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An Element Of Magic
In a world where elemental magic runs through bloodlines, being Dormant is a curse nineteen-year-old Rose Piper can't escape. Her family's reassurances ring hollow, each wielding their own magical gifts while she remains powerless. Rose once found purpose as a battlefield nurse in the Pyre War, but peacetime offers no such refuge for the magic-less.
When tragedy strikes and Rose’s parents die in a car crash she can’t help but feel it was not an accident. Left to protect her younger sister in the small village of Evergreen, Rose can't shake the feeling that shadows from the war have followed them home. A mysterious stranger, whispered threats and ancient enemies seeking payment in blood.
She may be Dormant, but Rose's time helping people injured during the war taught her that power isn't always measured in magic. Now she'll need every hard-won instinct to keep her sister safe and uncover the truth—before their parents' killer decides two Piper daughters are better than none.
AN ELEMENT OF MAGIC brings an exciting new voice in fantasy. In her mesmerising debut, Fran Fullerton crafts a story of survival, and the true nature of power.
When tragedy strikes and Rose’s parents die in a car crash she can’t help but feel it was not an accident. Left to protect her younger sister in the small village of Evergreen, Rose can't shake the feeling that shadows from the war have followed them home. A mysterious stranger, whispered threats and ancient enemies seeking payment in blood.
She may be Dormant, but Rose's time helping people injured during the war taught her that power isn't always measured in magic. Now she'll need every hard-won instinct to keep her sister safe and uncover the truth—before their parents' killer decides two Piper daughters are better than none.
AN ELEMENT OF MAGIC brings an exciting new voice in fantasy. In her mesmerising debut, Fran Fullerton crafts a story of survival, and the true nature of power.
298 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 25, 2025
2 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 2, 2025
If avatar the last airbender got an Agatha Christie makeover is how I'd describe this book.
I loved the setting and the feel of the story and I'm looking forward to the next one!
I loved the setting and the feel of the story and I'm looking forward to the next one!
October 27, 2025
Thank you for this advance readers copy for Beswick Publications.
Roses' story was one of desperation and loss. Her world was turned upside down in one moment and couldn't go back anymore. I felt for her deeply but unfortunately I think her rage and pretenses were directed not where it should be and that made her immature and illogical. Although her allies treated her as an adult and often talked about her resposibilities and bravery, her behaviour indicated she's not fully an adult capable of thinking in grey area's of the world. Because nothing is just black and white, and I had a feeling this whole time this story tried to tell it but our fmc didn't want to go this way.I thought we will get a little bit more detective work concerning the death of parents but Rose just jumped to conclusions with freshly given information she wasn't able to get depth of. I like the world building, elemental magic was really a nice touch especially during action sequences which were written in a very good way, all limbs accounted for. The concept behind the conflict was interesting and Vincent seemed really evil and devoided of any good emotions. And it was refreshing Rose wasn't a lost princess but a descendant from the evil side. I regret we didn't have an opportunity of getting to know more stories of Lavender Smith, it would give the story more depth not only a vibe of a legend. I really like the side characters, thee were created very thoroughly , Maggie Jones is my favourite. The ending was very sad, I wish I could see a happy ending, but maybe in next book.
Roses' story was one of desperation and loss. Her world was turned upside down in one moment and couldn't go back anymore. I felt for her deeply but unfortunately I think her rage and pretenses were directed not where it should be and that made her immature and illogical. Although her allies treated her as an adult and often talked about her resposibilities and bravery, her behaviour indicated she's not fully an adult capable of thinking in grey area's of the world. Because nothing is just black and white, and I had a feeling this whole time this story tried to tell it but our fmc didn't want to go this way.I thought we will get a little bit more detective work concerning the death of parents but Rose just jumped to conclusions with freshly given information she wasn't able to get depth of. I like the world building, elemental magic was really a nice touch especially during action sequences which were written in a very good way, all limbs accounted for. The concept behind the conflict was interesting and Vincent seemed really evil and devoided of any good emotions. And it was refreshing Rose wasn't a lost princess but a descendant from the evil side. I regret we didn't have an opportunity of getting to know more stories of Lavender Smith, it would give the story more depth not only a vibe of a legend. I really like the side characters, thee were created very thoroughly , Maggie Jones is my favourite. The ending was very sad, I wish I could see a happy ending, but maybe in next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2025
Fran does a great job of using descriptive language. Her world building is beautiful and the reader can really imagine it with clarity. She’s also able to create intrigue with small hints, such a simple glance, a barely noticeable detail, a stray thought. It left me with questions that kept me reading. I was easily able to relate to the main protagonist, Rose. Fran is able to capture her emotional turmoil over feeling like she doesn’t belong and the struggles she faces with self-acceptance. Rose undergoes a great transformation throughout the story with support from her friends and family. It was beautiful to read.
