Less set-up than the first novel, obviously. Idk if I necessarily like this one more than the first, but I spent a significant amount of my "reading" time (Kobo was on but I was staring into space) thinking about Mercy's faith and how it had an impact on this particular story. t's not the sort of thing I typically care to read about (I'd much rather rant about authors who don't understand tarot meanings), but I didn't hate it here and am ready to move onto the next.