The first two parts of this were exciting and full of mysteries and 5 star stories. The last part was a mostly dry, russian, introspective, courtroom slog that seriously dinged my enjoyment. I loved the two characters in the first two parts, I was constantly engaged in where they were going and how it related to the overall story. They both had depth and although Lukyanenko clearly loves characters living inside their own heads, the first two were minimized enough to add to the story instead of weigh it down. The last piece to the overall book felt like an overly complicated courtroom drama without the drama. The pieces I did like were the vodka drinking session and the

Spoiler

two lovers being true to their love

at the end. 3.5 stars rounded up because Russian authors always have a slightly different perspective than western authors that I enjoy.

I didn't enjoy it enough to immediately start reading the next one although I own it. Which means I probably won't ever read it because the "oh look a new book" syndrome I am suffering from will bury it before I get back to the series.