From Publishers Weekly
Modesitt returns to the setting of two earlier trilogies with a stand-alone novel that keeps readers engaged right up to the perfunctory conclusion. As oldest daughter of the ruler of Lanachrona, Mykella has high rank but no real power. Though intelligent and diligent enough to uncover an embezzlement plot, she cannot inherit and expects to be married off for political alliance. Then she receives a supernatural warning of danger and is told she must discover her psionic Talent to save her loved ones. As she struggles to defeat both evil nonhuman powers and treachery within her own family, her fumbling but determined efforts are endearing. Unfortunately, the abrupt ending leaves unresolved the larger issues of the role of magic in public life and the position of women in society. (Nov.)
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From Booklist
For the seventh Corean story, Modesitt produces a near-classic fairy tale. About 300 years after the events in SoarerΠ²Πβ’s Choice (2006), Lanachrona is ruled by the descendants of Mykel and Rachyla. Mykella, eldest daughter of the current lord protector, discovers that significant amounts of taxes are not reaching her fatherΠ²Πβ’s treasury. Her father downplays her warnings and refuses to consider the most likely suspect. Then Mykella meets a soarer, who tells her she must go to the ancient Table beneath the palace if she wants to save her land and world. She tries, learning as quickly as she can, but a series of fatal and near-fatal incidents among her family and retainers heightens the danger. In the end, perseverance and justice triumphΠ²Πβfor the moment. Although familiarity with the other stories of Corus may help in appreciating this one, it can be enjoyed on its own, even with the element of idiocy in its plot, thanks to characters in high positions who appear to have no more intelligence than a cockroach. --Frieda Murray