The Subtle Knife
Philip Pullman
Lyra meets Will
The Golden Compass, book 1 of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, ended with these words
So Lyra and her dæmon turned away from the world they were born in, and looked toward the sun, and walked into the sky.
"Walked into the sky" means that Lyra and Pan walked into another world through a portal created by her father, Lord Asriel.
We don't immediately catch up with Lyra. Pullman informs us before the story begins
The Subtle Knife is the second part of the trilogy that began with The Golden Compass. That first book was set in a world like ours, but different. This book begins in our own world.
The first words after this are "Will tugged at his mother’s hand ..." Will Parry is the second hero of His Dark Materials and will be as important to the story as Lyra. After some brief adventures Will stumbles through a portal into the almost deserted city of Cittàgazze, where he and Lyra meet. The alethiometer tells Lyra that Will is a murderer, which is to say, someone Lyra feels she can trust.
You are probably thinking that my brief summary was full of spoilers, but in fact, everything I just told you is in the publisher's blurb. The blurb also tells you that "Lyra and Will uncover a deadly secret: an object of extraordinary and devastating power." That object, you will not be surprised to hear, is the Subtle Knife. No more spoilers, except to say that much of The Subtle Knife takes place in our world.
I listened to The Subtle Knife audiobook in 2004. The Golden Compass was one of the first audiobooks I listened to after joining audible, and of course I followed it immediately with The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. Together they are an extraordinarily good story. The audiobook by Listening Library is also very good -- it's a full cast production, with different actors for different major characters. I didn't realize at the time how rare that is (or how well a single skillful reader can achieve almost the same effect).
His Dark Materials is among the very best of fantasy fiction. It deserves the accolades it has received. And I recommend the audiobooks.