This is only the second Stephen King book I've read, so maybe that matters. So while this book was as entertaining as the prequel, my favorite thing about The Shining was how much I loved the characters. I understood and wished and hoped for all of them. In this book, the evil characters don't show any redeeming qualities that would make me care for them much at all, so I was a little disappointing in that field. That being said, I think Abra was just as endearing as a main character than Dan was in the other book, and Dan MAYBE was just as troubled but likable as Jack Torrance... So I was still glad to be hearing from them. 
 Unlike on the previous book, where the mood is that my beloved characters are in DANGER all the time, and that danger actually comes to be and is terrifying, I failed to feel like there was some sort of actual peril Abra was being subjected to, and I don't think real harm is actually inflicted upon the "good guys"? So the action part is a little bit meh. 
 But the whole Shining magic thing is pretty cool, and I was happy to hear more about that. 
 I'm torn between a 3 and a 4 for this, but I'm going with a 4 because the book did entertain me, and I don't regret having read it. But comparing to the previous book, it's more like a 3.