So this really made me want to reread Best of All Possible Worlds and absolutely reaffirms my sense that Karen Lord is following in Bujold's footsteps while also forging ahead.
It's a bit confusing if you, like me, retain NO information about any book you read more than a week ago, but one catches up quickly and Lord never really leaves you hanging. It's still a brilliant universe and Lord has lost none of her skill at shifting between the interplanetary macro view and interpersonal micro. In fact, she's gotten even better at not springing ideas on her readers.
I wanted to spend a bit more time with my favorite characters from the previous book, but then I always do.
This was a good one.