Disappointing.

I know I should not speculate on the circumstances behind the writing of this and just focus on the finished product, but....

This read like an overly hastily produced sequel, published too quickly. Pantomime was a strong, compelling, character-driven story with just the right dose and dash of the supernatural. The strongest parts were those where the characters shined through, particularly the complex and stunning Micah Grey. I was held by the storyline and plot and character development at all times.

Can't say the same about this one.

The plot took way too long to get going. Far too much time was spent on a meandering rehash of what happened in Book #1. A lot more time -- too much -- was spent on the history and "rules" of the story world. The story slowed to a crawl in these data dumps.

And then the trick started appearing: mind reading, body possession, dreams, and more. These felt like quick solutions to plot, narrative, and story challenges...the kind of things that can be resolved when more time is taken to deeply develop a story, but when you are on deadline, that is not an option and hastiness wins the day. The story loses.

Sophomore slump? Here's hoping for redemption in Book 3.