I'll say upfront that this is a niche book. While A Taste of Gold and Iron was a traditionally published fantasy romance novel, this companion/sequel volume is a self-published novella with no plot, no magic, and no romance (at least not involving the main character). It's totally character-centric and completely niche.

I loved it. 

Fealty is one of my favourite (underrated) tropes or themes in fiction, and I'm aware that this is something I have in common with the author Alexandra Rowland. It's utilised here in a very emotional and bittersweet way that had tears in my eyes on at least one occasion. 

You definitely need to have read ATOGAI first to pick this up, as it frequently refers to characters and events from that book without really introducing or explaining them. For someone who has already read and loved the first book, however - and isn't put off by the differences described above - I highly recommend this novella.