I love the energy and the worldbuilding in this series

The Boomslang crew is closer than ever but still in danger. In the hopes of finally being safe, Riven suggests entering the trial to become the matriarch of the Rio Oscuro syndicate (read City of Shattered Light to find out why the syndicate needs a new boss). The trial has a cyberpunk Hunger Games feel. The gang has more enemies than just the other pretenders to the throne and if City of Vicious Night was a movie, there would be a lot of pew pew pew.

I love the energy and the worldbuilding in this series. The characters are growing, together and individually. Riven is more consistent than in the first book but hasn’t evolved much, whereas Asa is a much more complex and fascinating character. I still have the same issue as in book 1 with the characters’ age, they all feel a few years older than they’re written, if only because they’ve already had so many experiences in their shortish lives. But okay, it doesn’t matter too much.

The many twists – some I saw coming, others were complete surprises – all make the story captivating and the pacing will keep you on your toes. The addition of Asa’s technomancer sister Kaya to the group gives it bonus nerd points and I hope we’ll get more of her in future books. There’s a novella coming out in the fall, titled One Last Midnight, that seems to centre on her and on the mystifying bounty hunter Morphett, and I’m looking forward to it.

Overall, I enjoyed this second book in the duology, slightly less than the first book – I find Riven frustrating – but enough that I hope there will be more books. The author kept the ending to this one open enough to allow for all sorts of adventures in the future. 4 stars.