The reason for four stars: It was a little bit of a slow start and sometimes I felt like I was reading stage directions. I also feel that some of the areas of the story, where great emotional tension should have been the strongest, were overshadowed by confusion. More clarity would have made a greater impact.
I want to stress that this a debut novel and shows great potential for amazing story telling. I have seen a few first books that weren’t quite up to five stars, but as the author continues their journey, and as their writing improves, the novels only get better! I’m sure Fran has amazing things in store for us. I look forward to reading more.
The reason for four stars: It was a little bit of a slow start and sometimes I felt like I was reading stage directions. I also feel that some of the areas of the story, where great emotional tension should have been the strongest, were overshadowed by confusion. More clarity would have made a greater impact.
I want to stress that this a debut novel and shows great potential for amazing story telling. I have seen a few first books that weren’t quite up to five stars, but as the author continues their journey, and as their writing improves, the novels only get better! I’m sure Fran has amazing things in store for us. I look forward to reading more.
December 17, 2025
I enjoyed this story. It had some interesting twists and turns, some of which I saw coming, others that I didn't. The author did a good job of developing the world building and lore. Rose's frustration and envy of not having the magic others had was palpable and came through believably. I loved seeing how Rose refused to sit on the sidelines when her sister or others were in danger, despite not having magic.
The one drawback was that some of the emotional parts of the story fell a bit flat. I didn't feel the depth that was trying to be conveyed. Some of this may have been intentional because of some of the plot twists, but a few of the scenes still seemed a bit off.
Still, this is a solid debut book and I look forward to seeing where Rose's adventures take her next!
The one drawback was that some of the emotional parts of the story fell a bit flat. I didn't feel the depth that was trying to be conveyed. Some of this may have been intentional because of some of the plot twists, but a few of the scenes still seemed a bit off.
Still, this is a solid debut book and I look forward to seeing where Rose's adventures take her next!
February 26, 2025
Such an enjoyable read. If you like stories with well defined, lifelike, relatable characters with a bit of magic thrown in, then this is the book for you. If you want a female protagonist who gets things done herself, this is for you. I very quickly I found myself rooting for the protagonist Rose and her sister Audrey, and the whole way through the book I was invested in discovering the various mysteries of this world, and how Rose would tackle the various challenges she meets. And tackle them she certainly does, this is not a "damsel in distress" sort of book, and I love it.
March 22, 2025
I finished An Element of Magic and was happy to have read it - Fran Fullerton is a very imaginative writer. That said, I do have my share of positives and negatives.
My negatives include an overuse of telling instead of showing in some chapters and some additional clarity could've served the story better.
My positives include the world building (given my preference for water related abilities I'm gonna have to side with the Beorn), the momentum and the relationship between Rose and Audrey.
I'd be happy to keep reading this series.
My negatives include an overuse of telling instead of showing in some chapters and some additional clarity could've served the story better.
My positives include the world building (given my preference for water related abilities I'm gonna have to side with the Beorn), the momentum and the relationship between Rose and Audrey.
I'd be happy to keep reading this series.
October 23, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A wonderful world with some excellent history building as the book progresses. A great main character with some fun twists and turns as the story unfolds. I constantly couldn't wait to learn more about the world Fran has created, as well as all the characters she's so creatively and wonderfully created and described. Whole heartedly recommend.
July 14, 2025
interesting
Element magic is so interesting. I enjoyed this story. It started off a little slow for me but once it picked up the twists were very enjoyable and I can’t wait to see where this story leads.
Element magic is so interesting. I enjoyed this story. It started off a little slow for me but once it picked up the twists were very enjoyable and I can’t wait to see where this story leads.
September 24, 2025
An element of magic has a great female main character who you quickly can relate to. Her overall character development is wonderful and I can't wait for the next book to come out. Highly recommended for any fantasy lovers.
September 3, 2025
What a magical book. This was and very different from other magic books. Which I like and characters were amazing too. I highly recommend everyone reads this book today! Enjoy!
October 21, 2025
Such an interesting world! Fran Fullerton does a great job building this magical world and takes her time doing it. Rose is such a great MC, very well defined and very strong, but also relatable ❤️
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews