Picks up right where the Golden Compass left off, but doesn’t act like you’ve just finished Golden Compass; that is to say, it sometimes spells out or reminds you of something from the previous book that you may have forgotten. I read Golden Compass probably a year ago, so I like that. I really liked the Cittagazze setting & getting to know the witches. I also really liked the big reveal of what the ultimate quest is. That it’s not a huge deal for the bellyaching right indicates how under the radar these books are flying.