As someone who really enjoyed the first in the Fairyland series, I picked up The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland... with great expectations. I love Valente's work and the world she had created through the eyes of September had captivated my imagination even after I put down the book. 
 Unfortunately, those expectations may have been a bit too high. Despite the concept of the novel immediately interesting me I felt the adventure dragged in comparison to the high-paced journey of before. Ultimately it was exploring September's maturity more than delivering another classic heroine tale - while I can understand why Valente chose to tackle the next entry in the series in a different way, it just didn't flow as smoothly as I feel it was meant to. The companions did not hold a candle to September's past friends, some of the imagery felt more forced, and the ending itself felt rushed and muddled together. It just wasn't as satisfying a story. 
 However, for those who did enjoy September's first insight into Fairyland, it was still an enjoyable next stage for her and I liked how Valente implemented her growth as a character into the story. The writing remains quality and the world as captivating, even if less bright and coherent than it was before.