Publisher's Weekly Review
Hugo- and Nebula-winner Leckie returns to the universe of her bestselling Imperial Radch trilogy with this standalone SF thriller styled as a space opera of manners. Ingray Aughskold is determined to outdo her conniving brother and impress their demanding mother enough to be named her heir, even if that means gambling everything Ingray has. She leaves her home planet to break a famous thief out of prison and get help in a scheme to blackmail her mother's primary political opponent. But when the person she retrieves denies being the person she wants, her rash plan starts to fall apart. Matters are made worse by the fanatical pursuit of the distressingly odd ambassador of the alien Geck. Though full of the charm and wit characterizing Leckie's other works, including delightful appearances by a Radch ambassador and tantalizing hints about the upcoming conclave, this novel nevertheless doesn't quite have the depth and richness Leckie fans might expect. It's primarily an optimistic coming-of-age story, and it stumbles on some false promises along the way. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
In a bid finally to win the attention and approval of her politician mother, -Ingray arranges to smuggle Pahlad -Budrakim, heir to one of her mother's rivals, out of the prison planet known as Compassionate Removal. From the start, things don't go as planned. After a tense encounter with the alien Geck, Ingray manages to return her charge back home to Hwae, but the two are entangled in a murder investigation when a visiting diplomat from the Omkem people is killed in their company. While there are references to elements from Leckie's "Ancillary" books, the action focuses on Ingray, who wants her foster mother's love but fears her scheming brother will forever be the favorite. VERDICT Following up her magnificent "Ancillary" trilogy, Leckie wisely moves to a different area of the same universe, showing that she is still interested in nonbinary ideas of gender in this latest character-centered space opera from one of sf's brightest stars.-MM © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.