A political SF thriller that continues three years after the events of [b:Gemsigns|17350538|Gemsigns (®Evolution, #1)|Stephanie Saulter|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1360600426s/17350538.jpg|24092177].

The new legal status of gems and the ongoing presence of Aryel Morningstar have calmed much of the tension between norms and gems. The book starts with Mikal from the first book being sworn in as the first gem politician. He's also married to the norm policewoman Sharon Varsi from the first book and has taken her surname. The gemtech companies have moved into areas outside human genetic engineering and no longer have much contact with the gems that they created and enslaved. But that's about to change. It turns out that the gems may need the gemtechs, for both information about their path and help for the future. And the gemtechs need some of the expertise of key gems as well.

This situation revolves around the fraught relationships between Aryel, Eli Walker and Zavcka Klinst all from the first book and whether they can work together, and what hidden agendas are going on. The book ends up pivoting on Aryel's origins and Zavcka's motivations while introducing several new characters.

This series still lacks in nuance; the good guys are unambiguously good and the bad guys are horrible. However, this is a significant improvement on the first book, particularly in terms of the gemtech renewal. There's also signs at the start that Zavcka herself may be moving her attitudes as well, but this turns out to be just a symptom of a greater insanity. There's also a lot of answers in this book and clear signs for the future of this interesting universe.