tl;dr
A strong conclusion to the duology, with some neat plot twists and a dramatic romance.

Thoughts
This book starts right after the ending of the first book, and jumps straight back into the story without stopping for a breath (so if it's been a while since you read the last one, or you haven't read it at all, go do that first). But if you're ready for all the fast-paced action from the previous book to continue, then it's all in here. The stakes are higher, and you can feel the tension immediately as our already exhausted characters have a larger battle in front of them with enemies on even more fronts. It's a race to the finish line that doesn't let up, with players coming and going, so there are a lot of threads to keep up with. Arthurian legend again features strongly, but loosely, with some really cool twists and surprises woven in.  The first person POV that worked really well in the first book might be a bit of a detriment here, as the group splits up quite a bit, and a ton of action winds up happening off screen. The most obviously missed chance is the secondary romance, that develops largely out of sight from the MC, and it's one that I would have loved to watch unfold. That being said, readers hoping for a conclusion to the primary romance set up in the first book will be happy to see the same bittersweet mix of tender moments and traumatic backstories for our young heroes, all leading to a very hopeful ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for an advance copy! All thoughts in this review are my own.