ALA Booklist

In the kingdom of Serubel, Princess Sepora has the peculiar talent of secreting precious metal from her hands, which is essential to her father's war efforts; but she prefers running away to building more weaponry. Prince Tarik is the newly crowned king of Theoria, and his immediate worries include a mysterious plague that is killing his people and the imminent threat of an attack from Serubel. When Sepora turns up as a very reluctant member of Tarik's inherited harem, sparks fly. Interactions between Sepora and Tarik are right on target in terms of tenor and pacing, and the few stolen kisses and caresses are doubly satisfying because of that. The story unfolds through alternating chapters, although Sepora's chapters are told in first person, while Tarik's are third-person omniscient, tipping the narrative toward Sepora's point of view. This combination fantasy-romance novel touches on issues of trust, allegiance, priorities, and self-sacrifice and ends in a bit of a cliff-hanger. First in a planned duet, Nemesis will leave readers wanting more.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Banks' Syrena Legacy series was a best-seller, and her fans will be eager to get their hands on her newest endeavor.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Sepora, princess of Serubel, is the last of the Forgers, who have the hereditary ability to expel spectorium, a prized element, from their skin. With silver eyes and a defiant spirit, she escapes her father-s grasp, hoping to avoid a war among the five kingdoms, but is captured by traders who sell her into the harem of neighboring King Tarik of Theoria. Although Theoria and Serubel are rivals, Sepora finds 18-year-old Tarik intelligent and good-looking. Staying incognito, she wins his favor by brokering a deal with the flesh-eating Parani and fashioning weapons to fight her father-s impending attack. But with the Quiet Plague killing Theoria-s citizens and King Tarik-s impending marriage to a Hemutian princess, Sepora leaves, only to discover an even more perilous situation. Banks-s (Joyride) worldbuilding is thorough and vivid, yet the intricate customs of the kingdoms and Sepora and Tarik-s inner thoughts, shown through alternating viewpoints, cause the story to lag. The instant infatuation between the two main characters drives the story, but can be shopworn and syrupy (-Every time he touches me I feel melted in place-) at times. Ages 12-up. Agent: Lucy Carson, Friedrich Agency. (Oct.)

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-Princess Sepora is sick of her evil father's greed for spectorium, the highly sought after substance that only Sepora can produce. Because of his uncontrollable avarice, she has been locked away in a cell, doomed to spend her life forging spectorium for her father to trade with foreign countries. With the help of her mother, the princess fakes her death and flees to a nearby kingdom, where she is kidnapped and unwittingly becomes a member of King Tarik's harem. Sepora convinces King Tarik to make her a servant instead, but she soon begins to fall in love with the ruler, someone she knows she can never have. Meanwhile, a deathly plague threatens her new home, and though spectorium is the only thing that will save people's lives, Sepora must hide her secret ability from her father's nemesis. The plot is creative and intriguing but also slow to develop. The story begins with an info dump, and although Sepora's romance with King Tarik is a critical piece of the narrative, it feels forced and at times cheesy. Sepora's character is fairly well-developed, but the rest of the cast is comprised of one-dimensional characters. The uniqueness of the plot almost makes up for its flaws, but not quite. VERDICT Purchase only where the author's previous series are popular. Candyce Pruitt-Goddard, Sno-Isle Libraries, Marysville, WA

Voice of Youth Advocates

Princess Sepora has fled her home kingdom and her father, who wants to use Spectorium, the special substance only she can create, to wage war against neighboring realms. When she is kidnapped and sold into the king of Theoria's harem, Sepora finds herself in the position of advisor to the young king, her father's number-one rival. Sepora knew she would have to keep her ability to forge Spectorium a secret and that she was the only one who could prevent war between the kingdoms, but what she did not count on was falling in love with her father's nemesis and the one man who wants to use Spectorium for good.On the surface, Nemesis seems like any other fantasy novel with its weird names and strange magicit is exactly the sort of thing publishing houses like to churn out. The difference between this novel and the others is that this one is actually really good. It has well-developed characters, an intriguing premise, interesting ideas, and the kind of cliff-hangers that keep readers flipping pages. Even if it were not for these engaging aspects, however, readers would be swept up by the steamy romance between the sweet and sexy King Tarik and the courageous and bold Princess Sephora. The only shortcoming is the less than "happily ever after" ending, which will have readers shrieking for more. If you have readers begging for fantasy or romance, toss this their way. Then stand back and say, "You're welcome."Cheryl Clark.