Phoenix and Ashes
core novel 2004 The Elemental Masters
Record
| First published | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.06 (8,641 ratings, collected 2026-09-12) |
| Page count | 468 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780756401610 |
| Internal chronology | 4 |
Synopsis
A reimagining of Cinderella set against the backdrop of World War I, Phoenix and Ashes follows Eleanor Robinson, whose father's death leaves her trapped under the control of a cruel, magic-wielding stepmother who binds her to household drudgery and suppresses her own latent Elemental powers. Meanwhile Reginald Fenyx, a decorated air ace, returns home from the war physically and spiritually broken, having lost the Elemental Air magic that once defined him. As Eleanor secretly begins to reclaim her abilities despite her stepmother's magical constraints, her path crosses with Reginald's, and the two find in each other an unlikely source of support. Together they must confront the malevolent magic still working against Eleanor before it can claim her entirely.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Elemental Masters
- Series: The Elemental Masters core; position 4 of 21 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Mercedes Lackey
Notes
- From the series record (The Elemental Masters): Loosely connected fairy-tale retellings unified by a shared elemental-magic system rather than a continuous cast.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series The Elemental Masters: position 4 of 21: previous The Gates of Sleep (2002) · next The Wizard of London (2005)
Sources
← The Elemental Masters dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.