The Cyprian

By Mercedes Lackey

Book Overview

A cozy, cottage-core Regency fantasy perfect for fans of Bridgerton

Elena Whitstone and her seven brothers, abandoned by their mother, live a very restricted life. They have seldom seen any children their own age, their only schooling is from the boys' tutor, and Elena has no governess, only their old Nanny. But the siblings do share something of value, a secret they hold close: they can see "fairies," creatures invisible to all other eyes.

Theirs is a strictly circumscribed existence, but not an unbearable one--until Elena turns thirteen, and they find themselves with a new stepmother. Suddenly, things change, and very much for the worse.

First, the fairies vanish. Then their Nanny and tutor are dismissed. As the walls begin to close in, the siblings suspect that their stepmother might have magic of her own, and when they find the written fragments of a spell, their stepmother's evil plans begin to take shape.

Elena's brothers are in grave danger, and Elena is their only hope. Their stepmother, greedy, selfish, and deeply manipulative, will do whatever she must to secure the life she desires. But Elena's real mother was not what she seemed, and now Elena must trust that she, too, is more than meets the eye. Everything depends upon it.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0756419115
• ISBN13: 9780756419110
• Release Date: December 2025
• Publisher: Daw Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A good retelling

I am quite the fan of the Elemental Masters series. And this is one of the stronger ones I have read over the past few years. This one being a retelling of Wild Swans set in the Regency with the majority of the story being how Elena and her brothers are adjusting to their father marrying a new woman who may be more than meets the eye. You get lots of coziness and quiet times and making the best of a bad situation of the children suddenly relegated to almost outcast status. I loved the closeness of the siblings (all sets of twins), how they stick together and can work out almost any issue that arises, whether it is mundane or magical and how they can remain so optimistic in their plans for escape as they warm up cool food on shovels over the fireplace. You also get a bit about the elemental magics, mostly through Elena and the fairies that live with the siblings, until their new stepmother appears at least and then there is a darker magic to be seen. It does have one fairly graphic bit near the end with Elena and what her stepmother plans for her that shocked me as it did not fit so well. But other than that it is a fun retelling. As is fairly common in books written by Mercedes Lackey, the climax and highest action part of the story are at the very end, kind of leaving it rushed when I wished it could be drawn out a bit more to match the rest of the story. I still really enjoyed reading it though and I am glad I got the chance to see Elena shine with her brothers against their stepmother and find their happy ending.