I enjoyed this book even more than the first one. I really like how it built off of characters that were in the Kitchen House but were not developed. It's nice that you can read it either as a stand alone or as part of a series. I actually wouldn't mind if there was another book and the author made this a trilogy. I really enjoyed how the author examined multiple points of view of slaves and former slaves in America. Its horrifying to think that this happened in such recent history and the viewpoints that were being espoused.