This book was just so good. A lot of people have been saying that's it's better than it's predecessor The Raven Boys, and I don't think they're wrong. It certainly does not suffer from mediocre-sequel-syndrome as so many second books tend to. 
 I will admit, it had been a year since I read The Raven Boys and this world is so rich with detail that I found myself struggling to play catch up with the opening of this book. There isn't a lot of recap, which is fine, and what is there is woven in with the new expertly enough to jog my memory without being overbearing. (Nothing irritates me more than a "last time on.." sort of info dump.) 
 Again, the writing is so captivating and lush that I found myself wanting to take my time with this book. With a lot of YA, I tend to race through, but here I wanted to slow down. To take it all in. To reread a particularly exceptional turn of phrase. To imagine being surrounded by everything that Stiefvater has created. 
 This book, as with it's predecessor, is an experience. And because it's so all consuming, it's hard not to love the characters that inhabit it. I feel like I understand Ronan so much more, now. I'm starting to have a little bit of a Gansey problem (the good kind). I want to hug Noah basically all the time and keep him safe. I'm still wary of Adam. I love Blue and her family. I completely unexpectedly adored the Gray Man--from his detached and unapologetic view of the nature of his work, to the way he concerned himself with and appreciated certain details (not ruining Gansey's model of Henrietta struck me as particularly charming). 
 And again, the mythology of this book--of this series--is just so cool. It continues to be so different, to set itself leagues apart from what else is happening in YA right now. It's. Ugh. 
 Yes, this is a plot-y book. And no, that doesn't mean it's slow going. There are so many twists and turns. So many questions to still be answered. The stakes remain high. And I absolutely cannot believe I have to wait until later this year for the sequel. (Hopefully not any longer... but considering there's no title, cover or release date yet. Yikes!)