I love the world building in this, and the writing is very elegant. Thank you to the publisher and author for this really fun ARC!

I had been begging Jasmine to continue Reigning Fire and I couldn’t be more thrilled that she did! She absolutely excels at making each individual character feel like a real human being with their own thoughts emotions quirks etc. still hands down some of the best multi pov since I truly feel as if I am in the heads of the different characters experiencing the story through them. Also absolutely love the romance coming to the forefront in this one! All the slow burn from book one paid off and Reigning Abyss absolutely nailed it. "It's. Always. Only. Been. You." 10/10 if you enjoyed Forgery of Fate, Daughter of the Moon Goddess or House of Flying Daggers you absolutely have to check this out! Thanks Netgalley, and Jasmine for my arc!

There we were - phoenix and dragon, sword and song - finally weaving smokecraft not to survive a war, but to stitch back together the parts of ourselves that had never been given space to heal.

Like that of Reigning Fire, I absolutely loved this book. The book starts off a few years after the first ended, and I loved that there was already some built up history between those years to help drive the story more. Yan Xun, now calling herself Ling, really is a wonderful character. In the first book, she very much reminded me of Shan Sa's "Empress" which is a retelling of Wu Xetian (now that I think about it, I do believe this is what got me into Cdrama's). I loved the political intrigue and her learning about herself. In this book, I would say she was more the main female character of a Cdrama that finally got to live in peace - for the most part. Once again, I absolutely LOVED that.

One of the great things about the book is how beautifully it's written - it was lyrical and flowery without it being overbearing. It really made me feel like I was inside a drama, watching everything unfold slowly.

I loved the inclusion of new characters, and they had a huge impact on Ling. They weren't just there to be added, they all had a point to the plot, and it was well done. We see the return of Jin in this book, and I was so extremely thankful, I seriously loved him. He is absolutely one of my most favorite characters, and I absolutely loved what he had become (I love the general aspect - thanks to General and I - and I liked seeing him from a different angle. I liked that while him and a new character clashed hard core, they both remained true to Ling.

All I can say on the plot is THAT ENDING THOUGH?!?!?! It was well done, and it concluded everything perfectly. I can't wait to reread these books!

An excellent sequel to Reigning Fire! I loved the development in Ling and Jin's story and the addition of Han makes it an interesting love triangle! I also loved the creation of the Sanctuary village which those with mythic Emberkins can live in peace. I also loved the thrilling plot with the hunt for Ling by her father the Emperor and the climactic finale. It certainly leaves options open for a third book!

Reigning Abyss is set 5 years after the events of Reigning Fire, and is a significant change of pace for the first half of the book. Loo does a great job of exploring the complexities of relationships tainted by trauma and mistrust, particularly between flawed individuals. The second half of the book throws us back into the familiar politics, magic, and action we had in book one.
Overall this was a solid fantasy book, heavier on the romance this time, and worth checking out.
P.s. Han is better than Jin. There I said it.