Nightwatch over Windscar

This book suffers from "book-2-itis", I think. I really liked the first book and thought the pacing, setting, and story were all really well done, but this book 2 seems to just not hit the same high notes with me.

Iari and Friends are exploring ruins looking for the separatists that plagued the first book. Things go sideways in the ruins, and suddenly our cast of characters is split between Iari and Corso on a Templar rescue mission and Gaer, Winter Bite, and Char in Windscar trying to make the Important People care about the fact that Iari's on a potential suicide mission in the heart of unfriendly territory.

Lots of action happens. So much action! And banter! Great, engaging banter! Basically all the reasons I loved the first book are here again in the second. But maybe it was the setting (not quite a murder mystery, not quite a thriller) or the fact that there was an incredible amount of exposition shoehorned in amongst the action that I found my attention drifting in parts. Still a great book, just not quite the same high highs as the first.

I hope there's a book three to tie up some loose threads (hello Iari x Gaer), but I saw a mention that this is only supposed to be a duology, in which case I'm left deeply unsatisfied.