Where the first book in the Kallattian saga was a great adventure story with hints of evil and subterfuge, Bone Shard dives in even deeper as the evil forces step into the light to fight those who still stand for good. I loved the Paladins and the Paladames and their relationships to their gods. The joy they experienced when they spoke with their gods was so beautiful, as was seeing the gods interact with them.

I also really loved seeing more of the Paladames and their religion. It seems a lot more mystical than that of the Paladins, and in places, I even wondered if it was a dream sequence or a vision or if it was really happening. But those stories wove seamlessly in with the others. They also reminded me of my studies of the early Christian church and how the female sects often veered into the territory of dreams and visions. I was captivated.

And then, the Black Sentinels. Some deep and dark happenings were uncovered...and they were dealt with, but it got ugly and more than a little unsavory. I love Hanen and Rallia Clouw as characters. I look forward to their parts of the story as the lives of the common but courageous folk in the midst of all the larger religious and political dealings, but their stories are beginning to overlap with all of the other forces.

I'm so happy that this series is continuing (indefinitely?). I needed an epic saga to be caught up in, and this is far more captivating and wonderful than I could have imagined. I'm loving every bit of it and can't wait for book three. Also, Andrew Meredith narrates his own books and does a fantastic job. I highly recommend these on audio, although, I do like having the ebook as well for when I forgot something (too hard to search through epicness on audio). There's also a fantastic glossary/pages of appendices in the back of the book. ( )