Better than the first book, as I expected, because there wasn't so much exposition. It gets right into the story and it's such an enjoyable ride.

I love the amping up of the drama and the war and the stakes. People died in the first book, but in this book you really start expecting important people to die and it's so good. No one is safe and you can feel all that tension.

I also love the continued exploration of the world. You get to see so much diversity in terms of landscape and people's lives, the way they survive. And you also get to see more of Tenebria and they finally start becoming recognizable characters in their own right. It's really well done.

This one took me ages to read because there was a gnarly bit of animal abuse later on and I just couldn't bring myself to pick it up for a minute, but it had nothing to do with the book's quality. Highly recommend the series and I'm looking forward to continuing on!