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The Case of the Spellbound Child
(Elemental Masters #14)
by
The fourteenth novel in the magical alternate history Elemental Masters series continues the reimagined adventures of Sherlock Holmes in a richly-detailed alternate 20th-century England.
While Sherlock is still officially dead, John and Mary Watson and Nan Killian and Sarah Lyon-White are taking up some of his case-load--and some for Lord Alderscroft, the Wizard of London.
L ...more
While Sherlock is still officially dead, John and Mary Watson and Nan Killian and Sarah Lyon-White are taking up some of his case-load--and some for Lord Alderscroft, the Wizard of London.
L ...more
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Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
December 3rd 2019
by Daw Books
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Start your review of The Case of the Spellbound Child (Elemental Masters, #14)

I'm weary of reading about Sarah and Nan's exploits, with or without the inclusion of Holmes and Watson. I keep returning to this series hoping that its charm will be revived, and I'm consistently disappointed. I've got to come to terms with the fact that I will never enjoy the continuation of this series as much as I enjoyed earlier books like The Gates of Sleep and other similar strictly-fairy tale retellings.
Glutton for punishment that I (apparently) am, I'll probably keep reading any furth ...more
Glutton for punishment that I (apparently) am, I'll probably keep reading any furth ...more

I have a love-hate relationship with this book. The plot was thoroughly engaging. The villain was especially villain-y. The suspense kept building. Then, it was over. It was not necessarily a let down. The good guys followed the clues and solved the mystery. There were no lose ends. The biggest problem I have with the book is the bizarre interpersonal relationships between the protagonists. I am also seemingly the only reviewer who read the book and thinks something is off in the way these Victo
...more

The Case Of The Spellbound Child' is published in paperback and Kindle ebook on the 7th of January, and whilst anyone who knows my reading habits is aware of my love of seeing a series through from book 1, the synopsis of this one sounded so great I leapt straight in at number 14!
So there are 13 for me to catch up on, lucky me!
If this is your first time reading the 'Elemental Masters' series, it is an alternate Sherlockian timeline set in a world where magic, demons and ghosts are real.
We are gi ...more
So there are 13 for me to catch up on, lucky me!
If this is your first time reading the 'Elemental Masters' series, it is an alternate Sherlockian timeline set in a world where magic, demons and ghosts are real.
We are gi ...more

Once again, reading until 3 am, I reluctantly attempt to sleep. The next day I finish, sated, satisfied, in awe of an author who can keep me enthralled.
Ms. Lackey is one of my all time favorite authors. If you are looking for an adventurous read, with some frivolity, some philosophy, and page turning suspense, she's your best bet. ...more
Ms. Lackey is one of my all time favorite authors. If you are looking for an adventurous read, with some frivolity, some philosophy, and page turning suspense, she's your best bet. ...more

Not a bad way to reintroduce a series in its 14th novel. It’s a very cosy set up in a magical version of Victorian England but does manage to contain some nasty moments of wickedness
Full review https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl... ...more
Full review https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl... ...more

Originally published at Reading Reality
I actually read this a couple of weeks ago, while I was in the middle of listening to The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl followed by Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage. I was on a Sherlock Holmes kick and looking for stories that were at least Holmes-adjacent, as both Mesmerizing Girl and Spellbound Child turned out to be.
In other words, unlike Mycroft and Sherlock, which is definitely Holmesian all the way even if it is still focused more o ...more
I actually read this a couple of weeks ago, while I was in the middle of listening to The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl followed by Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage. I was on a Sherlock Holmes kick and looking for stories that were at least Holmes-adjacent, as both Mesmerizing Girl and Spellbound Child turned out to be.
In other words, unlike Mycroft and Sherlock, which is definitely Holmesian all the way even if it is still focused more o ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Fifteenth in the Elemental Masters alternative history paranormal fantasy series for upper middle-grade readers and revolving around magic users in a richly detailed Victorian England where Sherlock Holmes takes second place to two young ladies who work in a magical partnership with Dr and Mrs Watson and now their young ward.
My Take
I do like the bargain Nan and Sarah come up with at the start in that first "case" they solved, and it won't be the first time the group comes up with ways to help pe ...more
My Take
I do like the bargain Nan and Sarah come up with at the start in that first "case" they solved, and it won't be the first time the group comes up with ways to help pe ...more

