4 stars
After the drama at the end of the first book, we find Cador and Jem on the boat, sailing to Neuvella looking for a cure for the desease that has been causing the death of a lot of children.

I think both Cador and Jem's feelings were very well described: Cador is dealing with regret, pain and heartbreak over the loss of his relationship with Jem; he's perfectly aware that he broke his lover's trust and that there are zero chances for him to be forgiven.
Jem, instead, is torn between the love he feels for Cador and the pain caused by his betrayal; he's also ashamed to have been played by Cador and his family and to not have been able to complete the task his mother gave him. He's confused because he doesn't know who to trust anymore. Moreover, in this book, he's dealing with the aftermath of being kidnapped and he's developed signs of PTSD.

I loved that Cador had to grovel a lot before Jem forgave him: there's a big contrast between the simple life they were living in their isolated cottage in the first book and all the problems they're facing in this one. It's not easy for them to get back to their perfect little world.

What prevented me from giving a higher rate:
The book was definitely too long and all the events (a lot of events!) didn't help, sometimes I struggled to keep the attention. 
The desease:

what caused it? Why the sevels were the only cure? These questions remained unaswered.

I didn't like

Jem's mother

in this book, it disappointed me that she

knew about the disease and yet she let all those children suffer in order to gain power over the other country.

I have to say, this author is very very good at historical romance, I particularly appreciate the language.
The epilogue is sweet and perfect for them, but I would have loved to have more of them reuinited and in love again.