Honestly, I would give this 4.5 stars, since I gave the first book 4 stars and enjoyed this book more, though it's not quite perfect. Telling the story in three parts (current, flashback, hidden in the box) was ambitious, and for me, worked really well. Some of the Builders' stuff struck me as a little deus ex machina-y, but just a little. All in all, a really, really good book. Can't wait to read #3!