This second book started a little bit slower, but once it got going it totally made up for that. This was a great second book, moving the story forward on many levels without hitting a lot of contrived snags.

Character wise, I thought there was some solid development. Aileana's story was one of great growth here, I thought. She learned lots of information about herself, and others, and (though it was still done in the slightly immature way of an 18-ish year old) processed it reasonably and, I felt, truthfully to her character. And of course Kiaran. What we learn about him and his past, and how he slowly opens up with Aileana, is also very true to his character. I think their relationship unfolds with perfect timing (the right mix of hope, apprehension, and impatience) and is handled maturely, and realistically within their world(s). The small things are well done - I smile-snorted when she told him to just hold back the sea and he looked at her in a kind of disbelief and said "Just hold back the sea, she says." Speaking from experience here, it's pretty spot on banter for a real couple. Plus, I love that he calls her Kam, like, a lot. Aithinne is fantastic, both hard and soft, plus a little crazy, I really enjoyed her. And what we learn about her and Kiaran, and their past interactions with Kadamach, are one of the most impressive parts of this book. I thought the background building, the reveals that we get along with Aileana, are well written and thought out. And a very compelling rendition of a popular and common myth on the divisions between the Seelie and Unseelis fae kingdoms. Derrick is still just fun, but we did get a little more depth of his story as well. Catherine and Gavin both move forwards a bit, but are generally the biggest disappointments of this installment, I think. They, and few of the other new "human" additions, remain fairly two-dimensional supporting cast.

There are still a few things stylistically that bother me, like some of Ailenana's inner thoughts, the repetition there, etc. I think it's not entirely unrealistic, but I don't enjoy reading it. It's a lot of dwelling. And while I understand the guilt she carries now, I still don't understand the longer standing feeling of unworthiness that she has. Generally, I liked how her time with Lonnrach, though horrible, helped her get over the smaller view of her mother's death as her motivating factor - that truly would have been a weak foundation for the entirety of the trilogy, although it was a perfect starting point. Additionally, Aileana may have a slightly unrealistic penchant for coming back to life, but I guess within the confines of the story, it's necessary and, in fact, the author recognizes it outright at one point, so that helped take off some of the pressure (credit there).

I'm excited for the final piece of the story. The twist at the end with the Cailleach was well played, if not slightly predictable, and I'm interested to see what changes are in store for Aileana now (physically, magically, etc.) and what will happen with Kiaran's "shift," if you will, at the end. Though the writing is smooth, it's nothing exceptional and normally I would have continued my 3-star rating here, if not for how very well crafted the story was in this second book. I didn't have to struggle through awkward second book relationship issues or contrived plot devices to make a second book necessary between the opening and concluding pieces of the story. Like I said, the pacing and delivery of information, as well as the pacing in character development for our main characters, has been parceled fantastically throughout these first two books. That steady, even flow, combined with how well thought out the storyline clearly is, really bumped this second book up for me.