If Nemesis’s engineered ruthlessness and the way she begins to define her own morality after impersonating Sidonia grabbed you, you’ll tear through Red Rising. Like Nemesis, Darrow is forged to be a weapon for a ruling class—and then must decide what lines he’ll cross when he infiltrates their elite. The moral knots and brutal choices echo Nemesis’s alliance with Tyrus aboard the Chrysanthemum, delivering that same intoxicating mix of ferocity, cunning, and hard-won conscience.

Loved the backstabbing and strategic maneuvering when Nemesis navigates the Emperor’s court with Tyrus? Ninefox Gambit throws you into an empire where calendars are weapons and promotions are deathtraps. Captain Kel Cheris must ally with the empire’s most notorious traitor—much like Nemesis’s risky partnership with Tyrus—to outplay rivals who’d rather see her fail than survive. The chessboard politics feel like the Chrysanthemum’s lethal etiquette, just with even stranger knives.

If seeing Nemesis—built to obey—claim her own will while posing as Sidonia hooked you, Ancillary Justice offers a kindred thrill. Breq was once a starship AI spread across many bodies; now, in a single human form, she hunts the tyrant who shattered her. The cool, laser-focused determination will remind you of Nemesis stalking the imperial corridors and refusing to be anyone’s tool—Emperor or otherwise.

If the shocking reversals in The Diabolic—from Nemesis’s masquerade to Tyrus’s audacious gambits—kept you off-balance, Illuminae amps that feeling to eleven. As Kady hacks corporate cover-ups aboard fleeing ships, betrayals and reveals land with the same whiplash energy as the Chrysanthemum’s deadly court games. Expect jaw-droppers you’ll want to text a friend about the second you hit them.

If the imperial grandeur and perilous etiquette of the Chrysanthemum captivated you, A Memory Called Empire delivers another sumptuous, dangerous capital. Ambassador Mahit Dzmare must decode a court’s rituals as deftly as Nemesis learns to pass for Sidonia, all while unmasking conspiracies that could topple an empire. The blend of ceremony, sabotage, and star-spanning stakes hits the same space-opera sweet spot.