"Stephen Deas' The House of Cats and Gulls, the second book in the Dominion series, picks up where the first installment left off, continuing the tale of Myla and her found family. Myla's return to her hometown of Deephaven is driven by a need to confront her past and prevent it from wreaking havoc on her life and the lives of her loved ones. Orien, the mage, follows Myla to Deephaven, and their relationship takes an unexpected turn. Worried for Myla's safety, Orien calls on Fings and Seth to join them and aid in her rescue. Fings sees it as an opportunity to locate his long-lost brother, and Seth views it as a chance to further explore forbidden magic. However, as they delve into the challenges ahead, they discover that Myla's quest may not be the straightforward mission they anticipated.

Myla emerges as the central character in this installment, with her journey driving much of the plot. Unfortunately, her character development leaves much to be desired, as her actions often come across as single-minded and selfish. The individuals she seeks to rescue fail to elicit the reader's sympathy or support.

Seth's character path proves to be more engaging, as he grapples with the consequences of his repeated mistakes, especially his inadvertent unleashing of dangerous forces. Ultimately, his journey becomes a crucial aspect of the book, setting the stage for future installments. Fings once again shines as a standout character, combining resourcefulness, cleverness, and unwavering loyalty. Despite facing challenges that test his resolve, Fings remains a steadfast and admirable character.

The plot is a highlight of the book, offering a compelling narrative and avoiding the inclusion of unnecessary historical details about the empire's past. The story concludes with an intriguing twist, leaving the reader eager to delve into the next book in the series.

In summary, The House of Cats and Gulls maintains the momentum of the Dominion series, offering an engaging plot, though hindered by character development concerns, particularly regarding the central character, Myla. Nevertheless, the book succeeds in building anticipation for the series' next installment.

The House of Cats and Gulls by Stephen Deas is a thrilling and action-packed fantasy novel that takes place in a city plagued by disease and demons. The story follows Myla, Seth, and Fings as they navigate the dangers of Deephaven and face a conspiracy against the throne. Deas creates a vivid and immersive world, filled with magic and danger at every turn. The characters are well-developed and their personal struggles add depth to the plot. The House of Cats and Gulls is a gripping and satisfying read that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

The second book in the Dominion series continues where the first left. Myla returns to her hometown to face her past before it can destroy the lives of her own and her found family. Orien, the mage, follows her to Deephaven—and has an inexplicable relationship with her. Worried for her, he calls Fings and Seth there too to save her.

Fings sees this as an opportunity to find his long-lost brother and Seth is about to face death for his forbidden magic, so it’s a timely request. For Fings, things are straightforward: rescue Myla and find his brother. For Seth, it’s a chance to learn more about the forbidden magic. Myla learns that others don’t value her self-sacrifice as much as she does, her family included. And it turns out Orien isn’t there for Myla after all.

This was at its heart Myla’s book. She was the reason everyone came to Deephaven and it was her need to set things straight that drove most of the plot. It was therefore unfortunate, that I didn’t feel that plotline at all. No matter what she did or didn’t do, she came across as single-minded and selfish. The people she wanted to save didn’t seem worth saving.

Seth’s path was more interesting, even if he kept making same stupid mistakes again and again, unleashing something he shouldn’t have. In the end, it was his book too, setting the stage for the next one. But my favourite was once again Fings. He’s resourceful, clever and loyal. Things didn’t go quite as he hoped, but he kept going, no matter what it took.

I liked this book maybe better than the first one. The plot was good, and it wasn’t filled with unnecessary stories of the empire’s past. The ending was interesting enough to make me want to read the next book too.

I loved The Moonsteel Crown and was happy to read this second instalment and catch up with the great cast of characters.
It was a gripping and highly entertaining read, there's humour and there's a lot of world building and character development.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and had a lot of fun.
I can't wait to read another book by this author.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I had so much fun reading more of Myla, Seth and Fings. They are my favorite rag-tag group of bad decision makers. I'll never get over how Myla is fighting her Batman morality clause when she can end people and things with just a candlestick. Seth who says "ah yes this is going to be shit" and just keeps on trucking. And Fings, the only one who has any sense, yet seems like the last person who would have any. I just loved how we explored more of each character and settled in with them like a nice warm hug (while they do the fighting and freaking out).

As for the world - I'm still relatively confused as to whats going on, but I like the characters so much, I don't really care. I think, had I read Stephen Deas's backlist I'd have a better idea, but I kinda like how you're just plopped in and you just get the nuggets from Seth freaking out, and Myla knowing things, and Fings unending list of superstitions. I will eventually read his backlist, but until then, I'll be happily confused.

I do have to say that Stephen Deas;s writing style speaks to me, and I can't wait for the next release and please Angry Robot, give it to us!!!!!!

A solid, well-paced and well-written sequel. I had good time reading it, Myla and Seth discover new things about them, and it's pretty exciting.