A solid follow-up to the first book. Perhaps I liked this a bit more even, because the characters and settings were already established. I was listening to the audio edition, and I'd find myself doing things (cleaning, yardwork) just so I could listen more. The story is very involved and completely captivating. Here, some of the characters were separated, so there were alternating storylines, which can be a little frustrating. This series makes me want to learn more of the history of the Ottoman empire. Looking forward to book 3.