It's tough, really tough to find a trilogy where the second book doesn't just feel like a bridge from the first to the third, a mere connection and passage of time. Maybe that's why I love Aliens so much, because it was that rare situation where the second was just as incredible as the first in the series or because, hey, James Cameron. Granted, some of his best work was in his earlier days. One exception being Avatar, but 5 Avatars? Really? I mean, I loved Avatar, fantastic message on environmentalist but wasn't the one perfect enough to stand on its own? What happened to knowing when to quit? Haven't we seen one too many tv shows self sabotage themselves in going past their due date, leaving us with that unsavory feeling of writing gone sour? But, I digress. 
 What I'm trying to say is, second books have a bit of a bigger hill to climb to meet the standards of the former and later in said series. And while this one didn't have the 'wow factor' of the first, and had moments where things were a bit too convenient and smooth sailing, I still really enjoyed it enough to look forward to the third.