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The Circle Reforged #1
The Will of the Empress
Sandry, Daja, Briar, and Tris, are older now and back together again, in an exciting and much-awaited, stand-alone novel by everyone's favorite mage, Tamora Pierce. For years the Empress of Namorn has pressed her young cousin, Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, to visit her vast lands within the Empire's borders. Sandry has avoided the invitation for as long as it was possible. Now Sandry has agreed to pay that overdue visit. Sandry's uncle promises guards to accompany her. But they're hardly a group of warriors! They're her old friends from Winding Circle: Daja, Tris, and Briar. Sandry hardly knows them now. They've grown up and grown apart. Sandry isn't sure they'll ever find their old connection again - or if she even wants them to. When they arrive at the pala
560 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2005
322 people are currently reading
9139 people want to read
About the author
Tamora Pierce
99 books85.2k followersHey, folks! I just discovered that apparently I have given some very popular books single-star ratings--except I haven't. How do I know I haven't? Because I haven't read those books at all. So before you go getting all hacked off at me for trashing your favorites, know that I've written GoodReads to find out what's going on.
I return to my regularly scheduled profile:
Though I would love to join groups, I'm going to turn them all down. I just don't have the time to take part, so please don't be offended if I don't join your group or accept an invitation. I'm not snooty--I'm just up to my eyeballs in work and appearances!
Also, don't be alarmed by the number of books I've read. When I get bored, I go through the different lists and rediscover books I've read in the past. It's a very evil way to use up time when I should be doing other things. Obviously, I've read a lot of books in 54 years!
I was born in South Connellsville, PA. My mother wanted to name me "Tamara" but the nurse who filled out my birth certificate misspelled it as "Tamora". When I was 8 my family moved to California, where we lived for 6 years on both sides of the San Francisco peninsula.
I started writing stories in 6th grade. My interest in fantasy and science fiction began when I was introduced to ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J. R. R. Tolkien and so I started to write the kind of books that I was reading. After my parents divorced, my mother took my sisters and me back to Pennsylvania in 1969. There I went to Albert Gallatin Senior High for 2 years and Uniontown Area Senior High School for my senior year.
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, I wrote the book that became The Song of the Lioness fantasy quartet. I sold some articles and 2 short stories and wrote reviews for a martial arts movie magazine. At last the first book of the quartet, Alanna: The First Adventure was published by Atheneum Books in 1983.
Tim Liebe, who became my Spouse-Creature, and I lived in New York City with assorted cats and two parakeets from 1982 - 2006. In 2006 we moved to Syracuse, New York, where we live now with assorted cats, a number of squirrels, birds, raccoons, skunks, opossums, and woodchucks visiting our very small yard. As of 2011, I have 27 novels in print, one short story collection, one comic book arc ("White Tiger: A Hero's Compulsion") co-written with Tim, and a short story anthology co-editing credit. There's more to come, including a companion book to the Tortall `verse. So stay tuned!
I return to my regularly scheduled profile:
Though I would love to join groups, I'm going to turn them all down. I just don't have the time to take part, so please don't be offended if I don't join your group or accept an invitation. I'm not snooty--I'm just up to my eyeballs in work and appearances!
Also, don't be alarmed by the number of books I've read. When I get bored, I go through the different lists and rediscover books I've read in the past. It's a very evil way to use up time when I should be doing other things. Obviously, I've read a lot of books in 54 years!
I was born in South Connellsville, PA. My mother wanted to name me "Tamara" but the nurse who filled out my birth certificate misspelled it as "Tamora". When I was 8 my family moved to California, where we lived for 6 years on both sides of the San Francisco peninsula.
I started writing stories in 6th grade. My interest in fantasy and science fiction began when I was introduced to ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J. R. R. Tolkien and so I started to write the kind of books that I was reading. After my parents divorced, my mother took my sisters and me back to Pennsylvania in 1969. There I went to Albert Gallatin Senior High for 2 years and Uniontown Area Senior High School for my senior year.
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, I wrote the book that became The Song of the Lioness fantasy quartet. I sold some articles and 2 short stories and wrote reviews for a martial arts movie magazine. At last the first book of the quartet, Alanna: The First Adventure was published by Atheneum Books in 1983.
Tim Liebe, who became my Spouse-Creature, and I lived in New York City with assorted cats and two parakeets from 1982 - 2006. In 2006 we moved to Syracuse, New York, where we live now with assorted cats, a number of squirrels, birds, raccoons, skunks, opossums, and woodchucks visiting our very small yard. As of 2011, I have 27 novels in print, one short story collection, one comic book arc ("White Tiger: A Hero's Compulsion") co-written with Tim, and a short story anthology co-editing credit. There's more to come, including a companion book to the Tortall `verse. So stay tuned!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 631 reviews
December 2, 2015
For the past several years, I've been sloooowly making my way through all of Tamora Pierce's books, first with all the Tortall books, and then with Emelan. I've liked all the Emelan books, but have always preferred the Tortall books. This is the first Emelan book that has made that opinion waver a little. Maybe it's just because this is the first time Pierce's self-imposed structural limitations on this series have been lifted. The first four books were for children, about children (ten and eleven year olds) and while they were great, I was at a bit of an emotional remove from them. The second four books split all of our characters up and had them go on separate adventures, which was fun, but also *not* fun, if you know what I mean.
In The Will of the Empress, our four ambient mages and foster-siblings Briar, Sandry, Daja and Tris are reunited for the first time in four years as eighteen-year olds. They have been acting the part of adults for years, since they got their mage medallions at the age of fourteen, but now they are finally coming into the bodies and minds of adults to match their already existing adult responsibilities. It's not all flowers and roses when they reunite, either. They've grown apart in the four years since they left Winding Circle, and while they still love each other, they are all full of complicated conflicting emotions that they have to work through in order to renew their emotional and magical ties to one another. When they last left each other, they could speak through their magical bond telepathically and share powers. Now, none of them but Sandry wish to re-open that connection, afraid of what the others will see, or resentful, if they do.
And all of this is happening at the same time as a personal crisis for Sandry. Her cousin, the empress of Namorn, has finally gotten her wish for Sandry to return to her home country after years as an ex-patriot in Emelan. Sandry doesn't wish to return because she knows the empress is smart and cunning, and always gets what she wants, and what she wants is for Sandry and her income to remain in her home country. So Sandry heads home, and brings her three mage-siblings in tow. They end up having to navigate the politics of the court, at the same time as Sandry realizes about her home and lands and responsibilities that she has been ignoring for years.
It was all just really well done. The emotional conflict between the siblings was believable, and the empress struck exactly the right balance between being a competent and fearsome ruler, and a person who has genuinely come to believe that it's okay to wield controlling power over everyone, because it's in their best interests. There's also a central conflict that involves gender roles and power struggles that I won't spoil, but it's key to the whole thing.
I really enjoyed this book, and I can't believe I only have two more Tamora Pierce books left (plus a Tortall short story collection). I've heard the next two aren't great, but then again, I heard that about this one, too, and it just turned out that people wanted puppies and rainbows instead of real human emotional conflict. But she's got a new book coming out next year as well, so all is not lost, even if the naysayers turn out to be right.
In The Will of the Empress, our four ambient mages and foster-siblings Briar, Sandry, Daja and Tris are reunited for the first time in four years as eighteen-year olds. They have been acting the part of adults for years, since they got their mage medallions at the age of fourteen, but now they are finally coming into the bodies and minds of adults to match their already existing adult responsibilities. It's not all flowers and roses when they reunite, either. They've grown apart in the four years since they left Winding Circle, and while they still love each other, they are all full of complicated conflicting emotions that they have to work through in order to renew their emotional and magical ties to one another. When they last left each other, they could speak through their magical bond telepathically and share powers. Now, none of them but Sandry wish to re-open that connection, afraid of what the others will see, or resentful, if they do.
And all of this is happening at the same time as a personal crisis for Sandry. Her cousin, the empress of Namorn, has finally gotten her wish for Sandry to return to her home country after years as an ex-patriot in Emelan. Sandry doesn't wish to return because she knows the empress is smart and cunning, and always gets what she wants, and what she wants is for Sandry and her income to remain in her home country. So Sandry heads home, and brings her three mage-siblings in tow. They end up having to navigate the politics of the court, at the same time as Sandry realizes about her home and lands and responsibilities that she has been ignoring for years.
It was all just really well done. The emotional conflict between the siblings was believable, and the empress struck exactly the right balance between being a competent and fearsome ruler, and a person who has genuinely come to believe that it's okay to wield controlling power over everyone, because it's in their best interests. There's also a central conflict that involves gender roles and power struggles that I won't spoil, but it's key to the whole thing.
I really enjoyed this book, and I can't believe I only have two more Tamora Pierce books left (plus a Tortall short story collection). I've heard the next two aren't great, but then again, I heard that about this one, too, and it just turned out that people wanted puppies and rainbows instead of real human emotional conflict. But she's got a new book coming out next year as well, so all is not lost, even if the naysayers turn out to be right.
