Meadows adequately relates the first book to “coming out” and then beautifully describes this one as “what happens after you come out”. But I feel like the message resonates beyond that. I saw someone learning to deal with trauma and grief while simultaneously trying to empathize with someone else experiencing the same things from a different source. I saw someone who struggles to admit that they love someone when they have a hard time even loving themselves. I saw the characters waffle between self loathing and self acceptance so many times it made my head spin. But it was so beautifully written, so eloquently portrayed that I FELT every moment.

We continue to follow Vel and Cae as they try to come to terms with their shared grief and shoulder their new responsibilities. All this while still trying to get to know each other in the first months of their marriage. Political intrigue and sly courtly games are even more prevalent in this book in a much different setting. Assassins, intrigue, murder, lust, and quiet possibly love.

I always love high fantasy with tons of crazy intrigue and interconnected politics. It was one of my favorite things about the first book and it was amplified in this one. That being said, this one was very light on the fantasy (minimal mentions magic, mostly healing).
And I forgot that both books are told from multiple POVs! Definitely one of my favorite writing tools. And I feel like I got more of Cae’s POV this time which was awesome! He’s definitely my favorite….after Markel