This book improved dramatically when encountered in print rather than audio because no one on the page is doing a French accent, which...was a choice made by the narrator in the audio book. Also I spent less time absolutely howling at the main characters for their choices, which is an improvement. If you enjoyed the first book (or even if you were on the fence about it), this book definitely improves and raises the stakes in a way that is super interesting. Part of me still feels like this story is messy and I keep thinking of the wizles rule that we are skeptical of books that posit that queer desire is the revolutionary force. But I'm still curious where this book chooses to go.