September 5, 2017
As a young girl growing up, I devoured anything with swords, knights, magic, medieval themes. I even owned my own wooden sword, my name engraved in the hilt, and eagerly persuaded the sons of family friends to teach me to sword fight. For a time, my reading centred around The Hobbit, Narnia, nonfiction about castles - and Tamora Pierce. Her writing was a lifeline in an inundation of male-centric fantasy. Her characters had a knack for inclusiveness and diversity before it was even considered a conversation worth having (how embarrassing for the genre - how embarrassing for the world!).
So no, maybe all her works aren't perfect. Maybe there's further to push, maybe she sometimes gets it wrong, maybe the stories aren't all as vibrant or fluid as they could be (most are, though). But they taught me, or at least cemented my beliefs: Women can do anything, can be knights and slay monsters. Men can do anything, can be gentle and quiet and create life. Any person of any gender should not have to prescribe to stereotype. Never take no as an answer - unless it hurts someone. Consent is everything. Love can be between anybody, of any gender, any race, and that is beautiful.
This is all relevant to this book, I promise.
The Will of the Empress picks up the disparate threads of Tamora's Circle quartets, bringing the four main characters back together in a space filled with tension and conflicts, both within and without. And I thought it was done beautifully.
The story is a little slow, with a wild-rush finale, but I loved it for this. The slowness of pace allows the tension to build, allows bonds to be broken and remade, before the climax forces these bonds to be tested to their limit.
Daja was always my favourite of the Circle, without question, and is even more firmly so after reading this. To have read so many negative reviews of this book that are purely because Daja has a relationship with a women - are you fucking serious?! There are even comments such as "how could you ruin my favourite character in this way".
Firstly, why the shock that Tamora has written a gay couple? As if she hasn't before - and explicitly within this series too - as if Rosethorn and Lark never existed. And secondly, someone please explain to me exactly why this is so wrong, without mis-quoting out of context a self-contradicting book written forever ago. I won't even pretend that there is a valid argument to have, but explain away. Go on.
Daja is fantastic, has always been fantastic, her metal-working is kickass (and as an artist I am forever envious) and I seriously hope that the final book of this trilogy comes out soon as we have waited long enough. I want her happy ending!
So no, maybe all her works aren't perfect. Maybe there's further to push, maybe she sometimes gets it wrong, maybe the stories aren't all as vibrant or fluid as they could be (most are, though). But they taught me, or at least cemented my beliefs: Women can do anything, can be knights and slay monsters. Men can do anything, can be gentle and quiet and create life. Any person of any gender should not have to prescribe to stereotype. Never take no as an answer - unless it hurts someone. Consent is everything. Love can be between anybody, of any gender, any race, and that is beautiful.
This is all relevant to this book, I promise.
The Will of the Empress picks up the disparate threads of Tamora's Circle quartets, bringing the four main characters back together in a space filled with tension and conflicts, both within and without. And I thought it was done beautifully.
The story is a little slow, with a wild-rush finale, but I loved it for this. The slowness of pace allows the tension to build, allows bonds to be broken and remade, before the climax forces these bonds to be tested to their limit.
Daja was always my favourite of the Circle, without question, and is even more firmly so after reading this. To have read so many negative reviews of this book that are purely because Daja has a relationship with a women - are you fucking serious?! There are even comments such as "how could you ruin my favourite character in this way".
Firstly, why the shock that Tamora has written a gay couple? As if she hasn't before - and explicitly within this series too - as if Rosethorn and Lark never existed. And secondly, someone please explain to me exactly why this is so wrong, without mis-quoting out of context a self-contradicting book written forever ago. I won't even pretend that there is a valid argument to have, but explain away. Go on.
Daja is fantastic, has always been fantastic, her metal-working is kickass (and as an artist I am forever envious) and I seriously hope that the final book of this trilogy comes out soon as we have waited long enough. I want her happy ending!
September 21, 2015
This book still makes me so mad. I realize it was likely written to show the breakdown of the circle's relationships, but even years later it still makes no sense to me given the first and second quartets. And the way they interact and treat one another in this book is a far cry from the other ones, when they were actually friends, and close enough to call one another family.
What I hate about Will of the Empress is how it just makes a mockery of their relationships with one another, and for no actual /reason/. More and more as I read TP's newer books I find that they're just not as engaging as the older ones. I can still re-read the CoM series and the circle opens, or alanna, daine, and kel's tortall books and love them, but the newer ones are just becoming less and less compelling with less and less likable characters and less and less interesting plots.
It's sort of sad, really. More than that, in this book, the characters just don't feel like themselves. Why does Sandry, who has always been the most kind and the first to help anyone, scold Tris for helping people? Why does Vedris, who has always been patient and affectionate with Sandry, scold her for not reading reports the second she gets them, when she does always read them? And why do the four, who have been friends for years, spend two years randomly not talking or getting on even when three of them live together? And then there's the way they acted in Namorn.
Even when they finally open up to one another, the relationship falls flat in comparison to the earlier two quartets. Every books since Shatterglass in this series has been an utter disappointment; Melting Stones was okay, but the others seen to have little of the heart and care of the earlier books.
What I hate about Will of the Empress is how it just makes a mockery of their relationships with one another, and for no actual /reason/. More and more as I read TP's newer books I find that they're just not as engaging as the older ones. I can still re-read the CoM series and the circle opens, or alanna, daine, and kel's tortall books and love them, but the newer ones are just becoming less and less compelling with less and less likable characters and less and less interesting plots.
It's sort of sad, really. More than that, in this book, the characters just don't feel like themselves. Why does Sandry, who has always been the most kind and the first to help anyone, scold Tris for helping people? Why does Vedris, who has always been patient and affectionate with Sandry, scold her for not reading reports the second she gets them, when she does always read them? And why do the four, who have been friends for years, spend two years randomly not talking or getting on even when three of them live together? And then there's the way they acted in Namorn.
Even when they finally open up to one another, the relationship falls flat in comparison to the earlier two quartets. Every books since Shatterglass in this series has been an utter disappointment; Melting Stones was okay, but the others seen to have little of the heart and care of the earlier books.
March 1, 2020
These Full Cast Audio productions are the best things I've come across this year. My favourite stories, narrated by the author (whose slow, slightly stilted reading feels clumsy at first but soon becomes soothing and mesmerising), acted by a full, perfect cast, and even produced by the author of another childhood-favourite series!
Even a 21-hour cross-world flight home was almost something to look forward to, knowing I'd have uninterrupted hours of Tamora Pierce stories to listen to.
Even a 21-hour cross-world flight home was almost something to look forward to, knowing I'd have uninterrupted hours of Tamora Pierce stories to listen to.
June 3, 2014
This book is 500 pages of hurtling towards a stunningly abrupt end. The book is a slow build -- there isn't a terrible lot happening, and you find yourself switching between POVs too much to really engage with any one character. There are no heavily plotted moments to provide momentum and development to the story; Daja's storyline is especially static; she's essentially written out of the book towards the end because her queer romance wasn't good enough for any real screentime? Which I suppose could've been a publisher mandate, but it did serve only to emphasize my feelings the Daja is easily the most underserved the marginalized one of the four.
The Will of the Empress had a lot of problems. There's some awesome victim-blaming on Sandry's part, wherein she only rescinds her gross-ass statement that a woman who lets her husband beat her because she had no pride when she finds out this woman was forced to marry against her will. This kind of thinking implies that women who are anything less than physically forced into an abusive relationships are somehow more culpable for the behaviors of their shitty partners and that is an awful, damaging viewpoint that people hold in real life. I get that Sandry's viewpoint isn't necessarily the the author's, but I feel like this perspective was presented without much discussion?
All that aside, the motivations of the characters were just rather baffling. Sandry in particular was off-kilter. I get that Pierce was trying to show her growing out of the remainder of her childish petulance, but the problem was that, while Sandry has always been eminently capable of acting like a child, she has never seem particularly attached to any of the trappings of nobility. The fact that she had such mulish, awful stubbornness towards retaining her Namornese properties felt rather out of character. Similarly, much of the tension between the four seemed manufactured on the author's part to draw out the conflict in the story. Also, as I mentioned above, the actual resolution came so quickly it was unsatisfying. Suddenly the characters gave a summary of their respective Circle Opens books (except Briar) and all is well!!
Also, it almost felt like Briar received preferential treatment. He was the only character who actually had something happen to him in the four years between the end of his book and the start of this one. It was jarring to have Briar make references to stuff that had never happened on screen when everyone else only regurgitated information that we had already received.
The Will of the Empress is an unwieldy mess of a book with uneven, inconsistent characterization and sloppy emotional resolutions. I think I need to give these characters a break after a disappointment like this. I'll be holding off on Melting Stones and Battle Magic.
The Will of the Empress had a lot of problems. There's some awesome victim-blaming on Sandry's part, wherein she only rescinds her gross-ass statement that a woman who lets her husband beat her because she had no pride when she finds out this woman was forced to marry against her will. This kind of thinking implies that women who are anything less than physically forced into an abusive relationships are somehow more culpable for the behaviors of their shitty partners and that is an awful, damaging viewpoint that people hold in real life. I get that Sandry's viewpoint isn't necessarily the the author's, but I feel like this perspective was presented without much discussion?
