The first installment in a fantasy series in which a young woman discovers a world of supernatural beings.

Eloo, an elven air elemental, and her lover, Kye, a werewolf, witness a maiden fighting a dangerous man in their woods. They manage to drive the man away, but the young woman has been rendered unconscious by a poisoned wound, so Eloo and Kye decide to care for her until she heals. Upon awakening, Rose has no idea where she is and doesn’t know if she can trust the creatures who have taken her in. The man she’d been fighting had killed her father, and her nurseback home had told her horror stories about monsters who live in the woods. But these two had been so kind to her and cared for her while she slept. Eloo and Kye quickly adopt her into their world, explaining what they are and even taking her to Kye’s people, who live elsewhere in the woods, when a gathering is called to warn them of a Fire Dragon attack. During their voyage to the gathering, they come upon Lightning Flamespeaker, a fire elemental, who joins their party. The dragon has left much destruction in its wake, and it isn’t too long before they find the creature itself. With the help of Kye’s family members, they attack; Rose stands her ground against the giant beast and speaks in the magical tongue that she didn’t know she knew. In Boustead’s first book in the Wereding Chronicles, she provides short chapters and smooth pacing that make the relatively brief work feel like an even quicker read than one may expect. The action scenes, in particular, move the story briskly along. Along the way, the author does a fair job of giving readers just enough information to keep them on the hook as Rose figures out exactly who she is and what unusual abilities she may have. At the same time, Boustead manages to avoid revealing too much of the mystery of Rose’s past. Overall, the novel has an old-school fantasy-novel feel that casual fans of the genre are sure to enjoy.

A consistently engaging tale of werewolves, elves, and a girl with unexpected powers.