I expected to be lost—it’s been a while since I read the prior 2 books—but nope! And we get to spend more time with the Grattna, a species whose bodies, language, and worldview is based on 3s, not binaries. Fascinating!
Overall, the series has too many species, cultures, etc. to fully track, but the way they solve problems and work through their shit is how more people should be in the universe.