The Sun Prince

The sequel to A King's Radiance, I'm lucky to have gotten an ARC!
Lumindal has been defeated, new kings have been crowned, alliances honored, and new horrors are arising. Just because they defeated the King-Radiant and his Eagles, doesn't mean that everything is okay. If Zur's power is fading, the Sun Prince may be their savior. 
This is an absolute banger of a sequel. The author has improved on every single aspect from the first book and delivered us a near perfect second. The characters we know and love are back, and there's even more new faces to learn and love. The author has broadened the scope of just about everything, and he's sticking the landing. 
The Sun Prince, while virtually functioning as the novel's villain, is also dynamic and strong on his own. It's as if the author has the ability to pick apart every single aspect of his characters, dissecting, then reassembling them until they can each function perfectly. Even as lead characters. 
The climax is huge, the combat is written clearly and beautifully. Yet it's gritty and horrifying as blood and guts tend to be. The illustrations peppered throughout give life to the words in the page, and each one is uniquely wonderful. 
Again, this is an author that must be read. Personally a 5/5*. “Go back to the shadows”...we see what you did there.