Anna unites Defalk and goes after Duram, which has been causing trouble, which in turn has been fueled by the Sturinn. Enjoyable and I'll probably read the rest. However, the whole males=idiots sub-theme is really getting old. Instead of complaining about it, like Anna does in her thoughts almost constantly, do something about it. And that is the problem. Anna is a woman and refuses to understand that the men of Erde will respond to strength alone, so she gets frustrated when reasoning" doesn't work. Force is her last resort when it should be her first. Modesitt must be trying to get on some woman's good side with this series." ( )

I thought the Soprano Sorceress was pretty decent, but this second book of the series was a bit of a step backwards. Frequently when reading Modessit (both the Recluce series and this) I have felt that he typically creates interesting worlds, but can't come up with a fresh plot lines. The protaganists may change, and the villains may change, and the geopolitical situation may change, but essentially it's like reading the same story over and over again.

By the end of this second book my interest level had dropped to the point that I have never bothered to pick up book 3. ( )