This. Was. AWESOME.

There are twists and turns aplenty. Most I didn't see coming. The one or two I spotted, I caught late in the game, and their reveals were still elegant and well written. The characters are, too. This is a book full of interesting, fun people - many of them are likable, though certainly not all (and likable isn't the point) - and more to the point, they're believable (LGBT characters represent! Without it being A Huge Deal!).

I particularly love how all the separate strands of story end up twined around each other, supporting and growing each character's individual tale, until the whole package is tied up at the end. It can be a little confusing tracking the scene and character changes at times, but it's a compelling ride and entirely worth it.

I read "Hunting the Corrigan's Blood" (the first book set in Settled Space) several years ago and it was a fun read, but this. This is a whole next level of story. It makes me want to get a copy of "Warpaint" and devour it immediately, and then bounce up and down with impatience until "The Wishbone Conspiracy" comes out, and then bounce until the next book, and.... well. You get the idea.


CONTENT NOTES/POSSIBLE SPOILERS
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There are some very heavy themes in this book. Several characters have pasts politely described as "nightmarish", and there is discussion/description of things that some readers will find upsetting. These include slavery, child abuse, sexual abuse, torture, violent deaths, imprisonment, and possibly a few others. There is rape implied in a couple of characters' pasts but no explicit descriptions. ( )