All that aside, the motivations of the characters were just rather baffling. Sandry in particular was off-kilter. I get that Pierce was trying to show her growing out of the remainder of her childish petulance, but the problem was that, while Sandry has always been eminently capable of acting like a child, she has never seem particularly attached to any of the trappings of nobility. The fact that she had such mulish, awful stubbornness towards retaining her Namornese properties felt rather out of character. Similarly, much of the tension between the four seemed manufactured on the author's part to draw out the conflict in the story. Also, as I mentioned above, the actual resolution came so quickly it was unsatisfying. Suddenly the characters gave a summary of their respective Circle Opens books (except Briar) and all is well!!
Also, it almost felt like Briar received preferential treatment. He was the only character who actually had something happen to him in the four years between the end of his book and the start of this one. It was jarring to have Briar make references to stuff that had never happened on screen when everyone else only regurgitated information that we had already received.
The Will of the Empress is an unwieldy mess of a book with uneven, inconsistent characterization and sloppy emotional resolutions. I think I need to give these characters a break after a disappointment like this. I'll be holding off on Melting Stones and Battle Magic.
June 20, 2017
update from the 2016 reread: the below is still true A THOUSAND times over. I read it slowly this time, and although that was a struggle in itself--I loved every agonizing second.
___
I must have read this book a dozen times over since it was first released. It's my first go-to when I can't fall asleep, or when some book hasn't had a satisfying ending, or when I'm feeling especially down on myself.
I don't even know what else there is to say about this book, other than that it's one of those whose scenes I've committed to memory because the deep love these four kid have for each other is so significant and profound that it leaves you completely floored.
___
I must have read this book a dozen times over since it was first released. It's my first go-to when I can't fall asleep, or when some book hasn't had a satisfying ending, or when I'm feeling especially down on myself.
I don't even know what else there is to say about this book, other than that it's one of those whose scenes I've committed to memory because the deep love these four kid have for each other is so significant and profound that it leaves you completely floored.
January 16, 2022
"'Things change,' Daja said softly. 'We change with them. We sail before the wind. We become adults. As adults, we keep our minds and our secrets hidden, and our wounds. It's safer.'"
The first book in the Circle Reforged series is heartbreakingly wonderful. After years of separation, Briar, Daja, Sandry, and Tris are reuniting and they're all bringing new baggage to their friendship. Briar has been through a war, the memories colouring his thoughts and dreams. Daja feels betrayed by Winding Circle and deserted by Frostpine now that she is an accredited mage and no longer able to live at Discipline. Sandry feels her foster-siblings left her behind to have grand adventures and are now shutting her out. Tris has learned that the sheer magnitude and rarity of her magic and her ability leads to isolation and anger from other mages and fear from those without magic. Afraid to find out how her foster-siblings would react, she instead keeps to herself.
The fractured relationship of these four young mages after years apart is excruciating, especially when you remember how close they were in the Circle of Magic series. It would've been too unrealistic to have them come back and fall right back into the same patterns after everything they had been through and how long they were separated. It didn't keep me from wanting to go right back to one big happy family. Thankfully, Duke Vedris is around to get everyone moving in the right direction.
I found the meandering nature of this story to be excellent. We really get to spend time with all four mages and seeing how they act towards each other and outsiders. They get to demonstrate their new knowledge and skills, and they get to work together again. It was a bit frustrating that Daja seems to have been almost cut from the narrative after learning new information about herself and exploring a new avenue. Sure, there were a lot of other exciting things going on at the time but it didn't seem right to just cut her out and forget about her for a few chapters. It was also annoying that, once again, Sandry suddenly seems to be acting incredibly out of character for who we know her to be. So many instances of her being a through-and-through noble, not thinking of others even when they're family, and choosing to take all the good parts of being a noble and pushing off all the responsibilities on to others. Luckily her foster family is around now to point her in the right direction, and even push her a little when she seems hesitant. Tris keeps getting better and better for me as we work through the Emelan universe and she is the most well-rounded and complex character in The Will of the Empress . No longer the short-tempered caricature of a storm mage with no control, she has some serious depth and awareness now.
Everything I didn't know I wanted in this reunion, The Will of the Empress was surprising and wonderful.
Other books in the Circle Reforged series:
#2: Melting Stones ⭐⭐
#3: Battle Magic ⭐⭐⭐
Other books in the Emelan Universe:
#1: Sandry’s Book ⭐⭐⭐
#2: Tris’s Book ⭐⭐⭐
#3: Daja’s Book ⭐⭐⭐
#4: Briar’s Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#5: Magic Steps ⭐⭐
#6: Street Magic ⭐⭐⭐
#7 Cold Fire ⭐⭐
#8: Shatterglass ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#10: Melting Stones ⭐⭐
#11: Battle Magic ⭐⭐⭐
The first book in the Circle Reforged series is heartbreakingly wonderful. After years of separation, Briar, Daja, Sandry, and Tris are reuniting and they're all bringing new baggage to their friendship. Briar has been through a war, the memories colouring his thoughts and dreams. Daja feels betrayed by Winding Circle and deserted by Frostpine now that she is an accredited mage and no longer able to live at Discipline. Sandry feels her foster-siblings left her behind to have grand adventures and are now shutting her out. Tris has learned that the sheer magnitude and rarity of her magic and her ability leads to isolation and anger from other mages and fear from those without magic. Afraid to find out how her foster-siblings would react, she instead keeps to herself.
The fractured relationship of these four young mages after years apart is excruciating, especially when you remember how close they were in the Circle of Magic series. It would've been too unrealistic to have them come back and fall right back into the same patterns after everything they had been through and how long they were separated. It didn't keep me from wanting to go right back to one big happy family. Thankfully, Duke Vedris is around to get everyone moving in the right direction.
I found the meandering nature of this story to be excellent. We really get to spend time with all four mages and seeing how they act towards each other and outsiders. They get to demonstrate their new knowledge and skills, and they get to work together again. It was a bit frustrating that Daja seems to have been almost cut from the narrative after learning new information about herself and exploring a new avenue. Sure, there were a lot of other exciting things going on at the time but it didn't seem right to just cut her out and forget about her for a few chapters. It was also annoying that, once again, Sandry suddenly seems to be acting incredibly out of character for who we know her to be. So many instances of her being a through-and-through noble, not thinking of others even when they're family, and choosing to take all the good parts of being a noble and pushing off all the responsibilities on to others. Luckily her foster family is around now to point her in the right direction, and even push her a little when she seems hesitant. Tris keeps getting better and better for me as we work through the Emelan universe and she is the most well-rounded and complex character in The Will of the Empress . No longer the short-tempered caricature of a storm mage with no control, she has some serious depth and awareness now.
Everything I didn't know I wanted in this reunion, The Will of the Empress was surprising and wonderful.
Other books in the Circle Reforged series:
#2: Melting Stones ⭐⭐
#3: Battle Magic ⭐⭐⭐
Other books in the Emelan Universe:
#1: Sandry’s Book ⭐⭐⭐
#2: Tris’s Book ⭐⭐⭐
#3: Daja’s Book ⭐⭐⭐
#4: Briar’s Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#5: Magic Steps ⭐⭐
#6: Street Magic ⭐⭐⭐
#7 Cold Fire ⭐⭐
#8: Shatterglass ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#10: Melting Stones ⭐⭐
#11: Battle Magic ⭐⭐⭐
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January 8, 2012
I had to really think about what rating to give this. On one hand the book is very flawed but on the other, I didn't want to put it down.
Just as a bit of a disclaimer, I do know that this particular series by Tamora Pierce is not geared towards my age group, and that's likely part of the problem. But as with her continuing _Lioness_ series, this latter book is much more readable to the older audience.
So, the adventures of Sandry, Tris, Daja and Briar continue as the latter three return from their travels to discover that, once reunited, they've grown apart. It's a bit of a shock to them, but not to any of the readers who are over 18 (the age of our protagonists) or have spent any significant time away from close friends. As people grow, age and experience life, they change, and it's hard to reconnect with people who haven't had those same experiences, especially if they were traumatic. And all of them, Sandry included, have experienced their share of trauma.
Their ways of dealing with it set them even more apart. Sandry retreats into her "titled noble" facade, Tris has her own cold and remote mask to hide behind, Briar goes through woman after woman with no attachment to any of them, just so he doesn't have to be alone at night. Daja is the best adjusted of the group, but she's feeling out of place as well. No longer allowed to stay at Winding Circle for free due to their age, she's forced to buy a house of her own that she really didn't want. Nothing's at all the same for the four friends and none of them know how to deal with it.
But, of course, a solution arrives in the form of accompanying Sandry to Namorn for a visit that her cousin, Empress Berenene has practically ordered (financial blackmail). The reader already knows that it's not likely to be a trouble free visit and what they go through up in Namorn will forge them together as friends again, but even already knowing all of that, the story is entertaining enough to make you want to stay with it.
