I enjoyed this book; however, I do not think it was quite as strong of an entry in the series as the first book.

Yukiko, the Stormdancer, ends up spending most of the book off on a "side quest" which while having some interesting components, I found largely uninteresting. Her whole purpose for leaving gets and answer, but not really a solution. This "answer" I also found very....bothersome... it wasn't an arc I wanted to see Yukiko take, and it has me worried about her role in the third book.

This book is at least, if not more focused, around Kin and his struggles to find his place within the Kage. While this is interesting, and does lead to some very dramatic moments, it also wasn't as cool as reading about a katana wielding warrior, riding a griffon, but few things really are.

Despite some of its weaknesses, it still was an interesting and entertaining read. I am excited to get around to the third book.