This was very much a "opposites attract" kind of love story - and that's what made it so much fun, as it lead to some very entertaining banter as well as fight sequences between Bashir & Aysel. Those scenes made me chuckle a lot.

But I can't deny that it was missing a bit of that extra spark from book 1 for me. Maybe it was because I read one book after the other and kept thinking about Naime & Makram's story. However, Storm & Shield did differ in other ways as well: we mostly stayed in one place throughout the book, and the political intrigue took more of a back seat here - that added tension in Reign & Ruin is an important aspect that made it (imo) a more well-rounded book.

Still, I loved getting to know knew characters, seeing "old" ones appear, learning more about the magic system and what made some wielders unique, but also how they (potentially) complimented one another. The author did a great job of making this book feel familiar (thanks to the world building established in book 1) while at the same time creating a story that was different enough to be its own. I'm certainly excited to see what book 3 will bring!