Having read In the Night Garden and Palimpsest, I was prepared for Valente's style and rich detail this time. I loved the creatures in the first book more than the ones in this book, but this one was no less astonishing. I'm glad to know what becomes of the young girl in the garden and how she came to be there, although I haven't worked out my feelings about the end quite yet. Also, it had been so long since I read the first book, it was hard to remember the details of the earlier stories that would have helped me enjoy this book more (like the Papess). Full of wonders, but read the first book, first.