Title: Elemental
Magic
Series: Elemental
Magic, #1
Author: Angela
Wallace
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: November
19, 2011
Genre: Urban
Fantasy
Reviewed by: Ellen
Fritz
Ellen’s rating: 5/5
SUMMARY
Aileen Donovan is an oceanographer with magical
control over the element of water. While her normal focus is on research and
fighting poachers, she’s about to go up against the stuff of legends—and that’s
saying something for a supernatural.
A transport ship is missing and everyone’s eager to get their hands on the cargo. No one knows what exactly it is, but when fragments resembling coral begin to drive local residents insane, Aileen suspects a preternatural source. Whatever is at the bottom of the ocean, a power-hungry alchemist wants it, and releases a sea dragon to eat the competition—literally.
Aileen sees this as an opportunity to win the professional recognition she desires, but keeping secrets is complicated when she’s working with local Coast Guard officer Colin Benson. Her sense of love and duty will be put to the test, and when the tide washes out, it might have been better if that lost ship had stayed lost.
A transport ship is missing and everyone’s eager to get their hands on the cargo. No one knows what exactly it is, but when fragments resembling coral begin to drive local residents insane, Aileen suspects a preternatural source. Whatever is at the bottom of the ocean, a power-hungry alchemist wants it, and releases a sea dragon to eat the competition—literally.
Aileen sees this as an opportunity to win the professional recognition she desires, but keeping secrets is complicated when she’s working with local Coast Guard officer Colin Benson. Her sense of love and duty will be put to the test, and when the tide washes out, it might have been better if that lost ship had stayed lost.
REVIEW
I finished
Elemental Magic in less than two days
and enjoyed every moment. Getting a shiner from an attempted kiss by a sea lion
and dealing with poachers and pollution threats are all in a day's work for
Aileen Donovan, her brother Keenan, their father and their co-workers. Facing a
greedy maniac who wants to salvage the cargo on his sunken ship and dealing
with a sea monster that was believed to be extinct, is not so much part of
everyday life.
This
gripping page-turner is written in such a comfortable, fluent style that one is
tempted to continue reading and ignore mundane things like time. The author
keeps the perfect balance between riveting action, intrigue, nail-biting
suspense and the extremely well-written romantic part of the story. Readers who
are interested in the sea and the science surrounding it should find this book
a particularly stimulating read. For the fantasy enthusiasts there are numerous
magical artefacts, element-wielding characters and my favorite, Setus, the sea
dragon.
All the
characters in this book are realistic and well fleshed out. Aileen, the main
character, isn't the most diplomatic person around but she has a fierce sense
of loyalty towards her family and co-workers. She can also kick butt in a
fight; especially when she has water at her disposal. Between the pyromaniacs
and evil alchemists it is really difficult to work out who the real villain of
the story is until the very end. I suggest the sensitive reader keep a couple
of Kleenex close by.
I
highly recommend Elemental Magic as a
thoroughly exciting, often amusing and deeply heart-warming book for readers of
all ages.
READ more REVIEWS
Elemental Magic by Angela Wallace
has 53 reviews on Goodreads. Read it here.
PURCHASE LINKS
ABOUT the AUTHOR
Angela Wallace has been penning adventures ever
since she was sucked through a magical portal as a child. What she saw and whom
she met gave birth to exciting and complex fantasy worlds where defying the
laws of physics was a bonus. She has since come back down to earth, only to
discover this mortal realm has magic of its own. Now she is quite at home in
the world of urban fantasy, though believes that love, faith, and hope are of a
stronger magic than fire wielding and sorcery. She loves gun-toting good boys,
and could have been a cop in another life except real blood makes her queasy.
She’ll have to stick to solving supernatural mysteries. Language is her
pleasure, whether it’s weaving words on a page or lassoing linguistics into
translations as a sign language interpreter.
AUTHOR LINKS
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