Author: Jennifer Brown
Genre: Mystery, Young Adult
Published on: February 13, 2018 by Katherine Tegen Books
Nikki Kill doesn’t see the world in black and white. Her synesthesia shades everything in view, transforming numbers, words, and emotions into colorful clues. Which means she’s a dangerous commodity to anyone with something to hide.
Nikki has already taken on the Hollises—one of L.A.’s most powerful families—for murdering her half sister, Peyton. However, Nikki’s next steps are clouded by the gray of uncertainty. Before she knows it, Nikki is on the trail of a cold case that couldn’t be any more personal—the death of her mother.
But when the web of lies and secrets she uncovers leads back to the people who have tried to silence her, Nikki must pursue the sunbeam gold of justice, or everything—including her life—will be lost.
The second main character in the series has been fighting for his life as well. He's Chris Martinez, a police detective who's been looking after Nikki. She trusts him because he glows yellow, the color she associates with justice. Chris saved Nikki from Bill and Vanessa Hollis when they tried to kill her at the end of Dare You. A surprise attack from an unknown enemy left Chris in the hospital. It's been months since then, and Nikki's learned that Chris lost several of his recent memories. She's partially disappointed, as she wanted to open herself up to him. It's hard to win Nikki's trust, and Chris got through her defenses easily.
Only one Hollis is still at large. She's Luna Fairchild, Peyton's younger sister. Luna is a wicked, rich brat with a major superiority complex. Luna believes herself destined for greatness and is not above killing to get what she wants. She's already tried to murder Nikki several times. Now, Luna is in the wind after a mysterious white-haired man helped her flee. Nikki's after them both, so she goes searching for clues. Realizing she'll need Chris's help this time, she goes to him. Nikki wants them to partner up once again.
This time around, Nikki has more to worry about than the Hollises. Near the end of book two, she found stuff that suggests her parents were acquainted with the Hollis family. Nikki's father (her mom was killed years ago) denied knowing them at all when she casually asked him. Now Nikki's discovered more, and she's afraid her dad's secret is way darker than she thought. This makes Nikki wary (and even a little afraid) of her father for most of the book. Knowing he won't reveal anything, Nikki searches for the truth on her own...with a little help from Chris.
One thing that's remained consistent about Nikki is her boldness. Some reviews note how casually Nikki walks into situations without a plan. She ends up improvising most of the time. I didn't admire this in Nikki much. She may be a black belt, but Nikki's not invulnerable. At least she's more open about letting others help her. Nikki used to dislike Chris hovering over her, but now she welcomes his help. On that note, Nikki still hasn't opened up to him about her synesthesia. She's been trying to indirectly let Chris in on her secret for ages. As this is the last book in the series, Nikki really should tell him the truth. Chris earned it a while ago.
Over the course of the trilogy, Nikki comes across a bunch of mysteries. Who killed Peyton? Why? What are the Hollises hiding? What is Nikki's father hiding? I was pleased to find that Break Us ties up every loose end. At least the major ones; if there's a minor question or two that wasn't answered, I didn't catch it. The character development was solid as well. Nikki ends up a very different woman from who she was at the start of Shade Me. She's come a long way. Chris has done the same, though to a smaller degree. Nikki changed him, as he did her. And now Nikki is about to enter a new chapter of her life. The series is over, but I for one wouldn't mind reading more about Nikki Kill. She does grow on you.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
No comments:
Post a Comment