Writing the first book in a series is a good first step but in many ways writing the second is a lot harder. You have to build off everything you put into the first book, while still leaving it open to being new and exciting.

This book does that wonderfully.

After escaping the Sacred Valley, Lindon and Yerin are in a dangerous position. A place where Yerin has gone from being the strongest fighter around to average and Lindon is so much comparatively weaker. Narratively it’s great to fully see Lindon’s predicament in context, to see just how weak he really is and how tough the challenges facing him are. It makes it even more satisfying as he overcomes them.

The world is nicely grown as well. While before we knew there was life outside of the Sacred Valley here it’s shown in much starker detail. This place that they’ve arrived in is tougher than anywhere we’ve yet seen, has fighters stronger than anything and yet we’re told it’s just a small wasteland in the shadow of a bigger empire. It sets us up for the next step when things get even bigger.

It also introduces fun new characters while laying the seeds for plots that will span the rest of the series.

Soulsmith is a fantastic second step in the series, building off everything that made the first book great and setting up the greater things to come.