This series is actually pretty cool so far. Irina has survived her flight and now Lev returns to candidate training. There is a lot of bittersweet longing going on as they separate due to their duties diverging. Irina future remains uncertain. Duty, politics, and the pursuit of dreams keep them apart. Anyway, this volume was fantastic and we'll see if the next is just as good. Also since we seem to be following a lot of real history, I hope Lev has a much longer life than Yuri Gagarin.
The Space races heats up. Following Iriana the vampire being launched into space, launching a human into space is next. Who will be selected to be the first human Cosmonaut?
Knowing a little about the space race, this novel is well researched. The characters are very well written.