It is quite obvious that Bradley turned to Christianity when she started writing this book, but it turned out very beautiful and truthful to the rest of the series, not forced or out of place at all. The way history and fantasy is mixed is very impressive, very detailed without any dryness. The life of Eilan/Helena did feel a bit rushed sometimes, making it hard to shift to a different image of characters, who are suddenly middle-aged. 3 stars feels a bit scant, but 4 is too much compared to the other books in the series. Enjoyable read anyway.