An Element Of Magic

by Fran Fullerton

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.

298 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 25, 2025

Reviews

[H.F. Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[E Singer · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[David Fullerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Brian Sherlock · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Dalene Jameson · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Amy Maunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!