The devout belief that the world is explainable is both a terrible vulnerability and a stout shield.This was even better then the first, an easy 4 stars. The characters are expanding and the story is building, I am quickly becoming impressed with Briggs.Mercedes is such a great heroine, because she has her supernatural abilities, but she is level headed. I really like her.I also like Adam and Samuel, although I think most of the "love triangle" is just posturing, because I get a brotherly vibe between Mercedes and Samuel more then anything else. But I also appreciate that Briggs isn't in a hurry with it.