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tani's review
4.0
I'm so glad that I finally finished off this duology. I read the first book back in 2014 because I am a big fan of both pirates and assassins, and thought I couldn't go wrong with a book about both. I enjoyed that book, but I remember being a bit disappointed by it. It was good, but not great, and I remember being frustrated with the impulsiveness of Ananna's character. (As someone who's very much not impulsive, that's a trait that I find really hard to deal with.) So, I put off reading the second book. Then, I recently made a list of all of the series that I've started and would like to finish, realized that I really need to pare that list down significantly, and ended up picking this one up as an easy series to finish.
At the end of the day, I gave both books 4 stars, but my rating mentality has shifted considerably since 2014, so I'm guessing that the first book probably would have only rated 3 stars from me if I read it these days. I thought that this second book was much more enjoyable, although with such a long gap between the two, it's hard for me to say if it's because the second book is actually better, or if it's because I approached it differently as a reader. Probably a bit of both.
I think a particularly strong influence might be just that I'm more accustomed to reading young adult books these days, which is something that I've struggled with for quite a while. Young adult books often feel overly simplified to me (perhaps because young adult wasn't really a thing while I was actually a young adult, so I'd been reading adult fiction for quite some time before dipping my toes into the young adult world), and this series is no exception to that. So, that may explain part of why I was a bit underwhelmed by it at first.
Anyway, there was a lot that I liked in this book. I felt like we get a lot more magic and magical creatures in this book, which was a very pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed Ongraygeeomryn, in particular, and the interactions between her and Ananna. The relationship between them ended up really sweet, and was definitely one of the highlights of the book for me.
I also appreciated that the story took us back to Marjani's home and let us learn about her past. I thought that added some depth to the story that was sorely needed. Without that, I think that the story would have just been too simplistic. Adding in that story line allowed Clarke the opportunity to weave in another answer to one of the overarching themes of this story: What sacrifices should you make for love? I liked that Marjani's answer to that is different from Ananna's, but that neither answer is simple.
I think that I liked both Ananna and Naji better in this book too. I did still find myself frustrated by Ananna's impulsiveness, but she did grow enough to at least make some efforts at restraining herself, which I appreciated. In general, I just felt like I understood her better this time around, and I'm not sure if that was due to a growth in empathy from me, or an increase in writing skill from Clarke. Either way, it made the experience much for enjoyable for me.
My biggest complaint is that the ending felt too easy to me. I liked the imagination behind the ending, but it still felt kind of anticlimactic. I think it probably would have worked better if I'd read the two books closer together, as events from the first book had a huge influence, and I have to admit, I have no memory of those events. I did really appreciate the way that things shook out between Naji and Ananna, though, and give Clarke kudos for her choice to send a message that is more complex than what you tend to see normally in books with romances, especially young adult books. I'd definitely like to read more by Clarke in the future.
At the end of the day, I gave both books 4 stars, but my rating mentality has shifted considerably since 2014, so I'm guessing that the first book probably would have only rated 3 stars from me if I read it these days. I thought that this second book was much more enjoyable, although with such a long gap between the two, it's hard for me to say if it's because the second book is actually better, or if it's because I approached it differently as a reader. Probably a bit of both.
I think a particularly strong influence might be just that I'm more accustomed to reading young adult books these days, which is something that I've struggled with for quite a while. Young adult books often feel overly simplified to me (perhaps because young adult wasn't really a thing while I was actually a young adult, so I'd been reading adult fiction for quite some time before dipping my toes into the young adult world), and this series is no exception to that. So, that may explain part of why I was a bit underwhelmed by it at first.
Anyway, there was a lot that I liked in this book. I felt like we get a lot more magic and magical creatures in this book, which was a very pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed Ongraygeeomryn, in particular, and the interactions between her and Ananna. The relationship between them ended up really sweet, and was definitely one of the highlights of the book for me.
I also appreciated that the story took us back to Marjani's home and let us learn about her past. I thought that added some depth to the story that was sorely needed. Without that, I think that the story would have just been too simplistic. Adding in that story line allowed Clarke the opportunity to weave in another answer to one of the overarching themes of this story: What sacrifices should you make for love? I liked that Marjani's answer to that is different from Ananna's, but that neither answer is simple.
