One of the few books I did not finish. I don't know why I did like the first book, but was so incredibly bored by the second. It may have to do with the fact that, in book 1, lots of people are being murdered, the young prince has to play a deadly sort of hide-and-seek, and stuff is just constantly happening. Book 2 delves more into the characters themselves, and I found that they lack personality. The dialogues are so incredibly unrealistic, too long and just simply boring, that they made it hard for me to continue this book. After months of not picking it up, I finally tried again today. Only to be treated with a 4 page conversation that could've taken place in less than half that space.

So, too much telling, almost no showing. Every emotion and character's thought is explicitly stated (they either say it, or the narrator just throws in 'he felt disappointed/bored').

So, did not finish, would not recommend.