I could not wait for this book to be delivered to me after finishing the first. Thankfully my wait was not that long so I could start only a few days after the first instalment. And my hopes were not disappointed. 
 Everything that made me love the first book was there again. The challenging language, the elaborate glossary, the detailed world building and description of situations and the chapter names (Somebody put thought into this, sublime!). Sometimes the in depth descriptions where sowing the plot advancement but I knew that from the first book and expected it to be like this here too and to be honest, I did not mind at all. 
 What I find irritating and inappropriate in some other books I read is the one moment that the plot and the characters were heading for is handled within one chapter of, let's say, 20 pages. This is so sad because mostly this point deserves way more attention than so many other redundant passages. But Samantha Shannon spends a great amount of time on her climax, just the time it is worthy of. This gives the impression that much thought has been put into writing and the story is well-conceived. 
 I also love the way the story goes. Paige does many things right and somehow she always finds a way but there are equally many situations where she has to overcome her fears or issues in order to help her friends. And she would not be able to do all this without her friends and allies, more often than not she would not make it as far as she does. On the other hand, Paige is no saint, she can use her abilities relentlessly against those who hurt her or her friends. 
 Having started the relationship with Warden in the first book, Paige now tells us more about her feelings. She know that this will not last and she cannot and will not ever forget what Arcturus did to her and others. Yet, she feels somewhat connected to him and enjoys his presence and his touch. I think it is great that we get a perspective on her feelings as the initial concept of this relationship can appear a little bit strange. The way I see it, because Warden helps Paige uncover her true potential more and more and the time together in their respective dreamscapes gives rise to their connection. Yet even though Arcturus and others are always trying to support the pale dreamer, she is struggling the more she learns what she is capable of. She does not discover a new feature of her power and immediately masters it which makes her so much more believable and human. 
 I am excited for the fact that there will be another 5 books not only because I love the writing style and the story but because this means that fighting against the Rephaim will take more time that just 3 or 4 books in total. Yes, that's more realistic. I can't wait for the world to be expanded further and the characters having to overcome crisis and I believe there will be a few as Miss Shannon did not recoil from doing so in the first two books. 
 Find more reviews here: Secrets of a Unique Mind