I'd rate this book 5 stars if not for the very confusing first 80 pages or so. I was completely expecting the book to pick up where the first book left off & instead, it starts with a totally new character, who also isn't mentioned on the back cover. It took me a while to dredge up memories of Jordan Truehelm & figure out how some of the pieces of the story connected. There was also (IMHO) an excessive amount of description of ship "action," which I tended to gloss over & then have to go back to re-read to understand in full. Overall, though, I was happy with the storyline & am looking forward to the next book!