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 mag...
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Feb 08, 2009
Juliana
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I really enjoyed seeing the characters come back together and learn to work together as adults-- while they already had many adult responsibilities, they still had the inevitable painful lessons to learn about becoming adults (an ongoing process, I find). This, and the inventive magic, make it another enjoyable read by Pierce. That being said, I wasn't entirely convinced by the empress character-- while it's certainly believable that a short-sighted and self-centered ruler could hang onto power
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Dec 06, 2008
Glitterfairy
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Jan 08, 2012
Liz
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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 th More...
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 th More...
Aug 13, 2011
Raven
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I hated this book especially what she did to Daja, it disgusted me that she made the most tolerated girl in the whole series a fucking lesbo. This book was the last straw and I wouldn't be reading any more books in her series. It is not only the fact that Daja was made into a lesbo was the fact that in other books she seemed straight and i pretty sure she had crushes on guys. But besides that was the fact one of her friends got kidnapped and pretty could have been raped but what does this piece
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Jun 04, 2011
AnEyeSpy
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***** (the best so far of a favored author) "The Will of the Empress" by Tamora Pierce might be called "Stitch Witch", because set against royal whim is the featured character of four chilhood progidies from mage school Sandry, who transforms threads. How she undoes bullies is hilarious. Her pals have adventured for 2 years in previous books, and now, 16, must leave their teacher's cottage, and she, the rich stay-at-home, welcomes them back to her uncle's place. Scarred by wa
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Mar 03, 2010
Ali
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May 25, 2009
Korynn
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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 ow
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Jan 25, 2009
This is the final book of the seires about the four mages. I'm so sad that this series has come to an end becuase I loved reading about the lives of these four young mages. They always had so much fun with their adventures, and whenever they were in trouble they were able to get through it becuase they were together. In this book they needed each other more than ever. Sandry's cousin, the empress of Namorn is determined to keep the four young mages in Namorn becuase she wants their power. The en
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Aug 17, 2010
Margaret
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The Will of the Empress is a standalone sequel to Tamora Pierce's Circle of Magic and The Circle Opens series, which follow the adventures of a group of four young mages. Here, the mages (Sandry, Briar, Daja, and Tris) reunite after several years of separate travels, when they accompany Sandry on a visit to the Empress of Namorn and to Sandry's own lands in Namorn, which need her attention. Soon the friends discover that the Empress will do anything to keep Sandry in Namorn, and though their for
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Apr 04, 2009
Lindsay
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Sep 20, 2011
Tamora 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
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Aug 04, 2011
Christine
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Well written, although the jump in ages between the last ""Circle"" books was a bit difficult to get my head around. I'm glad Pierce acknowledged this and tried to keep the characters young. I also enjoyed that Sandry, Briar, Tris, and Daja, reunited. In the last novel of the Circle Opens, I was definitely disappointed to find that the four mages did not reunite. I think this novel added closure, which came full circle. However, it was not quite consistant with those cir
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Aug 29, 2010
Shaya
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I definitely appreciate being able to see Tris, Sandry, Briar and Daja all grow up. The Will of the Empress is somewhat reminiscant of the Circle of Magic books because all four of the mages are together and figuring out how to get along again.
It's an interesting story and I really liked that Berenene came across not just as demanding and willful but smart and clever too. It is obvious that the game she plays is what keeps her in power even if her methods are distateful.
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It's an interesting story and I really liked that Berenene came across not just as demanding and willful but smart and clever too. It is obvious that the game she plays is what keeps her in power even if her methods are distateful.
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Jul 29, 2011
As a story and a sequel to her other series, this was well-written and interesting, but it completely ruined my opinion of Daja and didn't do much for Briar, either. Pierce definitely crossed some moral lines that I simply cannot agree with. I'm pretty conservative, and this just went places I would have been happier not to go. I didn't find the book completely horrible overall - most of the story, as well as the character development (I finally learned to appreciate Tris) - was very good, t
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Mar 04, 2009
Pam
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Four childhood friends come back together after three go off to travel the world, using their magic to battle against evil forces. But when they come back together again, in order to protect the Princess, Sanji, they don't trust each other in the same way they did when they were young and could pull their magical powers together, creating an unbeatable force for good. Will these friends learn to open up their minds once again to each other? Will they fall under the spell of the rich and power
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Jun 19, 2010
Andrea
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Sandry must travel north to take care of her property there and Briar, Daja, and Tris travel with her. In Namorn, she's seen as a prize to collect and little more than property, and the Empress is set on collecting her friends for her empire as well.
