From School Library Journal
Grade 6-10-As this fourth and concluding volume of the series begins, Claidi and her beloved, Argul, are about to be married. As they travel in their magical robotic servant/ship Yinyay, they revisit Claidi's original home, as well as other sites and people from earlier volumes, confronting questions about their parentage, motivations of past friends, and the Tower's intrigue. After Argul's grandmother tells them that his sorceress mother, Ustareth, long believed dead, is alive and has created a magical land across the sea, they travel with four companions to her land of seemingly miraculous food trees and magically created animals. A confrontation with her leads to answers to some long-asked questions and a bittersweet new beginning for the travelers. Lee successfully uses Claidi's journal writing to build suspense and provide background on characters and events from previous books, though given the lack of new characters and dependence on previous events, the book's primary appeal is to fans of the series. The protagonist's deepening and sometimes ambiguous relationship with Argul, as well as the complex jealousies and romantic relationships among the other four travelers, adds interest and allows the characters to develop as their journey progresses. Claidi's world, especially Ustareth's island, is well drawn, and readers will appreciate the detail and humor Lee uses in describing people and places visited. Sherwood Smith's Crown Duel (1997) and Court Duel (1998, both Harcourt) offer another strong female heroine faced with intrigue and a touch of romance.Beth L. Meister, Yeshiva of Central Queens, Flushing, NYCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 5-8. In the fourth and presumably the final episode of the Claidi Journals, Claidi and Argul have married. That doesn't, however, stop them from becoming involved in the machinations of the Towers when Argul's grandmother summons them to her palace, where they are joined by Dengwi, Prince Venn, Winter Raven, and Ngarbo. They soon learn that Ustareth, Argul and Venn's mother, is alive, and that she wants them to join her in the faraway land that she has built. The trip to Ustareth's exotic utopia, fraught with adventure, is the key to Claidi's finally realizing her destiny. Unfortunately, the magic here doesn't always work within the construct Lee has spun, but readers who have faithfully followed Claidi's exploits up to this point will still want to see how everything ends. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
At last, Claidi and her beloved Argul are free to get married. But before they can start their life together, Claidi must face her past. They return to her birthplace, the House, to rescue the other slaves—and find that there has been a revolution, sparked by Claidi’s escape. Then the two are urgently summoned by Ironel Novendot of the Wolf Tower, who tells them that Ustareth is alive. Ustareth, the mother of Argul and Venn, the science-sorceress, who has perhaps manipulated each of them for their entire lives. Now she wants them all to visit her—but to what end?

FROM THE PUBLISHER