Ship of Spells

In this jam-packed nautical romantasy, Dickson (the Cold Stone & Ivy series) conjures up an intricate world of seaborne wonders and terrors, populated by colorful characters and maritime monsters. Ensign Bluemage Honor Renn, a mage in training, is shipwrecked when her frigate is destroyed by an enemy but rescued by the privateers of the Touchstone, the infamous Ship of Spells. She swiftly discovers that a magical backlash during the battle has granted her an unprecedented ability to manipulate chimeric, the arcane element used by the elven Rhi’ahr, longtime foes of the races of Oversea. Eager to master her new powers and intrigued by both the sentient nature of the Touchstone and its handsome, enigmatic captain, Gavriel Thanavar, Honor joins the crew. But Gavriel has set the Touchstone on an ambitious, deadly mission that could change the world for better or worse. As the quest progresses, the Touchstone is hunted by enemies from both Oversea and Rhi’ahr and haunted by secrets and tragedy—and Honor’s new abilities make her essential to whatever comes next. The slow-burn romance between Honor and Gavriel simmers for much of the story, allowing the political intrigue, magical chaos, and ship-to-ship combat to take center stage. While it’s occasionally difficult to parse the heavy worldbuilding, readers will enjoy Honor’s ambitious, indefatigable nature as she takes charge of her destiny. It’s a promising series launch. (Nov.)