Calcutta, 1813. Lady Daphne St. Clair, who as an Extraordinary Bounder is capable of transporting herself anywhere in the world with a thought, has longed to serve in the Army for years. But an unexpected weakness at the sight of blood makes her responsible for a good man’s death in battle. Unable to serve on the battlefield, Daphne is sent to India to be transportation for the Governor-General’s wife and children. In disgrace, Daphne fears she will never achieve the fame and glory she has worked so hard for.
A chance encounter with Captain Phineas Fletcher, attached to the Honourable East India Company as a troubleshooter and investigator, leads to Daphne being given a new opportunity: help Captain Fletcher discover the truth behind a series of strange occurrences in the town of Madhyapatnam. Daphne is willing to do anything to restore her reputation, even something as small as Captain Fletcher’s investigation. As the days progress, her attachment to the members of the team grows deeper, as does her growing attraction to the captain.
But as Daphne and Captain Fletcher dig deeper into the mystery, the truth turns out to be much more sinister than anyone imagined. Dark currents run deep beneath the pleasant surface of Madhyapatnam, and the echoes of a twenty-year-old story threaten not only the Company’s rule over the town, but the safety and well-being of everyone in it. Soon only Daphne’s talent and courage stand between Madhyapatnam and the evil that threatens to overwhelm it.
Jan’s Review
Melissa McShane’s Abounding Might is the Third installment in the authors’ The Extraordinaires series. The Extraordinaires is an alternate history Regency-era fantasy series that will apparently feature eight different women who have powerful magical talents. In this universe, there are two separate groups of talents: The Corporeal Talents (Mover, Sharper, Scorcher, and Bounder) & The Ethereal Talents (Seer, Speaker, Discerner and Coercer.) Each book follows one woman as she learns to use her magic to change the world.
I really like how you get introuduced to the main character of the next book in each previous book. The ‘magic’ systems are well developed and it is quite obvious that author McShane has thought through how they work, their limitations and strengths, and how they can be most effectively used. As well, each of our extraordinary women are trialed and learn how to push their abilities further – often with dire consequences on their physical or mental health. There are smart imitations that keep the extraordinaries from being too powerful (aka the superman principle).
In this one we deal with the ability of being able to bound from one detestation to another usually while carry another person. That can wain on our main character and at times she becomes uncomfortable and almost looses her ability to speak. Which helps remind us that she is not very old yet and still fairly new to her bounding abilities.
The story ends with the next talent to be explored- Bess, an extraordinary speaker. This series is one that each new book can be read by itself but you will enjoy the series more if you read each one in order.
