The Will of the Empress is
the latest addition to Tamora Pierce's successful young adult Circle
Universe books.
The books are high
fantasy, set in a world where magic
is a part of daily life. The first quartet, Circle of Magic, introduced readers
to the four main characters: Sandrilene fa Toren, Trisana Chandler,
Daja Kisubo and Briar Moss, children who discover magical ability
within themselves and are forced to come to terms with it, and in the
process form strong bonds between them. The second quartet, The Circle Opens,
follows each of them as they are separated by their travels and have to
deal with
dangerous situations and the new experience of teaching other young
mages on their own.
After their separation, the four foster siblings are finally reunited,
but not all is as it was. Their experiences and traumas come in the
way of their old bond, and they are uncertain over whether they even
want to renew their connections. They don't have much time to
get used to each other's company again before Sandry is called out to
visit her estates in Namorn, where her cousin, the Empress Berenene,
reigns. Tris, Daja and Briar accompany her at the request of her uncle.
The court of Namorn turns out to be sophisticated but dangerous,
especially to the eligible young heiress. Though she only plans to
stay for the summer, it soon becomes clear that Berenene doesn't intend
to led any of the four mages leave - no matter what she has to do to keep them there. The four mages must extricate themselves from tangled plots, this time alone and without the help of their teachers and mentors.
Reflecting the age of the grown up characters, this book deals with
more mature topics than the ones that came before it, such as sex and
(primarily female) homosexuality. Tamora Pierce deals with the
subjects with her usual tact, though, and while The Will of the Empress
may be appropriate for slightly older readers than earlier Circle installments, readers who enjoy her Tortall series will have no problem with
this book.