Reading: The Secret Commonwealth

Having been absolutely blown away by La Belle Sauvage, the first volume of Philip Pullman's The Book of Dust, I had high hopes for the second, The Secret Commonwealth; unfortunately, while there was a lot I liked about it I didn't feel the book quite lived up to them.

( No major plot spoilers, but discussion of the plot in general back-of the-dust-jacket terms and some particular incidents/themes )