of the bigger picture and how the events of book 1 and 2 are connected. I liked that, but I didn't like waiting till the end of the book for it.
The pace of this book felt a bit slower and there were the two seemingly unrelated incidents where focus kept returning to and no clues how they where connected until later. I also felt like we get most of the clues later one. It's starting slow and then ending with a big conclusion filled with story, clues and connections. It also felt like the subplot in this book was a bit too similar to the plot in the first book and while it fit I was also a bit disappointing there wasn't more or something different behind it. It just felt a bit too predictable and similar.
Part of the story and events felt a bit jarring. Parts where going too slow and then Kay was seeing connections and I wasn't understanding the relevance and then at the end there was too much explanation going on. The two main characters are also clearly the heroes and a few times they are sent on missions or take the initiative themselves, where I felt like they should've communicated with the Alliance first or maybe get some back-up. It just felt a bit unrealistic at times as both Kay and Ada are pretty new employees, but they seem to be in the middle of the action.
The story is again told from both Kay and Ada their point of views, which worked great as they both have different stories and are apart more often than together. For the scenes where they are both in, we don't get recaps form the other pov, we only get the story from one point of view. I did have a bit of trouble knowing who's pov it was a few times, especially when I stopped in the middle of a chapter as their voices are pretty alike.
One of the things that bothered me in this book were the characters. I had grown to like both of them in the first book, but in this book they were almost hostile towards each other. They hardly interacted and misunderstood things and thought the worst of the other. I had no idea what happened, things seemed to go well between them at the end of the first book and I was hoping their relationship would slowly progress further, but it didn't, they drifted apart. And at the end of this book I felt like we're finally back at the level where book 1 left us. It was frustrating to say the least. It just felt like unnecessary drama was added to their relationship.
Ada struggled a bit with things that happened in the previous book, I liked this as it was realistic and it showed she didn't forget it easily. She needed time to deal with it and I respected that, if only the other characters would as well. Kay is really being nasty about it during one scene and her guardian Nell doesn't like Ada her new career. I felt a bit sorry for Ada as it seemed al she had left were her brothers. She seemed to have lost a bit of her spark.
Kay also felt different than in the first book, he seemed to think a bit too highly of himself at times, demanding things and speaking to their boss like they were equals. And then when he knows something is going wrong, suddenly he doesn't explain properly and he rushes into the action himself every time. He was a bit reckless and then at the end was a scene and I didn't blame Ada for being afraid of him. So it felt like the two main characters I've grown to like in the first book had changed a bit too much for my liking, although they are still sparks of the characters I like.
One thing that stayed the same is my love for this world. I was hoping we would get to see more of the multiverse and we did. The story in this book takes place on three different world and then there are the Passages and the magic and we learn more about how it all works. And I was really happy getting to know more about the multiverse. Each world has their own politics and there was a bit on how and why the alliance should be present and it was interesting getting more of a feel for that. There is also bit more about the magic, although that stays pretty vague. I am still liking the whole backlash idea, although I would like to know a bit more about both Kay and Ada and what they can and what their limits are. But overall I am really happy how the world building is handled in this book, we get a few new pieces of info and a few more questions pop up and I am eager to learn more.
To conclude: While still a great book, I didn't enjoy it as much as the first. I just wasn't feeling it, the story felt a bit off at times and the beginning was a bit slow with all the action and explanation towards the end. I did love how the books neatly fit together and the plot points are related and fit into the bigger picture, it was well done. I had a bit trouble relating to the characters in this book and while I had expected their romance to pick up in this book, they are almost back to square one with being violent and aggressive towards the other and only at the end things go well between them again. They spent a big portion of this book apart. I did like how Ada was struggling with the event from last book as it felt realistic. She goes through a hard part in this book and I really felt sorry for her, hope thigns are looking better for her in the next book. I love the world building and magic system in this series and how we learn more in this book. More world, more about the Passages and more about magic and magic stones. All in all a bit of a meh sequel, but kept me interested enough and I will continue the series.
June 13, 2015
I already enjoyed Adamant, the first book in the series, and couldn't wait to get my hands on the continuation of Ada and Kay's story. I wasn't disappointed.
The world building in this series is amazing! Even in book 2, where we already have learned quite a bit in book 1, it's simply fun to explore and experience this rich realm even further and let fantasy take full flight. Science fiction fans get a great dose of creatures, magic and outer world scenes, making it hard to set this book down after that last page.
As to the characters, I've simply grown to love both of them. Ada is so full of strength and often a little to ready to dive into danger, yet her hopes of doing the right thing, make her also hesitate and sometimes reluctant in her actions--a mixture which makes her very human. And Kay is a perfect match for her. Of course, there's a bit of romance to make the heart melt, but this by no means over powers the story. There's action and adventure, and tension and danger. I had no trouble sticking to the pages, waiting to discover what would happen at the end.
In other words, this is a great sequel to Adamant and has me excited to read further adventures, and see what happens next.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The world building in this series is amazing! Even in book 2, where we already have learned quite a bit in book 1, it's simply fun to explore and experience this rich realm even further and let fantasy take full flight. Science fiction fans get a great dose of creatures, magic and outer world scenes, making it hard to set this book down after that last page.
