Wood Sprites

Spencer’s fourth Elfhome novel (after Elfhome) maintains the series’s solid quality. When youthful curiosity with combustibles sends eight-year-old twins Louise and Jillian Mayer to the hospital, the doctors make an intriguing discovery: blood types prove that the girls are not biologically related to their loving parents. The twins’ investigation into their origins leads to the discovery that they have elven heritage, and entangles them in the fraught politics between humans and elves. Amid escalating acts of violence, Louise and Jillian’s search for unknown relatives places them in a pivotal role in a conflict spanning the human and elf worlds. The girls are endearing without being twee and bright but not implausibly brilliant, and Spencer’s prose remains engaging. The mélange of science fiction and fantasy tropes, starships rubbing shoulders with proud elf warriors, is uncommon but tasty. Established fans will enjoy this installment, and those unfamiliar with the series or Spencer may find it an intriguing introduction to her work. (Sept.)