"Spellbinding adult fairy tale"

Her missionary parents send their twelve year old daughter from the Congo to England to attend the Harton School for Boys and Girls. Sarah Jane Lyon-White doesn't command Elemental Magic like her parents so she must learn from Isabelle Harton how to use her Talent (psychic powers). The mistress of the school, hers husband and several students are talents that must have a teacher to guide them when their power manifest themselves.

Sarah shows signs of being a telepath but at a séance she exposes a fake medium while a spirit possesses her to communicate with another attendee. Sarah's untrained medium skills come to the attention of an Elemental Master who doesn't want the girl to discover the mage is using dead children as revenants. The killer sets a trap but Sarah and her allies defeat the haunt. Isabelle wants to know who is after her charge and she starts asking questions of the Elemental Masters. Her queries bring her to the attention of Elemental Master Lord David Alderscroft, who loved Isabelle before he came under the influence of Lady Cordelia. He then dumped Isabelle and anyone who couldn't be useful to him. His cold heart endangers England and if Isabelle and her friends can't show that he is heading down a dark cold path, it will lead to tragedy for the entire English Empire.

Book Four of the Elemental Masters is a magical, spellbinding adult fairy tale. The fabulous fantasy contains the wicked witch, a beautiful queen, her adoring court and a prince who needs to learn how to feel again instead of always manipulating people for his own goals. Mercedes Lackey never fails to write a book that will please her myriad of fans and her latest magical storyline and well developed characters will send readers into euphoria.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted September 15, 2005

Summary

Set in Victorian London-where magic is real and Elemental Masters control the powers of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth- the fourth novel in this best-selling series tells the story of Lord Alderscroft, Master of the British Elemental Masters Council-the most powerful Fire Master ever to lead the Council. Loosely based on The Snow Queen, The Wizard of London delves into Lord Alderscroft's youth, when he was bespelled by an evil Elemental Master who hoped to use him for political gain.