very enjoyable. a slow building up of circumstances that then all led into the exciting action that was the middle/end

pros:
- gripping writing, even with the slowish start
- Pullman does the POV of a child very well, making him curious and intelligent but still a child. It's cool to see the world through Malcolm's eyes and all the new things he finds out from the adults around him
- i liked how the relationship between Malcolm and Alice shifted
- it was great to be in the 'his dark materials' world again, with the strange England, the alethiometers, the gyptians and witches, etc. It's fascinating and creative
- I liked how it went into the strangeness, like Malcolm was travelling through the Otherworld (which i think was further hinted at by The Faerie Queene poetry snip at the end)

cons:
- wasn't entirely sure why the fairytale elements appeared and a few bits were confusing, with the number of characters
- there was a big shift in tone between the start and the end

but overall, very good, I enjoyed it hugely and want to read the next one