An interesting read, and unlike the previous two volumes, this one concentrates on female characters. The main one is Sorren, 17 year old bondservant with a Northern heritage that makes her stand out against the mixed races of Kendra-on-the-Delta. Tall and blonde, Sorren is a drummer, daughter of a deceased vineyard worker who bequeathed a set of fortune telling cards to her daughter. She now has one year to run in her service to Arre Med, a councillor of the city, and plans to travel North to Tornor Keep when her service is complete, because she has visions of the place and people. In the course of the story, she learns that she is not a far seer but has the psychic talent of seeing into the past. The third main character, alongside Sorren and Arre, is Pax, Arre's Yardmaster and an accomplished soldier, and Sorren's older lover. Pax learns that another major family in the city is smuggling in short swords and training their guards in their use. Ultimately, this action, borne out of sibling rivalry, will have far reaching effects on the city and the Med family.

The story is set centuries later than book 2. Swords have been banned in the city, and the chearis of the past have died out. A lot of the book deals with the politics and treachery in the city, and the roles of the three main female characters and a few minor characters in resolving these. Unlike the previous books, most of the men are not admirable, including Arre's brother. Over the course of the story, Sorren learns life lessons about herself and others and ultimately finds that dreams may not come true but can lead to other possibilities. ( )

This was my favorite of the trilogy by far.
Again, some years have passed in Arun. In a Council's attempt to bring peace to the land, swords have been banned from the cities - and along with them, the chearis, masters of weapons, have been banished as well. However, the Council is honeycombed with plots and intrigues, and the powerful society of 'witches' - those with mental talents - may be involved as well.
The girl of the book's title, Sorren, is a bondservant in the house of a childless council member, Arre Med, who cares for her 'almost as a daughter,' but whose main focus is the governance of the city. Sorren has her own concerns - ranging from the mysterious visions of a Northern Keep that come upon her unexpectedly, the fortune-telling cards that were her only inheritance from her mother, the issue of whether to go to the witches (as the law states that she should) about her visions, or whether she should instead leave her southern home and travel north in search of the source of her visions and her origins.
But she cares for her employer/mistress, and even more for her lover, an older woman who is the head of the Med family's guard.
While Sorren's trying to make these personal decisions, larger issues are coming to a head, as powerful families are vying for power, smuggling illegal weapons into the city, staging riots and jostling for alliances....

Thoroughly enjoyable! ( )

Slow start but eventually moves along nicely. Adequate finish to a good trilogy that leaves some interesting characters dangling in a plot rich environment. ( )

This book left me wanting more! Although the third of a trilogy, it stands alone -- except that I want to know the further adventures of some of the characters, after the book closes. It starts from the perspective of indentured servant Sorren, and widens to include the stories of her mistress, a city councilor, and her lover, a spymaster/captain of guards. Each story is interesting, but the way they are woven together make them more powerful. Sorren's view of daily city life and the people around her, the night chases and defense training by the captain, and the city/regional political maneuvering all come together in an absorbing way, and their stories work even when they begin to diverge again. This is also layered with developing and splintering relationships between each other and other characters. Each character is naive in some way, but not stupid, and striving for good in her own way. Looking at their different vulnerabilities and strengths, against how they develop, against the rich background of the world Lynn has created, make this a book I will want to read again and again. ( )