This was everything I could have hoped for in a Li Tau redemption arc! These two characters are compelling from page one, and their push-and-pull, constant power play, and continual negotiation with each other create such delicious tension and heat. The political machinations in this installment are even more complex than those in Butterfly Swords and (thankfully) more integral to the character conflict and development. Lin's prose - and especially her imagery - is rich and propulsive, and I absolutely loved every beat of this.