Where to begin with the second volume of the Dagger and the Coin? This is still the story of a brazen girl turned banker and a bookworm too afraid to know when to stop. It's still the story of a mercenary and an old defunct priest as they head out to deal with a goddess whose priests have spiders for blood. 
 But it's also so much more. 
 The second volume is no place to start the series, but it is definitely a good place to continue it. Some of the elements are almost reminiscent of Martin's Ice and Fire series - empire in turmoil, dragons, and (SPOILER - can't tell you that bit). The execution, though, is completely different, and where Martin draws a long, deep story out, Abraham punches you in the stomach runs away laughing maniacally. 
 It's books like this that make Daniel Abraham such a force to be reckoned with in the fantasy genre. I read this book on an e-reader, and more than once I found myself flailing with my free hand to find a bookmark before I remembered it would do me no good. The King's Blood is an engrossing novel that seems slow to suck you in at first, then races all the way to the finish line.