Not one of my favorites by McKillip, but not bad either. 
 I did not feel very attached to the characters for some reason. The characters felt somewhat detached and not fully fleshed-out, almost like characters in a fairy tale. Maybe this was intentional? 
 The ending left me a bit annoyed simply because the romance felt like it was tacked on at the last minute and without much thought. The male romantic interest annoyed me too. I mean, at first it seems like he has a connection with one person. Then he's completely head-over-heels with another person. Then that doesn't work out, so he's back to the first person and suddenly head-over-heels for *her* and she with him. I usually love the romantic relationships in McKillip's books, but this one just annoyed me. The book would have been better without it. 
 Other than that, the ending was satisfying and I enjoyed the read. I especially enjoyed the central theme/message.