To me this wasn't Trek. Both Kirk and Spock were way out of character - Kirk mostly in a way that reminded of the reboot, behaving like a jerk. Starfleet, though not really a military organization, looked like the worst army in the world, with methods that are frowned upon even now - and a no fraternization rule that is clearly non-canon as both Chekov and Kirk had romances with other cadets according to the Original Series. And the plot was more a political thriller with dashes of espionage novel and crime, not really a SciFi. But putting all that aside and ignoring that it has NOTHING to do with the Star Trek one loves, it's actually not a bad read. Never boring and nicely written. Just not Trek.