I've been looking forward to this book ever since I finished book 1 and read the short excerpt of Broken Kingdoms at the end. I was not disappointed. It was a risk, changing the main character for book 2, but it worked. I loved this book - the characters and the continuation of the over-arching story from Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. And you do get a sense of what is happening, although you get it from another perspective. That is one of the things that makes this series unique and a wonderful reading experience. 
 The pacing was good, it kept my attention throughout. Also, and in my opinion an improvement from book 1, the end did not feel rushed. 
 Can't wait for Book 3!