This is the first official Roslyn Chambers novel in the Starship's Mage universe, Book 1 in the series Mage-Officer of Mars, and as such was written as an Origin Story. This is a strategic flaw because for long term readers, we don't need an introduction to a character that has been around for 3+ novels. Glynn Stewart wants us to treat The Service of Mars as the ending of Arc 2 (UnArcana Rebellion), but that novel already felt like Roslyn's main character debut. This mismatch in expectations results in a below standard novel.

If you pick up this novel expecting an Origin Story, I think it'll be fine. For me, I didn't care for a self-contained story, purposefully set on the fringes of civilization to reduce complexity, with teasers to the larger universe. There are no long-term arcs of importance and while it's entertaining, I suspect it can be skipped without impacting the enjoyment of future novels.

Recommended only for completionists.