Too often the middle book of trilogies hearkens back to Tolkien's The Two Towers (which was never intended to be published as a separate book) full of battles and travel. Bernobich doesn't rely at all on the Tolkien model, though one might assume so from the logline about a quest for jewels.

But these jewels are quite different from magic rings or swords, and so are the characters' relations with them--both in their present lives and in the past.

The main objection I see to middle books is that nothing much gets resolved--a reader could skip it and go straight to the third book, which is sure to lead up to the big battle, the end of the quest, etc. But this middle book stands on its own story-wise, though I think readers ought to begin with Passion Play to get a sense of the relationships. There are arcs that begin and end in this book, widening the scope of the first book to international reach.

At the heart are relationships, complicated, passionate, never as simple as bad guys and good guys--though there are some very nasty villains, and a compelling villain who does surprising things. Excellent female characters, leading to some sharp emotional highs and lows. The world-building is rich and colorful, there is plenty of action, but most important, this is a character-driven story. Looking forward to the third.