Just as good as the first, maybe slightly better! It was well worth the wait. I loved seeing Caraval from Tella's perspective. It's really hard to tell what is game and what is real and that's one of the most exciting parts of these books. I loved seeing Tella grow and grow as the story progressed. The ending was perfection even though it's a big cliffhanger left for the next book! Waiting again for the third will be so hard, I really can't wait to see how this story ends!