In my review of the first book in this series, Child of Fire, I said: "I really enjoyed this book! Even though you are left with a few unanswered questions about the main character's past, the action is such that it sweeps you away. Good writing voice, excellent visuals of the world. A good solid, fast read." 
 Ugh. Really? That's all I wrote? /sigh 
 Well, that was singularly unhelpful as a refresher for this review. 
 The "problem" is that I could say the exact same things about book two. The author doesn't let you down. The quality of writing is great. The narrative voice is along the same vein as the first. Ray Lily is the same interesting, conflicted character. The plot moved at a break-neck pace from the beginning to end and putting the book down was hard, just like the first book. 
 I love this world, what we see of it. I love Ray Lily and I wonder if, despite his criminal past, redemption will bite him on the ass and end up costing him more than just being a criminal. I like Annalise and wonder what her backround is; what has made her so hard and quick to kill? What are her motivations? Is the strange honor code to which Ray holds himself affecting her own personal code? Will Ray wear her down and maybe find a cause for them to really fight for? 
 While I still have questions about some backstory, I trust the author to dole it out when it will have the most impact. So far, Harry Connolly has yet to steer me wrong. 
 I can't stress enough that I love this style of writing. You open the book and the story pulls you in and then. . . you hit the ground running. The plot sweeps you away so quickly that even the questions you have about backstory and the relationship between Ray and Annalise is never quite as important as what's clicking along in the plot. The whole world is chock full of possiblity. 
 Unfortuneately, the next book, Circle of Enemies, and the prequel, Twenty Palaces, are the last installments in this series. You can read about the series cancellationhere. 
 I'm sad for the author. This is a great series. I hope that he can resurrect it at a later date. Still, I'll be keeping my eye out for anything else this author might publish. I'm interested to see what else he might have in store for me. And, of course, I still have book 3 and the prequel to read.