I think the only reason it wasn't as addictive as the first book is that I was just so stressed by it sometimes and felt so bad for Jude that I just had to put it down. I almost wish I didn't like her so much. Definitely lives up to the hype; this book just kept on breaking me. Holly Black always manages to do things that make sense but are still completely shocking and unexpected, and even if I do miraculously predict some small element, it's like two pages before it happens or was just one fleeting thought out of a dozen like it. 
One thing I really like about the romance is that it isn't linear. It's not "hates, gets closer to, tolerates, loves." The hatred/love balance from both of them goes up and down throughout the books.