I am not a huge space-opera fan, it's my least favorite sub-genre of sci-fi. Books about intergalactic wars will always bother me slightly given that I love hard sci-fi. Particularly in this book, I found it very convenient that the aliens were not only mentally compatible with humans, but their biosphere was magically perfect for human life to survive.
But I can ignore that as this book was more than that. I loved the characters, the plot was tight, and the mystery was thrilling. I really wanted to learn and know about the alien world, the writing made me eager.
Definitely reading the second book.