I thought this was a good conclusion to Alanna's story. Unlike some other reviewers, I thought the first half was too boring and didn't pick up until Alanna was actually going on the quest for the Dominion Jewel. I HATED Liam and their relationship, and was glad to see that Alanna didn't waste much time with him once she realized how unhealthy their relationship was. It was interesting to see her go back to Tortall and both how she views herself and how others view her after all of her successful adventures. I didn't feel that Thom's role was as strong as it could have been, even though he hasn't really been a major character in the rest of the series. I loved Alanna's creative solution to fighting her final opponent of the story, and I'm happy with how the "relationship web" was resolved. I'd definitely want to see more of these characters as adults and raising their own families.