Wow! I was definitely right that the second book was more of a segue than anything else. This book took the characters from the previous two and put them in interesting and different situations. It had them all growing emotionally, and we could see the growth happening! It was extremely well written, and the plot, while there was nothing unrelated, it was totally unexpected. It was a fabulous ending to the story, and although it left you caring about the characters, it didn't leave you hanging. And although some of the characters who were killed left a hole in your "heart", always necessary. It was a truly satisfying conclusion.
It is too bad that I only felt comfortable giving the second book in the trilogy three stars. To not take that to mean that it's not worthwhile! The three books all count on each other and require each other. And the particular version that I listened to had an interview with the author at the end which was also enlightening, and it made me really like her (although I have to admit, the fact that she's a television writer is somewhat offputting :-))