While I enjoyed the political and social intrigue in this book, I was extremely disappointed in O.S. Card for the character arc of Petra Arkanian. One of the only women we know in Ender's Game and the first two books of the Shadow series, she is a strong, kick-ass character who all of a sudden in this book spends chapters trying to get pregnant by Bean, which is totally at odds with the rest of her character, unless she has some form of Stockholm Syndrome where she becomes infatuated with her rescuer, or did face a serious break of spirit during the events of Shadow of the Hegemon. Virlomi is a good substitute for a woman who does what needs to get done, but I miss the old Petra.