What a fantastic sequel! As is to be expected, the opening chapters were a little slower just as the kind of recap of the previous book was laid out but from there on in it was superb. I think what I love about this book, and series is that each of the characters is so distinct and alive in my mind as I'm reading, which is a surprisingly rare thing. Often books will have a couple of strong main characters and then everyone else kind of blurs into one but each individual character is clear in my mind. This is perhaps even more of an achievement when you consider that this is a fantasy book set in a different place with names for places and people to get your head around. The story itself is wonderfully told, very pacy and kept me turning the pages. I just can't wait to read the next one now!