This book could have and should have been either half as long or two separate books. There is so much that happens that it’s hard to encapsulate how I feel without the end-of-the-book bias. 

In general, reading this series is particularly difficult because our narrator Violet is a mildly illogical, whiny, savior complex of a protagonist whose companion is a brooding, clever, intimidating man who has a savior complex of his own. This makes for redundant conversations about them keeping secrets from each other (despite being at war and of different ranks) and if they actually love each other (which quite frankly gets so elementary in the back and forth). I hate that Yarros adds this powerful female character Cat and makes her entire storyline essentially about jealousy and a man. And even though Cat herself insists it’s “not about a man,” there are taunts that go on for chapters about this quarrel. It’s frustrating that this is how Cat’s persona is basically defined from the get-go when she actually had potential to be more.

You can also tell this is a fantasy genre book because the names of all of these people, dragons, and griffins are hard to remember and pronounce. There was a mass influx of new characters and combined with the recurring characters, I couldn’t keep track. I think side characters like General Sorrengail and Imogen and Dain had better character development. And again, we are limited from Violet’s thoughts and point-of-view. But boy, did I need a break from her sometimes. 

This is an incredibly plot-driven sequel that takes the characters through many tribulations such as: joining a revolution, political bargaining, dealing with previously-thought dead siblings, the aforementioned love story drama, torture and interrogation, schemes to break in to places, and more. Again, I feel like this could have broken up into two books or at least been shorter. There was almost too much setup about merging the fliers and riders and saving Basgiath. While every chapter ends on that cliffhanger-type way, I wasn’t excited for what was next until maybe halfway through. 

I will say that I was pleasantly surprised with the handling of Mr Varrish. I’m interested in seeing where Aaric’s story goes. 

Overall, it was an entertaining read with a couple unexpected twists. I got through it quickly. But the writing and lack of true character development hampered this for me.