I started reading Pierce's books at the recommendation of a friend, starting with her Tortall books. Pierce is one of those authors that gets better with every book, so when I finished the Tortall books and started the Circle of Magic books, I felt I was taking a step back, since these books were earlier than the more recent of those books. But I did like this world, this vision of magic very much, and soon the characters--and the books began to grow on me. This is Sandry's book, and it's centered on her more than anyone, but this is really the first book dealing with a circle of not just magic, but friends, so Tris, Daja, and Briar are important as well. Each is a distinct character, each has a special gift, and each has no one at the start and learn to rely on each other.
