Definitely a downgrade from the first book. The entire book hints at things to come, but there’s little progress in the story. Do you want to learn more about Rowan’s grandfather’s big secret? Too bad you won’t find it here. What about the big secrets the great families are keeping? Nope, you can’t have that either. Ok, how about anything connected to an actual storyline from the first book? No, instead, we’ll throw in some hints about a possible enemy in Rowan’s future and toss in an abrupt and utterly absurd love interest. Then, we’ll end it with a senseless cliffhanger. Overall, the scene crafting was good, but the book felt like the author wrote it without a blueprint. The group had a couple of fights, worked on team-building, and got to know one another. That was it. Bummer.