The Will of the Empress (Circle Continues)
11/27/13 ** I've read this book once before, sometime in the past 2 years. I remember thinking at the time that it was enjoyable, but not necessarily one of my favorite of Pierce's works. This time, however, I'm reading it just after reading about Briar Moss, Rosethorn, and Evvy in Battle Magic and Melting Stones. Now, I'm just stunned...Battle Magic is listed as part of the series "Circle Reforged, #3." Yet, Battle Magic is a direct prequel to this book. The copyright of Battle Magic: 2013. The copyright of Empress: 2005. There's a publishing story there somewhere. How is it that the earlier book in the chronology of the fantasy world and characters' lives was release eight years later? Notice I didn't say "written." If Pierce wrote Battle Magic later, she certainly had a VERY good outline before she wrote Empress.