I enjoyed seeing this quartet grown up and finding their connection again. I thought the Daja romance was handled sweetly. While the court life definitely sounded insufferable, I was able to enjoy almost all of the new characters without ha More...
I enjoyed seeing this quartet grown up and finding their connection again. I thought the Daja romance was handled sweetly. While the court life definitely sounded insufferable, I was able to enjoy almost all of the new characters without ha More...
Jan 19, 2011
Janine
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Oct 30, 2010
Christina
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Four mages and friends--Daja, Briar, Tris and Sandry (from the author's other books, The Circle of Magic and the Circle Opens quartets)--are now 18 and three of them come home to Winding Circle, home of mages. But Sandry must go to see her inheritance lands in Namora, where she is a wealthy countess as well as mage. Her cousin the Empress schemes to keep her there and marry her off to a noble. Well, if you know Tamora Pierce's heroines, Sandry is not going to let THAT happen! She brings her frie
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Jul 14, 2009
Liz
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Where do I begin?
- the characters were fighting each other all the time. Their very actions were unlikeable, and I found myself wondering: where did the old characters go? I hated the very plot of this book. It was pointless and unengaging.
- huge retcon involved in making *a certain person* gay-- it was obvious this was a mouthpiece for Tamora's views. She even said that she wanted to make one of the characters gay. Now, I'm definitely not a fan of unnatural relationships More...
- the characters were fighting each other all the time. Their very actions were unlikeable, and I found myself wondering: where did the old characters go? I hated the very plot of this book. It was pointless and unengaging.
- huge retcon involved in making *a certain person* gay-- it was obvious this was a mouthpiece for Tamora's views. She even said that she wanted to make one of the characters gay. Now, I'm definitely not a fan of unnatural relationships More...
Oct 16, 2010
Elizabeth
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A dip in Tamora Pierce's writing, this seems like a simple rehashing of all her feminist views from the Tortal quartets without any new plot twists. I was highly disappointed.
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Jun 02, 2008
Jenny
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The reason I gave this book two stars is because one of the main characters has a homosexual relationship. It is pretty blatant but not explicit. So young readers be forewarned.
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Sep 10, 2008
Sheralyn
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Sorry, but any book that thinks that relations with your same sex is acceptable and intriguing is off my list with no further thought. I will not touch her other books.
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Mar 09, 2009
Sandy
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After 2 quartets dealing with our singular mages, this was in a sense disappointing because it was only one book. The 4 mages, after many years spent apart and much growing in those years, are re-united at last. But all is not well. Their travels abroad have made Daja, Tris and Briar feel alienated from Sandry, much as they still love her, they are trying to protect each other from the experiences they each had in the past. They are forced to reunite however, during a trip north to Namorn.
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Sep 11, 2009
Emilyl2
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When the 4 young mages or magicians meet up after 2 years a part, to except a task that will try their powers as much as their friendship, they soon enter a place far different from their own. In this case different means that a man can simply kidnap a woman and force her to marry him by signing a few very legal pieces of paper. When it is tried by a young man on Sandry, one of the mages, she simply uses her mind bound to Briar the only boy of the group, to ask for his help. Briar t
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Nov 19, 2010
Jo
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I liked the two Circle quartets but this is the book where Pierce really tackles the dynamic of the group once they are no longer children and as they try to integrate what they did during the second quartet. I appreciate how as the characters get older, the issues they deal with are more complex- how do you square what you have done with who you want to be, conflict between ethics and personal temptations, love and reconciling it with your role. It's an really good book.
The slightly R More...
The slightly R More...
Jul 27, 2008
Amanda
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Sep 22, 2011
Will
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One of my favorite Tamora Pierce books -- this is the finale (ish?) of two quartets, her Circle of Magic series and her Circle Opens series. It is AMAZING. We finally get to see our four mage protagonists re-united and entering their teens (which isn't to say the earlier novels when they were younger were bad... but I just enjoy having something in common with them still, and my youth is, sadly, growing more distant each year). Plus, the villainess in this book is so evil, malicious, and powe
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Mar 16, 2009
Wredana
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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 t
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Feb 09, 2009
Tamara
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I really liked this book! It really surprised me when Lady Sandry liked Shan and then HATED his guts when he tried to make her his wife. i also was surprised to find Daja and who she liked. But overall this book was Fantastic!!! it had alot more action and in this book it made the four friends relize that even though they wouldnt stay together they still needed each other. Also it helped me see that family is the most important over everything else and even if you think that family is annoyi
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