Scan barcode
amybraunauthor's review against another edition
4.0
This finale was definitely not what I expected, and it took some interesting turns! The ending took completely by surprise and I will have to mull on it, because a lot had been dropped in the last few pages.
All the characters were back in full force and fighting to bridge the gap between their races, with Margrit leading the charge, and finding herself in more danger than ever before. She definitely made some bold choices and walked into situations she was not prepared for, but I admired her drive and heart and courage. Alban faced his people and used more of his powers, but Margrit was the star of the show.
I really, really loved the side characters and wish I could see more of them, including two of the new characters connected to Janx and Daisani. Daisani's arc actually ended on a note that had me wanting an entire book about it! These were complex characters that I would love to see more of in the future.
This book packed in way more action and tension and the drama was through the roof, while still leaving some unanswered questions for readers to imagine. The world opened up so much, and it's a shame to see it ending without some of the more fantastical ideas being toyed with. This was a great series to read to bridge my heart between heavier reads, and I was glad to see gargoyles back in the realm of urban fantasy!
All the characters were back in full force and fighting to bridge the gap between their races, with Margrit leading the charge, and finding herself in more danger than ever before. She definitely made some bold choices and walked into situations she was not prepared for, but I admired her drive and heart and courage. Alban faced his people and used more of his powers, but Margrit was the star of the show.
I really, really loved the side characters and wish I could see more of them, including two of the new characters connected to Janx and Daisani. Daisani's arc actually ended on a note that had me wanting an entire book about it! These were complex characters that I would love to see more of in the future.
This book packed in way more action and tension and the drama was through the roof, while still leaving some unanswered questions for readers to imagine. The world opened up so much, and it's a shame to see it ending without some of the more fantastical ideas being toyed with. This was a great series to read to bridge my heart between heavier reads, and I was glad to see gargoyles back in the realm of urban fantasy!
hgranger's review against another edition
3.0
Decent ending to the series, it’s pretty action packed and interesting. The one thing that kept bothering me was how understanding Margrit was towards Cole when he was being a bigoted racist. It baffles me that she would keep making excuses for why it was ok that he acted that way. Other than that, the cast of characters was interesting, Alban only mildly annoying at times, and Margrit held her own as a protagonist.
lynseyisreading's review against another edition
3.0
Nice conclusion to the trilogy.
Notice I used the word 'nice'? Not 'amazing' or 'explosive', or 'epic', just 'nice'. I was hoping that this would be the book that tipped this trilogy over the precipice from good to great, but sadly not. It all boils down to the meh-ness of the main character, Margrit, unfortunately. She's a human fighting for survival among the strongest of the supernatural races, who all allow her to stick her nose into their business just because she's good with the words. They dub her 'The Negotiator' and allow her free rein and to make important decisions about their entire race's future...? Hmm. Something's just not clicking there for me. It doesn't ring true.
When she tries to go toe-to-toe with the Dragons or the Vampires or the Djinn, in my mind it goes a bit like this:
You know? She's just out of place, and far too weak. And all the talking, gah! I realise she's The Negotiator and talking is pretty much all she's got in her arsenal. But this was the final instalment; the one where we decide which race rules all. And in the end it was just very anti-climactic. It's like the end of Breaking Dawn all over again. Everyone's lined up ready to rumble and then......they have a nice little chat and talk their way out of it. Dafuq?
But that's not to say I didn't enjoy any part of this book, or indeed the whole trilogy. Murphy has a knack for characters; I love their diversity, both here and even more so in her Walker Papers series. They are realistic and interesting, flawed and sympathetic. I also loved the supernatural races she chose to concentrate on, particularly Alban and the rest of the Gargoyle race. I especially love the way they 'ride memories' and hold everyone's histories like a supernatural bank vault. That was very cool. Murphy can get a bit transcendental in her writing, but once you get what she's trying to convey, it really captures your imagination.
So, a mixed bag but not a total flop by any means. And the audio narration really helped bring the characters to life.
A solid 3 Stars ★★★
Notice I used the word 'nice'? Not 'amazing' or 'explosive', or 'epic', just 'nice'. I was hoping that this would be the book that tipped this trilogy over the precipice from good to great, but sadly not. It all boils down to the meh-ness of the main character, Margrit, unfortunately. She's a human fighting for survival among the strongest of the supernatural races, who all allow her to stick her nose into their business just because she's good with the words. They dub her 'The Negotiator' and allow her free rein and to make important decisions about their entire race's future...? Hmm. Something's just not clicking there for me. It doesn't ring true.
