I definitely waited too long between book 1 and book 2 and forgot some of the details. That aside, my favorite part of book 1 persisted into book two: the characters. I love all these bastards despite being genuinely horrible people. They each have such a distinct and identifiable voice that lets me just slide right into their minds. I'm right there with them when nothing is going right and it just keeps getting worse. As for the plot, so much happened, but it also felt like nothing happened because the ending was so bleak and bitter. It comes with the territory of being grimdark, but the characters are definitely what make this story something I seek out. I can see how the threads are starting to come together and will definitely pick up book 3 to see how it all ends.