3.5-4 stars. It's so hard to rate book 2s in trilogies. If I am really enjoying the trilogy, I will often reread 1 and 2 just before #3 comes out - and then by the time book 3 is done, I find my rating for book 2 has changed from what I previously thought it was.

That having been said, this did feel like a book 2. It picks up right where the first book left off. There's excitement, adventure, mystery, several stakes get even higher, some fantastic metaphorical discussion of dysphoria and philosophizing about sexuality, wonderful new characters. But in my opinion, it did feel like a bridge book. There are 4 different POVs and I wish the stories had interconnected a bit more. Especially Astrid, who I ADORED in the first book, and just felt I couldn't really connect to as much in this book because the storyline kept jumping all over the place. Of course, this can be remedied in book #3 by bringing everything together (I especially would like more resolution on the Hiro/Astrid front - I LOVED their relationship in the first book, and I want to understand Astrid/Ringer a bit more). So we will have to wait and see.

Did I love this book as much as the first? No. Am I going to read book 3? You bet your ass I am.

Thank you Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!