I don't think I liked this one as much as the first one, but I enjoyed the overall structure of the story. Moving from place to place on a sort of treasure hunt for this mythical island worked well in furthering the story from the first book. I just think I liked the court intrigue of the first book more. 

The historical information at the back of the book was also fascinating, and I'm glad the author included it! Putting this fantasy world into context made me like the book even more than I did before, honestly.