A River Enchanted

A River Enchanted is a 2022 fantasy/romance novel by young adult/fantasy fiction author Rebecca Ross. A River Enchanted is the first novel in the Elements of Cadence duology, followed by the 2022 sequel A Fire Endless. Ross is also the author of the New York Times bestselling Letters of Enchantment duology, the Queen’s Rising duology, and two standalone fantasy novels. The Elements of Cadence duology is Ross’s first foray into adult fiction. Ross’s work often deals with themes of magic’s role in conflict, the tension between tradition and progress, and community influence in building individual identity.

This guide refers to the 2022 HarperCollins Kindle e-book edition of A River Enchanted.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss child abduction and pregnancy loss. In addition, the source text uses outdated and offensive terms for children whose parents are not married, which are only replicated in direct quotes of the source.

Plot Summary

Jack Tamerlaine must return home at the summons of the laird of his clan after he was sent to the mainland to study music at the university 10 years ago. A fisherman agrees to take Jack to the Isle of Cadence that night for the price of two enchanted dirks, as magic items can be forged on Cadence. Jack tells the fisherman the tale of the conflict between the two clans that live on Cadence, the peaceful Tamerlaines and the bloodthirsty Breccans: After tensions between the two clans grew untenable, the two lairds, Joan Tamerlaine and Fingal Breccan, attempted a marriage alliance. However, the lairds killed each other, cursing the land, and the clans have been bitter enemies ever since. The fisherman’s lack of belief in the spirits upsets Lady Ream, a spirit of the sea, who taps on the bottom of the boat. The frightened fisherman turns back, and Jack jumps out and swims to the shore. He is intercepted by the East Guard, including Captain Torin Tamerlaine, nephew of the laird, who informs him that two young Tamerlaine girls have gone missing. Jack follows Torin to his home and meets his wife, the healer Sidra, and daughter, Maisie.

Torin takes Jack to the castle to see Alastair, the laird of the Tamerlaines. He claims he did not summon Jack, and then his daughter Adaira appears. Adaira forged a summons from her father to get Jack to return to Cadence. She wants Jack to use his musical ability to summon the spirits so she can ask about the missing girls. Adaira’s deceased mother, Lorna, the former Bard of the East, used to summon the spirits and honor them, bringing prosperity to East Cadence. Jack agrees, and Adaira gives him her mother’s music. Jack sees a letter from the Breccans in Adaira’s study.

Jack returns home to see his mother, Mirin, who weaves enchanted plaids for the clan, though it makes her ill. Mirin introduces him to Frae, his younger sister, whom Jack did not know about. In the night, Jack hears something attempting to open Frae’s window and sees a shadow slip away. Jack is unsettled and thinks a spirit has come for his sister. The next day, Torin tells Jack that another little girl is missing. Torin also knows the shadow was not a Breccan intruder, because he can magically sense whenever a Breccan crosses the border. While searching for the girls, Torin finds a strange crimson flower, which he gives to Sidra to study. Torin also visits his estranged father, Graeme, who gives him half a book of stories about the spirits that belonged to Joan Tamerlaine. Sidra reads Maisie a story from the book about Oreanna, an earth spirit who grew crimson flowers to spy on the other spirits, who punished her by allowing any human who eats a petal of the crimson flower to learn her secrets.

Adaira visits Jack at home and discusses their plan to summon the water spirits. Jack asks her about the Breccan letter, and she explains that she wants to start trading with the Breccans. After dinner, she and Jack summon the water spirits at Kelpie Rock. As Jack plays the ballad, the spirits appear. Though they seem to know about the missing girls, Lady Ream cannot say where they are, but she warns them about blood in the water. Jack begins to feel sick, as using magic makes Tamerlaines ill. He hides it from Adaira, and they agree to summon the earth spirits next. That night, the ghost of Torin’s first wife, Donella, speaks to Sidra in a dream and tells her someone is coming for Maisie. While trying to run to Graeme’s house, Sidra is attacked, and Maisie is abducted. Sidra stabs the kidnapper, and the blood is red, meaning he is human, as spirits bleed gold.

Jack studies the song for the earth spirits and worries Frae will be the next girl taken. Adaira receives a reply from Moray Breccan, heir to the Breccan laird, offering to meet to discuss trade, but stipulating that Adaira must come alone. Jack advises her to bring someone else, perhaps a husband, as husbands and wives are considered joined as one. Sidra gives Adaira the same advice. Later, Adaira proposes marriage to Jack. Jack agrees, and they decide to summon the spirits of the earth, marry, and then meet Moray.

They summon the earth spirits at Earie Rock, who also cannot speak about the missing girls. Discouraged, Jack and Adaira return home. They get married but keep separate bedrooms. The next day, they meet Moray on the clan line and have a successful trade, though he tells them he doesn’t know about the crimson Oreanna flower. They discuss Adaira visiting the west.

Jack sees 10 Breccans heading toward the house of a missing girl’s family. He and Torin fight the Breccans, but Torin is wounded by an enchanted dirk that steals his voice. Jack helps the family escape the house as the Breccans burn it. The missing girl reappears. Jack begins to suspect his and Frae’s father is Breccan. Adaira and Jack meet with Innes Breccan, laird of the Breccans, who knows about the Oreanna flower, which proves Moray lied.

Sidra finds the wounded Torin and heals his wounds with the spirits’ help. Jack and Adaira decide to summon the air spirits, though Adaira now knows using magic makes him sick. Jack begins to write a ballad for the air spirits, and Mirin gives him her enchanted dirk that makes people tell the truth, saying it was his father’s. Adaira and Jack summon the wind spirits. Bane, king of the wind spirits, tells Adaira that all the girls were taken by the Breccans, but does not reveal where they are, though he claims Mirin knows. He attacks and injures Jack. Jack and Adaira return home and find out Alastair has died. Adaira becomes laird.

Jack confronts his mother, who tells him that his father is a Breccan who discovered he could pass over the clan line without the captain of the guard finding out if he bled into the river as he crossed it. Jack realizes the other Breccans must have found out and used the river to steal the girls. As Jack talks to his mother, Moray attempts to kidnap Frae. Jack uses his music to force Moray to return with Frae. Adaira and Torin arrive and question Moray, who reveals he kidnapped the girls to lure Adaira back to the west, as Adaira is his twin sister. She was sickly as a baby, so Innes gave her to another Breccan, Jack’s father, Niall, to leave outside. Niall instead gave Adaira to Mirin, who gave her to Alastair and Lorna. Adaira refuses to go with Moray and imprisons him, but when she returns to the castle, the townspeople have turned on her, having learned of her true identity. Jack confesses his Breccan heritage to Adaira, and they consummate their relationship.

That night, Breccans take Torin hostage, demanding the return of Moray. Finally, Adaira agrees to return to the west in exchange for Moray staying in captivity in the east and the release of the missing girls. Jack tries to go with Adaira, but music is not allowed in the west, as it upsets the spirits. Adaira begs Jack to stay in the east and remain a bard. Jack stays behind, crying as he watches Adaira ride into the west without him.