If you like reading descriptions of fight scenes, this is the book for you. Also, if you admire men who are gravely injured but still manage to fight, ride horses, etc., this book is also for you. I won’t mention descriptions of weapons and skipped-over lore… ( )

I rarely find a second installment equally exciting as the first... but this was an exception in spades! Loved getting some of the world-building through oral history, which added layers and layers to the social structure and interpersonal relationships in the story. Also, the slow burn romance was right up my ally! Not over the top, and extremely relevant to the story and the characters' motivations. Evans thanks a friend in the acknowledgments for always keeping him on track with portraying what is at stake in every scene, and it shows. This book is a master of stakes!

The cliffhanger tore a hole in my heart, because now I have to wait who knows how long to find out where the story will go next. Loved everything about this one. Definitely give the series a read! ( )

Series Info/Source: This is the second book in The Burning series. I got this as an audiobook from Audible.

Thoughts: This was an amazing continuation of this epic fantasy series. I liked this book just as much as the first book in the series.

Tsiora, the Queen of the Omehi, is being attacked from multiple sides. Her sister has been set up as a puppet queen by some Noble traitors and the indigenous Xidda people are still plaguing her as well. Her main asset is Tau, as her champion, and his warrior brothers.

This has a lot of politics and intrigue, as well as a lot of action. I am constantly impressed with how real Winter makes the characters; you are constantly pulling for them and hurting for them. Even the side characters are very well done. There are quite a few characters but Winters juggles them effortlessly and it's never hard to keep track of the extensive cast.

I love where this story is going and can't wait to see what happens in the next book. The world-building and characters here are both absolutely amazing. This does end on a bit of a cliffhanger but it was well done; the main plot points of this book are resolved while letting us look forward to some new and interesting elements in the next book.

My Summary (5/5): Overall, I really enjoyed this. The characters development, story, and world-building are fantastic. I would highly recommend this series if you are a fan of epic and/or military fantasy. This is one of the best epic fantasies I have read in some time; Winters is truly a talented fantasy writer! ( )

This is the second book in a planned 4 book series The Burning.

What an exceptional follow-up to book 1, [b:The Rage of Dragons|41952489|The Rage of Dragons (The Burning, #1)|Evan Winter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553927196l/41952489._SY75_.jpg|57522473]. This series is turning out to be an Epic Fantasy readers dream. The non-stop action continued and I got a bit worn down. However, I took it in bits and pieces and savored the time I spent in Winter's world of the Omehi people. Like book 1, this is not for the weak and squeamish, lots of fighting, lots of bad things happening to good people. However, the storytelling and writing are some of the best I have read in a long time. [a:Evan Winter|17087338|Evan Winter|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1506183476p2/17087338.jpg]'s has the chops to go far in the fantasy genre and I look forward to the next two books in this series and am excited to see where he will go after that. ( )

This one has "middle book syndrome." It recovers from the events of the first book, and sets things up for the next book, but doesn't have enough of its own power. It has extensive lore exposition which, to be frank, was more interesting than the foreground plot which is mostly traveling and talking.

Still, you get a few brutal battles and some beautifully written dialogues about revenge and grief. There are provocative debates about caste that I understand a lot better now that I've read Caste by Isabel Wilkerson. In one chapter titled "Fraction," a character has a mathematical epiphany that could give his side an edge in battle (and I wonder how many readers figured it out before he did). But the best chapters are the few from an antagonist's point of view; they brilliantly flip the script.

I read the hardcover version while listening to the audiobook. The audio narrator does an even better job this time in portraying a variety of voices. While I wish this book were better, the next book could be the best yet in the series. ( )