The Rising

I liked this installment infinitely better than the first. I don't know if that is because of the action in this book or that I finally acclimated to the alternate history. In any case, I think this story left off at a really good place, it was not at all predictable and I am really anxious to see what happens next.

The first of this series was equal parts original, thought provoking and thrilling. This one was a little heavier on the thrill and lighter on the rest, continuing but not really expanding on a fascinating alternative world of alchemically enslaved robots. It was a little heavy on war for my taste, though it was fitting with the story, and while I thoroughly enjoyed Daniel's story and the Talyrand's story, the pieces fit together a little too well. I might still listen to the third one, despite this being a little less than expected. I often find second books in a trilogy to be a little weak, so hopefully that's all it is.