This didn't work for me at all- from the cute, slightly changed names (VanderBilk, JP Morgaunt & etc.) to the almost claustrophobic Jewish arcana that filled every page- it simply didn't grab me, and I'm wondering how it is faring with the middle grade audience it's aimed at. I never quite got a sense of how Sascha's magic worked, or how, exactly, the Inquisitors work. Lily was also predictable, I thought- plucky rich girl who has an unhappy home life and has unsuspected depths. The story arc was reminiscent of A Wizard of Earthsea, at least as far as the dybbuk went. I liked Teddy Roosevelt's character (TR is right as rain!) and Inquisitor Wolf, but I won't be back for the sequel.