This is the last of The Circle Opens quartet which I somehow missed finding when I first began reading this series. I really enjoyed the story and I'm glad I finally ordered it from the library.

Tris, while traveling with her mentor Niko, discovers a lightning mage who has no idea that he is, in fact, a mage and is frustrated by his inability to blow glass the way he could before the accident in which he was struck by lightning.Since no other lightning mages are available to teach him the control he needs, it falls to young Tris to take charge of the newly discovered mage. There's also the serial killer to catch...

Keth is...interesting. He starts out so utterly determined to have nothing to do with lightning...and changes his mind very very quickly (with Tris's help (if you could call that help!), of course.). Including that by the end of the book he's showing no signs of the 'damage' any more - he doesn't stutter at all after about the middle. And in this book, it's mostly his work to deal with the problem - Tris and the lawkeeper mage are important, but it's only his magic and his actions that actually give them a foothold on the problem.
The problem itself is - not all that major. It would be reasonably easy to solve (with the spells the lawkeepers have), except for the social aspect. It's an interesting setting - something like ancient Athens, but I'm not aware that Athens had that purity business. In some ways that's like India, with the Untouchables caste.
And just by the way, Tris's problems in Will of the Empress are set up...I do like Pierce. She interlinks things so nicely. ( )

Tris and Niko are traveling as well, and Tris stumbles upon a man who has a small amount of glass magic, and a rather larger amount of lightning magic. As one of the few, rare mages who have mastered lightning magic, Tris must train this man in the use of his magic. Strange murders are also going on in this city, and Keth and Tris push hard to master future seeing techniques with their magic to help solve these crimes. ( )

Not as good as the other Circle Opens books, but then Tris isn't my favorite character. I did enjoy the glass dragon and some of the story. Decent addition to the series. ( )