SOLVED. YA Fantasy Girl learns to control fire, earth with help from priest. [s]

[Katy]

Okay looking for a series of books where the basic plot is that there's this girl who is a chosen one and is able to learn all of the elements (like earth, fire, air and water). She doesn't discover she's magic until this priest comes to tell her and helps her on her journey. I think she's an orphan. This magic "chosen-ness" is passed down from mother to daughter I think, but she's the (view spoiler)[ last one in the line because she's infertile. (hide spoiler)] I think all of her ancestors died in attempting to learn the elements (died or were killed by the antagonist). I think the girl has red hair (or at least the models on the book covers had red hair). Also, at the end of the third or fourth book (view spoiler)[the priest dies. They were kind of into each other romantically (hide spoiler)] There were also definitely antagonists trying to stop her from learning, but I don't remember what their motive was.

So I think I'd classify this as YA, but I think the girl was a little older--maybe early twenties. Her character would appear on the book covers, but I don't think her face was ever show. All of the titles had the element of interest incorporated in them somehow, but I don't remember if the titles were very similar (ex. "book of water", etc). I think I just read three books (so one element was not included, which might have been air). I remember when it ended, it felt like there could be more, but I never followed up--just remembered them recently and was interested in seeing if more were written. there also might have been more in the series. I think I read the books in the later 2000s (2007-2009), but I think they were printed in the earlier 2000s (2002-2004). I read them in paperback form. I don't remember any other names or the author's name.

Thanks!

[Kate]

Katy, are you still looking for this book? People have had their books identified after much diligence -- even as long as 6 years after the first post.

If you are looking, you can bump this thread every month or so to keep it at the top of the Unsolved folder. That way, more eyes will see it, and someone is bound to recognize it!

[Katy]

Thanks Kate! Still looking for the book; I'll try to be better at bumping the thread up monthly

[Cupcakedoll]

My vague many-years-old memory of these books matches your description.

[Katy]

Yes! This is it! Thank you so much Cupcakedoll; this had been bothering me for some time.