I remember this one nearly made me cry the first time I read it. Going back, I feel as though the series kinda gets back into swing with this. Though not as awesome as the first one, this book was still really good in all the ways that matter.
And even though this is the point when you notice Duane's playing a bit fast and loose with internal consistency, you kinda let it happen. It makes sense in context and the narratives work better for her willingness to use the previous books merely as strong guidelines.