Ancillary Mercy

"It would be a mistake to go into Ancillary Mercy hoping for the same lightning-strike of Ancillary Justice. The first installment of Ann Leckie’s trilogy opened a world; by now, things are so complicated for protagonist Breq that all you can hope for is to be satisfied. Luckily, Mercy delivers. The world-building particularly shines in the machinations of this closing chapter, as Breq tries to use her new political powers to stop a war with all the weapons the Radchaai Empire has at its disposal: insinuation, shifting loyalties and the second-best tea set."