So, more specifically, where Sisko has ended up has depressed me. I have real hopes that he can and will be brought back around to a place of peace with Bajor and the Prophets, as well as reconciliation with Kasidy where he belongs. The Sisko is of Bajor. And just because the Prophets said he would know only sorrow if he married Kasidy, it doesn't naturally follow that marrying her would CAUSE the sorrow. Nor does it follow that now that he HAS married her, that leaving her would somehow reverse the result. I wish Vedek(!) Kira had smacked him upside the head with some sense!
As for the Spock story line - *sigh* I will never forgive "Unification" for creating this mess. Really, I wish someone would pull him back from the whole "reunification" objective. It's like saying Black Americans should return to their African heritage, only multiply that times 100 or so. Sure, there are some who are drawn to ancestral ties and would embrace them - and that's a worthwhile pursuit. But Spock's position always seemed to be an attempt to "heal" or "correct" the Romulan division and bring them back to a Vulcan mindset, which just seems to fly in the face of IDIC. HOWEVER, I will quickly say that most of that is handled fairly well in this book, and overall I thought the author did well with what he had to work with in backstory.
Finally, the remainder of the political intrigue was quite engaging. I LOVED the additional detail on the Tzenkethi - I thought they were presented as very unique without being incomprehensible. This was a refreshing contrast to how I felt reading Seize the Fire and learning about the Gorn - ugh, did we really need another race of mostly stupid thugs?
You are drifting off topic...
Ahem. Anyway, I liked the Romulan politics. I liked having Sisko go talk to Donatra. I didn't like how easily she was lured to her demise. I didn't need to see Sela ever again - I could have wished her role to be played by another character. But for the most part, the Romulan storyline worked for me.