Mykella has the talent of her ancestor Mykel and will need to learn to control it to survive. She immediately notices that the Arms-commander, Areyst, appears to have talent. This leads her to trust and use him immediately. Other lords and ministers are not nearly so trustworthy. Mykella slowly evaluates each minister and searches for graft and mismanagement. Unfortunately for her, she finds more than she expects. Finding the gold that has been stolen and is needed to rebuild Lanachrona will be a long term problem.

The dynamics between the sisters is one of the great strengths of this novel. They each face hardship and tragedy in their own way. Modesitt, as always, develops each into complex being that is accessible to the reader. The one thing readers never have to worry about with Modesitt’s novels is the quality of writing. Here he presents a strong female character similar to his Soprano Sorceress and Saryn. His fans will enjoy this novel as much as his other fantasy works.

This is the eighth book of the Corean Chronicles. As a part of a longer series, it isn’t the place to start. At a minimum, readers need to read, The Lord-Protector's Daughter. For full enjoyment, it is recommended that readers finish all seven prior novels first. It is similar to the first trilogy that followed the adventures of Alucius, as the story focuses on Mykella, unlike the second trilogy that followed two main characters.

The Corean Chronicles is a fantasy series that is similar to the Recluce series. Both are stories of lands and individuals that must face evil to survive. Both have a well defined magic system. The magic of Corus is based on life forces. A few individuals have the ability to affect others by touching and reading their links to the world. Finally they are stories of individuals that find their soul mates.

The world travelling Ifrits are an interesting enemy. They are slowly dying as they cross and colonize new worlds. Each time they transfer, they lose a little knowledge. I would be interested to see how they first started their exodus.