The Malice

"This is an excellent sequel and well worth a read if you enjoyed The Vagrant. It takes place a few years after the events of the first novel and the focus is now on Vesper, the baby from the first. The story starts with Vesper living a relatively safe (and boring to Vesper) life with The Vagrant and Harm near the outskirts of the Shining City. The Malice is constantly calling to the Vagrant to be used again to fight against the internals, which he is unwilling to do. Vesper ends up taking up the sword to both help the Shining City, and also so the Vagrant doesn't have to. Doing so starts off the life-changing journey for Vesper On her journey, she meets some characters from the first novel as well as plenty of new ones, like her immediate companion, the synchronized soldier, Duet. The big bad of this book is an infernal called the Yearning, who dwarfs the Usurper in size and power. Another prominent threat this time around is the First, who makes plenty of appearances and displays of badassery. Overall it is a wonderful story full of tense moments, character growth, and more world-building than the first entry in the trilogy. If you liked the first book, please don't hesitate to pick this one up."