This had the violent, bloody sex-with-claws-and-fangs that I'd remembered not liking so much from the first one. I still didn't like it so much. It also had the delightfully zany snow-leopard family that I remember being cracked up by in the first one. And they still made me smile a time or two.
What I I'd not anticipated in this one was how much I like Oscar's character. I don't usually like the toppy little guys because they just seem like they're trying too hard. I loved that Josiah brought up "small person syndrome" or whatever it's called right when he first met Oscar and thought he was overcompensating with violence and attitude for what he lacked in height.
I also really liked how Oscar was trying to find his role in his family, and that he didn't let his human size affect his desire to protect them.
Also enjoyable was the way the plot carried over from the first book and we got to see more of how they're resolving the problems created by Lyndon's crazy father.
Plus, this book has one of my new favorite quotes:
"Oz, I hope you know now that being strong doesn't mean suffering in silence. The strongest people are those who know when to ask for help."I was thinking of giving this 3.5 stars, but I think I'll round up because I really did enjoy this more than the first book, and I want the rating to reflect that.