Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

If ye haven’t read the first book in this series, cold-forged flame, then ye might want to skip this post and go read me review for the first installment. If ye keep reading this log then ye have been forewarned and continue at yer own peril . . .

Now I cannot say enough goodness about the first book. I reread it in preparation for this second installment and enjoyed it just as much the second time around. I adore Ree as a character and the world-building so very much. I cannot believe I had to wait 268 days between the two, however it was worth the wait!

One of the awesome circumstances of the first story is that Ree cannot remember anything about herself, her nature, or even her name. I am a sucker for that kinda thing. By the end of story one, ye know her partial name and some of her nature but have way more questions than answers. As does Ree.

I was so exited to see where she would go next. It of course did not go anywhere that I expected! This story takes place several years after the events in the first one. While this episode has a lot less mystery than the first, I still found it engrossing and enthralling. In this second installment, Ree meets another archon which sets off another mission fer Ree, answers some of her questions, and of course gives her so many more. My favorite aspects are following Ree in her journey to reclaim parts of herself and her attempts to figure out what has been lost. The glimpses ye do get are tantalizing. It was also extremely nice to see Aadet again.

Oh and this cover is awesome. Don't ye want to read about giant black cats? Ye know ye do. And that is all I am going to say about this one cause it is short and awesome and ye should discover what happens fer yerself. I want the third one!

Random fact about book two from the author's website is this:

"And you’ll see the Mayan calendrical system with a minor fictional paint job showing up in Lightning in the Blood because years ago I read about it for fun and wound up incorporating it into a story more or less wholesale, complete with fiddly little details about Year-Bearers."

I need to go off an' do research bout Mayan calendrical systems now. Go out and get the first episode if ye haven't. Read this one if ye have.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Macmillian-Tor/Forge!

Check out me other reviews on https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/