This book felt more slow-paced than book 1. I don't know if it's my headspace, or if something about the narrative in this book was slower. I found myself disconnecting from things while reading a lot of the time. I kept wanting things to get to the point, and I sometimes didn't care what was going to happen to the characters. Juva made a lot of really dumb decisions in this book, and it reminded me that she made a lot of really dumb decisions in the first book as well.

I am really invested in the setting, even if I can't always picture it. That is the downside to this ebook, it doesn't have a map. That makes it hard to visualize where things are, and with a lot of the book being set in one city, where everyone is always running around I could've really used a map.

I still don't understand what the dynamic between Juva and Grif. I didn't understand it in the first book, and I still don't really understand who they are supposed to be to each other.

The political schemes do have a large focus in this book, which I do appreciate, it just bothers me that everyone is kind of dumb. Juva keeps expecting people to do the right thing or at the very least have some self preservation, and it keeps backfiring.

As frustrating as a lot of these characters were through this book, I'm still invested in what's to come in the next book.

In book 2 of the Vardari series, Pettersen continues Juva's journey into the political world of Naklav, a city beset with wolf sickness, feuding Vardari, and a new cultish sect led by Silver Throat--a seemingly fanatical religious figure.

The first half of the book was a bit slow, with the consequences of actions from book 1 developing. I didn't love Juva's reaction to Grif's departure, nor did I love the amount of times she told herself to "get a grip". But I did love Juva's growth in this book--I finally felt her character coming alive more for me and actually missed her POV when the perspective shifted to another character. I'm sad that Grif doesn't play as big a role in it, but I think the events of book 3 will necessitate that departure. I found the way Pettersen found small ways to incorporate him in this book to be interesting, and I'm intrigued (but nervous) to see where this goes.

I'm expecting book 3 (if it's the final in the series) will be the best one yet. I'm excited to see what Juva does with her newfound strength and what will happen with the rising tension in Naklav!

Thank you NetGalley and Artics Books USA for the ARC

As a Norwegian I was delighted to see Siri's books being translated! I really enjoyed the story in my native Norwegian and liked is just as much in English. I think the translator did a great job. The book has you in a chokehold the whole way through and bids on a fantastic gallery of diverse and fascinating characters. The norse-inspired world is interesting to wander through and I really recommend it!

I need the next book.

The dark story, the characters, the chemistry, the plot.

Like I said, i need the next book!

Thank you so much for my arc copy.

Silver Throat by Siri Pettersen is so good. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic and the storyline is immaculate.