As to the characters, I've simply grown to love both of them. Ada is so full of strength and often a little to ready to dive into danger, yet her hopes of doing the right thing, make her also hesitate and sometimes reluctant in her actions--a mixture which makes her very human. And Kay is a perfect match for her. Of course, there's a bit of romance to make the heart melt, but this by no means over powers the story. There's action and adventure, and tension and danger. I had no trouble sticking to the pages, waiting to discover what would happen at the end.
In other words, this is a great sequel to Adamant and has me excited to read further adventures, and see what happens next.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 14, 2016
**I had the pleasure of beta-reading this book, but that in no way impacts my review.**
NEMESIS<3 That's the summary of this review. Love. Just love.
Real review: I am *constantly* blown away by how original, fantastic, and amazing this series is. I've never read anything quite like it (or seen anything like it, period), and I'm continually surprised by the twists and turns. In NEMESIS we see the Alliance world grow exponentially. I enjoyed the growth of Ada and Kay's powers and relationship. I mean, Kay's powers are AWESOME. The plot here is also full of intrigue and political crazy, and really, this is a solid sequel to ADAMANT that sets up for the rest of the series. I can't wait to read the rest, and I'll definitely be back for more!
NEMESIS<3 That's the summary of this review. Love. Just love.
Real review: I am *constantly* blown away by how original, fantastic, and amazing this series is. I've never read anything quite like it (or seen anything like it, period), and I'm continually surprised by the twists and turns. In NEMESIS we see the Alliance world grow exponentially. I enjoyed the growth of Ada and Kay's powers and relationship. I mean, Kay's powers are AWESOME. The plot here is also full of intrigue and political crazy, and really, this is a solid sequel to ADAMANT that sets up for the rest of the series. I can't wait to read the rest, and I'll definitely be back for more!
March 17, 2016
My rating is largely because my expectation of the second book was pretty high. I enjoyed the first and I was curious to see how the plot would evolve in the second. Especially, the back story of both Kay and Ada seemed to be something the author could pursue.
However, this book deals with another conflict in the multi verse and not with the story I wanted. It was still engaging and well written. The characters evolve quite a bit and become more rounded. If I'd thought of it as a stand alone, I would have enjoyed the world building and the witty writing.
Since the reader in me was interested in something else, the book lost me after sometime.
However, this book deals with another conflict in the multi verse and not with the story I wanted. It was still engaging and well written. The characters evolve quite a bit and become more rounded. If I'd thought of it as a stand alone, I would have enjoyed the world building and the witty writing.
Since the reader in me was interested in something else, the book lost me after sometime.
January 17, 2018
Sweet
Now we're talking. We are exploring the multiverse of this series and it is only getting more exciting each turn of the page.
On to book 3!
Now we're talking. We are exploring the multiverse of this series and it is only getting more exciting each turn of the page.
On to book 3!
November 16, 2022
The plot was a bit confusing in this one. I also thought that Kay was suddenly too good at everything and not enough time was spent on Ada’s ptsd.
January 30, 2023
Book review's
Good follow up to first And second book. hope the third one will pick up pace. Will read it next.
Good follow up to first And second book. hope the third one will pick up pace. Will read it next.
July 29, 2020
I love this world and I really like the two main characters. But I spent quite a bit of time confused and trying to keep up in this book and that was frustrating. Also language.
October 8, 2016
Interesting series
So far, this series has been quite entertaining. The worlds that Ms. Adams has created are fascinating. I want to live in this Multiverse! There are some frustrating grammar issues that seems to be inherent to independent authors. My biggest peeve is the lack of actually talking between Kay & Ada. So many questions could be answered if they just TALKED! Seems like a crutch for the plot that if taken away would result in a much meatier book.
So far, this series has been quite entertaining. The worlds that Ms. Adams has created are fascinating. I want to live in this Multiverse! There are some frustrating grammar issues that seems to be inherent to independent authors. My biggest peeve is the lack of actually talking between Kay & Ada. So many questions could be answered if they just TALKED! Seems like a crutch for the plot that if taken away would result in a much meatier book.
February 16, 2020
In my opinion, the best part of Nemesis is the worldbuilding and the completely new, creative take on magic. It also has one of the best side characters ever: Markos. I hope to see more of him in the future!
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September 7, 2016Fun
I thoroughly enjoyed this 2nd book in the series. While I'm having a problem with how Ada and Kay interact on the personal level, I'm hoping things get better with that in the next book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this 2nd book in the series. While I'm having a problem with how Ada and Kay interact on the personal level, I'm hoping things get better with that in the next book.
March 7, 2016
I really like this series. It's fabulous to find someone I've not read yet, who writes in an enjoyable manner, and has a decent-sized back catalogue! :)
January 2, 2017
Emma L. Adams is far surpassing my expectations in her writing. This series is absolutely fantastic, I am struggling to put it down!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews