This series is SO much fun (and, as I said about the first book, it's absolutely perfect for any Gravity Falls fans, since it shares a similar quirky MG vibe)! Strange things are once again afoot in Sticky Pines, and this time, we're following them from two different perspectives: Lucy Sladen, who's determined to work out the truth about the mysterious, supernatural Pretenders of Sticky Pines and protect them from NuCo, the greedy company determined to exploit ALL of the town's resources; and her ex-friend Milo Fisher, son of the NuCo president, who is still in shock after finding out what his father did in the first book. It's Milo who first comes across the Thing in Black Hole Lake, but both of them rocket through adventure, and I had SO much fun reading it all.
One of the things I liked best was the real level of moral complexity amongst all the fun and humor. Milo's dad is doing TERRIBLE things. He's the villain! (That's my standpoint, and it's not changing.) However, he also genuinely loves his son, and Milo genuinely loves him even when he's most anguished about what his father's been up to. And his dad also genuinely thinks that he's the good guy and wants Milo to think so, too. The philosophical questions never slow down the action, but they do give it real depth.
The whole book is joyfully exuberant and SO much fun. I can't wait for Book 3! And thank you so much to Nosy Crow Books for my copy of this one (which I'd *begged* them for after loving Book 1 so much).