Series One: The Circle of Magic
Series Two: The Circle Opens
Then comes this book standing by itself.
Plot: Years later, the four mages are together once again, but they aren't getting along so well. They're always fighting and disagreeing with each other. Sandry goes to meet her cousin, the Empress of Namorn, and to view the vast lands she had inherited from her mother, managed by years from another cousin. Daja, Briar, and Tris go with her, but they still aren't very good friends. The mages soon realize what the Empress has in store for them, and struggle to get home.
Comments: a very good book, and nice and big, too! It's an interesting plot twist that the mages aren't friends anymore, and I like reading about the Empress's plans and schemes. I don't like how most of the women that aren't main characters are always pretty and flirt with Briar. I don't think it's fair to portray women like that, but come to think of it, I think all of them were servants, and maybe it was deliberate? I don't know, but I still don't like it. I loved the plot of this book.
This book was extremely confusing. There were too many names and places to remember and I kept mixing them all up. The book jumped forward in time from The Circle Opens series, but it didn't mention it, so I didn't know how old the main characters were or what they had been doing for the past years. Another thing: where the hell is Gyongxe?? I kept hearing mentions all throughout the book about it. Briar being locked up in Gyongxe, having nightmares about Gyongxe, and there having been some kind of disaster in Gyongxe. Did I miss a second plot in Street Magic (Briar's book in The Circle Opens series) or was I supposed to pick it up from the various mentions in The Will of the Empress? Edit: there was another book, Melting Stones, that I was apparently supposed to find and read before The Will of the Empress.
Rating: This book gets an eight out of ten.
Series Two: The Circle Opens
Then comes this book standing by itself.
Plot: Years later, the four mages are together once again, but they aren't getting along so well. They're always fighting and disagreeing with each other. Sandry goes to meet her cousin, the Empress of Namorn, and to view the vast lands she had inherited from her mother, managed by years from another cousin. Daja, Briar, and Tris go with her, but they still aren't very good friends. The mages soon realize what the Empress has in store for them, and struggle to get home.
Comments: a very good book, and nice and big, too! It's an interesting plot twist that the mages aren't friends anymore, and I like reading about the Empress's plans and schemes. I don't like how most of the women that aren't main characters are always pretty and flirt with Briar. I don't think it's fair to portray women like that, but come to think of it, I think all of them were servants, and maybe it was deliberate? I don't know, but I still don't like it. I loved the plot of this book.
This book was extremely confusing. There were too many names and places to remember and I kept mixing them all up. The book jumped forward in time from The Circle Opens series, but it didn't mention it, so I didn't know how old the main characters were or what they had been doing for the past years. Another thing: where the hell is Gyongxe?? I kept hearing mentions all throughout the book about it. Briar being locked up in Gyongxe, having nightmares about Gyongxe, and there having been some kind of disaster in Gyongxe. Did I miss a second plot in Street Magic (Briar's book in The Circle Opens series) or was I supposed to pick it up from the various mentions in The Will of the Empress? Edit: there was another book, Melting Stones, that I was apparently supposed to find and read before The Will of the Empress.
Rating: This book gets an eight out of ten.
If you read MELTING STONES, you would know more about Gyongxe. MELTING STONES about what happens to Evumeimei after Briar is done with her, and there are some explanatory flashbacks.
ReplyDeleteSounds good, thank you. It's a little confusing with all the different series and books, and when I read The Will of the Empress, it had the names of all the books in The Circle of Magic series and The Circle Opens series but nothing about any other books. I'll read Melting Stones and hopefully that will clear up any confusion.
ReplyDeleteHmmm I was confused about the Gyongxe part too D:
ReplyDeleteHopefully I'll find Melting Stones sometime?