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All parent reviews for The Will of the Empress
Average rating based on 6 parent reviews:
- 33% say there are positive role models
AGE
a major disappointment
I've been reading Tamora Pierce's books since I was 9 years old, and she has not improved as a writer with time. Her first 8 books were short and fast-paced, with lots of action packed into a short novel. But since the "Protector of the Small" series, she's been writing longer and longer books. There is no major objectionable content in this book - the lesbian relationship is very tame - but the major problem is how slow and tedious the book is. Tamora Pierce needs a good editor - the length of this book could have been cut in half without losing any plot. The conflict between the four major characters is entertaining for about 5 minutes before it becomes annoying and contrived. The overly long descriptions (do we really need to know what clothes every character wore in every scene?) slow the pace of the book down to a crawl. There is hardly any magic, just endless backstabbing and gossiping. By 300 pages, I was nearly ready to give up on the book. The only thing that got me through was the four major characters. The rest of the characters are uninteresting. The Will of the Empress won't damage your kids' innocence - but it might bore them to death.
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AGE
Tamora Pierce: A Woman to be Reckoned With
Some people may disagree with the lesbian relationship in this book and other sexual relations in her previous ones. If you want answers as to why she puts these things in there, check out her website. I find it EXTREMELY refreshing to finally read books that don't tiptoe around such subjects. They're there. They exist. They are DEFINATELY things teens talk about. Kudos to you, Ms. Pierce, not only is your writing fantastic, you are fearless as well.
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AGE
Disappointing False Advertising
When I picked up this book, I read "romance" on the back and thought: "Gee! Isn't that great? Tamora Pierce, an accomplished author, is writing a serious teen book with adventure AND romance! What could go wrong?" Unfortunately, the only "romance" involved was the aforementioned tame lesbian relationship. The enticing (read: only interesting) prospect near the beginning that seemed set up specifically to allay all the silly (yes, I said it, SILLY!) gripes revolving in the four main characters' heads, and it flops. Not only does it flop, it festers, shrivels and disperses into ash, taking with it the only salvageable and interesting part of the story... oh, except for a surprise kidnapping which managed to actually seem emotionally wrenching for a few minutes or so.
Parents would be ill-advised to blindly let their children read this book. Tame though the lesbian relationship may be, it comes off as manipulative and downright creepy, as it's only barely possible one of our "heroines" isn't being just as tricked as we are, not to mention there are still families in this world who DON'T approve of such things, and there is no hint at it on the cover to warn readers what they're getting into, whatsoever.
Moreover, I take issue with the way the book tries to sell itself as "romance," with "marriage" as part of the pitch, and only touches lightly on a sort of relationship far from expectation and unsatisfying to anyone who was in it to see the reports of "forced marriage" turned on their head by something genuine and beautiful.
Instead, there's an oddly slipshod attempt at "brother and sisters," which is rarely strengthened as the characters spend most of their time cross with one or the other of their "family."
There are moments of good writing, but the only reason I finished this book was so my mind would stop coming up with hopeful endings to combat this pile of absurdity.
Any kid who wants to read this better be well prepared for a sickening letdown after coming to trust traitorous characters, but if they're old enough, they may be able to handle it on their own, thus not needing the coaching. Definitely, though, there should be serious consideration on who's ready to read this thing.
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AGE
great read
This book is a great read, no a surprise because Tamora is an AMAZING author! The other parent reviewer felt the book was to long but I loved the detail that she goes into about different things, it really makes the world come to life. The "Nimoshi" (Lesbian) affair is very minor and gives a great chance to review your own feelings on homosexuality
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AGE
yuck. verx weird ideas . badly written. uses the word redhead too much. WEIRD
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