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You think it would be her moment of triumph, but it isn't. Long time readers know that Acorna, parted from her beloved life-mate Aari, who is lost is time, has been struggling and hoping for a chance to be with him again, and has followed hints of him throughout the galaxy. But the triumph pales. When she gets him back, he's different, strange, the bond they share doesn't feel quite right. Has she finally found her beloved husband, or has time brought her someone else entirely?

That's not the only problem. Hafiz, an uncle of sorts to Acorna, is in possession of Cat-eye crystal beryls, a very rare and powerful stone (thanks to Acorna). A group of dancing girls steal the stones, and Acorna seems to grateful to be sidetracked finding the stones, rather than concentrating on falling in love again with her husband.

Acorna's Triumph is being called the conclusion to this series, which comprises of six previous books. Conclusion is what defines this book, as everything that Acorna has lost is finally regained. There are a couple of battles as the Khleevi, the bug-like vile creatures who robbed her of everything in the first place, return to take another crack at conquering the unicorn-like Linyaari. Also, tracking the beryls makes for a fun sub-plot, as we get to spend time with some other favorite series characters as well as wacth as they try and figure out what happened. The truth behind Aari's oddness and concentrating on the strange, obsessive Grimalkin is the central plot, but one that has a hard time resolving itself since Acorna, even though she was driving herself crazy to find Aari, would much rather be hunting for the stones than spending any time with him. I first thought that was rather odd, even though her life bond wasn't reacting well, you'd think after all the effort she expending looking for the man, she'd force herself to spend more time with him, but the person who is pretending to be Aari is so creepy that you really can't blame her.

Acorna, is still herself, though, the sweet, unicorn-like creature that so many people have grown to love, and her relationships with the various people -- Rafik, who helped raise her, her Aunt Neeva -- are interesting and what you've come to expect. The feel of the series, too, is the same as the past books. Grimalkin is a rather odd bad guy, whose motivations and actions are very strange.

All the ends are tied up, things are put back to where they should be. If you are a huge fan of the series, then the book is a "must have," because it will fulfill your expectations and finish the story off for you. The ladies did a wonderful job finishing up this popular series, and I really look forward to their future projects.

Cindy Lynn Speer loves books so much that she's designed most of her life around them, both as a librarian and a writer. Her books aren't due out anywhere soon, but she's trying. You can find her site at www.apenandfire.com.