Queen Amid Ashes is a novella set within the Sun Eater universe, set sometime during or after the third main novel, but officially meant to be read between the second and third main novels. It follows Hadrian's crew some few years after the events of the second novel as they liberate a planet from the Cielcin.

This is another good, fast-paced story that helps fill in some gaps in the world. Unlike The Lesser Devil before it, Queen Amid Ashes features Hadrian as the main protagonist. The main novels have been written in such a way to allow for the potential of an unlimited number of novellas and short stories, and I like them as palate cleansers between the much denser and longer main books.

What starts as a simple liberation story turns much darker and leads to Hadrian questioning his concepts of justice and sacrifice. It's a really quick read, and if you're already a fan of the series (and if you're reading mid-series novellas, you probably are), you'll enjoy this one. Just make you read the second main novel first as there are some spoilers.