I loved [b: Ancillary Justice|17333324|Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1)|Ann Leckie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1397215917s/17333324.jpg|24064628] and recommended it left and right so if you like AJ you'll probably like this one which is set in the same universe - different corner, new characters, same-but-different-pronoun-shuffle.

In this corner of the universe there's a set of three star-systems the Omkem, Hwae and Tyr that are at slight (as in not war) odds with each other. Ingray is the foster daughter of Netano Aughskold an influential politician of Hwae. On a quest to impress Netano, Ingray travels to Tyr on a mysterious errand that goes off the rails about right from the start.

This is a tale of lies, politics, growing up and of how we define who we are. On Hwae people define themselves by their connection to history through vestiges (we'd call them souvenirs or mementos) they collect signed cards from important events or people to prove their own importance. The Omkem who need access to Hwae to get to the rich trading system of Tyr, dispute Hwae'en history. And maybe just maybe a lot of the most famous "vestiges" aren't quite what they seem.

With the odds stacked against her, in a society codified in ways that may be strange to us Earthlings, Ingray navigates this at times convoluted plot despite a strong case of impostor syndrome. Along the way she finds unexpected love, allies and aliens...

This story deepens our window into the world outside of the Radch empire and gives clues to at least one of the alien races that are part of the big treaty with the Presger: the Geck. The world building is fantastic and Ingray is a protagonist I loved to read, persisting despite her own misgivings against her family, and even the whole of her planet.

While I liked the use of only female pronouns in the Radch trilogy, here it gets much more complicated. Sometimes normal pronouns are used and sometimes gender-hiding abbreviations "E", "Eir" "Em" ... I never figured out the actual significance of when Ingray used which pronoun. Also I really dislike stuff I have trouble pronouncing in my head. So the pronouns and the Hwae and the Omkem didn't help.

So should you read this? If you're a fan of this universe already and want more of it: go. If you haven't read [b: Ancillary Justice|17333324|Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1)|Ann Leckie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1397215917s/17333324.jpg|24064628] and its sequels start there.