I jumped into this book immediately after the first book, and it did not hit the same. I loved the historical aspect of the story and I loved seeing Hazel's skills grow. I also actually liked that this story leaned more into the magical realism/paranormal element than the first book, so that part of the story felt more intentional in this book. Maybe it's just my feminine rage, but I really didn't like how Hazel was imprisoned for something she hadn't done, only for the prince regent of England to bail her out. The pacing was not quite as consistent throughout this book, with the middle stretching on forever after a chaotic beginning and a fast ending. Also... justice for Simon! I love a good YA love triangle but I felt like Jack lost his appeal in this book. The conclusion of this book worked out too well in many ways, which made me as a reader not feel as tense or invested in how everything turned out. We still saw a lot of Hazel, who I love, but this book was not quite as enticing.

Perfectly good and fun story. Not as captivating as the first one somehow.