Set two years after The Furies of Calderon, Jim Butcher’s Academ’s Fury continues the story of Alera. Tavi is now a student at the Alera Imperial Academy, secretly studying to become a Cursor—one of the First Lord’s intelligence agents. The other characters from the first book are similarly occupied with new responsibility and battles of political and magical nature.

The book is as filled with action and suspense as the first, but Butcher has improved the depth of the characters notably. They seem a bit more dynamic this time around, and they’re immersed more in the politics of the realm.

There’s a lot going on in the book, but the details aren’t too important to those who haven’t read the first book…and those who have would probably rather to read and find out. Personally, I can’t wait to read the third book, once I can get my hands on a copy.