It has to be said, the edition I'm reading has a particularly dreadful cover. Really awful - the book's not great but it doesn't deserve that horror. I don't know what the publishers were thinking; it's anachronistic and extremely unattractive. Anyway, moving on... this one wasn't as likeable as the last two. Alanna remains the strong point - I like her combination of kindness and practicality, her work ethic, and her constant willingness to learn new things, even (especially) when they're not martial. Her interest in weaving, for example. It makes for a rounded character and I enjoy that.

What I did not enjoy were the relationships around her. The love triangle going on in this series was never going to grab me, as I loathe love triangles, but in this volume it becomes particularly irritating. Jonathan, a previously decent character, has taken a hard turn into jerk. And Alanna's brother Thom is also an irritant, messing with powers beyond and all that, and you know what? I liked him when he was a nerdy kid who plotted with his sister, who valued their relationship, instead, again... jerk. This is what comes of offing the antagonist halfway through a series; it has to undermine existing characters to continue some semblance of plot. Not a fan.