It's hard to find a book that can keep its pace quick and interesting, delve deeply into human behavior -- in this case, court behavior -- and still give you enough information that you don't miss the first book at all. That is, I read this book without reading Crown Duel and I didn't regret it -- it gave me enough information that I didn't need to read the first book. It's also usual that a sequel will just recap everything from the first book in a rush of summary that leaves the reader's head spinning. Here, everything is gradual and well-explained, and old characters are not thrown at you as if you know them. It's ... fresh, young, and moves fast enough to keep the reader wanting more.All around, there are few books I have enjoyed as sincerely or thoroughly as this one.