The first two books of this series (which really seemed to be one long arc of the story) started with divergent lives that soon converged to form the expedition down the Rain Wilds River into a kind of heart of darkness in search of the lost city of Kelsingra, seeking a home for the stunted dragons that were abandoned by the dragon Tintaglia. Despite the multiple points of view, the story was tightly focused on the expedition and the humans and dragons that comprised it. In City of Dragons, the focus broadens considerably right from page one. We expand outward to see--among others--the villains who have thus far been distant figures: the Duke of Chalced, his representatives, and Hest, Alise's husband and Sedric's lover. We get their perspectives as well as those of Tintaglia and the Elderlings Reyn, Malta, and Seldon, that she created, met way back in the Liveship Trilogy (okay, I'm almost finished with book 4 of this series, and I'm having a hard time remembering if Reyn and Malta are in this book or don't arrive until the next one, but I think we at least see Selden). 
 The story seemed more exciting and faster-paced than the first two books, as though the series has really found its stride, with the tableau set for everything that is to come in this volume and the next.