What follows is no surprise at all. A glittery, shiny court and a seemingly friendly empress-cousin, which is, of course, little more than a shiny facade covering up all the conniving, scheming and backstabbing you'd expect in a setting like that. It's something that takes the four friends a bit too long to grasp, to my way of thinking, given how worldly some of them are. Oh, Briar thinks he knows, but he still allows himself to be snowed over by the extensive gardens and greenhouses.
Anyone who reads the inside flap of the book knows that the empress wants to marry Sandry off and thus, keep her lands and money for Namorn (herself, really), so when Sandry finally realizes that, it's, again, no surprise to the reader. Still, Sandry does try to make the best of it, as do her friends, even while they're still in-fighting.
One pleasant development in the book is Daja's romance. It was something that had been hinted around but seeing it actually happen definitely put a smile on my face.
Of course, it all comes together when Sandry is put in danger and needs her friends to rescue her. Then all arguments are thrown aside and they band together to get her out of there and themselves out of Namorn. Not that the road out is smooth (big surprise), but it's nothing four genius mages can't handle, and, once again, nothing the reader didn't expect.
One of the major flaws in the book, the biggest, I'd say, is that every single piece of the plot is spoon fed to the reader. Every major and minor character's view point is shown at some time in the narration, so there's never any surprise when something happens, you always know it's coming. Absolutely nothing is left to the imagination, and there's no build up of mystery or suspense; you always know what will happen, and given who these four are, you always know they'll find a way out. It's a major weak point and if Ms. Pierce had stayed with only the viewpoints of the four mages, she might have had a much, *much* stronger book.
That said, it's still an entertaining story, even knowing everything that will happen. It doesn't get boring and although you already know that the four mages will find a way out of whatever predicament they're currently in, you still want to stick around and see how they do it.
Just as a bit of a disclaimer, I do know that this particular series by Tamora Pierce is not geared towards my age group, and that's likely part of the problem. But as with her continuing _Lioness_ series, this latter book is much more readable to the older audience.
So, the adventures of Sandry, Tris, Daja and Briar continue as the latter three return from their travels to discover that, once reunited, they've grown apart. It's a bit of a shock to them, but not to any of the readers who are over 18 (the age of our protagonists) or have spent any significant time away from close friends. As people grow, age and experience life, they change, and it's hard to reconnect with people who haven't had those same experiences, especially if they were traumatic. And all of them, Sandry included, have experienced their share of trauma.
Their ways of dealing with it set them even more apart. Sandry retreats into her "titled noble" facade, Tris has her own cold and remote mask to hide behind, Briar goes through woman after woman with no attachment to any of them, just so he doesn't have to be alone at night. Daja is the best adjusted of the group, but she's feeling out of place as well. No longer allowed to stay at Winding Circle for free due to their age, she's forced to buy a house of her own that she really didn't want. Nothing's at all the same for the four friends and none of them know how to deal with it.
But, of course, a solution arrives in the form of accompanying Sandry to Namorn for a visit that her cousin, Empress Berenene has practically ordered (financial blackmail). The reader already knows that it's not likely to be a trouble free visit and what they go through up in Namorn will forge them together as friends again, but even already knowing all of that, the story is entertaining enough to make you want to stay with it.
What follows is no surprise at all. A glittery, shiny court and a seemingly friendly empress-cousin, which is, of course, little more than a shiny facade covering up all the conniving, scheming and backstabbing you'd expect in a setting like that. It's something that takes the four friends a bit too long to grasp, to my way of thinking, given how worldly some of them are. Oh, Briar thinks he knows, but he still allows himself to be snowed over by the extensive gardens and greenhouses.
Anyone who reads the inside flap of the book knows that the empress wants to marry Sandry off and thus, keep her lands and money for Namorn (herself, really), so when Sandry finally realizes that, it's, again, no surprise to the reader. Still, Sandry does try to make the best of it, as do her friends, even while they're still in-fighting.
One pleasant development in the book is Daja's romance. It was something that had been hinted around but seeing it actually happen definitely put a smile on my face.
Of course, it all comes together when Sandry is put in danger and needs her friends to rescue her. Then all arguments are thrown aside and they band together to get her out of there and themselves out of Namorn. Not that the road out is smooth (big surprise), but it's nothing four genius mages can't handle, and, once again, nothing the reader didn't expect.
One of the major flaws in the book, the biggest, I'd say, is that every single piece of the plot is spoon fed to the reader. Every major and minor character's view point is shown at some time in the narration, so there's never any surprise when something happens, you always know it's coming. Absolutely nothing is left to the imagination, and there's no build up of mystery or suspense; you always know what will happen, and given who these four are, you always know they'll find a way out. It's a major weak point and if Ms. Pierce had stayed with only the viewpoints of the four mages, she might have had a much, *much* stronger book.
That said, it's still an entertaining story, even knowing everything that will happen. It doesn't get boring and although you already know that the four mages will find a way out of whatever predicament they're currently in, you still want to stick around and see how they do it.
Read
September 20, 2011Tamora Pierce has tackled some pretty tough subjects in this story such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, madness, homosexuality, professional jealousy and ostracism, heartbreak, as well as the quieter trouble of growing apart from close childhood friends. The novel is written with vivid details and natural, realistic dialogue. The use of magic fits well into the story, so that the reader doesn’t even have to think about the fact that many of the things described should be physically impossible. As one might expect from a Tamora Pierce novel, this story is filled with memorable characters and sayings, and the story stands up on its own, though a reader might enjoy it more if he or she is already familiar with the “Circle” characters. Although this is in the young adult category of fantasy fiction, “the Will of the Empress” contains lessons for all age groups and can be enjoyed by teens and adults.
December 14, 2025
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2017
This book is not good. I don't know what the motivating factors are for why it is not good, but the result is a not good book.
1. The Circle of Magic series has always been free of drama between main characters being a focus of the plot. The main conflicts in the plot are the main characters vs the outside world. Plagues, pirates, murderers, etc. All drama between the four main characters happens off screen and is summarized in a carefree, often humorous retelling. This book starts with the four of them not getting along, and that discord stays at the heart of the plot. That alone made it an entirely unsatisfying Circle of Magic book.
2. They all now have students (except Daja). No student is present in this book. None of their absences are explained. Instead Pierce reintroduced the crazy guy from Cold Fire to varying degrees of success. Am I supposed to believe that these 3 people entirely shirked their responsibilities after going through whole books about them learning how to take on their responsibilities?
3. The writing deteriorated in this volume. The writing in Circle of Magic always borders on lyrical, delightfully concerned with sensory details and things to touch and taste and smell. This book focused a lot on clothes, but mostly on badly inserted internal monologues that told way more than was welcome or required without any subtlety. It aroused boredom regularly.
4. The plot centers around an evil Empress trying to keep the four mages in her kingdom by any means necessary. Not one of them was truly tempted or struggled with the offerings of greatness and riches. It made those who remained in her court seem weak or whipped, and made for no real growth in the four main characters. What a totally wasted opportunity for character development.
5. I believe the plot was a thinly veiled discussion on rape culture. That conversation is valuable and that is why I am comfortable with 2 stars. It could have been more powerful without the thin veil, and without unforgiving women in the picture. But I don't think the purpose of this book was to be powerful, it seems the purpose was to create an unnecessary series of issues so they could be resolved without subtlety or growth.
6. Sandry as the main character this time really fails. I think a little less of Sandry after this book and I'm not sure I understand the purpose of her arch written this way. She has always been wise and kind and capable. Her stubbornness has always been in the service of someone she loved or someone weaker than she. There is no reason for her out-of-no-where streak of insane entitlement and bizarre obsession with her nobility. She has always been kind first. The way her attachment to her lands is written is bizarre and makes the ending feel weird. There are real reasons to stay in charge of your own holdings, there are real reasons to relinquish them. I don't think we ever got to her heart and why she felt the way she felt or why she made the choice she made or why it was difficult. It was just something that happened. And as a conclusion, I mean, without that emotional understanding, it was just not great.
This book was deeply unsatisfactory to any true Circle of Magic fan. I have no idea how to go on to the next book from here. We have lost the thread of this universe's purpose. I don't know what to expect-- and not in a good way.
1. The Circle of Magic series has always been free of drama between main characters being a focus of the plot. The main conflicts in the plot are the main characters vs the outside world. Plagues, pirates, murderers, etc. All drama between the four main characters happens off screen and is summarized in a carefree, often humorous retelling. This book starts with the four of them not getting along, and that discord stays at the heart of the plot. That alone made it an entirely unsatisfying Circle of Magic book.
2. They all now have students (except Daja). No student is present in this book. None of their absences are explained. Instead Pierce reintroduced the crazy guy from Cold Fire to varying degrees of success. Am I supposed to believe that these 3 people entirely shirked their responsibilities after going through whole books about them learning how to take on their responsibilities?
