The Physician is dead. The Crown Prince is hanging by a thread, and no matter what will likely never be the same again. And Elspeth Spindle's Nightmare has taken over. All that is left for Ravyn is to fulfil what has been foretold and unite the Deck in the hope that maybe, just maybe, the world can be set right.

It does take a moment for you to settle into reading this one, as the POV you've gotten used to in book one changes a bit. Two consciousnesses sharing one body makes for a bit of a brain workout, but somehow it still works really well. The writing within these chapters flows seamlessly between Elspeth and Nightmare, and does an amazing job at painting the picture of their being separate and yet one. The style matches that of the first book, and yet feels more developed and confident, like the author is really telling the story the way they see it in their mind's eye. The relationship between these two characters is further fleshed out and, as you learn more about Nightmare, you really begin to understand him and see more than just the dark spectre; it's beautifully done!

That being said, there is a lot of backstory and exposition in this one. Again, it's woven really well into the main narrative and it doesn't feel like an afterthought or a chore to read at all, but I do wonder if it might have helped a bit more being in the first book? As this is only a duology, some of the explanation seems to come pretty late in the day. However, some elements of it really build up the emotional tie to the characters and the plot, so by the time of the climax you are properly invested. 

As before, Ravyn is my favourite character (although Elm does a lot of heavy lifting in this one to bring him right up in my estimations!) and I cared most about what happens to him. His relationship with Elspeth and Nightmare works fantastically well in this book, and yet at the same time when his actions bring him centre stage I didn't quite get that 'OMG what happens next?!' moment. He should be an epic book boyfriend, but there just isn't quite that connection, and I can't explain why.

I'm a bit stuck about how to describe the pacing and development though. It's neither fast nor slow, and yet some elements of character or relationship development happen incredibly quickly with very little in the way of depth. There is nothing in here that feels forced in terms of that development, but equally I can't say I felt there was a lot of justification for it - it just seems to happen. The worldbuilding continues to be interesting and different, but somehow less vivid despite the uniqueness of the scenario. I suspect this is something to do with the fact that world feels more contained than in other fantasy/romantasy series, so it doesn't have that same 'epic' feel that you might have expected going in.

Overall though, this is a beautifully written duology, standing out from the crowd and doing a damned good job of it!