Mild spoilers. 

Mare has narrowly escaped the clutches of the newly crowned King Maven. His treason has been carefully masked, portraying his brother, Cal, as the true traitor who murdered their father, with the help of Mare. Both Mare and Cal are on the run with the Scarlet Guard, the resistance group of Reds that defies the Silvers; Mare is a member of the group, Cal a prisoner.

Cal gradually finds himself working with the resistance group he had sought to take down, for now they have a common interest: to kill Maven. Cal proves himself useful, not only as a skilled soldier, but also as a pilot. But there is still division between them, particularly with Mare. Their attraction throughout the book is almost tangible, but their blood continues to separate them.

Mare’s mission now is to find “newbloods,” the Reds like herself, with powers like the Silvers. With the help of Farley (captain of the Scarlet Guard), Shade (her brother), Kilorn (her friend), and Cal, Mare tracks down these newbloods and tries to recruit them before Maven finds and kills them.

The pace of this book was slower than the last book. I liked it, but the series lost momentum from book one to book two.