The Hidden Palace

It took me quite awhile to get through this one. Watching the characters grow and try and find their way as mythical beings in 1910's New York makes for a fascinating read. I do miss more of the focus on Arabic culture that was more prominent in the first book, but the elements that are here are just as well done. 

Wecker is a very good writer and there are so many elements I enjoy so it's a shame that I can't say I enjoyed the book. In the first book I thought it got dragged down in the minutia of the historical details but, overall it was still an enjoyable experience because while those details slowed the pace they were interesting. In this one the pacing is even slower, but it's from the day to day lives of our characters which can be quite dull. 

I'm not one to shy away from large books or harp on length, but I would have enjoyed this significantly more if it was 100 to 200 pages shorter with some of the day to day living cut. This would have increased my enjoyment immensely as I thought the last 100 pages, give or take, were fantastic. It's a 2/5 for me, but I'd definitely recommend the first book as it would work fine as a stand alone.