I've been lucky enough to get ARCs of both this book and it's predecessor, The Merciful Crow, and I'm glad for it too! This was one of those series that was on my radar but needed the push to get into, so having an ARC definitely helped that!

Now I'm part of the blog tour for its sequel, and I couldn't have been more excited when I got approved! I'd been wanting to know where the story went from the end of book 1, (though admittedly not desperate because while the ending had been dire, it ended on a somewhat good note). The beginning of The Faithless Hawk set things back in motion quickly though, and I spent almost the entire book on edge!

I honestly really enjoyed where the series ended up going in this book, from the revelations about the castes and the truth behind the gods. We got to see so much more of the world and its lore in this book, and I always love that in my fantasy stories. Myths and gods and stories are entirely my jam, and the extra focus on that in this book made it even better for me. The book also felt really well-paced, it didn't try too hard to keep twists for the end and the action was spread evenly throughout the book. It never dragged and yet also never felt like too much all at once. The only thing I didn't care as much for was the large amount of court scenes in the middle/later half of the book, and I really like seeing Fie on the road more, with her Crows. It didn't bug me enough to like the book any less though.

This sequel also did a really good job of building upon the characters we know and love from the first book, and you could really see them grow in this book, without deviating too much from their core personalities. I loved the choices that were made with all their individual plot lines, especially Fie's and Tavin's. Some journeys definitely hurt to read and often frustrated me in the moment (which was their purpose), but it fit so well into the story and the characters that I didn't actually mind as much as I usually do in books. Nothing felt like it was thrown in there for drama or to keep couples separated, it rather just felt like how a character would act in that particular situation. It made for flawed and layered characters, and were one of the strongest aspects of the series for me. I also just love Fie, how she uses her magic, and her strength. I wouldn't have loved this series as much from any other character.

I also ended up finding an audiobook on one of my many audiobook subscriptions when I was about to start my read, so I ended up going for that instead of reading it physically, and it was a great choice! The narrator brought the entire story to life for me, and it was overall an extremely enjoyable listen. I loved how the narrator narrated Fie, and her manner of speaking and tone, and it fit the character super well. It fit in perfectly with how I read the characters in book 1, as I usually have issues starting to listen to audiobooks a book into the series, as I already have a clear interpretation of them. Instead, the audiobook only increased my enjoyment of the series, rather than take away from it. I'd highly recommend listening to this series if audiobooks are your thing!

Overall, I'm super happy I traded for this ARC on the BEA convention floor (conventions feel so far away now!), and can't wait to see what this author writes next!