On their way to the first Circle temple in Gyongxi mages Briar, Rosethorn and Evvy pay a visit to the emperor's summer palace. Although treated like royalty when they first arrive, the mages soon discover that the emperor plans to invade Gyongxi, posing a fatal threat to the home temple of the Living Circle religion. Accompanied by one of the emperor's prize captives, the three mages rush to Gyongxi to warn its citizens of the impending attack. With the imperials hot on their trail, Briar, Rosethorn and Evvy must quickly help the country prepare for battle. But even with the help of new allies, will their combined forces be enough to fight the imperial army and win the war?
**
From School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up-Pierce returns to the world of the Winding Circle to relate the events that befell plant mages Briar and Rosethorn and Briar's student, stone mage Evvy, between The Will of the Empress (2005), Street Magic (2001), and Melting Stones (2007, all Scholastic). The book opens in the kingdom of Gyongxe where the trio watches shamans dancing to call forth statues from the mountainside. Soon afterward, an invitation arrives from the Emperor of Yanjing, the powerful nation that borders the mountainous, god-filled Gyongxe. They travel to the emperor's court to view his famous gardens but quickly learn that he is a cruel man who keeps slaves and punishes gardeners and plants alike for perceived failures. Evvy impulsively decides to free Parahan, an enslaved prince, and is assisted by Briar, who, as a former thief, knows how to pick a lock. In return Parahan lets them know that the emperor plans to invade Gyongxe. Rosethorn is bound by her oath as a dedicate of the Winding Circle to return to Gyongxe and warn them of the invasion, and Briar and Evvy refuse to be left behind. The emperor has thousands of troops and mages trained in battle, but the friends can call on the plants and stones and Gyongxe has its own supernatural defenders. Pierce combines wonderful characterization with unique magic, realms, and creatures to create a splendid tale.-Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WIα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
From Booklist
Stone magic apprentice Evvy and plant mages Rosethorn and Briar are preparing to return to Emelan from a trip east exploring exotic flora when they are caught in a war between a greedy land-grasping emperor and a gentle god-king. When Rosethorn commits to defending the land of the First Circle Temple, Briar and Evvy refuse to return home without her and each must find their inner warrior mage if they are to survive. Fans of the Circle of Magic and Circle Opens series will delight in this volume, which fills in history between Street Magic (2001) and Cold Fire (2002). Pierce’s inspired world building continues to be remarkable, with stone paintings that tease those who can see them, animal variants that live inside mountains, and shamanistic rituals described to such a degree that readers will believe they have come straight from National Geographic. Though deftly integrated, this amount of background information makes for a meal rather than a snack, and sometimes the characters’ introspections are a bit repetitive. Still, this is a meal to savor. Grades 6-9. --Cindy Welch
Description:
On their way to the first Circle temple in Gyongxi mages Briar, Rosethorn and Evvy pay a visit to the emperor's summer palace. Although treated like royalty when they first arrive, the mages soon discover that the emperor plans to invade Gyongxi, posing a fatal threat to the home temple of the Living Circle religion. Accompanied by one of the emperor's prize captives, the three mages rush to Gyongxi to warn its citizens of the impending attack. With the imperials hot on their trail, Briar, Rosethorn and Evvy must quickly help the country prepare for battle. But even with the help of new allies, will their combined forces be enough to fight the imperial army and win the war?
**
From School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up-Pierce returns to the world of the Winding Circle to relate the events that befell plant mages Briar and Rosethorn and Briar's student, stone mage Evvy, between The Will of the Empress (2005), Street Magic (2001), and Melting Stones (2007, all Scholastic). The book opens in the kingdom of Gyongxe where the trio watches shamans dancing to call forth statues from the mountainside. Soon afterward, an invitation arrives from the Emperor of Yanjing, the powerful nation that borders the mountainous, god-filled Gyongxe. They travel to the emperor's court to view his famous gardens but quickly learn that he is a cruel man who keeps slaves and punishes gardeners and plants alike for perceived failures. Evvy impulsively decides to free Parahan, an enslaved prince, and is assisted by Briar, who, as a former thief, knows how to pick a lock. In return Parahan lets them know that the emperor plans to invade Gyongxe. Rosethorn is bound by her oath as a dedicate of the Winding Circle to return to Gyongxe and warn them of the invasion, and Briar and Evvy refuse to be left behind. The emperor has thousands of troops and mages trained in battle, but the friends can call on the plants and stones and Gyongxe has its own supernatural defenders. Pierce combines wonderful characterization with unique magic, realms, and creatures to create a splendid tale.-Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WIα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
From Booklist
Stone magic apprentice Evvy and plant mages Rosethorn and Briar are preparing to return to Emelan from a trip east exploring exotic flora when they are caught in a war between a greedy land-grasping emperor and a gentle god-king. When Rosethorn commits to defending the land of the First Circle Temple, Briar and Evvy refuse to return home without her and each must find their inner warrior mage if they are to survive. Fans of the Circle of Magic and Circle Opens series will delight in this volume, which fills in history between Street Magic (2001) and Cold Fire (2002). Pierce’s inspired world building continues to be remarkable, with stone paintings that tease those who can see them, animal variants that live inside mountains, and shamanistic rituals described to such a degree that readers will believe they have come straight from National Geographic. Though deftly integrated, this amount of background information makes for a meal rather than a snack, and sometimes the characters’ introspections are a bit repetitive. Still, this is a meal to savor. Grades 6-9. --Cindy Welch