If you were worried about the lack of plot development in the previous book, don't fear. The plot does move in this book. I do have to warn you though, that several key plot elements (the Ivy factor) remains unaddressed in this book. 
 The plotline of this book deals heavily with Rachel's shunning by the witch council. She manages to fill her days with lessons from the demon Al, although she soon finds that she is being summoned via Al's name by people who may not have her best interests in mind. 
 I kept the plot synopsis short because in truth, that is the whole plot. There's some sub-plots, but they all predominantly tie into the shunning. I have to say, if not for the more serious & sad plot element in this book (I can't say anything without it being a spoiler), there wouldn't be much moving forward in this book. While the Ivy plot point continues to remain unresolved, we do see some closure to one or two plot elements. 
 I liked this book overall. It was far better than the previous book & it made for a quick read. I did get a little bored with some parts of the book (mostly the parts surrounding Pierce), it does keep a nice steady pace for the most part. I just really don't like Pierce that overly much as a character, I must admit. He just doesn't seem as well fleshed out as he should be & I can't entirely put my finger on the reason why. (I understand slow back story reveals, but he just seems a bit one-dimensional.) I can't help but feel that the series is hitting a huge lull. While I love Rachel Morgan & her crew, I can't help but occasionally feel like the series needs to conclude so Harrison can work on a new character (maybe even one set in the Hollows world). 
 If you liked the last one, you are pretty much guaranteed to like this one. If you didn't like the last one all that well, I recommend renting this from the library first. It's a good read, but I have to admit... I'm waiting for this one to come into paperback before purchasing it for my collection.