Latest in the Elemental Masters series and the next installment in the adventures of John Watson and associates. Sherlock makes a couple appearances as he is working on another case in Dartmoor that eventually merges with the Watson crew.
The story starts with a proverbial 'bang' as a brand new ghost (he was murdered on page one) amuses himself terrorizing the people surrounding his death location before Nan and Sarah with Peter and Suki, force him to move on. It seems like a short story that was ...more
The story starts with a proverbial 'bang' as a brand new ghost (he was murdered on page one) amuses himself terrorizing the people surrounding his death location before Nan and Sarah with Peter and Suki, force him to move on. It seems like a short story that was ...more

Mercedes Lackey continues her mashup of Sherlock Holmes and the Elemental Masters series. I've enjoyed the series, and this mystery is a great addition.
I enjoyed the leisurely pace of the book up until the end. Where the pace picked up and finished the story quickly.
Thanks for the fun read! These novels tend to be light and fun quick reads ...more
I enjoyed the leisurely pace of the book up until the end. Where the pace picked up and finished the story quickly.
Thanks for the fun read! These novels tend to be light and fun quick reads ...more

Great book!
A tour DE force by this wonderful author. As always , complex and three dimensional characters continue the storyline of a completely well imagined system of magic and fantasy, along with blending alternative history elements and well loved characters from other authors. A very satisfying read!
A tour DE force by this wonderful author. As always , complex and three dimensional characters continue the storyline of a completely well imagined system of magic and fantasy, along with blending alternative history elements and well loved characters from other authors. A very satisfying read!

Starts a little slow, but develops nicely with magical and psychic abilities being put to use alongside some Sherlockian observations.

Another "I liked it" around 3.4-3.5 (i.e., good enough for a 4 only on Amazon), for this series.
Again, the main protagonists are spiritual magicians Nan and Sarah, plus their similarly gifted young ward Suki, and their avian familiars Neville and Grey, along with water and air elemental magicians John and Mary Watson.
We're told of Mary's air elementals doing some surveying and surveilling, plus some messengering and basic "proof of magic", but the birds do much more "onscreen", again leaving m ...more
Again, the main protagonists are spiritual magicians Nan and Sarah, plus their similarly gifted young ward Suki, and their avian familiars Neville and Grey, along with water and air elemental magicians John and Mary Watson.
We're told of Mary's air elementals doing some surveying and surveilling, plus some messengering and basic "proof of magic", but the birds do much more "onscreen", again leaving m ...more

'The fourteenth novel in the magical alternate history Elemental Masters series continues the reimagined adventures of Sherlock Holmes in a richly-detailed alternate 20th-century England.
'While Sherlock is still officially dead, John and Mary Watson and Nan Killian and Sarah Lyon-White are taking up some of his case-load--and some for Lord Alderscroft, the Wizard of London.
'Lord Alderscroft asks them to go to Dartmoor to track down a rumor of evil magic brewing there. Not more than four hours la ...more
'While Sherlock is still officially dead, John and Mary Watson and Nan Killian and Sarah Lyon-White are taking up some of his case-load--and some for Lord Alderscroft, the Wizard of London.
'Lord Alderscroft asks them to go to Dartmoor to track down a rumor of evil magic brewing there. Not more than four hours la ...more

i didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read thisi didn't read
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Apr 02, 2020
Aime Sund
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
fantasy readers, historical fantasy readers, specifically Victorian era
Victorian-era historical fiction with magic? I'm in! The cover blurb drew me in while I was browsing in the library, not really intending to take anything out that day since my TBR pile is sky-high. I have read a few of Mercedes Lackey's books over the years, so I knew it would be a good story regardless. As it turns out, I must have read an earlier Elemental Masters book, because the main characters started to ring a bell in my mind, and the more I read, the more I recalled about them. It was a
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

I have several complaints about this book and I'm not sure if it's because I am disappointed that this isn't a five hundreds kingdom book, or because this really wasn't a great book.
Things I liked:
All of the chapters from the POV of the children. That was actually the only interesting part of the book, and if the whole book had been written about that, if all the chapters about Nan & Co had been cut out I think the whole book would be given 4 stars. Seriously, at one point (view spoiler) ...more
Things I liked:
All of the chapters from the POV of the children. That was actually the only interesting part of the book, and if the whole book had been written about that, if all the chapters about Nan & Co had been cut out I think the whole book would be given 4 stars. Seriously, at one point (view spoiler) ...more