When she tries to go toe-to-toe with the Dragons or the Vampires or the Djinn, in my mind it goes a bit like this:
You know? She's just out of place, and far too weak. And all the talking, gah! I realise she's The Negotiator and talking is pretty much all she's got in her arsenal. But this was the final instalment; the one where we decide which race rules all. And in the end it was just very anti-climactic. It's like the end of Breaking Dawn all over again. Everyone's lined up ready to rumble and then......they have a nice little chat and talk their way out of it. Dafuq?
But that's not to say I didn't enjoy any part of this book, or indeed the whole trilogy. Murphy has a knack for characters; I love their diversity, both here and even more so in her Walker Papers series. They are realistic and interesting, flawed and sympathetic. I also loved the supernatural races she chose to concentrate on, particularly Alban and the rest of the Gargoyle race. I especially love the way they 'ride memories' and hold everyone's histories like a supernatural bank vault. That was very cool. Murphy can get a bit transcendental in her writing, but once you get what she's trying to convey, it really captures your imagination.
So, a mixed bag but not a total flop by any means. And the audio narration really helped bring the characters to life.
A solid 3 Stars ★★★
snarkymotherreader's review against another edition
5.0
The fate of the vampires, the lineage of the dragons, and the life of one human caught in the middle are determined in the third installation of the Negotiator series, Hands of Flame.
After clearing a gargoyle’s name of murder, saving a dragonlord, and surviving the ministrations of the selkies and djinn, Margrit Knight thinks she is up for anything. What she doesn’t expect is an outright war between the Old Races which she may have caused that spills into the human world after the races vie for prime territory.
Now Margrit, dubbed the Negotiator, must face her most terrifying foe: a gargoyle tribunal assembled to determine the fate of Alban, her gargoyle lover. The ramifications of what the tribunal uncovers affects all the races, revealing secrets long kept and stirring a rivalry amongst two powerful men.
Never before has a series hooked me so completely that upon reading the last line of the book I yelled, “This can’t be the end! There has to be more!” With every previous question answered in this novel, three more are left open. Unlike most novels where the reader feels cheated by the lack of finality, this novel leaves a smile on the face and the feeling of hope that maybe a happily ever after will, when the time is right, be possible.
I didn’t think C.E. Murphy would be able to top the first two books in the series, but this is by far the best. As the inhabitants of this world have grown, I have made assumptions about their character, how they would react in certain situations, and what boundaries they would refuse to cross. All preconceived notions about any and all characters were blown away, leaving a beautiful disaster of success and loss, love and betrayal, life and death.
After clearing a gargoyle’s name of murder, saving a dragonlord, and surviving the ministrations of the selkies and djinn, Margrit Knight thinks she is up for anything. What she doesn’t expect is an outright war between the Old Races which she may have caused that spills into the human world after the races vie for prime territory.
Now Margrit, dubbed the Negotiator, must face her most terrifying foe: a gargoyle tribunal assembled to determine the fate of Alban, her gargoyle lover. The ramifications of what the tribunal uncovers affects all the races, revealing secrets long kept and stirring a rivalry amongst two powerful men.
Never before has a series hooked me so completely that upon reading the last line of the book I yelled, “This can’t be the end! There has to be more!” With every previous question answered in this novel, three more are left open. Unlike most novels where the reader feels cheated by the lack of finality, this novel leaves a smile on the face and the feeling of hope that maybe a happily ever after will, when the time is right, be possible.
I didn’t think C.E. Murphy would be able to top the first two books in the series, but this is by far the best. As the inhabitants of this world have grown, I have made assumptions about their character, how they would react in certain situations, and what boundaries they would refuse to cross. All preconceived notions about any and all characters were blown away, leaving a beautiful disaster of success and loss, love and betrayal, life and death.
alexrambles's review against another edition
4.0
Actual Rating: 3.5 (Solid book, well written, but I probably won't reread)
Overall I loved this series. I give it a solid 4/5. I was introduced to C.E. Murphy through her Walker Papers books. And I love her Walker Papers books. This series was good as well, but honestly I find it lacks the polish and appeal that made WP such an amazing series. It's a little rough around the edges, but the heart is genuinely enjoyable.
