I preferred this much better than the first book. Something about being in London, as opposed to a deserted island, raised the stakes. It was about society and perception and morality as much as simply surviving. Additionally, these extra factors helped the love triangle feel less oppressive than in the last book, or at least there were other things to focus on. I greatly enjoyed having more of Lucy for one. 
 Still, while I go back and forth between three and four stars, there things that hold me back. The romance still feels forced at times. When the Beast calls Juliet "my love" I know its supposed to be creepy, like when Angelus used to call Buffy "lover." Instead it annoys me. Additionally, for the morality of science being central to the plot of these books, and their source material, I feel some decisions are rushed into. We talk about grappling with that morality, but I'm not sure we're completely there. Things get bloody in the end, and I can only hope that the repercussions of this will be dealt with in the next book. 
 While certain twists weren't necessarily surprising, it moved along at a great pace, and I was along for the ride.