This combines pretty much everything I want and expect from a Star Trek book/story: spending time with the characters I know and like, some interpersonal stuff, getting to know another alien culture and a conflict that feels serious enough without making you feel uneasy. A lot of time is spend getting to know the culture of this feline species, and that´s just the way I like it. Maybe it harms the sense of urgency a little, but I don´t mind. The familiar characters were behaving in-character and the new ones were quite interesting, well developed and likable. The book has 500 pages, but it never felt that long, since it was an easy read. For some people, maybe it could be too slow and character focused, but I think the average Star Trek fan won´t have an issue with that. The story is self-contained enough to be read by people that might not have a huge connection to the series, I think you get to know the cast quickly enough to never notice you missed out on something. Maybe not the most mind blowing science fiction, but still a really nice story.