Dragonfly Falling by Adrian Tchaikovsky

 In this second book of the series Shadows Of The Apt, there is lots of action.  The Wasps of the Empire Of Black And Gold have decided to attack the various cities of the Lowlands.  Two separate armies are formed and each picks a separate city to attack.  One city belongs to the Ants, the other to the Beetles.  Their defense strategies vary but conform to their species characteristics.  The Ants form a single-minded organized battle in which they share a mind that has everyone in constant communication while the Beetles rely more on technology and various inventions to defend themselves against the Wasps.

Another focus of the book is the treatment of those with mixed parentage.  Tynesia is Mantis on her father's side while Beetle on her mother's.  She becomes closer to her father who she discovered in the first novel and takes steps to pledge herself to the Mantis world.  Totho and Salma attempt to spy on the Wasps and both are taken captive.  Totho who has had trouble fitting in at the Beetle world, agrees to stay with the Wasps and invent weapons for them if Salma is released.  Salma, who is a dragonfly prince, organizes a roughshod group of resistance fighters, determined to harry the Wasps and find a way to get Totho back.

This is a very complex series with multiple characters and action taking place in various locations.  I can see that in the future once I finish all ten novels in the series, I may start it again just to be sure I follow all the myriad threads and characters.  The series is unique in that each character's personality and motives, their backgrounds are spelled out and Tchaikovsky manages this balancing act with acumen and strength.  This book is recommended for fantasy readers.