The most satisfying book of the series (thus far). As a mature teenager, Kel joins the King's Own and continues to excel in her mission to become a knight. Pierce steps up her writing and also dedicates a sufficient number of pages to this book to make it exceptionally detailed -- much longer than any of her previous works to date.

I like that Kel doesn't have a "mortal enemy" like Alanna had. It makes her journey and development more believable (though that doesn't stop Pierce from dropping some hints at the end). Pierce obviously has a strong grasp of medieval combat and life in general, and I hope the last installment in the series lives up to this one.