The story retains interest as the stage expands. ″The Black Coast″ was one of my favourite reads last year, and the aspect that caught my attention was the interaction between the Tjakorsha raiders, and the people of Black Keep. The conclusion of that book meant we would have to spend more time in different locations in the sequel. But I found that all the different strands, which are mostly expansions of those from the first book, were equally absorbing.
At the beginning of the sequel is a very useful synopsis of the story, which gives you a chance to remember everyone′s name before heading straight on from where the last story ended. Darel, the new thane of Black Rock, has to go to Idramar to speak to the God-King about allowing the Tjakorsha to stay. The God-King and his sister have problems with traitors, fuelled by rumours that the God who is their ancestor has been reborn. There was already a rival claim to the throne in a cadet branch of the family in exile from a time known as the Splintering. The last remaining member of the Splinter King′s family tries to survive in the lower reaches of the City of Islands, helped by the thief Jeya, who is finding betrayal amongst her own friends. There are yet more strands and narrators, but even though the story is spread over a wider cast, I found that it interweaved very well. And because you′re in the viewpoint of so many sides, you are not necessarily committed to viewing one side as villains or heroes, and the same applies to individual characters.
Running through this book again is the theme of how people of disparate backgrounds can work together, even when it′s a struggle against traditions, old loyalties, and expectations. Also, on the more shallow side, we get to see more types of dragons, and get the delight of trying to work out which type of dinosaur they are most like. I found it a good sequel, and I′m eagerly looking forward to the next book.

I had a copy of this book early through Netgalley