3. The writing deteriorated in this volume. The writing in Circle of Magic always borders on lyrical, delightfully concerned with sensory details and things to touch and taste and smell. This book focused a lot on clothes, but mostly on badly inserted internal monologues that told way more than was welcome or required without any subtlety. It aroused boredom regularly.
4. The plot centers around an evil Empress trying to keep the four mages in her kingdom by any means necessary. Not one of them was truly tempted or struggled with the offerings of greatness and riches. It made those who remained in her court seem weak or whipped, and made for no real growth in the four main characters. What a totally wasted opportunity for character development.
5. I believe the plot was a thinly veiled discussion on rape culture. That conversation is valuable and that is why I am comfortable with 2 stars. It could have been more powerful without the thin veil, and without unforgiving women in the picture. But I don't think the purpose of this book was to be powerful, it seems the purpose was to create an unnecessary series of issues so they could be resolved without subtlety or growth.
6. Sandry as the main character this time really fails. I think a little less of Sandry after this book and I'm not sure I understand the purpose of her arch written this way. She has always been wise and kind and capable. Her stubbornness has always been in the service of someone she loved or someone weaker than she. There is no reason for her out-of-no-where streak of insane entitlement and bizarre obsession with her nobility. She has always been kind first. The way her attachment to her lands is written is bizarre and makes the ending feel weird. There are real reasons to stay in charge of your own holdings, there are real reasons to relinquish them. I don't think we ever got to her heart and why she felt the way she felt or why she made the choice she made or why it was difficult. It was just something that happened. And as a conclusion, I mean, without that emotional understanding, it was just not great.
This book was deeply unsatisfactory to any true Circle of Magic fan. I have no idea how to go on to the next book from here. We have lost the thread of this universe's purpose. I don't know what to expect-- and not in a good way.
December 2, 2013
I've been disappointed in the more recent Tamora Pierce books that I've read - Mastiff, Battle Magic and now this book. It's not because they're YA books, as I still enjoy re-reading many of Pierce's older books.
The books opens with our four characters being reunited after being apart for close to two years. However, instead of the happy reunion that was expected, the whole lot of them had turned incredibly bitter, close-minded (literally and figuratively) and distrustful of each other, more so than their experiences in the "Circle Opens" quartet justify. Briar was really the only one with anything close to an excuse (PTSD from the happenings in "Battle Magic" - note - I read the books in chronological order, not print order). This would have been fine if the whole book took place within a couple of months, but it's actually TWO YEARS between the opening of the book, where Daja, Tris and Briar move in together, despite the fact that they practically hate being around each other, and when the main part of the book actually occurs. Two years of three of them living with each other and seeing the fourth presumably frequently, without any move towards either reforging their old relationships, or realizing that they weren't who they used to be and moving on with separate lives. That just seems ridiculous.
Anyway, must of the book is filled with all of them sniping and gripping at each other, with occasional moments of them remembering that they all actually used to like each other. This went on way longer than it should have. We also get lots and lots of doom and gloom moments from Briar where he hints at the horrible things he went through, but refused to say any more. Eventually the girls start telling him to either open up about it or to shut up, and I can't blame them. The challenges faced in the book were all fairly minor and had a bit of a soapbox feel to them, rather than something that flowed from the story and setting. For such a long book I expected more momentous things to occur, like what happened in Battle Magic. The challenges faced in this book were more appropriate to a book the length of the earlier books in this world.
The characters are all very shallow in this book and despite the length very little happens with plot or character development. What does happen is mostly superficial stuff. I wound up skimming over pages of nothing happening and eventually skipped to the end and read that without feeling like I'd missed anything.
Overall the book would have done better to spend less time on superficial happenings and bickering and spend more time on some real character growth.
The books opens with our four characters being reunited after being apart for close to two years. However, instead of the happy reunion that was expected, the whole lot of them had turned incredibly bitter, close-minded (literally and figuratively) and distrustful of each other, more so than their experiences in the "Circle Opens" quartet justify. Briar was really the only one with anything close to an excuse (PTSD from the happenings in "Battle Magic" - note - I read the books in chronological order, not print order). This would have been fine if the whole book took place within a couple of months, but it's actually TWO YEARS between the opening of the book, where Daja, Tris and Briar move in together, despite the fact that they practically hate being around each other, and when the main part of the book actually occurs. Two years of three of them living with each other and seeing the fourth presumably frequently, without any move towards either reforging their old relationships, or realizing that they weren't who they used to be and moving on with separate lives. That just seems ridiculous.
Anyway, must of the book is filled with all of them sniping and gripping at each other, with occasional moments of them remembering that they all actually used to like each other. This went on way longer than it should have. We also get lots and lots of doom and gloom moments from Briar where he hints at the horrible things he went through, but refused to say any more. Eventually the girls start telling him to either open up about it or to shut up, and I can't blame them. The challenges faced in the book were all fairly minor and had a bit of a soapbox feel to them, rather than something that flowed from the story and setting. For such a long book I expected more momentous things to occur, like what happened in Battle Magic. The challenges faced in this book were more appropriate to a book the length of the earlier books in this world.
The characters are all very shallow in this book and despite the length very little happens with plot or character development. What does happen is mostly superficial stuff. I wound up skimming over pages of nothing happening and eventually skipped to the end and read that without feeling like I'd missed anything.
Overall the book would have done better to spend less time on superficial happenings and bickering and spend more time on some real character growth.
September 16, 2021
I know, I know - here she goes again with another Tamora Pierce. I can't help it, I just love her characters and world building to the moon and back!
This one was really difficult for me to read. Tris, Briar, Sandry, and Daja have been separated for years. Naturally, they've grown apart and unaccustomed to sharing their thoughts with each other but seeing them shut the others out so completely is heart wrenching. I very much enjoyed experiencing the court customs in Namorn, even if I didn't particularly enjoy every member of the court. It made my blood boil to watch certain people intentionally drive wedges between the four. Seeing the adults that these unique children have grown in to is amazing and I loved being part of their story. Oh so highly recommended.
This one was really difficult for me to read. Tris, Briar, Sandry, and Daja have been separated for years. Naturally, they've grown apart and unaccustomed to sharing their thoughts with each other but seeing them shut the others out so completely is heart wrenching. I very much enjoyed experiencing the court customs in Namorn, even if I didn't particularly enjoy every member of the court. It made my blood boil to watch certain people intentionally drive wedges between the four. Seeing the adults that these unique children have grown in to is amazing and I loved being part of their story. Oh so highly recommended.
March 25, 2009
I am heavily against sexual immorality in books and can't condone it. Briar is distracted, Daja goes weird, and Sandry tries to find love, but at least Tris stays sane. Nothing like a book for company.
October 31, 2015
I love these books and these characters and this world and I want there to be more than two more books left.
December 29, 2016
This was an incredibly disappointing and frustrating end to an otherwise great series. Like I've said in previous reviews, I particularly like the Emelan series, even better than the more popular Tortall series. I really like these characters, but all of their positive attributes were tossed out the window for this book.
The book starts out pretty rough for me. All of the characters return home from their adventures and despite the fact that they have been missing their foster siblings and wanting to see them again in the previous books, they come home ready to bite each other's heads off in this one. And for reasons that never fully make sense. What? All of the characters seem really petty and bitter in this series. I've always enjoyed this series because I found the characters very believable. They had their immature moments, but generally they had good hearts and acted kindly towards others. In the later series, they also seemed to have matured partly because they realized that they realized that they were placed in adult positions of power and needed to act accordingly. During this book, they all act selfish and angry right off the bat. If they had come thrilled and excited to see each other, interacted with each other and had some valid reasons to fight with each other that highlighted the changes that they went through and THEN had a major disconnect I would find it much more believable and engaging. All of the characters are portrayed as considerably more selfish and petty than they were in the previous books, but I think Sandry gets the worst treatment. I found he, r absolutely insufferable in this book and she is usually the "nice" one. The book spends so much time focusing on the four characters bickering with each other over weird arguments, I almost gave up. I also thought it was odd that despite spending so much time and the fact that becoming a teacher meant so much to the four, their students make no appearance and are barely mentioned. And on the other end of the spectrum, their teachers who had such an influence on them are also noticeably absent.
Also, the set up for this novel and any others that will follow it is just odd. Apparently, Briar and Rosethorn went through a war. And despite the fact that it never described in detail or what role they had in it, it has left Briar with PTSD. It seems odd that such a major event should happen completely off-screen. It almost felt like there should have been another quarter between this and the circle opens. One that could explain why the four main characters have suddenly started acting so differently. From what I've heard from other reviewers, the events of this war are going to be covered in the book Battle Magic which was originally released later. I can't help but wonder why didn't Pierce release that book first to give us the background necessary to understand what's going through Briar's head.
Another irritating thing about this book is that it is trying really hard to appear "adult". The characters constantly make statements to the effect of "We're not kids anymore". To which my cynical self responds, "Bullshit, you're not kids anymore. You're teenagers! You are not adults yet!" In fact, this is probably the most immature I've ever seen these guys. There also a lot of heavier issues which are tossed around, but are never really hashed out in full. Including but not limited to: PTSD, body image, sexual identity and gender issues, domestic abuse, rape culture and victim blaming. These words and topics are thrown out, but never quite given the weight they deserve. It seems like they are just used to make the novel seem more "mature".