I think that I liked both Ananna and Naji better in this book too. I did still find myself frustrated by Ananna's impulsiveness, but she did grow enough to at least make some efforts at restraining herself, which I appreciated. In general, I just felt like I understood her better this time around, and I'm not sure if that was due to a growth in empathy from me, or an increase in writing skill from Clarke. Either way, it made the experience much for enjoyable for me.
My biggest complaint is that the ending felt too easy to me. I liked the imagination behind the ending, but it still felt kind of anticlimactic. I think it probably would have worked better if I'd read the two books closer together, as events from the first book had a huge influence, and I have to admit, I have no memory of those events. I did really appreciate the way that things shook out between Naji and Ananna, though, and give Clarke kudos for her choice to send a message that is more complex than what you tend to see normally in books with romances, especially young adult books. I'd definitely like to read more by Clarke in the future.
gg1213's review
3.0
The first thing I noticed that stuck out to me enough for me to take note of it was the phoned in love triangle/amorous drama. When characters aren't in a relationship and haven't discussed their feelings (which is a plot tool I don't buy with this storyline when the two main characters can read each other's thoughts and Ananna is a loud mouth in every other aspect of her life) I can't get behind throwing in a love triangle unless it pushes the story. It didn't add the intended tension, it just felt thrown in.
The pirates are far too judgmental of physical disfigurations. I mean, they're pirates! I'm sure plenty of them have some physical attributes that aren't exactly considered the norm.
Much like in the first book, most of the drama and conflict is resolved too quickly for it to add anything to the plot making it all unnecessary and tedious to consider reading about. I kept wanting the conflict to go on longer so it would bring another dynamic to the story, so it would make me feel something, but it never did.
The ending , while not getting into spoilers, seemed like it was written under a deadline and thus wasn't elaborated enough for it to make sense and not seem rushed and thrown together.
In the end, if you liked the first book, you'll probably like this one, but if you didn't care for it, then this isn't a necessary read by any means.
The pirates are far too judgmental of physical disfigurations. I mean, they're pirates! I'm sure plenty of them have some physical attributes that aren't exactly considered the norm.
Much like in the first book, most of the drama and conflict is resolved too quickly for it to add anything to the plot making it all unnecessary and tedious to consider reading about. I kept wanting the conflict to go on longer so it would bring another dynamic to the story, so it would make me feel something, but it never did.
The ending , while not getting into spoilers, seemed like it was written under a deadline and thus wasn't elaborated enough for it to make sense and not seem rushed and thrown together.
In the end, if you liked the first book, you'll probably like this one, but if you didn't care for it, then this isn't a necessary read by any means.
amethystbookwyrm's review against another edition
2.0
This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/
Thanks to Netgalley and Strange Chemistry for giving me this book to review.
Ananna and Naji are still stuck on the island and have to complete the three impossible tasks to cure Naji which are, touching a starstone to his skin, create a life out of violence and have a true loves kiss. However, Ananna knows that not all the tasks are impossible as she loves him. Now with the help of fellow pirate Marjani and a manticore, they have to find a way to complete the tasks and stop the mist creatures from taking Naji away.
The Pirate’s Wish is the second and last book in the Assassin’s Curse duology and I still did not enjoy it as much as I wished I could.
I did not like Ananna and Naji in this book and especially the love/hate romance and I got bored with in from very near the beginning. However, I did like some of the secondary characters but especially the manticore (I don’t think I can spell her name) as she is funny and no-nonsense and I wanted she to eat Ananna and Naji half the time and the story to be just about her.
I would only recommend The Pirate’s Wish to people who liked The Assassin’s Curse.
Thanks to Netgalley and Strange Chemistry for giving me this book to review.
Ananna and Naji are still stuck on the island and have to complete the three impossible tasks to cure Naji which are, touching a starstone to his skin, create a life out of violence and have a true loves kiss. However, Ananna knows that not all the tasks are impossible as she loves him. Now with the help of fellow pirate Marjani and a manticore, they have to find a way to complete the tasks and stop the mist creatures from taking Naji away.
The Pirate’s Wish is the second and last book in the Assassin’s Curse duology and I still did not enjoy it as much as I wished I could.
I did not like Ananna and Naji in this book and especially the love/hate romance and I got bored with in from very near the beginning. However, I did like some of the secondary characters but especially the manticore (I don’t think I can spell her name) as she is funny and no-nonsense and I wanted she to eat Ananna and Naji half the time and the story to be just about her.
