Not bad but I find myself somewhat unegaged? The beginning is strong - Clarke draws the reader in with ease - but her plotting needs more depth. There’s a lot of potential - the storylines, the world, the characters (Saker makes an impression, even if he’s not always the most likeable.)

There’s enough to recommend the story but it feels like Clarke pulls her punches too often. Focusing on political plots requires a skill of sleight of hand she also just doesn’t have at this point. She writes big worlds and large characters - tiny maneuvers aren’t her forte.

Decent but needs a finer tuned conclusion.