Nearly 700 pages, but that wasn't a burden, instead I was disappointed that it came to an end. As to be expected with Philip Pullman, we are treated to the plot of a master story-teller, complex characters and sideways thought-provoking insights into our own society. The big difference with other books in the previous Dust trilogy (His Dark Materials) and the other book of the Book of Dust is that this time the protagonist (Lyra) is an adult. That was the only aspect which was a little disappointing, it still feels like she is a little girl, rather outside of the adult world. Having said that, it made the continuity with the previous book smoother and it didn't distract from the story. Bottom line; I'm waiting with anticipation for the third and final part.