The plot is pretty good, but somewhat disappointing. I liked the magic, but I wish that it were better explained. There’s some kind of spell that leaches magic from Alanna’s twin, Thom, but it’s never satisfactorily explained what is happening there. Duke Roger has some evil plan afoot, but his motivations are unclear even at the end. Did he want all of Tortall to collapse? Did he want the throne? I don’t know what the villain wants!! I don’t know. Lazy storytelling.

There’s some good adventure, but it feels rushed. Some of the most climactic scenes fall flat because they are brushed over too quickly. There’s not as much depth to the story as there could be. Key scenes have this big build-up and then the climax is nothing spectacular. I found the same problem in all the books in this series.

I’m just glad to be done with this series, and I probably will NOT be reading any more Tamora Pierce books. I can’t understand why people love them so much. Not my cup of tea.