This book was everything that I wanted it to be - well written, atmospheric, charming, whimsical, engrossing, and adventurous. I loved it right from the first page, all the way to the last; I think it was even better than book 1 (which I also loved). It's an incredibly visual book; even the parts not pictured in illustrations were really easy to visualise in my head. 

The characters are wonderful, possibly even more so than in book 1!  The standout character remains Oswin, the somewhat grumpy kobold, who pretty much steals the scene every time he speaks - but every character who appears is interesting and many of them are loveable, especially the lead Willow.  Her powers - the ability to find lost things - are interesting and unusual, and undergo some changes in this book compared with book 1.

The book is also truly beautiful. The UK edition, illustrated by Sarah Warburton, has an absolutely stunning hidden/naked cover under the dustjacket, and the illustrations inside are brilliant too. The pictures really added to my pleasure in reading the book; they didn't seem like add-ons as can sometimes be the case with illustrated novels, but rather felt like part of the story. I took the unusual (at least for me) step of listening to the second half of the book on audio whilst reading along in the book, so that I could have the combined experience of hearing the characters speak and seeing them on the page. 

Simply put, this is a magical book which I adored and highly recommend.