This review originally appeared on the book review blog: Just One More Pa(i)ge.

Well this was a very satisfying book two. The story of Lada and Radu and Mehmed that was set up in book one was amazingly extended here. First, I love the change of focus, as the three end up separate and are able to develop as characters separate of their joint personality. It makes the pacing really interesting, because there are many moments of great drama and violence, but with the evolution of the roles and lives of the characters, it doesn’t seem too be faced paced drama and violence. Yet as I think back, and almost wrote that it was a slower read, I realize that for how much happened, that would not really be fair. I don’t even know how to describe it, but it was the right style for this part of the story, without doubt. For Mehmed, that means we actually just get a lot less of him in this book. I would have been disappointed in that, if you had told me before I started, but I actually loved the way things progressed and didn’t miss him as much as I would have expected. For Lada and Radu, the character development is just gorgeously thorough and complex. We see the vicious bloodiness really grow in Lada, to lengths that are so extreme but so true to her character and the history of Vlad the Impaler. And I LOVE that ruthlessness in a woman. It terrifying and refreshing to read. For Radu, his natural tenderness and intelligence is truly tested in this book, and we see that his exposure to kindness outside of Mehmed creates a complicated situation for him, emotionally, that maybe will break his heart, but also may give him the relief from his heart’s previously confining connections. As far as romantic relationships, I think the minimal explorations here are perfect for the story. Ignoring that part of “growing up” is disingenuous (in my opinion) but having it be completely central in a story like this one would also not be correctly representative. White walked that line with finesse. Additionally, the way she looks at some of the extra “lady” issues that Lada has that would for sure have to be dealt with (and plague her) are not ignored, which again, I really appreciate. But also they do not stop her discomfort with the topics or prevent her from following her dark path to power. Last, I am super interested in seeing where some of our new characters go from here, like Cyprian and Daciana. They were great additions to the story. And the ending was a great moment of closure and standing on the precipice of what comes next – I enter the last installment with excitement and apprehension in equal measure. These characters and their stories are fascinating and so fully developed and I am holding out hope for a fireworks-filled finale!