The Elementals
In 1917, war spells the death of one age in Europe; the rise of motion pictures heralds the birth of a new one in America. Caught between both are two extraordinary souls, bound by destiny.
Kate Witherspoon has lived a bohemian life with her artist parents, and she’s infused with their wanton disregard for social norms. She’s determined to become a film director, and she doesn’t intend to do that in a corset.
Meanwhile, midwestern farm boy Julian Birch has inherited the tenacity and wanderlust that fueled his parents’ adventures. War calls, yet not for him — but he refuses to let his disability define him.
Strangers driven by a shared vision, Kate and Julian set out separately for Los Angeles, the city of dreams. There, they each struggle to find their independence. When they finally meet, the teenage runaways realize their true legacy: the ability to triumph over death, over time. But as their powerful parents before them learned, all magic comes with a price.
In this sweeping companion to The Vespertine and The Springsweet, the teenage children of the heroes of the previous novels confront a decades-old tragedy still unfolding. At the crucial moment, will Kate and Julian have the courage to embrace their gifts?
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Saundra Mitchell
Saundra Mitchell is an award-winning and critically-acclaimed author of twelve novels and two non-fiction history books, and an editor of four anthologies for young people, and two novels for adults forthcoming. She has spent the last fifteen years of her career fighting for the reading rights of young people, especially those from marginalized groups and backgrounds. As a disabled, openly queer author, she has fought for equity in professional reviews for books featuring LGBTQIA+ characters of all ages, and continues to fight for equal inclusion in classes, school libraries and public libraries. With work banned in at least sixteen states, Mitchell is a vocal activist against censorship at the local, and national, level. Mitchell also teaches creative writing and screenwriting to students of all ages, and enjoys reading, studying history, playing ttrpgs and video games, and spending time with her wife and daughters. Saundra Mitchell (she/they) has been a phone psychic, a car salesperson, a denture-deliverer and a layout waxer. She’s endured basic training, hitchhiked from Montana to California. After a lifetime in the midwest, she now resides in Maryland. Her pronouns are she/they.
Vespertine Books
Vespertine Books consists of two primary books, and includes one additional book that complement the series but is not considered mandatory reads. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
