Done with The Trouble with Peace. Another fantastic book by Abercrombie.
The story continues in the aftermath of the events from the first book, and the lives of our characters are changing. Orso is trying to recover from the shock he received in the first book, while also learning that much of what he thought he knew about the Union was quite naive. Savine dan Glokta is trying to recover from her own ordeal and seemingly more ruthless than ever, as if trying to remind everyone (or perhaps herself) that she is still a political and business badass. Leo dan Brock is getting restless in the supposed peace, eager as ever to prove that he is a worthy leader. And Rikke has to decide what to do about the Long Eye, whose powers are getting out of control and threaten to make her lose her mind (or her life). And all the while, the revolutionaries of the Breakers and the Burners are still out there. If that wasn't enough, there is now a threat of a coup, with unhappy members of the Open Council contemplating rising up against the Crown itself.
In what seems to be a rarity for the "middle book" in a trilogy, I found The Trouble with Peace to be an improvement over the first one. Things are happening almost from the very first page. It helps, of course, that the book doesn't have to spend time introducing characters, and can just get right down to it. All of our characters are changing as a result of their experiences, some for the better, some worse, some sideways. But all feel authentic and true, even (or perhaps specially) when their differing ideologies and ambitions lead them to choose sides against each other, making some allies enemies, and some enemies allies.
This is an excellent book. One of the best Abercrombie has written, and I whole-heartedly recommend it. 5 out of 5 for me. The worst thing about it is the fact that I will now have to wait another 6 months before I get to read more.
For now, I will be reading The Crimson Campaign, the second book in The Powder Mage trilogy by Brian McClellan. I read the first one last year (it was the only novel I read in 2020, actually) and liked it.