Loved as much and more at 31 as I did at 12.

This was more like 3.5 stars for me, but I rounded up because the ending made me feel a bit emotional.

After a not-so-great experience trying to read the Alanna books about ten years ago, I'm glad that I gave this series another chance. Although it is not my favorite by Tamora Pierce - that honor goes to The Protector of the Small series - it's a fun read that added some depth to my knowledge of the world of Tortall.

I think that one of my biggest issues with this series was pacing. For being short books, sometimes these felt terribly long to me. The action would pile on at other times until I was breathless. I wish there had been a little more evenness to it. The middle of this book, in particular, dragged a bit for me.

In addition, there's a lot of telegraphed moves. Events that could have been truly startling are foreshadowed far too much. I'm not much for guessing what's going to happen next, but in this case, I didn't have to. Too often, I knew exactly what was going to happen.

On the other hand, Alanna grows a lot in this one. I like her much better as an adult. Also, now that I'm cured of my childish crush on Jon, I am much more able to enjoy her romantic interludes, and to appreciate Tamora Pierce for putting them in there. I was also very happy to meet some characters who I also know from Protector of the Small, such as Thayet. Not to mention, seeing the entirety of the events around Jon's coronation was a pretty big deal.

In all, I'm glad that I gave this series a second chance. I'll be taking a bit of a break from Tamora Pierce for now, as this concludes both the books of hers that I own and the books that I had put on my to-read list at the beginning of the year, but I hope to return to the world of Tortall soon.

Så blev min datter og jeg færdige med serien. Den sluttede helt perfekt

Sometimes archetypes, conventional storytelling with familiar beats can still be immensely satisfying and rewarding. Tamora Pierce is a great writer. This story is timeless and I enjoyed every moment of it.

The final book of this series is so bittersweet. There are losses, as there always are in any great battle, and just knowing that the series is ending automatically makes me want to stay in Tortall and never cease hearing the stories of the great Lioness! Definitely one of my favorite series, ever, and I will enjoy these books for years to come.

For what is supposed to be the epic finale to the series this book really took a while to read. I was expecting things to be a bit more exciting. Just barely giving this 4 stars. I like the ending but the book itself didn’t hit the spot like I expected.

Super wonderful. Such an exciting, perfect ending to the series. I loved the new characters (esp Liam!) and loved where all the characters ended up for the most part. There were deaths and I CRIED at one part towards the end. Ahh. And I feel like I was manipulated in the most masterful way over the course of the series, romance wise. Now that I have a feel for the writing style and fast pace, I'd love to go back and read all 4 books back to back. As it is, I read them over two months, which is pretty quick. So happy I finally read this series, I fell in love with Alanna :)