I would only recommend The Pirate’s Wish to people who liked The Assassin’s Curse.
katetj's review
4.0
More reviews can be found at my blog: Nomalicious Reads
I've been eagerly awaiting The Pirate's Wish ever since I put down The Assassins Curse. Even though I pre-ordered the book, I couldn't wait any longer and gave in and bought the kindle book cause I just HAD to know what happened.
I'm so glad I gave into temptation.
The Pirate's Wish was a fantastic conclusion to Cassandra Rose Clarke's amazing world. I'm sad to say that it is ending only after two books, but I'm very happy with the conclusion... even though I would have like a little epilogue or something just a bit more!
I think the best thing about this series is that Naiji and Ananna don't instantaneously fall in love, it takes time for both of them to figure out their feelings. They don't magically figure it out at the same time either, which is another factor into why I love this series so much. The romance isn't the focal point of the book... a lot of other things happen.
Everything happens really fast, but not in a bad way, sure I would have loved another book - but that's only because I just enjoyed every minute of this fantastic world and the colourful character's that Clarke created, it would have been nice to have some of the little things explained more clearly.
The Manticore is one of my favourite characters of all time, I thought she was was quite hilarious in the way she became friends with Ananna, calling her Girl-Human and demanding things from her... naturally Ananna, being the nice Girl-Human-Pirate she is decided hey, if she isn't eating them, why not become buddies with the flesh eating monster, because it wasn't the manticores fault she was born with the taste for human flesh.
Yes, you read that right. Ananna is great, the Manticore is great, the book is great... you should read it.
I must say I was expecting a bit more hardship with the undoing of the curse, Yes it was really hard. Not saying they were slacking or anything, but even though I think it was very well done, at the same time after clearing the third hurdle I was just left thinking 'oh, that's it?' probably just because the way it happened. (Which I wont spoil!)
So even though I think things happened very quickly, Cassandra Rose Clarke did an amazing job with clearing up all the loose ends from the first book as well as everything that happened in The Pirate's Wish. I'll be eagerly awaiting more books from her in the future!
I've been eagerly awaiting The Pirate's Wish ever since I put down The Assassins Curse. Even though I pre-ordered the book, I couldn't wait any longer and gave in and bought the kindle book cause I just HAD to know what happened.
I'm so glad I gave into temptation.
The Pirate's Wish was a fantastic conclusion to Cassandra Rose Clarke's amazing world. I'm sad to say that it is ending only after two books, but I'm very happy with the conclusion... even though I would have like a little epilogue or something just a bit more!
I think the best thing about this series is that Naiji and Ananna don't instantaneously fall in love, it takes time for both of them to figure out their feelings. They don't magically figure it out at the same time either, which is another factor into why I love this series so much. The romance isn't the focal point of the book... a lot of other things happen.
Everything happens really fast, but not in a bad way, sure I would have loved another book - but that's only because I just enjoyed every minute of this fantastic world and the colourful character's that Clarke created, it would have been nice to have some of the little things explained more clearly.
The Manticore is one of my favourite characters of all time, I thought she was was quite hilarious in the way she became friends with Ananna, calling her Girl-Human and demanding things from her... naturally Ananna, being the nice Girl-Human-Pirate she is decided hey, if she isn't eating them, why not become buddies with the flesh eating monster, because it wasn't the manticores fault she was born with the taste for human flesh.
Yes, you read that right. Ananna is great, the Manticore is great, the book is great... you should read it.
I must say I was expecting a bit more hardship with the undoing of the curse, Yes it was really hard. Not saying they were slacking or anything, but even though I think it was very well done, at the same time after clearing the third hurdle I was just left thinking 'oh, that's it?' probably just because the way it happened. (Which I wont spoil!)
So even though I think things happened very quickly, Cassandra Rose Clarke did an amazing job with clearing up all the loose ends from the first book as well as everything that happened in The Pirate's Wish. I'll be eagerly awaiting more books from her in the future!
princessjulia's review
4.0
It was a really fun read - so much adventure and I love the manticore! Such a fun character.
The story was interesting but the last task was too convenient and I felt like the plot was too rushed at the end.
