May, E: Seven Mercies From the Sunday Times bestselling authors Elizabeth May and L. R. Lam

Things aren’t looking too great for the Resistance. Scattered around the galaxy, short a leader and blamed for an attack they had no hand in, they are at a new low point. That’s no reason to give up, though, and so the Seven Devils make new plans that may yet bring the downfall of the Tholosian empire. Back then, I already liked the first inklings of a found family with a diverse cast: a whole bunch of queer characters including sapphic, mspec and ace rep as well as trans and now questioning rep. Various BIPoC characters, three out of seven are white. Disability and mental health topics that are directly discussed - trauma and anxiety, namely. And some that just are - Clo has a prosthetic leg and Ariadne is autistic. Seeing that family expand and make a little more room for each other; seeing them interact and witnessing the trust and familiarity that built between them was my favourite part of the book. (Actually, not quite. My most favourite part was the acknowledgment that „Clo“ has an unfortunate meaning in other languages - thank you!!) Which isn’t to say it’s all sunshine and whatnot. Exactly like book 1, Seven Mercies delves into the characters‘ pasts, their traumas and the guilt they are carrying around. Fair warning, a lot of it is outright heartbreaking and I caught myself thinking about the implications of some of it long after I finished the book. That, and that there just are some things we simply can’t get rid of, but there are still ways to forge a new, better future. Or at least ways to try. I think the pace might (still) be an issue for some. Book 1 worked a lot with throwbacks to show us the characters’ pasts; book 2 still sometimes does that but also leads plus not everyone is at the same place all the time; but i found it more balanced this time. That’s a lot of text to say: I liked book 2 just as much als book 1, and if you don’t know the first yet, you should definitely pick that one up for a rebellious space adventure with a diverse cast, found family and a lot of ass-kicking. Expect some heartbreak as well! CNs: you can find an extensive list on L.R. Lam’s website. They refer to book 1 but are still very true for book 2.

In Verbindung zum ersten Teil fand ich die Charakter-Entwicklungen sehr spannend. Unvorhersehbare Wendungen. Vor allem die Beziehung Damocles-Discordia fand ich sehr spannend. (nein, ich hab beim Ende nicht geweint, ich hatte was im Auge)