Maiden of Storms is the second novel in the historical inspired fantasy series The Conspiracy of Crows, written by Matthew Zorich. An instalment that takes the foundations layered during Bastards of Liberty to continue marvelously developing the characters while the revolt is growing across our Vineland.

Maiden of Storms is equally ambitious to its predecessor, but we can appreciate the step up on Zorich's writing; especially in terms of characters. Alysha's POV was one of my favourites, especially as her and Helena progresses; also Doc's one is extremely impactful, following the Bastards in their difficult circumstances. A fire is catching across Vineland, but Prince Damon, in a parallel to a current figure, is busy throwing some fuel at the flames; regarding the Prince, adding Austin's POV is a great choice, creating an interesting character arc.

The worldbuilding goes hand by hand with the plot; we get to explore more about the mythical Vineland and the power, but at the same time, we can see how the author draws an excellent parallel between the Colonies revolution, the Rights Declaration, but with a small touch regarding current events. 

It is true that the huge cast can become a bit confusing for the reader, but thankfully, the book includes a long and detailed character glossary; having so many POV actually helps to get a glimpse of everything that is happening at the same time. The pacing is a bit tricky, but in general, goes well along with the character development across the plot.

Maiden of Storms is a great second instalment, putting The Conspiracy of Crows as a perfect choice if you are looking for a historically inspired fantasy set in the early days of the United States, with a great character development. I'm curious to see how it will continue, because Zorich has created something special with this setting and characters.