Frantically trying to finish this series before I see V.E. Schwab on tour in 4 days. I read this one super quickly thanks to having the audiobook, and I found that I enjoyed it more than the first. The pacing continues to be crazy fast, making this series very binge-able (thank god-- speaking of which, I enjoyed the way that religion was fleshed out a bit more in this book). A new character is introduced where I really did feel that chemistry that was missing, and I think the chemistry builds for Kell and Lila, despite them barely interacting in this one. I could see an argument for second book syndrome, or that the competition copies The Hunger Games (though I don't agree, I think they're clearly very different and this competition is such a minor component of the story), but I think the book rises beyond those criticisms and has some real merit. If it weren't for the author event on Monday, I wouldn't have bothered buying the second and third books. But this one stands on its own well enough that I am intrigued to read the final installment. Fingers crossed I can get it done in time!