The first book was an introduction. 
 The second book ties some loose ends, but there are still plenty for the next books to explore. The story in this book moves mostly around Ronan, the wild boy, and all his secrets.... we learn a LOT about him. 
 Ronan reminds me of a fire, dangerous and volatile, but somehow you can't stop looking at him. There's just something about it. 
 The writing style remains the same as in the first book, a bit magical, but with a lot more action. Ronan takes a more active role, after all. I, personally, couldn't put it down and I wanted to peel every layer of Ronan and reach the boy underneath all that violence and wildness. After the ending of the first book, we learn one of his secrets, and most of the plot deals with people looking to own his power. 
 We also follow Adam who, after he made his sacrifice in the last book, is a bit unbalanced and nobody, not even the reader, understands what the hell is going on. I disliked Adam a bit in this book, sorry. 
 There are still two characters we still need to explore a bit more... Blue and Gansey. I have the feeling that the next two books will focus on them. Gansey has also a lot of layers that we haven't explored and Blue's nature is still unknown. Their relationship moves on a step, it is slowly building. I really wish Gansey would stop calling Blue "Jane"... I really hate that. 
 Speaking of relationships.... (view spoiler)[Ronan (hide spoiler)] surprised me.... It is hinted subtly along the book and sometimes I didn't know if I was imagining it of if he really was (view spoiler)[ gay and in love with Adam. I don't know if Adam will be up to it, but I really do ship them! (hide spoiler)] It was the other thing that kept me reading through the night. I was like "Wait.... Did that really meant what I think it meant? Hey, now it's happening again!" For example, this quote: 
 (view spoiler)["She wore a dress Ronan thought looked like a lampshade. Whatever sort of lamp it belonged on, Gansey clearly wished he had one. 
 Ronan wasn't a fan of lamps." (hide spoiler)] 
 It is full of things like this that may mean something but leave you doubting if you really understood the meaning. 
 The execution of this matter was perfect! 
 I'm SO looking forward to read the third one... this is why I read series that have been published almost completely! So I can dive into the next one right away!