The Series as a Whole
The series as a whole I'd give a 4 star rating. It's well constructed but, like I said above, it's a little roughly hewn. The similarities between this series and the Gargoyles cartoon series still throw me off. In this last addition to the series, Murphy actually has Cam, Margrit's best friend, acknowledge that Alban reminds her of "that gargoyles cartoon where they turn to stone at night". I sincerely dislike that part of this series- the similarities. If I hadn't seen the cartoon series at a young age and if it wasn't a huge part of my childhood, maybe this wouldn't bother me so much. But it was--so it does.
Disregarding that, the character development in this series is phenomenal. I really enjoyed Margrit's development. She changes from a lawyer bound by her many conventional morals who only finds freedom in taking risks like running alone in Central Park at night into a confident Negotiator between species willing to take risks and go into the dark side to protect what she sees as right. Even when what is right for the many is not good for her personally, she always does her best to see justice done by any means.
The Book (Though be forewarned- this is mostly my freaking out about what happened in this book)
The ending of this series is very much left in the air. In the first or second book Murphy mentions something about this "trilogy". I really hope this is not the last book in the series, because as an ending this would suck. The introduction of is really something I wish would be explored more! I love their characters and I really want to see more of their effect on the Dragonlord and Vampire Master.
I think this series could really become more of a rival to the Walker Papers in time. I truly hope that Murphy returns to this series in time! It's very much worth it in my mind.
Edit: So okay, evidently there IS a sort of continuation in a collection of short stories called The Old Races: Aftermath. While this is great and I'll definitely be reading them, I really really wish there were more BOOKS to the series. I doubt that my curiosity will be assuaged with shorts but we shall see!
Overall I loved this series. I give it a solid 4/5. I was introduced to C.E. Murphy through her Walker Papers books. And I love her Walker Papers books. This series was good as well, but honestly I find it lacks the polish and appeal that made WP such an amazing series. It's a little rough around the edges, but the heart is genuinely enjoyable.
The Series as a Whole
The series as a whole I'd give a 4 star rating. It's well constructed but, like I said above, it's a little roughly hewn. The similarities between this series and the Gargoyles cartoon series still throw me off. In this last addition to the series, Murphy actually has Cam, Margrit's best friend, acknowledge that Alban reminds her of "that gargoyles cartoon where they turn to stone at night". I sincerely dislike that part of this series- the similarities. If I hadn't seen the cartoon series at a young age and if it wasn't a huge part of my childhood, maybe this wouldn't bother me so much. But it was--so it does.
Disregarding that, the character development in this series is phenomenal. I really enjoyed Margrit's development. She changes from a lawyer bound by her many conventional morals who only finds freedom in taking risks like running alone in Central Park at night into a confident Negotiator between species willing to take risks and go into the dark side to protect what she sees as right. Even when what is right for the many is not good for her personally, she always does her best to see justice done by any means.
The Book (Though be forewarned- this is mostly my freaking out about what happened in this book)
The ending of this series is very much left in the air. In the first or second book Murphy mentions something about this "trilogy". I really hope this is not the last book in the series, because as an ending this would suck. The introduction of
Spoiler
Janx and Daisani's half breed children as charactersSpoiler
The fact that Ursula freed the imprisoned vampires at the end of the book also needs more explanation! What are the effects of that! Is Daisani alive or did he die in the fire, effectively committing suicide? How did Ursula find the bodies if he is not dead? How are Ursula and her sister's relationship affected by their different parentage? And above all, what on earth will happen to Margrit!? She's clearly not human now that she has both dragon and vampire blood in her veins! She returned from the dead for goodness' sake! She is clearly not human! And Daisani gave her a second drink of blood! WHAT!?I think this series could really become more of a rival to the Walker Papers in time. I truly hope that Murphy returns to this series in time! It's very much worth it in my mind.
Edit: So okay, evidently there IS a sort of continuation in a collection of short stories called The Old Races: Aftermath. While this is great and I'll definitely be reading them, I really really wish there were more BOOKS to the series. I doubt that my curiosity will be assuaged with shorts but we shall see!
laci's review against another edition
5.0
In the end, I'm glad I've read Baba Yaga's Daughter and Year of Miracles before this trilogy. The story seemed more fleshed out (because I knew the background already) and gave it a satisfying conclusion.