What makes this such a great novel is the level of thought put into it. The author refrained from using "blank characters" (in other words, characters without a name, or people you only see once;space fillers)
Every character, in the end, has a very well thought out personality and are NOT space fillers. You really come to adore each and every character (mainly Jun and Semryu, who both have unique personalities... and fan girls...) and depending on your choices, maybe even hate them. (But you still secretly like them anyways 😜)
I personally enjoyed the sequel more so than the first, which is GOOD! With most books, games, or anything actually, the sequel is NEVER as good as the original. The is where J Leigh shines, because she managed to make the sequel just as good, if not better.
If its your first time playing Waywalkers, I do suggest you start with the first one, it is still an amazing COG game. And for those of you who are a little Leary about buying the second, well, your missing out on a LOT!