The Winter Sea hides a multitude of dangers for our seafaring crew.

Mary and Sam are still recovering from all the magical shenanigans from book 1 but they do not get much of a reprieve before they are locked into a new adventure.  This time Sam and Ben are the focus of the storyline as the crew of the Hart attempt to find a way to stop Sam slipping into the Other permanently and Ben from becoming a complete unemotional shell.

We set sail to far distant shores and learn more about the wider world this time around.  Chunks of the story take place when the crew are separated, incarcerates or otherwise alone and I felt that really helped amp up the danger they were in as they rarely had anyone they could count on. 

Politics are again a big motivation for a lot of the plot and sadly the Navy do not paint themselves in a good light, they were willing to ride roughshod over everyone to win.

There is lots of redemption going on too.  Charles continues to grow a character, lol and I even began to empathise with Ben.  He's not quite likable yet, but he's growing in the right direction.  Mary finally takes things into her own hands and ensures that Sam sees that their love is not a power structure and that they could actually be a powerhouse and a formidable team.

There are some interesting new additions to the cast, including an Usti spy and I'm still not sure if she's on the right side yet!

A great mix of action and adventure with Regency/Privateer vibes and a collop of dry humour!