I had not read the first book but my niece has lent me for me to be up to date before starting the Volume 2. I honestly think this was not necessary but I like to play in the order . In addition my niece was expecting only one thing ... have its Volume 2! Brief Volume 1 was friendly and easy to read ... Volume 2 is more or less the same! It's not necessarily a compliment because it means that we could do without. Nothing more, just a continuation of the same themes. After it is a matter of taste of course, my niece loved to read but also it seemed a bit flat. She liked to see the characters in the first book and told me to have read in a very short time.
We had a little the same opinion, the story is well written and themes are appropriate to appeal to teens, the characters are engaging and we let quickly embark on their lives ... but it lacks a little something that was Volume 1, a slightly more exciting book. Maybe it was the novelty of the characters?
I would personally put 3 stars but my niece reminded me that she is the "target" and that it would 4 stars. So it will be 4 stars!