This second book in the series was quite a bit stronger and more enjoyable than the first. I'm glad I took a chance on continuing with it as the overall plot has become much more intriguing and I'm all for the mysteries fleshed out here.
While the first book in the series focused on Frederick and Myrbeth, this second book follows Frederick's brother Edmund and his love interest, Theolotta over a period of about 7 years. The slow, gentle progress of the story is unusual and I really liked that about it. It's a book to savour, not devour without thinking. I appreciated the complexities of Edmund and Theolotta's relationship, as they do have an arranged marriage but the parents were more subtle about it and allowed the children to choose for themselves. That was unusual and added quite a lot.
I also really enjoyed the asides about Mercy and what happened to the Shadow Knights after they were defeated. There's also a very interesting investigation over all this time to discover the "Shadow King", the mastermind behind the two brutal attacks in the first book. I like how the author works through things and sets us up to hopefully discover this in the next book. I'm definitely curious to find out what happens next.
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