The story moved at a good pace, and kept my attention a little more than the first. I like Skype and Cascade-- they are welcome secondary characters. I also like how both Marcus and Kyja matured as characters, in order to find the land elementals, they must pass tests, and these tests cause them to look into how the other thinks in order to succeed. Marcus must read people, plan and slow down, while Kyja has to learn that hastiness is sometimes a good thing. ( )