Review: Love this third Niki book
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 11, 2012
The fate of the world hangs in the balance.  It's a race against time to stop a war between good and evil, angels and demons.  But how do you know who to fight for or against when no one's motives are clear and nothing is as it seems?  Who or what are you willing to sacrifice yourself for?  What sins are forgivable?  Plenty of backstory revealed, plot twists, emotional drama, betrayals and lies exposed will keep you glued to the pages.In my opinion, the third book in a series is the most difficult to get right.  The first book introduces the characters and the setting, in the second book the reader is getting comfortable with the writer's style, knows the characters and is anxious to learn more, and once you get to a fourth book the writer has hit her stride, the characters are well-defined and easy to write, and the readers know what to expect.  The third book to me is always pivotal.  This is where we as readers are looking for some evolution in the main character.  It is the author's challenge to make the story fit with themes of the first two books and build upon previous action, all while staying true to characters and their relationships.  But we don't want to read how everything continues as it was in spite of the new obstacles the characters face.  We want to see depth and growth.  This is where the characters need to really come to life.Murray has done a magnificent job with this third book.  I loved Niki in the first two books, and badass female characters are always fun to read, but thankfully in this book we get to see that there is more to her than the tough, flip exterior she projects.  There is so much action in the book, from the first page to the last.  I could not put it down.  But the best part of the book is the personal journey Niki takes.  In the first two books, she is entertaining, but in this one we get to know her.  She is in a constant struggle between doing what she should for the world and doing what she needs for herself and her family.  Sam says to her, "You still haven't figured out how to think, Niki.  All you do is react."  She has to constantly assess her priorities and decide how to use the power she has come into.  She shows that learning to be a leader is not something one does at the snap of your fingers.  It's appropriate that this would cause some growing pains, and that she wouldn't get everything right on the first try.  Don't get me wrong, she still has the smart mouth and dry sense of humor that we associate with her, but it is nice to see that she has hopes and fears just like anyone else.