Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Reviews

Book Review: Home From the Sea

By Sandy Amazeen Jul 9, 2012, 3:11 GMT

New in the extraordinary series hailed as "a true frolic into fantasy? (Fantasy Bookspot) by a "Master Magician.? (Midwest Book Review) In Edwardian Britain, magic is real. And Masters of the Elements control Fire, Water, Air, and Earth... Mari Prothero has lived all her life with her father, Daffyd, in a tiny fishing village on the coast of Wales. Though Daffyd takes his boat out on the sea regardless ...more

All her life Mari, daughter of a Welsh fisherman has seen sprites and thus known she was different from most people but it wasn’t until her eighteenth birthday that she realized how different. Due to an ancient bargain made between her family and the Selch, better known as selkies, Mari is bound to marry one of the seal people, an obligation she isn’t all that happy to fulfill. As an emerging Water Master, Mari has also down the attention of Lord Alderscroft who sends Nan and Sarah to verify the stories. Mari makes a new bargain with the Selch leader, learns more about her abilities while being courted by several handsome young men and coping with a troublesome constable.

With its emphasis on magic usage at the expense of a suspenseful storyline, the latest Elemental Masters Novel is an adequate though not outstanding addition to the series. Lackey’s pleasant writing style is what carries the book but don’t expect the series to be advanced or look for compelling characters or credible tension, this is simply a nice, undemanding summer read.