It's been a long while since the second book and I think rereading the first one before opening this book might be a good idea. It makes you understand more subtle references in the book, although I note that the book seems very different from the first two.
The two books before this have been strolling on and focused on Candy's adventures, but this one has relatively larger scale and the events get more complicated. New characters are introduced and things a reader though sure are turned upside down. Big changes are coming...
The text itself was guaranteed Clive Barker style and I'm sure Abarat lovers will love this book, too. It has more action and more twists than I certainly expected and after it I was left with a wee bit confused expectation of the fourth book. Whereas the second book had in a way a clear cut ending, the third does not. So many things are left open-ended and questions are still unanswered.
A good read that keeps up the high quality of the series.