I really appreciated how this sequel focused on the amount of pressure Ildiko and Brishen had on their shoulders when it came to having an heir to the throne that they couldn't conceive. There are a lot of series where a solution kind of just comes up for problems like that in the plot and I appreciated that the problem of infertility within a marriage was explored. Many people died and sacrifices had to be made throughout the book to fix the mess Brishen's mother made, and I'm glad that the author didn't shy away from the horrors of war and the destruction that his mother's decision wrought. The only thing this book left me craving for was more time with Anhuset and Serovek. I hope that there will be a spin off or something with them because their chemistry in this book is amazing and seeing them interact was one of my favorite parts of this book. An enjoyable read overall and I hope to read more by Grace Draven in the future.