This series has become a perennial favorite of mine, and especially those books with the recurring characters of Elemental Masters Nan and Sarah. With the introduction in previous books of Sherlock Holmes, and Master Magicians John and Mary Watson, it has become even more fun. This case involves the kidnapping of several missing children, and we switch back and forth from the points of view of the victims and our protagonists.
I love this world of elemental magic in Victorian times. I also like t ...more
I love this world of elemental magic in Victorian times. I also like t ...more

I stayed up late to finish this book because I was tired of it and wanted it over. Mercedes Lackey has been one of my favorite authors, but I don't care for the Elemental Masters series which seems wound so tightly around Sherlock Holmes. Perhaps this is because I preferred Hercule Poirot to Holmes. In some parts the plot moves briskly, in other places you have pages of description about clothes, or the countryside or the food while the characters gathered to share their thoughts and move the pl
...more

Mad, Sad, and Frustrated
Of my two favorite authors, I've always listed Mercedes Lackey. I remember being upset at the criticism leveled towards Mags's story even though many focused on the editing. And at first, I liked this novel. I'm a fan of the regular slice of life novels, the what happens after they save the world stories, even books that are more TV episodic than not. Moreover, I'm usually terrible at criticizing books. So if it's so bad that I'm noticing, why did it even get to the publi ...more
Of my two favorite authors, I've always listed Mercedes Lackey. I remember being upset at the criticism leveled towards Mags's story even though many focused on the editing. And at first, I liked this novel. I'm a fan of the regular slice of life novels, the what happens after they save the world stories, even books that are more TV episodic than not. Moreover, I'm usually terrible at criticizing books. So if it's so bad that I'm noticing, why did it even get to the publi ...more

I've been reading Mercedes Lackey books for the best part of 25 years, and I've mostly enjoyed this series, although, while I don't dislike Nan and Sarah, I did prefer the earlier books. Sadly this isn't the best instalment in the series. It starts with two interludes, almost short stories, used as a kind of introduction. The second of these seemed to me to contain attitudes that came very close to victim-blaming, and, looking at other reviews, I wasn't the only one to feel that.
The main story i ...more
The main story i ...more

The latest in Mercedes Lackey series The Elemental Masters, The Case of the Spellbound Child is...okay. It’s not awful but it’s not as good as her Valdemar series.
In this one, young magical children are being whisked away to be used as magical batteries for the villain. Unlike other recent books in the series, the villain wasn’t at all interesting, in fact they were a total mystery until the end. And then they were uninteresting, to say the least. We’re told toward the end about other magical c ...more
In this one, young magical children are being whisked away to be used as magical batteries for the villain. Unlike other recent books in the series, the villain wasn’t at all interesting, in fact they were a total mystery until the end. And then they were uninteresting, to say the least. We’re told toward the end about other magical c ...more

Graphics sometimes have issues in electronic versions of books. A publisher's logo smeared over multiple pages. Extra large or fancy capitol letters displaced from the beginning of words to the next page...
Here there is a problematic silhouette of a tree. It appears at the start of every chapter, centered under the chapter number, and spills over to the next page where it covers bits of the text, making it much harder to read and being annoying. It also appears within chapters where it is left j ...more
Here there is a problematic silhouette of a tree. It appears at the start of every chapter, centered under the chapter number, and spills over to the next page where it covers bits of the text, making it much harder to read and being annoying. It also appears within chapters where it is left j ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

There are a lot of books by Mercedes Lackey that I love. Several of them are in the "Elemental Masters" series. However, I am so tired of these characters I want to weep! I bought this because I really needed something to read but I regret doing so. It is possibly one of the most boring books by Mercedes Lackey. I just find it hard to read another lackluster Sherlock Holmes tale with characters who are totally unsurprising, uninspiring and, frankly, unmagical! The use of Sherlock Holmes as a cha
...more

I love these characters but I feel like Misty phoned them in. There's no real character growth and the plot is a bit disjointed. The one thing Lackey did well was create a good mystery villain, she managed to completely surprise me there! I did not like the story about the girl in the asylum, characters I otherwise like were far too judgmental and disparaging of her, and it came very close to victim blaming. The ghost was a good beginning and I was disappointed it didn't go anywhere. It also did
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Play Book Tag: The Case of the Spellbound Child by Mercedes Lackey - 4 stars | 5 | 11 | Dec 21, 2019 12:48PM |
Mercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & M
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