Also, I really don't like the romantic relationship of Ananana and Naji - it doesn't make sense to me!
The story was interesting but the last task was too convenient and I felt like the plot was too rushed at the end.
Also, I really don't like the romantic relationship of Ananana and Naji - it doesn't make sense to me!
ba_'s review
3.0
The second half seemed rushed and I wasn't very satisfied at the end. Still, I enjoyed reading both books.
booknookghost's review
4.0
THE ASSASSIN'S CURSE GIVEAWAY: http://yabooknook.tumblr.com/post/51720396438/the-pirates-wish-blog-tour-interview-and-giveaway
Original Review posted at http://yabooknook.tumblr.com/post/47728012043/book-review-the-pirates-wish
So I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC of THE PIRATE’S WISH, which was best for my sanity because after finishing THE ASSASSIN’S CURSE I wanted to pull my hair out.
I just needed more.
THE PIRATE’S WISH does not disappoint. Ananna’s voice is just as strong, as is her stubbornness. She has definitely become one of my favorite heroines—she’s flawed and magnificent at it. She doesn’t have it all together and she knows of her own deficiencies, but that’s the thing: she’s scrappy.
Ananna of the Nadir with find ways.
And I can’t say enough for her character development in this book. *slow-clap*
Naji is back with his brooding and awesomeness and chipped little heart, too. He goes through some pretty serious shit stuff in this book, what with basically the whole book being about removing his curse. Also, other things like boy-eating Manticores (I can’t write your name, Manticore, but you were fabulous), having to fake being a pirate, Ananna in general, and overall pain and suffering and blood-bonding. So, yeah, rough. But he’s written so fabulously through it all *swoon*
I don’t want to sound like an idiot (lol who am i kidding all the best people are), but I just loved his and Ananna’s interactions so much. They were so intense and there was so much miscommunication going around and heartbreak and sexytimes. Exactly what I like in a book.
Marjani is also back, with a freaking ship of her own—behold her badassery. And we get to meet so many secondary characters that are perfectly fleshed out—and some that just aren’t, but in good ways. I can’t say how happy it made me that we didn’t know every single little detail about every conflicted character that passed by Ananna and Naji.
In fact, and this holds for both books, I think the characters felt so real because they were as much of a mystery to us as they were to Ananna and they stayed that way.
So basically I loved it. And was so horrified when I had four chapters left and it dawned on me that this was a duology. So this was the last book. The last book! I put the book down and repeated oh shit all the way until my friend gave me ice-cream so I could finish my book.
Like I said, horrified.
PEOPLE OF THE INTERNET: but… you say you love it… and then you give it 4 stars… r u stupid?
ME: Well…
There are two things stopping me from giving THE PIRATE’S WISH 5 stars.
This is the less important one, but which I think more people might care about: The last curse. The way it was resolved didn’t sit right with me. I liked the execution of it, but not the solution. I felt Clarke could have gone in a darker direction and would have complimented the tone of the book better. After so much trouble and heartbreak and suffering, I wanted an even more painful climax before my ship could sail, but it just wasn’t there.
I’m not gonna lie, I felt a little cheated. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the book so so much (I mean, I obviously did if you haven’t picked up on that).
The second reason is a little more personal. And this is not something you’ll read from me often: This could have been a trilogy.
There. I said it.
The fact that this was a duology didn’t hit me until very late in the book when things were starting to get wrapped up, but that was because there is still so much that could get explored in Ananna’s story, so many characters that I expected to meet again, plot lines that I thought would be followed in the ‘next book’ i’m talking about the assassins yes i am. And that, more than anything else, hurt me a little. So much potential! The characters! Their relationship!
My hurt has since then been appeased a little. Cassandra Rose Clarke recently announced that she plans to have another duology set in this world! I. Am. So. Beyond. Excited.
You can bet hell that I will be reading these books.
This has been a very long review, but to summarize: Read it.
.
Thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot - Strange Chemistry for the ARC.
Original Review posted at http://yabooknook.tumblr.com/post/47728012043/book-review-the-pirates-wish
So I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC of THE PIRATE’S WISH, which was best for my sanity because after finishing THE ASSASSIN’S CURSE I wanted to pull my hair out.
I just needed more.
