Afterwards a magical firebird arrives, whose anguished cries and fiery breath transform people and things into jeweled trees.

Moonlight restores them to their original forms, and the firebird to his--that of a tormented, partly amnesiac young man named Brand, son and heir of Draken, half-dragon king of the land of Saphier.

Cathy Chauvette in School Library Journal notes that, "[a]s she did in The Riddlemaster of Hed ... and The Forgotten Beasts of Eld ..., McKillip weaves a magic spell of words almost as intoxicating as a drug.

The result will depend on readers; some will find its effect addictive, while others will be confused and long for a breath of fresh air.

"[2] Sybil S. Steinberg in Publishers Weekly finds the book an "adequate but lackluster follow-up to The Sorceress and the Cygnet, [with an] often tedious plot [that] has too much pursuit and discussion, and not enough direct conflict and dramatic tension.

"[3] Roland Green in Booklist calls it "[b]eautiful, intricate ... McKillip's writing again has the same cool elegance that makes it a pleasure to read.

391, August 1993. Other reviews describe it as "an entertaining read" (Australian SF News), and stress its "[l]ush imagery and wry humor ... McKillip's rich language ... conveys real strangeness and power."