Ehhh. Feels like a big step-down in quality. Or maybe I was just too generous regarding the first book. There's way too much hot-and-cold/will-they-won't-they and unnecessary fighting for "dramatic tension" going on here. And occasionally some similes and plot-devices that made me roll my eyes. 
 I mean, book 3 promises court intrigue, which I am all about. And I think it's sort of the conclusion of the first arc. So I'll probably wrap this up there. 
 I spent a lot of time while reading this comparing it to the Nightrunner books in my head. And really, there just isn't any comparison. Nightrunner is leaps and bounds above this.