Despite ALL that, there were a few things that I liked about the book. I actually thought it was pretty cool to have an openly gay character. For Daja that actually made a lot of sense and I think Pierce wrote about that experience really well. However, I wished that the plotline could have been given a bit more resolution. It just seemed to drop off. I also really identified with Tris's feelings of not clicking with guys and feeling bullied.
You can tell by how long it took me to finish this that this was not my favorite book. Not even close. This was highly frustrating and has me a bit nervous about reading the final books in the series.
The book starts out pretty rough for me. All of the characters return home from their adventures and despite the fact that they have been missing their foster siblings and wanting to see them again in the previous books, they come home ready to bite each other's heads off in this one. And for reasons that never fully make sense. What? All of the characters seem really petty and bitter in this series. I've always enjoyed this series because I found the characters very believable. They had their immature moments, but generally they had good hearts and acted kindly towards others. In the later series, they also seemed to have matured partly because they realized that they realized that they were placed in adult positions of power and needed to act accordingly. During this book, they all act selfish and angry right off the bat. If they had come thrilled and excited to see each other, interacted with each other and had some valid reasons to fight with each other that highlighted the changes that they went through and THEN had a major disconnect I would find it much more believable and engaging. All of the characters are portrayed as considerably more selfish and petty than they were in the previous books, but I think Sandry gets the worst treatment. I found he, r absolutely insufferable in this book and she is usually the "nice" one. The book spends so much time focusing on the four characters bickering with each other over weird arguments, I almost gave up. I also thought it was odd that despite spending so much time and the fact that becoming a teacher meant so much to the four, their students make no appearance and are barely mentioned. And on the other end of the spectrum, their teachers who had such an influence on them are also noticeably absent.
Also, the set up for this novel and any others that will follow it is just odd. Apparently, Briar and Rosethorn went through a war. And despite the fact that it never described in detail or what role they had in it, it has left Briar with PTSD. It seems odd that such a major event should happen completely off-screen. It almost felt like there should have been another quarter between this and the circle opens. One that could explain why the four main characters have suddenly started acting so differently. From what I've heard from other reviewers, the events of this war are going to be covered in the book Battle Magic which was originally released later. I can't help but wonder why didn't Pierce release that book first to give us the background necessary to understand what's going through Briar's head.
Another irritating thing about this book is that it is trying really hard to appear "adult". The characters constantly make statements to the effect of "We're not kids anymore". To which my cynical self responds, "Bullshit, you're not kids anymore. You're teenagers! You are not adults yet!" In fact, this is probably the most immature I've ever seen these guys. There also a lot of heavier issues which are tossed around, but are never really hashed out in full. Including but not limited to: PTSD, body image, sexual identity and gender issues, domestic abuse, rape culture and victim blaming. These words and topics are thrown out, but never quite given the weight they deserve. It seems like they are just used to make the novel seem more "mature".
Despite ALL that, there were a few things that I liked about the book. I actually thought it was pretty cool to have an openly gay character. For Daja that actually made a lot of sense and I think Pierce wrote about that experience really well. However, I wished that the plotline could have been given a bit more resolution. It just seemed to drop off. I also really identified with Tris's feelings of not clicking with guys and feeling bullied.
You can tell by how long it took me to finish this that this was not my favorite book. Not even close. This was highly frustrating and has me a bit nervous about reading the final books in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2012
Am tempted to rate this a little higher than I would otherwise to make up for the knee-jerk homosexuality-ruins-everything reviews.
I think Pierce suffers from too many narrators. Or at least, something is going on in this book right now that makes her characters, usually rich if not super complex, strangely flat.
A lot has happened since the last time we saw Sandry/Daja/Briar/Tris, and this book is not really going to walk us through it, instead leaving us with bitter versions of the previous characters and telling us that we'll just have to trust that each of their experiences has been traumatic. Sandry, pretty cheerful and doing her best last time we saw her, now feels incredibly bitter about being left behind and has mentally retconned it so that she's felt that way for the whole four years; Briar has PTSD from a war we haven't actually read about and won't see outside of a few dramatic flashbacks; Daja feels like she no longer has a home, which seems like a bit of a silly reason for her to close off from all the others; and Tris has grown so anti-social from spending all her time around arrogant adults that she doesn't feel like sharing any of her thoughts or motivations with the rest of the group. These single bitter points will define each character for a surprisingly long first part of the book, emphasized with grumpy inner monologues, as none of them do much other than fight for a number of chapters, while not actually going over their feelings with enough depth for us to actually empathize with their feelings.
If you liked any of the other characters you've read about in the last eight novels, you'll be lucky if they get a bit part in this book. The four mages all end up traveling to Namorn, an area we haven't seen before, a court that could be cool and political but turns out to just be vapidly pretty on the outside and plainly evil on the inside. No, really, we know that there are sinister motives behind the court because Pierce switches narrators so we can hear about it first-hand. Because of this, there's very little suspense, or any real reason to keep reading other than the momentum your eyes have picked up from the chapters of set-up.
The book brings up issues that young adults have begun to think about, but they're not addressed as thoroughly as they should be if they're to be interesting topics. Take sex. The four-main-character setup doesn't allow for the same Let's-think-about-it-and-here's-my-conclusion approach that some of Pierce's other books have, but while the characters will disagree and bicker about it, there isn't any real discussion of the different values the characters have, or the way that PTSD, sexual orientation, and body image issues are affecting the conversation.
In the end, the characters learn that they should have been communicating with each other all along, a trust-your-friends moral that usually takes up a chapter or two in one of the Tortall books, so that the main character can then move on to further character development and more interesting things.
I think Pierce suffers from too many narrators. Or at least, something is going on in this book right now that makes her characters, usually rich if not super complex, strangely flat.
A lot has happened since the last time we saw Sandry/Daja/Briar/Tris, and this book is not really going to walk us through it, instead leaving us with bitter versions of the previous characters and telling us that we'll just have to trust that each of their experiences has been traumatic. Sandry, pretty cheerful and doing her best last time we saw her, now feels incredibly bitter about being left behind and has mentally retconned it so that she's felt that way for the whole four years; Briar has PTSD from a war we haven't actually read about and won't see outside of a few dramatic flashbacks; Daja feels like she no longer has a home, which seems like a bit of a silly reason for her to close off from all the others; and Tris has grown so anti-social from spending all her time around arrogant adults that she doesn't feel like sharing any of her thoughts or motivations with the rest of the group. These single bitter points will define each character for a surprisingly long first part of the book, emphasized with grumpy inner monologues, as none of them do much other than fight for a number of chapters, while not actually going over their feelings with enough depth for us to actually empathize with their feelings.
If you liked any of the other characters you've read about in the last eight novels, you'll be lucky if they get a bit part in this book. The four mages all end up traveling to Namorn, an area we haven't seen before, a court that could be cool and political but turns out to just be vapidly pretty on the outside and plainly evil on the inside. No, really, we know that there are sinister motives behind the court because Pierce switches narrators so we can hear about it first-hand. Because of this, there's very little suspense, or any real reason to keep reading other than the momentum your eyes have picked up from the chapters of set-up.
The book brings up issues that young adults have begun to think about, but they're not addressed as thoroughly as they should be if they're to be interesting topics. Take sex. The four-main-character setup doesn't allow for the same Let's-think-about-it-and-here's-my-conclusion approach that some of Pierce's other books have, but while the characters will disagree and bicker about it, there isn't any real discussion of the different values the characters have, or the way that PTSD, sexual orientation, and body image issues are affecting the conversation.
In the end, the characters learn that they should have been communicating with each other all along, a trust-your-friends moral that usually takes up a chapter or two in one of the Tortall books, so that the main character can then move on to further character development and more interesting things.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2009
Obviously going into this book afresh without any prior history of the characters is troublesome. For those who have read prior volumes, you will be thrown off by allusions to events in our Circle's lives that we are not familiar with (that have not been written yet but will be) but this book is wonderful without. Essentially four young people have separated and become adults with new secrets and come together again with the intention of remaining friends and must feel their way through their own barriers and discomfort to a stronger friendship. They do this in an unfamiliar land where Sandry has been summoned as a responsible landowner and member of the nobility to wait on the Empress' pleasure (a character very familiar to any who have read of Queen Elizabeth I's court in England). The characters are well drawn and the intrigues well played. New characters are introduced, a man driven crazy by an onslaught of uncontrollable magic, and a woman caught in a marriage of misery, that the Circle binds with them in their usual way of protection and care. So some are not caught off guard, sexual blossoming occurs with homosexuality present in a positive manner. There is a epic showdown of magic and power and overall the book ends on a very positive and pleasurable note.
October 30, 2015
Having JUST finished this book, I am awash in feels. Oh, beautiful work, Tamora Pierce. Absolutely stunning. I am so bummed to only have 2 more of your books to read, and can't wait for New Stuff to eventually come out. VERY mild/expectation spoilers are in this review.
