The Will of the Empress
core novel 2005 Circle of Magic (Emelan)
Record
| First published | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.21 (22,287 ratings, collected 2026-09-14) |
| Page count | 550 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780439441711 |
| Internal chronology | 9 |
Synopsis
The first book of the Circle Reforged series brings the four young mages of the Circle back together after time apart, when Sandry is summoned to her family's lands in the Empire of Namorn to be recognized by her cousin, the Empress Berenene, as heir to a dukedom. Sandry's uncle invites her three foster siblings to join her there, but the visit reveals how much the group has drifted apart, each carrying private burdens and unresolved trauma from their recent separate adventures. The empress, meanwhile, works to keep the four isolated from one another and dependent on her favor, using her considerable influence to try to bind Sandry to her court. The book follows the four mages as they must rebuild their old trust while navigating the empress's manipulations and the pressures of Sandry's new position.
Where it sits
- Universe: Circle of Magic (Emelan)
- Series: The Circle Reforged core; position 1 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Tamora Pierce
Notes
- From the series record (The Circle Reforged): Open sequence -- a 4th book (following Trisana Chandler at Lightsbridge under an assumed name) is pending per the author's own series page, with no title or date announced as of 2026-08-07; isn't counted here yet.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series The Circle Reforged: position 1 of 3: next Melting Stones (2007)
- Internal chronology, within Circle of Magic (Emelan): position 9 of 11: previous Shatterglass (2003) · next Melting Stones (2007)
Sources
← Circle of Magic (Emelan) dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.