THE PIRATE’S WISH does not disappoint. Ananna’s voice is just as strong, as is her stubbornness. She has definitely become one of my favorite heroines—she’s flawed and magnificent at it. She doesn’t have it all together and she knows of her own deficiencies, but that’s the thing: she’s scrappy.
Ananna of the Nadir with find ways.
And I can’t say enough for her character development in this book. *slow-clap*
Naji is back with his brooding and awesomeness and chipped little heart, too. He goes through some pretty serious shit stuff in this book, what with basically the whole book being about removing his curse. Also, other things like boy-eating Manticores (I can’t write your name, Manticore, but you were fabulous), having to fake being a pirate, Ananna in general, and overall pain and suffering and blood-bonding. So, yeah, rough. But he’s written so fabulously through it all *swoon*
I don’t want to sound like an idiot (lol who am i kidding all the best people are), but I just loved his and Ananna’s interactions so much. They were so intense and there was so much miscommunication going around and heartbreak and sexytimes. Exactly what I like in a book.
Marjani is also back, with a freaking ship of her own—behold her badassery. And we get to meet so many secondary characters that are perfectly fleshed out—and some that just aren’t, but in good ways. I can’t say how happy it made me that we didn’t know every single little detail about every conflicted character that passed by Ananna and Naji.
In fact, and this holds for both books, I think the characters felt so real because they were as much of a mystery to us as they were to Ananna and they stayed that way.
So basically I loved it. And was so horrified when I had four chapters left and it dawned on me that this was a duology. So this was the last book. The last book! I put the book down and repeated oh shit all the way until my friend gave me ice-cream so I could finish my book.
Like I said, horrified.
PEOPLE OF THE INTERNET: but… you say you love it… and then you give it 4 stars… r u stupid?
ME: Well…
There are two things stopping me from giving THE PIRATE’S WISH 5 stars.
This is the less important one, but which I think more people might care about: The last curse. The way it was resolved didn’t sit right with me. I liked the execution of it, but not the solution. I felt Clarke could have gone in a darker direction and would have complimented the tone of the book better. After so much trouble and heartbreak and suffering, I wanted an even more painful climax before my ship could sail, but it just wasn’t there.
I’m not gonna lie, I felt a little cheated. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the book so so much (I mean, I obviously did if you haven’t picked up on that).
The second reason is a little more personal. And this is not something you’ll read from me often: This could have been a trilogy.
There. I said it.
The fact that this was a duology didn’t hit me until very late in the book when things were starting to get wrapped up, but that was because there is still so much that could get explored in Ananna’s story, so many characters that I expected to meet again, plot lines that I thought would be followed in the ‘next book’ i’m talking about the assassins yes i am. And that, more than anything else, hurt me a little. So much potential! The characters! Their relationship!
My hurt has since then been appeased a little. Cassandra Rose Clarke recently announced that she plans to have another duology set in this world! I. Am. So. Beyond. Excited.
You can bet hell that I will be reading these books.
This has been a very long review, but to summarize: Read it.
.
Thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot - Strange Chemistry for the ARC.
brandypainter's review
4.0
Originally posted at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
I had so much fun reading The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clark when it came out last year. The story continues in the sequel, The Pirate's Wish, and to add to the fun of pirates and assassins there is also a Manticore. I mean come on, how can you not want to read a book with an assassin, a pirate, and a Manticore? I know I sure wanted to and was excited when I was able to read it early after being approved on NetGalley.
Warning: Spoilers for The Assassin's Curse ahead. Read it before read this.
The Pirate's Wish is so much fun to read. It is a roller coaster ride full of adventure and action. It opens shortly after the previous book left off with Ananna and Naji stranded and looking for a way to break the curse. They have to complete three seemingly impossible tasks in order to do this, which seem even more impossible as they are stuck on an island. The unresolved and undiscussed attraction between them is not helping matters, particularly as Ananna is convinced this is one-sided and that Naji cares nothing for her. The story has a little bit of everything. There is pirate ships, sea battles, islands of magical creatures, and royal courts. The reader's interest is grabbed and kept from start to finish. I was concerned, and had been since it was mentioned in the first book, about how the portion of the curse where Naji had to create life from violence was going to happen. I LOVED what Clark did there.
