Liked the story, liked some of the characters, loved the concept. But...everything just sort of fell flat for me. 
 I wanted to read the second book in this series (after being on the fence about the first one) and give it a chance, especially to see what was going to happen to Tally next, and found myself not really caring by the time it was over. This book really went off track from the first in the series. I waited for an entire book for her to be reuinited with the people she left behind in the last installment, and when it finally happened, it happened without fanfare. 
 Maybe I just don't get Westerfield's style of writing. Maybe other people really enjoy the journey (and then a side journey, and then another side journey) more than the destination. 
 Unless I really have something better to do, I'm not sure if I'll end up reading the third book in the series. Who knows, though. Anything's possible. I didn't hate the book. I just found nothing to be excited about, and don't really care to know about the world of the specials in book 3.