Audiobook Review: Miss Amelia's List by Mercedes Lackey

Miss Amelia's List
Author: Mercedes Lackey

Narrator: Zura Johnson
Series: Elemental Masters (Book 17)
Publication: DAW (December 24, 2024), Tantor Media (February 18, 2025)

Length: 13 hours and 7 minutes

Description: The seventeenth novel in the magical alternate history Elemental Masters series follows Amelia Stonehold and Serena Meleva as they navigate property acquisition, marriage proposals, and other ancient horrors in Regency England, but with the help of elemental magic

The year is 1815, and an American, Miss Amelia Stonehold, has arrived in the Devon town of Axminster, accompanied by her "cousin" Serena Meleva. She’s brought with her a list to tick off: find a property, investigate the neighbors, bargain for and purchase the property, staff the property and...possibly...find a husband. But Amelia soon finds herself contending with some decidedly off-list trouble, including the Honorable Captain Harold Roughtower, whose eyes are fixed on her fortune. Little does Amelia know that his plans for her wealth extend far beyond refurbishing his own crumbing estate — they include the hidden Roman temple of Glykon, where something very old, very angry, and very dangerous still lurks.

But Roughtower isn’t prepared to reckon with the fact that neither Amelia nor Serena are pushovers. And he certainly isn’t ready for the revelation that he has an Earth Master and a Fire Mage on his hands — or that one of them is a shapeshifter.

My Thoughts: This seventeenth Elemental Masters fantasy takes place in 1815 and stars Amelia Stoneheld and Serena Meleva. They are young Americans from South Carolina who have come to England with a list. They are eager to connect with other elemental masters, find a property for their brother to extend the family business of textiles and dies, and maybe find spouses. 

Amelia is an Earth Master and a channel while Serena is a fire mage and a shapeshifter whose second form is a leopard. They are welcomed by the same family already hosting Amelia's brother James. The are also elemental mages and eager to introduce the two young women into society. 

The girls are rather between classes. While Amelia's father owns substantial land in South Carolina, he is also in trade. This means that they aren't acceptable to the haut ton but there is a large society of tradesmen and another of elemental mages for the girls to enjoy. There are typical young women who enjoy parties and fashion.

They have arrived in England at a very difficult time. Napoleon has escaped and is causing panic in England while running roughshod over Europe. But, even worse, a huge volcanic exposition in the south seas has caused dangerous weather changes. It is the year without a summer and with a very hard winter in the future. A lot of the story has to do with preparing for the upcoming weather changes by gathering supplies and stockpiling winter clothing. 

The girls have been befriended by Lord Alderscroft who is the head of the hunt in England. His patronage should make fulfilling their goals, and checking things off Amelia's list, easier. He's found them a rental property in Axminster to be their base as they try to check off the rest of things on their list. The only bad thing about the move to Axminster is that they will be in close proximity to fortune hunter the Honorable Captain Harold Roughtower and his friend Mr. Phillip Nightsmith whom Amelia overheard making very rude comments about her.

This was an engaging story, but the pacing was odd. All the danger and action seemed to have been packed into the last chapter. After a story that had almost no action, things ramped up very quickly. I like the worldbuilding in this series. I like the way Regency manners combine with hidden magicians and magical creatures. 

I bought this one on Kindle June 16, 2025, and audio on May 12, 2026. You can buy your copy here.