Raven of the Inner Palace, Vol. 2

4.5⭐

Even better than the first volume. It's still in episodic format, but with a much stronger connectivity leading to a gripping climax. There's more action involved this time, the characters are actually thrusted into life-threatening situations, and we even get court politics on top of that. More info is also revealed about Jusetsu and her link to the Raven, as well as some background story for the previous Raven Consort. She'd only been described as an old lady who was Jusetsu's mentor before, but she too had her own time as the Raven Consort and people who cared about her.

The cases for this second volume are all haunting, still with a strong hint of sorrow. Each of them is so well-written, even if all of them end tragically. The book also shows that everyone mourns differently, so that's also a plus point because... man, some of the characters' reaction to the death of others LOL. Aside from ghosts and demons, Jusetsu also has to deal with a disastrous resurrection attempt which is very much the product of grief. There's a lot of foreshadowing since the earlier chapters so the climax involving the Owl isn't exactly shocking, but both the build-up and the execution are so good. It made me realize that a plot twist isn't always necessary in a mystery book.

As a character, Jusetsu has a lot of growth. Just as Koshun says, her heart is thawing so her compassionate side is showing a lot more than before. She opens up more to others, makes new friends, and even gets attached to them. The problem is the story always paints this as something that should never be done. It's hinted over and over again that Jusetsu's growing attachment to others will only cause problems in the future, and it's gradually starting to sound like an ominous warning the further you go into the book.

Can't wait to start vol. 3, but might need to read something more lighthearted before continuing.