Like Fire, this is a fairly slow moving book. While it picks up in plot towards the end, the way it's written still feels slow. However, this fits the nature of the story. Bitterblue is trying to pick up the mess her father made, and many are afraid of confronting the past. Therefore, her journey to the truth is a long, winding one.

While you can read this book without reading the previous two (I think), there's nuggets of backstory you'll miss. This book really draws all 3 together. I loved being able to see Bitterblue's journey play out, and I was honestly hooked until the end.