This book focuses on how the four have drifted apart from each other, and their attempts to return to their former closeness. This book also reveals that their teachers (also about half people of colour) included two women in a relationship, something which was only hinted in the previous books. While most of the Tortall protagonists are young, female, white, straight, and noble, the four Circle main characters include two people of colour, a lesbian, and a range of financial statuses/ranks.
I also really appreciated that the Circle universe is a lot more diverse. I loved that in the Tortall books, and it carries into the Circle universe as well. My favourite thing about Tamora Pierce’s books (aside from the feminism) is that the main characters in all of her novels are totally realistic, well-rounded, and completely distinct from each other. It was fun, actually, even though I picked the wrong horse. Which meant that in the previous eight books, I was guessing. The funny thing is, I knew that in this book, one of the characters was going to be a lesbian, but I wasn’t sure which of the three girls it was. I was already in love with the main characters before going into Will of the Empress. I’m sure you could technically read this as a standalone, but it’s a lot more effective knowing the main characters’ backstory. Will of the Empress is listed as the first book in a series (The Circle Reforged), but the main characters are written about in The Circle of Magic quartet and The Circle Opens quartet first. And the entire time, though I loved the other books, I was also eager to get to The Lesbian Book, so I had some expectations. But because I was reading them in the order Mark is, it meant that Will of the Empress was the twenty-sixth Tamora Pierce book I read this year.
He was reading Tamora Pierce, so I binge-read her books to catch up, in the order that Mark was reading them, which was mostly publication order.
I was also going to see Mark of Mark Reads at Leakycon in 2014, so I decided that I would try to catch up one of the series he was reading. I did, however, have a copy of Will of the Empress, because I heard this was a lesbian young adult book, which is probably my favourite genre. I have always heard positive things about Tamora Pierce’s writing, but I hadn’t picked up any of her books before this year. A little bit of background on my experience of this book, first.
0 kommentar(er)
