Shroud of Eternity is the second book in The Nicci Chronicles series, and picks up directly where “Death’s Mistress” left off. Nicci is still trying to fulfill Red’s vision of saving the world, and Nathan now has to deal with the loss of his magic. Along with their new companion Bannon, the trio find themselves in a mysterious city, shrouded from time (Ildakar).

But the ancient city is not the paradise it appears… Hidden behind it’s walls is a society turned sour, with bloodshed, sex, deception, and sorcery. This ancient city is a cautionary tale. The nobles in charge here have little care for who they hurt. Pretty much everyone in the ruling class here is “evil”. There is not a lot of nuance to these characters. They kill people quite callously, and are so detached from what life is like for most common people, that it’s a little frustrating to read, and hard to connect with.

But even with that, Nicci continues to be her bad-ass, Death’s Mistress self, helping to fan the flames of revolution, and hopefully this book is setting up a more exciting next chapter.