I enjoyed the further exploration into the world of the Scholomance, and I found El a more sympathetic character than in the first novel. I did find the writing style to be a little rambling at times, and I thought the pacing was sometimes a bit off, especially since some crucial revelations happen very late in the book. But the world is interesting and I enjoyed getting to learn about the Scholomance itself as a semi-sentient being. Fair warning: this book ends on a cliffhanger, so be prepared to want to immediately launch into book 3.