At this point in the series it almost feels like this is a completely different story to what was set up in the first book. Arthur's friends, his back story, the way in which he first learnt to adapt the system, his time spent at the hospital and the new relationships and bargains he made there, none of them seem all that relevant any longer. While I do still like the direction the series is heading in, this phenomenon does leave me a little frustrated with what I am reading.
The main issues are that big chunks of the story no longer feel relevant and therefore felt like a waste of time. The bigger issue though is that it's evidence that this story isn't very well planned out, and it's already starting to lose track of itself as it unfolds. This is a problem that's only going to get worse as time goes by, and it would be a shame for this series to start buckling under its own weight as it loses track of its promises and potential.
Overall I enjoyed this one more than the last and I am still looking forward to reading more from this series, but the cracks are definitely showing through in this series now, and I just hope they don't widen into chasms.