I enjoyed the first volume (Like a Sword Wound) of the projected quartet of which this is the second part, but it's here that Altan seems to come into his own. Sword Wound feels like the introduction and now the story takes flight. The premise of characters appearing as ghosts to Osman, their descendant, is still in place but now the sense of living lives becomes more prominent. The first book felt like it was 'told' whereas now there's far more 'showing' so the narrative style has evolved.

There's still the fascinating mix of love and revolutionary politics showcased in the title as the Ottoman Empire under the rule of the Sultan continues to decay. Especially notable are the fascinating female characters: Mehpare, her sophisticated mother, her daughter, the newly introduced Dilara, all open up clichés about women and Islam.

The translation is unobtrusive (though I would have changed some of the commas to semi-colons or full stops) and while this is longer than the first book, it is wonderfully absorbing. I would recommend reading the first volume ahead of this to have a sense of the characters' and country's history. If you loved The Cairo Trilogy or The Transylvanian Trilogy, this should be your next read!