Not as instantly absorbing as the first, though decidedly more mature… we get to know and like these characters to a greater extent in this second installation. Huchu’s writing style is sparse, but he gets a point across in fewer words, often skipping essential verbs and definite articles in order to jump to the gist. His short sentence delivery is something to get used to and accept as stylistic in this series if you want to enjoy it. And it is a fast paced, many-layered, delightful adventure. Loads of regional colloquial expressions and geographical references for which I have a thorough fondness. More complex story in this one, better developed relationships, and you can feel it ramping up for even more complexity in future novels. I love this setting and the series has been a delightful surprise find this October.