To be honest, I did not really pay that close attention to this book and the fact that it is a sequel book. I thought it sounded interesting. This book is meant to be read in chronological order. There are just some books that you can't read as stand alone books. This is one of them. Try as I might and I did try numerous times, I could not find any connection towards the story or the characters. In fact, I found myself struggling to read more than one chapter at a time. I had to put this book down and walk away from it for a while. It was taunting me to come back to it. Finally, after a long time had passed, I picked this book up again. After reading two more chapters with no interest and no memory of what I had read, I retired this book for good.

This is such a fun series. I read the first book when it came out and was so excited to get picked to read this one. I loved how this book picked up right where the other one left off. Lots of action, lit's of twists, and lots of fun. If you need a fun fantasy escape, read the first book, and then quickly pick up this one too! ( )

Oops--I didn't realize that this was the second book in a series when I requested it. So, that's on me (and maybe also the book description on LibraryThing). It is certainly not a book that can stand alone, apart from the book that precedes it, but it's not meant to be. It therefore took me a while to get into the swing of things and figure out what the world was all about, but once I did, it was a lovely and fun read. ( )

Not a stand alone, still fun and filled with adventure. Surprise twists? There were a few. Interesting characters in unusual locations using magic to avert war. I'm sure you'll enjoy this story, as long as you don't mind cliffhangers... ( )

This is the kind of book that I would have loved to read as a 10-year-old girl. An imaginative world, full of magic,with a strong female lead struggling to understand her role in life.

I have not read the first book in the series, and I struggled a little with the lack of background information at the beginning. The characters and their journeys were interesting, though, and my interest increased as the story gained speed.

The ending was amazing and quite a cliffhanger! I especially appreciate that the author did close the story in a conventional way, but leaves kids imagining where the story may lead.