Book two keeps up the wonderful storytelling experienced in the first book. At this point in the book, you would think everything is laid out for you and the path forward is clear. That is not the case.
Jemisin creates a narrative where you are in the shoes of her characters, struggling to understand the world and the morally correct path forward. The questions are laid out before you about some of the most fundamental of human experiences. What is loyalty? What is family? What is love? What are desire and willpower? What will we do when all of those things are heading for a slow-motion collision course and the desires of one are overtaken by the willpower of the other?