Definitely an improvement from book one. I'm continually impressed by the scale of Cahill's ambition. The ambition to jam his story full of everything he loves in fantasy. My hope is that he keeps adding. Bring on the complexity. I can take it. 

I still think that some the characters need more work. There are a few that seem too similar to each other. In my opinion, they need something more than their plot lines to differentiate themselves from the pack. Some tick or quark. I want them to be more than men with swords.