I couldn't take Novinha or Qing-jao any longer, detestable creatures (later on, Quara joins this group!). Up to the tea party, I despaired of even finishing this one. But I started to laugh at the repartee and manuevering for position. From this point forward, it just got better and better. 4 1/2 stars for the final chapter in Ender's tale, Children of the Mind. Card is willing to take on big ethical questions on what constitutes just actions against strangers that may or may not be enemies. His characters are lovable, despicable, mysterious, honorable, but you are drawn into their situations. The one area that felt slighted was the fleet. It has been on the way since early in Xenocide but only shows up at the very end. I was not impressed with how casually the fleet situation was dealt with compared to how intricate the plot was to meet the challenge of Jane's survival. I am sad to reach the end of the Ender series but what a fantastic journey.