‘Nikki Blade Book 2: The Awakening’ (2017) Book Review

I’ve always been a huge fan of urban fantasy, so when I heard extreme horror author (and PopHorror writer) Tim Miller (not to be confused with the Deadpool director) was trying his hand at urban fantasy with the Nikki Blade series, I knew I had to check it out. I sped through both books in 2 days. Read on for my thoughts on Nikki Blade Book 2: The Awakening (and be sure to check out our review of book 1, Blood Wolf, here.)

I really dug the first book and finished it in under 24 hours. I couldn’t wait to dive into book 2 and was hopeful that Miller would keep up the consistent pace, world/character building, and fun story he established with book 1. I wasn’t disappointed. I thought Nikki came into her own as a hero, being able to make the hard choices while still reeling from the revelations of the previous entry (even if she does go a little kill happy). I was extremely thrilled to see the supporting characters established in book 1 made a return in book 2 (at least, the ones who survived) and were even more developed. I was already a huge fan of Clara, the werewolf from the first book, and I loved that she came back and was given much more to do. She became such as badass, as well as becoming Nikki’s best friend and sidekick, providing some much needed back up muscle. I really enjoyed their interaction and thought they came off very believable as friends.

I liked the team Nikki had to work with and loved that they were a reluctant family of misfits who actually cared about each other and I hope they appear in subsequent books. After the final act tease in book 1, I was happy to see the Fae be so prominent in this book and I love the unique spin Miller puts on them, making them a supernatural mob of sorts while still maintaining them as dicks like in most urban fantasy series. If I had any complaints, albeit minor, it would be Nikki’s newfound kill happiness, the lack of interaction between her and Charles, and that a villain I expected to be a major figure in the series being taken out, in my opinion, much too early. That being said, overall, I really enjoyed the latest entry in the Nikki Blade series and can’t wait for book 3, Zombie Queen, to come out in the coming months. 

Final Thoughts

Nikki Blade Book 2: The Awakening is a worthy follow up to Blood Wolf. It develops the supporting cast nicely while still moving the story forward and consistently growing the world. The story was interesting, moved at a solid pace, and features some great action set pieces and gruesome bits. I have absolutely fell in love with the world and characters of this series and I can’t wait for book 3! If you want to pick up the books, you can do so here.