Books like The Eternal Ice

Book 5 for JALL.Read my review for the first in this series here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...Thank god I don't have to slog past this one like I did the first one. I have much more to talk about this time.This is the second book, also staring Jodah. (Who is still likable.). Surprising, he is now important mage who goes by a large number of titles that is kind of ridiculous. Well, the good news for us, unlike the first book which is long-winded and slow, this one comes out swinging. Turns out, Jodah is in a period known as the Ice Age.I don't want to get into too much here, read the book. It is far better than the first. (Which to be honest, you can probably skip but if you are a purist like me, you are not going too even if it is mediocre.)Characters- Lovable and far more interesting then the first book. I really liked Jaya, Jodah, Dim-Bulb (lul) and Lesharc. Lesharc has this Aura first seen as a sort of devious and downright cruel planeswalker.I will argue that this is the first book in the magic canon that tackled the idea if a planeswalker is good or evil. It is a hard question to ask. Their mannerisms are easy to understand, back to that good old Jeff Grubb style as written in the first book in the artifacts cycle.Setting- Dominaria, during the Ice Age. Besides being a frozen wasteland (Still kind of boring), it is ruled by City-States and mages. During this time, magic is far more accepted and mages are basically chief officers in the military and it is basically a 180 of the previous setting thematically. It builds up in just the right ways without it being an info dump and to be fair, even though I don't like the Ice Age period, the author does a far better job of keeping this world interesting, such as by using magic as now a means of advancement in society and the culture of the nation is far more mercantilist.Plot- Quick and always moving. There were a few small snags in the middle, but this one was not as noticeable as the first book. This plot seems to be moving more so because of Jodah's and Jaya's actions, and they both compliment the plot well, so it is refreshing. The only small snags is the small stop in the middle where the plot halts for a good reason. Can't get into it and it only lasts about..40 pages so it is passable.Time to finish: One day flat, it was that good. I only give it four stars because of the boring setting of a near-apocalyptic wasteland of Ice Age Dominaria, but if that is your fancy, you can gladly rate this five stars!Strengths:No Info Dump, the world has been established thanks to the first novel, even if it was shoddily done. Likable CharactersJodah has really great character development.Plot is so refreshing. I just kept turning page after page and I didn't at one point feel bored. Only took breaks because of eyesores.Weaknesses:Small snag in the middle?I am starting to hate Ice-Age the period.Overall, I recommend this to those interested in the magic story. Jodah AND Jaya are relevant to the current story and are generally speaking, well done in this book and their early interpretations are really a great read. This book also has a 'thin hook', you can stop here for a while. The first book still has an unresolved plot line and it just felt like a tease. Here, the events of the Ice Age ended (thank god) and it felt like a good place to end while also exploring the now rebuilding of society in Dominaria.