On one hand I enjoyed a Bujold novel without Miles Vorkosigan. It had a disabled/scarred main character, positive older, female and Gay characters. A smooth slow pace and a happy ending. Without Miles himself to bend the universe around him.

On the other hand, the levels of privilege enjoyed by the characters, the ease in which the mysteries of the magic system is revealed and the fairy tale ending were too soft for my current tastes.
And the though it is definitely not kind to him. The universe does revolve around the main character.

A darker ending would have made a significant difference here.