i like the similarities between ged and arha. earlier in book one, you could see ged do the same thing that arha is currently doing, project his own insecurity onto others. though their situations are obviously very different - ged knew the world and the magic already; arha only knows the temples and is still fumbling with her faith - it is quite obvious that this is a thing they share.

furthermore, ged!!!!! i loved him in book one, especially as he went from a fumbling, angry kid to a fumbling, scared teenager to now, someone who is quite assured in his skills, enough to gamble with his life knowingly. it's the perfect coming of age for someone who will go down as the best of the best in his world.

also this book feels slightly more grown up than the first one. if book one was a children's coming-of-age book, then this feels closer to something like a thriller to me. maybe because i am not a child, lol.