Lady Smoke

The second book in trilogies is often underwhelming, but that wasn't the case with this one. I liked this more than the first book. I was desperate to know what was going to happen next from beginning to end. 

Pros:
- This was one of my most anticipated books of this year and I have to admit, I was a little nervous as I began reading this that Lady Smoke would suffer from second book syndrome. I'm happy to say that this book met and exceeded my expectations. This book starts off right where Ash Princess left off and we get to see more of the world.
- Based on how Ash Princess ended, I was worried about how political intrigue would play a role in the rest of the series, but there was still plenty of it as we were transported to different kingdoms and Theo had to deal with politics in a new setting.

Cons:
- (not really a con but...) I was shocked by the twist at the end of the book and I'm not sure I truly agree with it and how it shapes the rest of the series, but at this point, I trust Laura Sebastian completely. She has proved to me that she deserves all the praise for this series and potentially anything else she writes in the future.

The fact that I still have to wait a year for the final book in the series. Hopefully, the wait does not feel too long. I want to see where Sebastian takes these characters and how Theo's story ends.