Could not finish. Tried to get back into the storyline after reading the first book, but it was not easy to follow. There was a whole new cast of characters and the world-building was very different from The Seventeenth Pocket. I made it about 25% through and that was seriously pushing it.
Maybe it would've started making sense if I had stuck with it.

Unfortunately, I was unable to bring myself to read the whole book.
I didn't realize that this book, in fact, was the 2nd in a series so I felt really lost. However, that was my fault and does not reflect on the authors work.
With that being said, my main reason for not being able to finish was due to the complexity.
I suffered memory loss a few years ago, and I really struggled to keep everything in line while reading...again this isn't the fault of the author. It just ended up not being a good book for me.
I did, however, appreciate the writing style and really love the concept behind the book - why I requested it in the first place

I am so disappointed - in myself, in the book, in my ability to stick with it... I wanted to like this one SO much - I absolutely loved the first book (The Seventeenth Pocket); could not read it fast enough. (I reviewed it on here, if you are curious.) I loved the concept, the characters, the plot - the pacing was perfect, the story intricate and finely developed. There was pathos, drama, intrigue, science... Everything about it was spot-on perfect. I was immensely curious to see where the second volume carried the story. Unfortunately, the second failed to grab me early on and never managed to turn that tide...

Here are my issues with the book:
- There is a LOT going on in this volume. That is not a problem in and of itself, but a lot of the activity in this one is preparation for war. An unusual war, to be sure - and one that is far more conceptually interesting than most "traditional" wars - but a war nevertheless, and I've never been a fan of war stories...
- There are a lot of new characters. Again, not necessarily a problem - except when the story is set in two worlds that are night and day different, and most of those characters have abilities and backstories that fall into the realm of, let's say, unusual-ness... Then it became tough to keep all of them - and their roles and skills and stories - straight, especially given the specificity of the roles each is introduced to play in the coming apocalypse.
- The things I enjoyed about the first story - from characters to plot lines to philosophical underpinnings - were pretty much all swept into the background... I understand that this is a new installment in the story, and that its direction is very different (the descriptions do make that evident), but I still expected a sequel to carry on with at least some of the same feel as the first book.

While both books are clearly the work of the same imagination, this one feels like it was written at a very different stage in the author's life/development/philosophical journey. It is not only paced differently, it is designed differently - there is a darkness that wasn't present in the first book, even at its darkest moments. I expected it to be darker given the topic, but somehow the hope and endearing (even when seemingly foolish given the direction of the story) optimism and light of the first book felt like they had run for the hills...

I will admit that I didn't finish it - I slogged through to 35%, then just couldn't do it anymore - so it's possible that all of my issues were simply plot direction and would have resolved themselves, but I just found it too difficult to stay engaged enough to find that out. This may be a case of wrong-book-at-wrong-time for me - I rather hope so, actually, because the first book was so lovely and heartbreakingly optimistic (sounds oxymoronic, but it's true) and clever and original that I would really like to see the story continue. I started this one as soon as I finished the first; perhaps I needed some distance, a chance to let the original marinate and set into my memory before shifting directions so dramatically. Although, given the complexities involved in both books, that might be a challenge - there are a lot of references (and some character re-emergences, even if just referentially), and it's hard to imagine how I'd keep them straight in my head after time had passed, when I had issues keeping everything lined up this time. Still, the concept and original story were so compelling that I anticipate giving this one another try...

This series is a real surprise too me, I was not expecting to get so hooked but the characters are fleshed out and the writing and plot are spot on!
Highly recommend!!