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Good with some "but"s
I enjoyed the book. I enjoyed it quite a lot. The author has created a solid universe with an almost unlimited number of possibilities, I really liked some of the characters (Elm, Throam and Santani are great), the story is catchy and the writing style is really good. So very well on that side.
But there are a pair of issues that don't allow the book to get the four-star rating (sorry, five stars are only for masterpieces). First, the whole book leaves you with the sensation of being a very large prologue. The main events of this book are nothing more than preliminaries for what is to come in the next books, and by the time the actual plot starts to develop... the book ends. So here I am now, desperate for putting my hands on the second volume (dear R. Curtis, if you need proof readers, please, PLEASE give me a call ^_^). And also, I think some of the characters really need to be further developed. Bruiser is an asset that, if used well, could be SO benefitial to the story arc.
And Eilentes. PLEASE give more life to Eilentes. I really can't believe that a high-skilled pilot that is also a great sniper has nothing else to contribute to the story than being in love with another character, making a fuss over a name, and being jealous. Sorry, but it is SO cliché and waste of a potentially great character... I usually don't like to make comparisons, but if you want to look at a great and rich female character, there you have Naomi from "The Expanse" trilogy. I believe THAT is a reference of what a well written female character is.
Apart from that, I enjoyed the book and I can't wait to put my hands on the second part.
Steal from the devil (R. Curtis Venture)