I was reminded of how much I appreciate Ananna's character. So many books of this ilk try to make the main character more educated and better spoken through some unlikely twist than they otherwise would be. I love that Ananna is unashamedly who she is, a girl who grew up on a pirate ship and acts and talks like it. Naji continued to be difficult to connect with, again because the story is all from Ananna's perspective. I knew she was reading him wrong and at times I was frustrated and wanted them to just discuss it already and stop running from it. Still. I like the way their story and relationship resolved in the end.
It was nice to get more of Marjani's story in this volume and I loved the addition of Jeric's character. I would like to know more about him now.
For any who enjoyed the first novel, this book is a must read. There were times when I felt it didn't all fit together perfectly, like when my son is doing a puzzle and he puts the right pieces together correctly but they aren't pushed in properly. It's a little uneven, yet so much fun and a great time.
Warning for Concerned Parents: This might not be the best pick for readers on the younger side of the YA spectrum who may not have the emotional maturity for this. There are instances of sex and swearing. (They are on a pirate ship.)
I read a galley of this title made available via the publisher, Angry Robot. The Pirate's Wish is available to purchase June 4 and to pre-order now.
I had so much fun reading The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clark when it came out last year. The story continues in the sequel, The Pirate's Wish, and to add to the fun of pirates and assassins there is also a Manticore. I mean come on, how can you not want to read a book with an assassin, a pirate, and a Manticore? I know I sure wanted to and was excited when I was able to read it early after being approved on NetGalley.
Warning: Spoilers for The Assassin's Curse ahead. Read it before read this.
The Pirate's Wish is so much fun to read. It is a roller coaster ride full of adventure and action. It opens shortly after the previous book left off with Ananna and Naji stranded and looking for a way to break the curse. They have to complete three seemingly impossible tasks in order to do this, which seem even more impossible as they are stuck on an island. The unresolved and undiscussed attraction between them is not helping matters, particularly as Ananna is convinced this is one-sided and that Naji cares nothing for her. The story has a little bit of everything. There is pirate ships, sea battles, islands of magical creatures, and royal courts. The reader's interest is grabbed and kept from start to finish. I was concerned, and had been since it was mentioned in the first book, about how the portion of the curse where Naji had to create life from violence was going to happen. I LOVED what Clark did there.
I was reminded of how much I appreciate Ananna's character. So many books of this ilk try to make the main character more educated and better spoken through some unlikely twist than they otherwise would be. I love that Ananna is unashamedly who she is, a girl who grew up on a pirate ship and acts and talks like it. Naji continued to be difficult to connect with, again because the story is all from Ananna's perspective. I knew she was reading him wrong and at times I was frustrated and wanted them to just discuss it already and stop running from it. Still. I like the way their story and relationship resolved in the end.
It was nice to get more of Marjani's story in this volume and I loved the addition of Jeric's character. I would like to know more about him now.
For any who enjoyed the first novel, this book is a must read. There were times when I felt it didn't all fit together perfectly, like when my son is doing a puzzle and he puts the right pieces together correctly but they aren't pushed in properly. It's a little uneven, yet so much fun and a great time.
Warning for Concerned Parents: This might not be the best pick for readers on the younger side of the YA spectrum who may not have the emotional maturity for this. There are instances of sex and swearing. (They are on a pirate ship.)
I read a galley of this title made available via the publisher, Angry Robot. The Pirate's Wish is available to purchase June 4 and to pre-order now.
dearestdorian's review
3.0
The sequel to [b:The Assassin's Curse|13533650|The Assassin's Curse (The Assassin's Curse, #1)|Cassandra Rose Clarke|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335967954s/13533650.jpg|18229805] is much the same as its predecessor. It's okay, and worth picking up to see the plot through to the end. It has some sweet moments, though I'd have liked more background information and worldbuilding so that the world would be more immersive.
But as I said, it's not bad, and worth a go if you'd like something fairly light and enjoyable. Like the first book, this one is currently out-of-print, and if I see it anywhere, I'm going to buy it because it's worth a re-read or a skim, and the cover is nice. I borrowed it from a friend who owns both books, and they look great together on a shelf.
But as I said, it's not bad, and worth a go if you'd like something fairly light and enjoyable. Like the first book, this one is currently out-of-print, and if I see it anywhere, I'm going to buy it because it's worth a re-read or a skim, and the cover is nice. I borrowed it from a friend who owns both books, and they look great together on a shelf.