Probably Mayhar's greatest strength is her attention to the details of day-today life; the realistic portrayal of the child Choria's behavior lends credibility to her later successes. Likewise, the careful description of Choria and Theora's journey helps to build suspense, define their personalities, and, at the same time, establish the inevitability of their eventual triumph.

On occasions such as Choria's attempt to outwit the Searchers, the detailed account of the characters' actions seems to slow the pace in this novel of heroic adventure. A related problem is the somewhat episodic plot structure.

Individual incidents are vivid and engrossing, but both the heroine and the author seem to lack a unifying purpose. Thus, Choria sets out to overthrow Theora and liberate Sherath, only to shift abruptly to a rambling journey through Algonath, where she comes within sight of the palace before another change in course. Presumably the...