Review of The Devil You Know – coming soon from Kit Rocha

Not your average librarians…

I have never read any books by the writing duo behind Kit Rocha, but I’ve read lots of good things about them on an e-book forum I belong to, and in a couple of other authors’ blogs.   So I was pleased to receive an advance review copy of The Devil You Know from the publisher, Tor Books. 

I was half-in-love with this book before even reading the first page, because the idea of “Mercenary Librarians” tickled my imagination – as it would for most avid readers, I suspect.   But I hadn’t imagined anything like these post-apocalyptic librarians.   Yes, Maya and her friends, Nina and Dani, provide “library services” to their Atlanta community.   But in addition to providing access to books (or scans of books), they also provide a bit of a calm spot in a tough world, and sometimes even provide actual help derived from the knowledge in the books – anything ranging from tech repairs to gardening.  

At the same time, though, they are an essential part of the resistance to the amoral TechCorps, especially when teamed up with the escaped super-soldier Silver Devils – a partnership which apparently got its start in the previous book.   So when the Librarians and Devils learn that TechCorps has been trafficking in genetically-engineered kids, naturally they are going to do something about it, even if it means facing their nemesis, TechCorps Security Director Tobias Richter.    And of course, since this is a dystopian romance novel, there’s an apparently doomed relationship between Maya and Gray (the Devils’ sniper) to follow as well.   Although I tended to skip over a lot of the steamier parts, Maya and Gray are an engaging couple, and I found myself rooting hard for the two to overcome the obstacles stacked against them. 

All-in-all, I very much enjoyed The Devil You Know, and am now planning to go back and read the first book, Deal with the Devil.   In fact, I very much wish that I had read Deal with the Devil first, because I definitely was a bit lost at times in this second book – feeling now and then as if I were missing some bits of background that I should have known.   In the end, this didn’t spoil my enjoyment of The Devil You Know, but if you have the chance to read the first one first, you should!   And I’m also looking forward to the third book, Dance with the Devil, which, although it’s hard to think that far ahead (!!!), is due out in August, 2022.  Please keep in mind that I don’t give many five-star ratings, and so my four-star rating for The Devil You Know is a very solid “read this book” recommendation.   And finally, my thanks again to Tor Books, and to NetGalley for the advance review copy. 

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