This book meanders around a bit too much for my taste, but overall I still liked it. There seemed to be many mini plots following one another rather than one overarching plot that lasts the whole book. There's the overland trip through Asia, then there's the political stuff in Istanbul ending in a daring rescue, and then there's the war between Napoleon and Prussia. All of them seem strangely separate. 
But I did really like the feral dragons, and Tharkay the adventurer. I hope all of them appear again in future. I was also glad to read about Temeraire's development, especially as regards his understanding of dragons' rights and duty. I think Laurence did relatively well in threading the needle on that topic.

2024 reread: Again, this seems like several plots stuck together. Still, Tharkay and the ferals are a lot of fun.