It's been over 2 1/2 years since I read the first book in the Oathtaker series, but I remembered a lot from the book, and there is enough - but not too much - flashing back, remembering, etc. in this book to bring me back up to speed on the characters and plot thus far. I enjoyed the first book in the series, but I loved this one. The story picks up about 18 - 20 years after the first ends. It wastes no time introducing the multiple plot threads, and I was completely engrossed for over 400 pages in following them to their resolution. It's a book of good and evil, with some romance to add another dimension. It's a book of strong female characters, magic, and a world that is like our world but also unlike our world. It's a fantasy with a message, but the message is not conveyed at the expense of a great plot, settings, characters and all the wonderful details that engross readers in a book.