Immediately from the beginning of Pandemonium, I noticed a difference in the storytelling and tone. I'd gone into the second installment with no knowledge, managing to stay away from the spoilers (thank goodness), and was pleasantly surprised by the change of setting, characters, and world. Lena felt like a much stronger character. I met new characters I grew to like through the progression of the story, and things happened that felt much more detailed than the first book. It had a heavier feel--with an edge--and I thoroughly enjoyed that. 
 I'm likely in the minority when it comes to Julian because I just didn't like him much. Cool character--nice guy, but he didn't click with me...and I didn't really feel the chemistry between him and Lena. 
 The best quality of Pandemonium is there isn't any sign of some "middle book syndrome", but it's even stronger.... Often beautiful and heart-wrenching. And by the end, I was thankful I already had a copy of Requiem because I couldn't wait a second longer to find out what was going to happen next. 
 <3 
 Pixie