It’s probably the weakest of the Vorkosigan books I’ve read so far, but it is still enjoyable.

It doesn’t have the emotional appeal or the remarkable action that I’ve come to love in the previous entries. It relies heavily on the reader caring enough about Miles to connect with him and his struggle in this novel.

If you’ve read the previous entries as I have, you will care about Miles and his journey, to a point.

As for the other main character, Ekaterina, I found her quite enjoyable, though a bit clichéd and underdeveloped. She’s the only character with an actual arc, so I did enjoy following her storyline.

The plot in this novel is… pretty lame, to be honest, more of an excuse to give Miles a romantic adventure of sorts. Bujold’s writing style and humour, however, help a lot, making it very readable.

It’s worth reading if you’re going through the whole Vorkosigan saga as I am, but in itself, it’s pretty forgettable.