[The spoilers hidden below are solely for people who haven't read the first book. If you haven't read it, this book will be very confusing. ]This is a solid follow up to the first book in the series. There's still lots of action, peril, twists, betrayal, weird characters, complex mythology, loneliness, lust, nudity, loss, realizations, death, shapeshifting, bad guys, darkness, old foes, and, of course, a big battle to save the world. I really like that there are consequences and fallout that doesn't just go away or get solved in one book. Some of the issues have carried over from the last book like Bryn's addiction to ash, Emma's being in the dark about Rex and what happened to her dad, and Hank's fused voice mod. This is a big roller coaster ride of strong emotions and hunky men. (There is even a lesbian couple briefly!)
In addition to the above, there is a lot to like about this book. The heroine is strong and intelligent, and although she can be rash, it's usually protect someone she loves. Her mama T-Rex comes out where her daughter is concerned which is appropriate and refreshing. How frequently do Urban Fantasy protagonists have kids, let alone adolescents? This kid is a good girl but she's also nearly twelve and she does blow a gasket when her mom tries to control her. She, of course, thinks she's more capable than she is which is pure true life right there. I really appreciate this realism and the mother/daughter relationship is one of my favorite parts of the book.
There were a couple of things that bothered me; old tropes to keep people apart or together is one. I also hate love triangles, HATE them. There is an inconsistency in logic during one perilous life-saving scene. I also want to know how legal ash is made to keep humans alive when in the last book it was made clear that it is made by a plant thought extinct and difficult to get and no one knows how to make it.
But the worst happens early on in the book when a character's mind is forcefully invaded and controlled. An evildoer digs through her memories and paws through her mind while she is helpless against him and trying to get away from him and the terror and pain this is causing is futal. She is being penetrated against her will? Check. Is it terrifying? Check. Is it painful? Check. Is it humiliating? Check. Is she helpless while it's happening? Check. Is it horribly invasive? Check. Does she try unsuccessfully to get away? Check. Is it unwanted? Check. Is the control of her own body in someone else's hands without permission? Check. Does she feel exposed? Check. Is something deep within her violated in a terrible way? Check. If it looks like rape, and it sounds like rape...
I can only imagine what it would be like to have my mind invaded like that, all my innermost thoughts and memories pulled from within me for a psychopath to look through, stripping away my privacy and exposing me to him against my will. Yet not only does it not bother her afterwards, but she skips that part when retelling the story to her partner. She enjoys his outrage and worry about the rest of the fight and stands there smirking. The incident never comes up again. I think at the very least she would be upset about this and feel personal hatred for the perpetrator for this rather than just for his alleged criminal activities. It's this lack of psychological awareness that so often frustrates me in books.
But despite these complaints, I really enjoyed the book and can't wait to read the next in the series.