Devils Like Us

by L.T. Thompson

Overview

Our Flag Means Death meets The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue in this YA historical fantasy about three queer teens facing down a secret magical society.

Cas has a rule: Don't tell anyone. Not about the nagging gender discomfort, and certainly not about the prophetic visions of untimely deaths. Cas broke this rule only once, and in response, Remy DeWindt ended their friendship forever.

Remy has spent the last eight years researching the secret society that kidnapped her father and the dark magic they practice. She's determined to take them down and bring her father home-no matter what her former friend Cas thinks happened to him.

Finn is desperately in love with Remy, but Remy would never give in to a desire the church deems a sin. But Finn isn't worried about sin. She already committed the worst sin of all when she made a sinister bargain for a deadly price-a price that will soon have to be paid.

When Cas's latest vision sets the three of them on a collision course, they embark on a journey that will force them to confront hidden secrets and deadly magic-and also offer them the chance to find out who they truly are.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781547615193
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	06/03/2025
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.65(h) x 1.15(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

L.T. Thompson writes stories about queer kids and teens discovering themselves and having adventures. They're a proud library worker and the author of two books for middle-grade readers: The Best Liars in Riverview and The House That Whispers. L.T. grew up in Kentucky, spent a decade in Boston, and now lives in Iowa with their wife and cat. When they're not writing, they enjoy picking up new hobbies and letting their interests cycle like the tides.

ltthompsonbooks.com | @ltthompsonbooks

Editorial Reviews

★ 03/31/2025

A trio of teens set out to rescue a peer and uncover a secret society in Thompson’s creatively imagined queer historical fantasy debut. At age 10, Cas and Remy become estranged after clairvoyant Cas portends Remy’s father’s violent future death. In the following eight years, Cas continues to have visions of various deaths. Remy, meanwhile, with help from orphaned Irish immigrant Finn, assiduously researches the Order of Lazarus, a group her father was investigating when he went missing around Cas and Remy’s falling out. After Cas somehow shares in experiencing one of her visions with suitor Henry, his emotional response (he “just snapped”) prompts his parents to send him to a boys’ seminary in Maine, “hoping to drive the demons out of him.” Upon learning that the institution is connected with the Order, Cas persuades Remy and Finn to rescue him, and they stow away, disguised as boys, on a ship from Massachusetts to Maine, all the while uncovering revelations both personal and supernatural. In this taut, complex fantasy, Thompson skillfully plumbs the white-cued protagonists’ doubts, motivations, and desires, as experienced against a vivid society and setting, to examine themes of found family and identity. Ages 14–up. Agent: Beth Phelan, Gallt Zacker Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Taut with tension and with a story that's propelled forward by characters I adore, Devils Like Us is extraordinary. L. T. Thompson delivers a breathless adventure that's full of action, wit, and beautiful self-realization.” —Kacen Callender, award winning and bestselling author of Felix Ever After

“A triumph. L.T. Thompson's breathtaking prose and masterful storytelling create a mystical, chilling adventure, but Cas, Finn, Remy, and the crew of the Memento Mori feel like home. This story and these characters are burned into my heart forever; I will follow them anywhere.” —Jen St. Jude, author of If Tomorrow Doesn't Come

“Full of horror, humor, and queer friendship, Devils Like Us is a dark and exciting adventure sure to satisfy any reader who daydreams of running away to sea or plotting revolution.” —Sacha Lamb, Stonewall Book Award-winning author of When the Angels Left the Old Country

“In this taut, complex fantasy, Thompson skillfully plumbs the [. . .] protagonists' doubts, motivations, and desires, as experienced against a vivid society and setting, to examine themes of found family and identity.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Well-written and exciting.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2025-03-08
Three young adults in Massachusetts discover there’s more to their world—and themselves—than they could have dreamed.

Despite feeling dissatisfied, Cas Sterling tries to exist within the roles her mother and society have set out for her, behaving like a proper lady who doesn’t expect to marry for love. She’s also plagued by frequent prophetic visions of people’s deaths. When she was 10, she foresaw the gruesome death of her best friend Remy DeWindt’s dad. But people’s reactions have taught Cas to keep the visions private; a disbelieving Remy cut off their friendship after Cas revealed what she’d witnessed. Remy’s father has disappeared, however, and she has been trying to learn more about the Order of Lazarus, the mysterious society he’d been researching. She’s assisted by her Irish immigrant friend, Fionnuala Robinson, who has a secret crush on her. But when Cas has a terrifying vision of Finn’s death, the three are propelled on a journey of supernatural discovery. Thompson’s narrative is well-paced: The unfolding plot meshes immaculately with the three main characters’ growing awareness of self. The 19th-century historical setting adds a romantic air, highlighting the restrictive social status quo that contrasts nicely with the freer atmosphere on the ship on which the white leads travel to Maine; its crew includes people of diverse ethnicities, gender identities, and sexualities. Cas’ experience with gender expression is his trans coming-out story, while Remy questions her sexuality.

Well-written and exciting.(Historical fantasy. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews