The Effigies, a quartet of female superheroes from a futuristic, alternate-reality Earth, see their reputation go down in flames, even as they continue to fight the phantoms feeding on humans, and try to prevent Saul and his new partners from taking over the world through fear and misinformation. It doesn't help that the group is fragmenting from the inside, too. Maia, the Fire Effigy, must scry the group's original creation for some way to stop the current menace, although the solution may mean the end of the Effigies altogether. Background from Fate of Flames (2016) and Siege of Shadows (2017) is crucial to this third entry in the Effigies series, which energetically continues the action-oriented superhero adventure. Raughley provides satisfying insights into the Effigies' formation, as well as long overdue character growth from Maia, who narrates the tale and finally manages to woman up to do the job that needs to be done with help, of course, from her talented friends. An artificial intelligence subplot boosts the STEM content of this fast-paced fantasy.--Cindy Welch Copyright 2018 Booklist

The second book of the Effigies trilogy, Siege of Shadows (2017), ended with Maia Finley's twin sister, June, having returned from the dead to fight for the villains.This novel opens with Maia floating in the English Channel after Ice Effigy Belle stabbed her in the chest. Maia, Chae Rin, and Lake now have to join forces with what is left of those loyal to the Sect to fight the terrorist Saul, traitorous Sect agents, genetically engineered Effigies, and Belle, who's gone off script. Maia also has to scry into the memories of Marian, the original Fire Effigy, so she can defeat Saul for good. However, she must face Natalya in order to see them, and she fears she is not strong enough. The more memories of Marian's she sees, the more unbelievable the arrival of the phantoms and beginning of the Effigies' legacy seems. While this book features ample ethnic diversity both in main and secondary characters, as well as impressive worldbuilding with fun science-fiction gadgets and a visit to the three Fates, it reads much like a wild soap opera. The plot lacks originality, and there is little to no character development throughout the series. Although there are some wonderful ideas and the writing is engaging, readers may feel as if they have read this story before.For fans of the series: fun but not noteworthy. (Fantasy. 13-17) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.