The Karenina Chronicles

A water mage who can summon floods, suddenly unable to call a single drop. What would you do if the thing that defined you slipped away?

When the power you built your life around stops answering, who are you? Lady Karenina leaves home and hearth to outrun her grief, and finds something harder than any enemy waiting in the South Country: herself. This is a fantasy about loss, healing, and the quiet courage it takes to rebuild.

Gripped by a grief-fueled wanderlust after the death of her Earthly husband, Lady Karenina of Ruain—Nina to family and friends—escapes into unfamiliar lands, a harsh and distant country peopled with enigmatic characters: the Leviathan, the Nomad, the Outcast, and the Wolf. In their company she finds adventure, danger, champions, and rogues—some of the latter worth killing, but at least one worth loving.

Chronologically fifth in the Waterspell series, The Karenina Chronicles is a standalone story which is fully accessible to readers who have no knowledge of the previous four books. Whether you are just discovering the Waterspell universe, or continuing the family saga that began in the original Waterspell quartet (Warlock, Wysard, Wisewoman, Witch), you will find an unforgettable heroine and a rich world of characters in The Karenina Chronicles.

For Readers Who Enjoy: fantasy adventure, mature heroines, books about grief and healing, water magic, character-driven fantasy, found purpose, immersive worldbuilding, emotional journeys, magical herbalism and caregiving

"The Karenina Chronicles is thoughtful, emotional, and goes beyond being just a fantasy. Lightfoot explores grief, rediscovery, family, community, and resilience. Readers who enjoyed Robin Hobb's The Liveship Traders or Juliet Marillier's Blackthorn & Grim novels will most appreciate what Lightfoot did with The Karenina Chronicles, a character-driven fantasy adventure about a widowed water mage whose journey through unfamiliar lands becomes a path toward renewal. The story blends magic, grief, healing, family ties, and atmospheric wilderness travel. 5 stars." —Reader Views

This book is human-authored.