I'm not a fan of Pierce's "Circle" books, for all that I rabidly adore all things Alanna/Keladry/Numair. I did love Will of the Empress, so I thought I'd try Melting Stones. Not Tammy's strongest book, not by a long shot, but I wonder if I'd feel differently hearing the audio version, which was its original form. Read this if you're a Pierce fan, but don't let it be the first (or second, or third) Pierce book you read.