Here's the second book in the Songs of Chaos series, by Micheal R. Miller. Check out my opinion on book 1 here. I think it delivered a lot more good things than the first book but had some entirely infuriating bits. It didn't really address the problem with the primary protagonist, but it also introduced us to some new secondary PoVs that were very good.
So yeah, that's the big change in book 2. It went and split up the point of view to multiple characters this time. Three of them! I think that worked well, especially for getting the secondary antagonist's perspective. He was great. He mad me rooting for the bad guys in some spots, to be honest, even if the primary antagonist was... Well, as bad as you would expect from a primary antagonist!
Our poor main character kinda tries to find a voice in this book, but he ultimately still isn't allowed to have strong beliefs, perhaps save for the protection of disabled dragons, which is noble and all, but even then the antagonist spends most of the book being better at that than him! (Not ALL the book, just enough of it to matter.) It's wildly funny watching the bad guys be better at the good guy's one true radical stance.
The latter parts of the book were a lot about the protagonist's new ally and mentor, who by the end of the book I HATED. He's a villain as much as the Dark Evil Bad Guy, and everyone sees nothing wrong with him. It was infuriating to watch!
Let me explain. So like the Big Bad is the sort to at face value believe in a cause (and quite frankly, he's still pretty justified on that cause), but really is just a selfish power hungry loser. Standard fare. Fine and good, I suppose. However, on the other hand, this mentor figure is also helping the protagonist and assembling a Band of Plucky Misfits to defeat Big Bad, but really he's a selfish, manipulative bastard who endangers everyone around him, for what is ultimately just himself. The antagonist says this to his face and he's right! He's so right and it hurts!! By the end of the book? The protagonist thanks him for his behavior and agrees to help him further. BASTARD. I hate that guy.
(A Twitter user read this bit and told me that it kinda sounds like a Rick and Morty sort of deal. That asshole's name sounds suspiciously like Rick, too. I don't know what to think about that.)
Really, the book shines with the other PoVs, of the secondary protagonist and secondary antagonist. The secondary protag's story ends with a twist I was very happy to see, and very excited to see out. She does the unthinkable and actually changes the status quo, too! Wow! The series really has a status quo problem, and I really hope the series doesn't end with a lame "finally we can return to before".
I know all you sick freaks only care about the dragons, so let's go over them. There were more dragons in this book than the last! That's good! I think most of them are still underbaked characters compared to the humans, though. That's bad! In general, I feel like the dragon bonds don't feel terribly genuine and characters generally don't have much chemistry with each other. That's... Okay, I guess. What I do like about the book is the plot and individual characters, even if the worldbuilding and interactions are middling.
I'm still curious as to where the theme of the series will end up. I think I can see what they're going for now, although the main character isn't supporting it well, if you ask me. The surrounding characters are propping up this novel. Here's hoping the author can cinch a good book 3, regardless. My opinion of the series kinda depends on it. I think the author could really knock it out of the park if he doubles down on characters doing radical things and believing in things, and solidifying his nascent themes. We'll see!