The Cage of Dark Hours is the sequel to the fantastic The Helm of Midnight. Both several of the main characters from that book take centre stage again in this one – namely Thibaut (casual thief, male companion and sometime spy) and Krona, now captain of the Regulators (the magical police force.) I found it a little bit difficult to get into at first, because Krona is essentially depressed after the events of the last book. However, I think that start really pays off with character growth by the end of the novel.

The plot unfolds in two parts. The first one follows Krona, Thibaut and some newish characters: Hintosep (the Thalo puppet, I feel I am spelling her name wrong but I am too lazy to go upstairs and check), Mandip (a noble), and La Maupin, a famous singer. The second follows a Thalo child and his Possessor, Gerome. Hintosep is the person who binds both plots together as they grow closer and closer together, in the final, incredible climax.

It was a fantastic read, and after the main action kicks in, and Krona has to stop succumbing to her grief, it just pulls you along. The story is great, I loved finding out more about the mysterious Thalo and how they are manipulating events in the valley. I loved the threads binding the two books together, like the time tax and what is stolen from people when they are born. I loved even weaving together what the varger are and where the come from. It’s just so tightly woven and compelling. The only thing that slowed me down for a bit was the first bit of climax, where I was just stressed out for her.

I also find the length just so satisfying. It’s not indulging in fantasy bloat, with the story remaining pace-y and no extra subplots being woven just for additional length. It’s as long as it needs to tell this story and no longer, which I appreciate. I think the only other critique might be that this one tends to gloss over or move quite quickly over some quite pivotal events, where perhaps the first novel was much more tightly bound. However, this one roams much more widely than the city and just the murder mystery. I think perhaps we’ll see that scale expand further as war is potentially brewing in the valley.

I just know the third book is going to be even more interesting. This one is certainly teasing that the valley is not what it seems to be, and there is clearly a world that existed before. I am so looking forward to see how this is woven together in the third book.

It is definitely one of the best fantasy series that I think I’ve read in this decade and you should 100% pick this one up.