It's even better-written, and reveals that there are a lot more secrets hidden in the story than you would ever expect from reading the first book. In some ways the second book seems almost like a random series of adventures, but the things you learn in it cast almost every single part of the first book into a new potential light. When you start to piece it together, you realize that nothing in the entire series has been random, and that we've been getting nothing but critical, well-hidden clues all along. Personally I love it, and can't wait for the third book.