This is book 2 of the "Honorverse" series.

This note contains spoilers for the book.

This and Crown of Slaves almost make me feel the main action is moving off into the side series. If so, it's an unusually successful metastasization.

This one is about an expedition with major diplomacy in the Talbot Cluster, which wants to be annexed—at least some of them do. But Mesa is funding "freedom fighters" of more or less legitemacy on the different planets.

The story is told largely through the eyes of a number of midshipmen on their "snotty" cruise.

It seems to me that the shrill annoying politics have also been greatly toned down.