Unnatural Issue

June 15, 2011

Mentally unhinged by the death of his wife in childbirth, Earth Master Richard Whitestone not only abandoned his duties as protector of his lands but refused to acknowledge his only daughter. Raised among the household servants, Susanne inherits her parents' elemental earth powers but must search outside her family for a teacher. When news of a necromancer in Whitestone's territory reaches the White Lodge of Elemental Masters in London, Water Master Lord Peter Almsley travels to the vicinity to confront the practitioner of forbidden lore and finds a young woman desperately in need of training. Set in an alternate England on the eve of World War I, the latest addition to Lackey's "Elemental Masters" series (The Fire Rose; The Serpent's Shadow; The Gates of Sleep; Phoenix and Ashes; The Wizard of London; Reserved for the Cat) features a strong female protagonist in search of her true calling and a sophisticated nobleman who discovers that there is more to life than magic. VERDICT Historical fantasy and gothic romance combine beautifully in this fantasy adventure from the author of the popular Valdemar novels.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.