In this, the first of The Circle Reforged trio, Pierce does an excellent job of portraying what happens when even the closest of friends- nay, family- spends years apart going through life altering events and growing up. It's not easy to come back together, and it must be earned. While difficult to read at times because CIRCLE OF FRIENDSHIP OWIE every step felt true, felt earned, felt right.
The other plot here is also incredibly strong, and Pierce provides us with one of her most layered, multifaceted antagonists yet. The Empress Berenene does not let power that she wants choose other paths easily... and the battle of wills that emerges here is magnificent.
Overall, an absolutely amazing read. I can't wait to start MELTING STONES next week, even though it takes me far too close to the end of this magnificent world of Emelan.
In this, the first of The Circle Reforged trio, Pierce does an excellent job of portraying what happens when even the closest of friends- nay, family- spends years apart going through life altering events and growing up. It's not easy to come back together, and it must be earned. While difficult to read at times because CIRCLE OF FRIENDSHIP OWIE every step felt true, felt earned, felt right.
The other plot here is also incredibly strong, and Pierce provides us with one of her most layered, multifaceted antagonists yet. The Empress Berenene does not let power that she wants choose other paths easily... and the battle of wills that emerges here is magnificent.
Overall, an absolutely amazing read. I can't wait to start MELTING STONES next week, even though it takes me far too close to the end of this magnificent world of Emelan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2020
“Things change,” Daja said softly. “We change with them. We sail before the wind. We become adults. As adults, we keep our minds and our secrets hidden, and our wounds. It’s safer.”
This is secretly one of my favorite books from Tamora Pierce. I think part of that is that it follows after the Circle Opens quartet where Briar, Daja, Sandry, and Tris are involved in separate stories. Seeing them back together in this book is then especially satisfying - even if it takes awhile for them to settle back into their relationships with each other.
This is secretly one of my favorite books from Tamora Pierce. I think part of that is that it follows after the Circle Opens quartet where Briar, Daja, Sandry, and Tris are involved in separate stories. Seeing them back together in this book is then especially satisfying - even if it takes awhile for them to settle back into their relationships with each other.
November 26, 2013
I just could not get into this book. That is a first with me and this author. The characters just got on my nerves. I could not finish.
February 26, 2019
4.5 / 5
“Things change,” Daja said softly. “We change with them. We sail before the wind. We become adults. As adults, we keep our minds and our secrets hidden, and our wounds. It’s safer.”
This book has a bit of a time jump from the last time we saw our "awesome foursome" (couldn't resist), with Briar, Daja, Sandry and Tris now accomplished mages with plenty of experience behind them; all four took on apprentices in the last series after all, and since then have clearly had more experiences than were spelled out in the novels.
In this novel, Sandry is invited to Namorn to visit her cousin (the current empress) and is accompanied by Briar, Daja and Tris (who have since become rather estranged from one another), in order to have a bit of backup in case the "friendly" invitation turns out to be more than it seems.
It was interesting to see some of the aspects (both positive and... not so positive...) in the society present in this novel. Ambros (Sandry's cousin) was a phenomenal character, and whilst he might have initially been described as boring by other characters I found him to be anything but. He was an exemplary character with strong morals and the passion to do what was right for the "peasants" under his care. The "old fashioned marriage" custom on the other hand... that was horrifying to read, and I'm glad that they didn't delve into the details with that one too much (had enough of that with Camelot's Queen, thank you!). There was certainly enough there for you to understand exactly what was going on and how horrifying it was without going into explicit detail.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel though I did find that it confused me a bit to begin with, as I felt that there was a book that should have been slot in between to provide a bit of further background - especially on Briar and why he was experiencing many of the symptoms of PTSD. Whilst it was eventually explained, it definitely detracted a bit from the story to start with, with me scrambling to try and work out what was going on and why certain characters were acting the way they were. The characters were brilliantly varied, and whilst some of them were utter shits from the beginning there were certainly some cleverly done ones where I did NOT see the plot twist coming 8'D
The ending was rather satisfying after everything that had happened throughout the novel, especially in regards to Berenene (HA), Shan (HA), Ambros and the super sweet and adorable guy that is Zhegorz. A really great ending all around, and well worth the confusion at the beginning for me ;D
“Things change,” Daja said softly. “We change with them. We sail before the wind. We become adults. As adults, we keep our minds and our secrets hidden, and our wounds. It’s safer.”
This book has a bit of a time jump from the last time we saw our "awesome foursome" (couldn't resist), with Briar, Daja, Sandry and Tris now accomplished mages with plenty of experience behind them; all four took on apprentices in the last series after all, and since then have clearly had more experiences than were spelled out in the novels.
In this novel, Sandry is invited to Namorn to visit her cousin (the current empress) and is accompanied by Briar, Daja and Tris (who have since become rather estranged from one another), in order to have a bit of backup in case the "friendly" invitation turns out to be more than it seems.
It was interesting to see some of the aspects (both positive and... not so positive...) in the society present in this novel. Ambros (Sandry's cousin) was a phenomenal character, and whilst he might have initially been described as boring by other characters I found him to be anything but. He was an exemplary character with strong morals and the passion to do what was right for the "peasants" under his care. The "old fashioned marriage" custom on the other hand... that was horrifying to read, and I'm glad that they didn't delve into the details with that one too much (had enough of that with Camelot's Queen, thank you!). There was certainly enough there for you to understand exactly what was going on and how horrifying it was without going into explicit detail.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel though I did find that it confused me a bit to begin with, as I felt that there was a book that should have been slot in between to provide a bit of further background - especially on Briar and why he was experiencing many of the symptoms of PTSD. Whilst it was eventually explained, it definitely detracted a bit from the story to start with, with me scrambling to try and work out what was going on and why certain characters were acting the way they were. The characters were brilliantly varied, and whilst some of them were utter shits from the beginning there were certainly some cleverly done ones where I did NOT see the plot twist coming 8'D
The ending was rather satisfying after everything that had happened throughout the novel, especially in regards to Berenene (HA), Shan (HA), Ambros and the super sweet and adorable guy that is Zhegorz. A really great ending all around, and well worth the confusion at the beginning for me ;D
January 15, 2021
I’m new to the world of The Circle of Magic and I will most certainly say that I will be reading more after having my introduction through this book! I found myself eager to know the backstories of characters I’ve already come to love.
I’ve read here in several reviews that it was not enjoyed that the characters had drifted and were changed. This is simply realistic. They will change more I would venture to guess. Psychologically speaking ones brain is not even finished developing until you’re about 25 or so. Tris, Daja, Briar and Sandry are only really beginning to get to know who they are. They’re only 18 afterall.
What I didn’t like. This was no fault of the author really. I was new to this world and therefore the first nearly half of the book went rather slow for me while I was getting to know the characters and the universe, so I couldn’t quite give it a full 5 stars.
What I liked: The rep. POC and non straight characters. And the discussion of women’s rights as seen in the custom of bride kidnapping. I love Tamora’s ability to create characters to fall in love with and her world building is on point.
I’ve read here in several reviews that it was not enjoyed that the characters had drifted and were changed. This is simply realistic. They will change more I would venture to guess. Psychologically speaking ones brain is not even finished developing until you’re about 25 or so. Tris, Daja, Briar and Sandry are only really beginning to get to know who they are. They’re only 18 afterall.
What I didn’t like. This was no fault of the author really. I was new to this world and therefore the first nearly half of the book went rather slow for me while I was getting to know the characters and the universe, so I couldn’t quite give it a full 5 stars.
What I liked: The rep. POC and non straight characters. And the discussion of women’s rights as seen in the custom of bride kidnapping. I love Tamora’s ability to create characters to fall in love with and her world building is on point.
April 16, 2022
Oh the found family of it all. I cried more times than I care to admit during this one.
February 8, 2017
4 1/2 stars! "It's always us." :')
May 27, 2022
must. finish. series. Oh wait, this is the first book of the third series?! I've been motoring through these books for weeks!
October 3, 2023
I miss this series.
This was one of my fave books as a kid, so I was very happy to get to read it again.
It still holds up, even if the plot was pretty transparent.
I love all the characters, especially the new ones.
This was one of my fave books as a kid, so I was very happy to get to read it again.
It still holds up, even if the plot was pretty transparent.
I love all the characters, especially the new ones.
March 16, 2009
As far as I am concerned, this book was my favorite. I really enjoyed The Circle Quartet books, even though I'm 19 (I was 17 when I read The Will of the Empress) years old. And I did like the Circle Opens but I much prefer to see them all together. Not saying the books weren't amazing in themselves I just missed all the things they did and said together. I've read all nine books more than I can count, making them tattered. I pride myself on keeping my books in top condition no matter I do. But these books I will find myself reading over and over again even though I have a shelf of 60 books I still need to read (I have this compulsion/obsession to buy any book that looks interesting or comes from an author that I already have books for, resulting in a large amount of books that clutter my room that is used for two girls. There everywhere.)
