I loved the Rocinante crew bits of this book, and some of the new tech wonder/mystery/danger too. As far as antagonists go, I found the Laconians only slightly more engaging than the Free Navy of Nemesis Games. There was a "God Emperor of Dune" feel to the Laconian shenanigans that didn't land well for me.

I'm still excited to see where things go next. The main joy for me is seeing the Rocinante crew age and evolve, and coming to know them more deeply every book.