Troy has been conquered. Achilles has fallen, but his son Pyrrhus is hailed a hero. All the Greek warriors want is to go home. But what about the women whose home is now ashes on the wind? Those who have been enslaved by their conquerors, whose husbands, brothers and sons were slain? An anxious wait is in store...

Predominantly, we are again seeing the world through Briseis' eyes. Now married to Achilles' right-hand-man, and with Achilles' child in her belly, she is deemed a free woman and so her life in thr war camp is a little easier. However, the majority of her story is spent with the women who remain enslaved, trying to support them in their new stations. She is a deeply sympathetic character, falling between the various worlds she inhabits, and the author conveys her somewhat lonely existence and being on the outside looking in incredibly well. By now, she knows how the camp and the leaders work, and so there are some elements of her character that feel like they've shifted towards 'going native'. However, at the same time she remains a thoroughly Trojan woman at heart, and again this balance is struck perfectly.

However, the setting of this book is that gap between the end of the seige of Troy and the launch of the ships to return to Greece. Ultimately, they are waiting for a favourable wind (in exactly the same way they had to on the way to Troy 10 years previous!). And that's exactly how it feels reading it. You're just waiting for something to happen. There are set pieces, but there is a fair amount of reflection on what happened in the previous book, and various similarities that make the book feel like something of a rehash of book one. I absolutely appreciate that this isn't all on the author - blame the source material! - but equally I wonder if there were elements that could have been explored more to create a more pacy and engaging narrative. 

Coupled with this, I found it very difficult to gauge the passing of time. Briseis is pregnant throughout, but at face value there seems to be very little change in her condition, suggesting that the time period covered is quite short. However, other elements would suggest more time has passed and surely she should be due to give birth by now? In some respects, it does feel timeless, and this compliments the feel of waiting with baited breath for the Gods to smile upon them. But equally this means that I found the narrative even slower again.

It is beautiful writing, but it just doesn't quite have the same feel and flow as the first book. The characters are less defined - for example, Pyrrhus should be a hugely strong presence, but he's more of a stroppy teenager trying to live up to Daddy's reputation. There are also lots of question marks left over his personality and motivations; too many for me to properly accept his character without question. 

I'm led to believe that the last book in the trilogy leaves Briseis behind and follows Cassandra as the main character. And honestly, I'm really not drawn to her at all in this book. I've always imagined her as something of a 'Luna Lovegood' personality; quite ethereal, but able to fight back when she needs to, and with an intense frustration that her prophecies aren't believed. However, in this she comes across as quite the brat. Now, I've been here before with Nesta Archeron, and after reading her book she became one if my favourite characters. So I'm hoping something similar will occur here. And I'm hoping that we get split POVs, as it would be good to see Briseis' story through to the end.

Overall, not as enjoyable as the first one, but hopefully an appropriate bridge to the finale.