I started this book with no idea what I was getting into, since the only reason I started reading this book was that I enjoyed other works from this author and expected the same from this.

It did not take me long to figure out this was the first book this author has written, because it's maddeningly obvious in pretty much every aspect of this book.

The world the story has been set in is confusing enough: multiple dimensions, intricate caste-system, vague magic and loads of political intrigue, but it is all written so clumsily that some passages alone made my head hurt. But then there were those few moments where you can see a hint of the tone that the writer adopts in her later works.

If you're able to work your way past the words and into the story however, it's quite the interesting read. Makes me think that this could have been an amazing book, if only the author had honed herself on other works and waited with writing this book until she had come into her own as a writer.

This was a sequel to the original series in as far as it told about the same world and the same characters, and takes place after the events of the series. But the tone and the storyline hints more at a standalone book than anything else. There wasn't really anything that I hated about it , except for the fact that this author's idea of foreshadowing is almost a mockery of the reader's (and the characters') intelligence. That didn't stop me from enjoying the book. Even though there was nothing in particular that I liked, the characters are still really fun to read about.

For some reason it was a little confusing that this story took place in modern day America, even though I have read other fantasy stories in an urban setting. I can't really put my finger on why that is. As for the story itself, I think the plot twists weren't very suprising, but even so the story was well-told and engaging. I'm curious about the other books in the series.