This was not the normal type of sci-fi story I read and I didn't think I would enjoy it at first. But the more I read, the more I fell in love with this story. It's very rich, deep, symbolic, and full of meaning. The characters are deep and very interesting, and the elaborately detailed world/universe of the story is incredibly thorough and stimulating. This story had a great pace and evolved from a story of planetary politics to political inrigue and thriller-type pace. I finish this book feeling like I have experienced something profound and yet sad that it's over - and yet I've already downloaded the sequel! Arkady Martine is masterful and a bit like the Stephen King of the genre. Maybe my top book of the year!