Fire and Song

I enjoyed the first book more and think it did some things better, but this sequel also does some things better. From a power progression side, I think the first book was more satisfying. This book has its moments but less so in comparison, Rei only gets one big powerup and it's kind of unearned but makes sense story wise. I also think spending the whole book in the tournament was unnecessary and really bogs it down a bit, and slight spoilers but it looks like more of that is in the future and I don't know I feel about that..There are some interesting plot lines that are set up for the future which will be interesting to see play out, and my main worry of how relevant the rest of the cast will be as Rei outpaces them gets solved. I liked the focus on the characters and relationship development more in this book and it's nice to see characters that have logical discussions with each other, understand their faults and grow from them. Will be anticipating book 3