This second in a duology works well as a standalone, but was so intriguing that I will now be going back to read the first in the small series. A somewhat reimagined/enhanced telling of the siege of Troy, this historical fiction is written fully from the female perspective of the war between the Achaeans and the Trojans. The chapters are a cycle of 4 POVs that are interwoven quite well and give a wide expanse telling of the events with emotional acuity. More than just a historical telling, this is a piece that delves into the humanity of the situation, including the thoughts of mothers, slaves, and warriors. Extremely well-written and full of tension. It can be a bit confusing due to all the moving pieces and some familiarity with the historical characters will absolutely be helpful, but the story still stood quite well on its own and had me highly invested even if I already knew how the (historically told) ending would play out. There are some liberties taken on the interpretation, which is covered very well in the author's note and that I honestly think were well thought out approaches to telling the story. I'm no historian, but it all seemed believable to me. It rises above the fantastical of mythology and sticks fairly well to a historical tale, but there are some bits that definitely verge into fantasy (it's hard to portray Cassandra without this detour). Highly recommend for historical fiction buffs, especially those who love tales of Ancient Greece and Turkey.