Howling Dark is the second main novel in the Sun Eater series, and it's a step up from the first.

It's more interesting, less meandering, and the characters are more developed. Where the first novel took a lot of time to introduce the setting and characters at the expense of much of a plot, Howling Dark advances the plot quite a bit. There are still some slow parts, but it's much less meandering than Empire of Silence. There were definitely parts of that novel where I lost interest and felt it was in need of a stricter editor, and there were only a few scenes where I got that feeling here.

I feel like many readers looking for the next Red Rising will find their way to the Sun Eater series. And while there are some similarities at first glance, the series are really quite different, and I think people expecting more of the same will be disappointed. Sun Eater is much slower, more philosophical and grander in scope, while the Red Rising novels are much shorter and tighter stories.

If you liked Empire of Silence, Howling Dark is a nice improvement. If you're expecting a faster, quicker story than the first novel, you might be satisfied but don't expect anything as speedy as Red Rising.