This book is bureaucratically banal. When the blurb says, "political," it's being truthful. When the blurb says, "thrilling," it is lying.

In this book, Dekkard (a newlywed) has just been forced into being a senator. In this position, he must attend meetings and prepare legal documents. At home, he eats croissants and practices his knife throwing. There are occasional scenes where the villains attack and people die. Then there are more meetings.

I think there are people who will enjoy this book. But you must know what you are getting yourself into, and make an informed decision. I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed book 1.

Here is the thing I liked about this book: the repetition of a breakfast ritual. Every morning, our characters eat the same things and discuss the newspaper. Every Morning. But by the end of the book, I felt like it was my ritual, too. It was like watching the theme song of a tv show and knowing all of the words.

AUDIOBOOK: The narrator fits Dekkard's voice wonderfully. His measured delivery fits the tone of the book, without being so measured to put you to sleep. If you enjoy audiobooks, this is a great way to consume this story.

A video review including this book will appear on my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, at https://www.youtube.com/chloefrizzle

Thanks to Tor Books and Netgalley for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.