When I saw The Will of the Empress I was extremely excited. I bought it and didn't read it for a year and a half. This sounds like at first I didn't find it interesting but at the time I was having trouble getting through the Cirle Opens books and finding the time to actually read period (senior year of high school was all I could seem to think about sometimes). When I finally did read it tho, I was sucked in. They were all back together. But with adult responsibilities and adult problems. I wanted more.
The problem I see that some people have with her book is Briar and Daja.
This may spoil the story for some of you.
In Briar's case I don't find it intolerable that his character has turned into what it did. He ended up being the guy who goes around to find girls to 'share his bed with.' For the time these books are set in and after the hints we are revealed about his time away, this seems completely plausible and acceptable to me. He was in a nasty war (you don't get much other than his dreams) and he can't sleep half the time. What else would a guy do. And its not like we get graphic scenes of him and other girls. He's just seen flirting with other girls. And we hear from other people that he's with them at night.
With Daja, I totally expected her to be gay. You have this big, blocky, smith mage girl. She's tomboy through and through and from the first four books I could already tell, that this could possibly happen. The relationship she develops with another female is sweet, and I find people who cannot tolerate same sex relationships to be ignorant and not worth my time. And if someone really can't tolerate and you've read the other eight books, and you don't because of one scene where Briar finds Daja and the girl in her room and then walks out again, you need grow up and move on. Her feelings for this girl are not graphic and there aren't explained in great deal. But we see that she comes to care for her.
The book itself followed like the others did except for the obvious turmoil that each of our four young mages must come to bear with. And the pressures of finding a place they want to be. The Empress of Namorn is selfish and conceited. I didn't like her and I thought that since being an Empress since 16, she would know that things are not as she saw them. So I thought Berenene was naive, which I find didn't work in the book for me, and she also underestimated Briar, Tris, Daja and Sandry. As an Empress you would be more cautious in my opinion.
All in all I loved the book, from the relationships that they renewed, to Daja's own personal finding, to Briar's faults. I still find Sandry utterly annoying and Tris is still my favorite. If you read the other eight, there is no reason that you wouldn't enjoy this one as well.
I desperately wish that another Reforged book would come out but...I still wish.
I also hope for a book on Briar's time spent in Gyongxe. And if the rumors are true, the book on Tris going to Lightsbridge.
When I saw The Will of the Empress I was extremely excited. I bought it and didn't read it for a year and a half. This sounds like at first I didn't find it interesting but at the time I was having trouble getting through the Cirle Opens books and finding the time to actually read period (senior year of high school was all I could seem to think about sometimes). When I finally did read it tho, I was sucked in. They were all back together. But with adult responsibilities and adult problems. I wanted more.
The problem I see that some people have with her book is Briar and Daja.
This may spoil the story for some of you.
In Briar's case I don't find it intolerable that his character has turned into what it did. He ended up being the guy who goes around to find girls to 'share his bed with.' For the time these books are set in and after the hints we are revealed about his time away, this seems completely plausible and acceptable to me. He was in a nasty war (you don't get much other than his dreams) and he can't sleep half the time. What else would a guy do. And its not like we get graphic scenes of him and other girls. He's just seen flirting with other girls. And we hear from other people that he's with them at night.
With Daja, I totally expected her to be gay. You have this big, blocky, smith mage girl. She's tomboy through and through and from the first four books I could already tell, that this could possibly happen. The relationship she develops with another female is sweet, and I find people who cannot tolerate same sex relationships to be ignorant and not worth my time. And if someone really can't tolerate and you've read the other eight books, and you don't because of one scene where Briar finds Daja and the girl in her room and then walks out again, you need grow up and move on. Her feelings for this girl are not graphic and there aren't explained in great deal. But we see that she comes to care for her.
The book itself followed like the others did except for the obvious turmoil that each of our four young mages must come to bear with. And the pressures of finding a place they want to be. The Empress of Namorn is selfish and conceited. I didn't like her and I thought that since being an Empress since 16, she would know that things are not as she saw them. So I thought Berenene was naive, which I find didn't work in the book for me, and she also underestimated Briar, Tris, Daja and Sandry. As an Empress you would be more cautious in my opinion.
All in all I loved the book, from the relationships that they renewed, to Daja's own personal finding, to Briar's faults. I still find Sandry utterly annoying and Tris is still my favorite. If you read the other eight, there is no reason that you wouldn't enjoy this one as well.
I desperately wish that another Reforged book would come out but...I still wish.
I also hope for a book on Briar's time spent in Gyongxe. And if the rumors are true, the book on Tris going to Lightsbridge.
December 29, 2012
No longer children, but accomplished mages in their late teens, Sandry and her foster siblings travel to Namorn and encounter a world they certainly weren't prepared for - especially since their circle was broken. Travel and separate experiences have distanced them emotionally from each other, and they don't always learn to work together before a threat strikes...
The series assumes that you've been kept up-to-date on the siblings' histories. Pierce doesn't spend a lot of time explaining what's been going on, and who can blame her - you've had two tetrologies to read about Sandry, Tris, Daja and Briar. By the time you've made it this far, you're invested.
Tamora Pierce does an excellent job describing the rich world of Namorn, a refreshing change from the humble temple the children grew up in and the towns they traveled to. The siblings are treated to the highest echelons of Namornese society, largely because Sandrilene fa Toren is cousin to the Empress and the wealthiest maiden in the country. Pierce lavishes us with vivid textual descriptions of the hidden inheritance Sandry wants to ignore and treasures that the Empress offers specially designed for each of the siblings. Pierce's research into building up the Circle universe shows, from descriptions of homes to the histories of names and common customs. Having the book focused on Sandry, who is out of touch with her Namornese heritage, is a nice way to discreetly explain things to the reader.
The plot and pacing is good. The multiple characters and perspectives is a little daunting at first, as I usually ended up trying to track what was happening at one point in reference to another. Pierce weaves the characters' relationships carefully, showing just where fences are broken and re-mended.
My only difficulty was trying to identify with the characters. Surely there are child geniuses that earned advanced degrees at fourteen or fifteen. Yet the four have not only medallions at fourteen (while one normally studies into their late twenties), they are also highly successful, politically powerful and extremely wealthy (even Tris, who has the potential to earn that much). It feels like due to pure accident, they've become wildly powerful, and they feel overwhelmed with the amount they can wield. It isn't like they didn't work hard, but they're shining examples of what happens when all the right things fall in the right places. There are rare examples in which a mage with a talent falls on the wayside, such as the boy with unmagic (Magic Steps Circle Opens 1) or Eilisa Pearldrop (Briar's Book Circle of Magic 4) - these could have easily been Briar or Tris or Daja.
Aside from that, the book itself is good. Most of the characters are substantial, with thoughts and motives behind their personalities. Crumbs of potential plot - a cut-off statement here or noted observation there - help set up bigger events. There's lots of rereadable value in this book, and it's a good start to the new tetrology.
The series assumes that you've been kept up-to-date on the siblings' histories. Pierce doesn't spend a lot of time explaining what's been going on, and who can blame her - you've had two tetrologies to read about Sandry, Tris, Daja and Briar. By the time you've made it this far, you're invested.
Tamora Pierce does an excellent job describing the rich world of Namorn, a refreshing change from the humble temple the children grew up in and the towns they traveled to. The siblings are treated to the highest echelons of Namornese society, largely because Sandrilene fa Toren is cousin to the Empress and the wealthiest maiden in the country. Pierce lavishes us with vivid textual descriptions of the hidden inheritance Sandry wants to ignore and treasures that the Empress offers specially designed for each of the siblings. Pierce's research into building up the Circle universe shows, from descriptions of homes to the histories of names and common customs. Having the book focused on Sandry, who is out of touch with her Namornese heritage, is a nice way to discreetly explain things to the reader.
The plot and pacing is good. The multiple characters and perspectives is a little daunting at first, as I usually ended up trying to track what was happening at one point in reference to another. Pierce weaves the characters' relationships carefully, showing just where fences are broken and re-mended.
My only difficulty was trying to identify with the characters. Surely there are child geniuses that earned advanced degrees at fourteen or fifteen. Yet the four have not only medallions at fourteen (while one normally studies into their late twenties), they are also highly successful, politically powerful and extremely wealthy (even Tris, who has the potential to earn that much). It feels like due to pure accident, they've become wildly powerful, and they feel overwhelmed with the amount they can wield. It isn't like they didn't work hard, but they're shining examples of what happens when all the right things fall in the right places. There are rare examples in which a mage with a talent falls on the wayside, such as the boy with unmagic (Magic Steps Circle Opens 1) or Eilisa Pearldrop (Briar's Book Circle of Magic 4) - these could have easily been Briar or Tris or Daja.
Aside from that, the book itself is good. Most of the characters are substantial, with thoughts and motives behind their personalities. Crumbs of potential plot - a cut-off statement here or noted observation there - help set up bigger events. There's lots of rereadable value in this book, and it's a good start to the new tetrology.
September 28, 2014
Short review: Underwhelming plot and some OOC bickering, but overall a nice quick read for fans of the series.
Long review:
Long review:
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