I'm not sure if it's because there was so much time that passed by in between reading book 1 and then this one. But I was definitely confused for most of the book. Mostly because there was so much going on in both timelines. Like what was going on in the "present" didn't have enough of its history happen yet in the "past". I don't know. I may just need to re-read this series, but closer together and pay more attention (though I think I was paying very close attention). 
It was also so confusing with the three names Kance, Khalid, and Kalid and that they were all related and so intertwined with Tea. It definitely very hard to keep track of who was who sometimes. I am still going to try and read book 3 but going to go into skeptical.....