Hands of Flame

The final book of The Negotiator trilogy picks up not long after the second book. Margrit Knight, a New York City lawyer, has fallen in deep with the Old Races hidden within the city. So deep that one of their deaths is on her hands - and civil war is about to break out because of it. If that's not enough, Grit's gargoyle lover, Alban, has been chained and is subject to a gargoyle tribunal. The dragon Janx and vampire Daisani also have their place in events, calling in favors owed by Margrit - favors at a very high cost. It's up to Grit to utilize her lawyer skills and newfound talents to keep those she loves alive, and try to save those she dislikes as well.

Hands of Flame is a good book, and an excellent end to the trilogy. The secrets show more and plot twists were so deft they were hard to follow at times, but it was an enjoyable ride all the way through. Note that this isn't a stand-alone book - if you want to read the series, begin with Heart of Stone, otherwise nothing will make sense. Great urban fantasy series, though I still love Murphy's Walker Papers books the most. show less

This was my favorite of the series. It ended well, answering many of the series' questions, but there's still the possibility for more, should the author choose. The emotional impact of this book was higher for me, I cared more about the characters.


Liked:

Grace O'Malley. Grace has her ways, indeed. Grace fascinates me and I want so much more about her. I was going crazy waiting for Grit to spell out what she'd figured out.

Cam in her innocent fascination and joy, both with what Alban is and with Grit's happiness with him.

Janx. He's a stereotype, sure, the charming criminal who is dangerous and maybe shouldn't be trusted, but I like him anyway. He is what he is, he doesn't hide any of it. As Grit notes, he has his own honor and he won't show more defy it.

Sarah. Everything about Sarah. I wanted more about her, too.


Disliked:

Cole referring to Alban as an "it." I could understand his fear, both of the unknown and for Grit, but as Grit points out to him, the same had been done to her race. He had to know how much that would hurt her, he's known her long enough. He made a choice to be racist and it upset me.

Daisani reacting to his big secret (which I didn't think was that bad and actually thought was a logical thing for him to do) with such anger and violence. It seemed to completely change his personality from the Daisani I thought I knew in earlier books.

Kaimana Kaiaii and Cara Delaney turning out to be not as nice as I'd thought they would be. I think they both could have done what they did without being cruel. They had plenty of justification, after all. show less

Loved this conclusion to the trilogy and wish the author would write more in this world, she has left space to do so. Most of the loose ends were tidied away, if only sometimes as a paragraph in the epilogue.

The old races are fighting among themselves, something that never sued to happen, but now the Selkie and Djinn have numbers to bring, if not spare. The prize is currently the underground empire of the Dragon Jaxx, who only narrowly avoided being rousted by the human police. The fighting is attracting attention, and that is dangerous to everyone, so Magrit, unofficial but recognised Negotiator is asked to broker a deal. Even the unchanging Gargoyles realise that something new is upon them, and they welcome Alban back into their show more memories. But old scores have yet to be settled - two of the Old Races died, and that was a line no-one wanted to cross without retribution being brought - so now old secrets are also revealed to the light.

I think the concerns over human interaction are somewhat forgotten about in this one - although there are references to them, the actions of the dragon in particular are more noteworthy than can just be shrugged away. It' fast paced, and great fun throughout, the characters shine a few reveal their true selves, and a few hidden depths. Shame this is the last. show less

A strong end to a good series. Leaves me wanting the next trilogy for Margrit and Alban. The whole trilogy is stronger than the parts in this case. It develops the personality traits of the different supernatural types without robbing the individual characters of theirs. She has set up nice conflicts for the next trilogy: vampire vs dragon, old vampire vs vampire, full-bloods vs half-bloods, djinn vs selkie, and where will humans fit in?

Book three is has Margrit Knight still neck deep in the conflicts between the Old Races with her life and the freedom of her loved Alban (a gargoyle) on the line. The action comes quick and fast and Margrit faces it with all the grit and grace in her repertoire, fighting for peace and tearing down the injustices of a flaw system of rules, even if it means risking her own life. This is a fun urban fantasy series with a great and unusual mix of supernatural characters, and this book works as a great conclusion, even if every plot threw isn't wrapped up neatly.

In which friendships are strained, love conquers (sort of) gargoyles get chained, secrets get revealed, and Margrit blows numerous Old Race expectations clear out of the water. Cryptic enough? Let's just say there's lots going on and you'd be better to start with the first installment. Jumping in here may lead to massive confusion. Not to mention frustration - the ending isn't exactly a series wrap. Hopefully Murphy will revisit Margrit's gritty streets soon!

I was dissapointed in the last installment of The Negotiator series. By the end of the book I disliked Margrit the main charcter and once that happens I don't care what happens to her. For all her principles she turned against everyone she supposedly held dear, breaking apart every connection they had. Very dissapointing.