Capsule summary: We loved it.

I’ve been known to read a new Bujold novel to Jane in one weekend; my
throat was sore for a week. This one took us eight evenings, because I
read no more than four chapters a night to save my voice. (I did
overdo it on the last day, so we could finish up.)

This is a sequel to The Curse of Chalion, though it can be
read independently. It concerns Ista dy Chalion, the dowager royina
(she’s the mother of Royina Iselle, the reigning monarch). During the
dark days of the curse which was the topic of the previous book, Ista
was thought to be mad. In fact, she pretty well was mad, thanks to
getting a really raw deal from the gods.

See, this is a fantasy series, but it’s almost what you might call
theological science fiction. That is to say, Bujold has invented a
theology (a very interesting one, I might add) and a religion to go with
it–and then, having set up the rules, she’s seeing where they take her.

So Ista is now a youngish 40, she’s no longer mad, and she’s being
stifled by idiot ladies-in-waiting who treat her like she’s made of
china and won’t leave her alone for fear she’ll throw herself off
of a tower. She married Roya Ias as a young woman, was caught up in the
curse, and has had little but hell since then. She finally has a chance
to have a life of her own, if she can rid herself of her protectors.
If only the gods will leave her alone…

…but they won’t, of course.