There is an emotional complexity to this series that I never can quite grasp. As much as I love Lloyd Alexander it's like stepping into his "Bluebeard" chamber where he keeps all of his personal corpses. Even his comedic characters fail to take the edge off of this conclusion Don't get me wrong, I love Theo. But Theo, even with the ending he is granted, will never be the Theo that I rooted so desperately for in Westmark. He will forever be haunted by thoughts of the past. ( )

Lloyd Alexander is an author I have always enjoyed. This is one of his lesser known series but was actually the first one of his that I read and as such will always be a favorite of mine.This series is one of the reasons I enjoy "period fantasy" so much. ( )

A good conclusion. I like how the revolution grows beyond their control. ( )

The novel, though grim, is still somewhat light for its subject matter. Given that Theo and Mickle have been so busy with flight and revolution that they've hardly had a chance to get a acquainted, that they are steadfastly in love is astonishing. Since they set off with Las Bombas and Musket at the end, it would be better if those characters were somehow more believable. Theo's obsession with Justin is about as childish as Jim Prideaux's with Bill Haydon. The writing is good and just sardonic enough for a young adult reader. ( )

A dramatic finish to the Westmark series, and a mostly satisfying conclusion. I do miss the light-heartedness from the first book and wish this had a little less bloodshed and political didactic discussions, but I had fun rooting for Mickle to prevail over the bad guys (and for Theo to get a clue). ( )