The first book was good, but really just popcorn; fun with not a lot of substance. The battles were fun but repetitive and it hit kind if a dead zone with the plot/ pacing about 2/3rds of the way through where I found myself just wanting to move forward to something other than anither battle. This book has a lot more going on! As with its predecessor, the narration here is outstanding! I’m much more hopeful for the success of such a long series after this. Great character development, and the universe is so well imagined! Jumping into book three in three, two, one… 🙂