The Councils of Essence - The Councils of Essence (CoE series), #1

Book 1 Summary:

Their new beginning was meant to begin with unity, but instead it began with death.

Twenty years after the Spirit Youth Massacre—leaving only two survivors—the Pure-Forms approach Estalia to warn her of an unknown threat. They and the Dragons suddenly disappear, as does the life and glow of the Elemental Tree and its roots. Nature on the continent of Thesnia has lost its most interactive forces, and she is the one meant to get them back.

Estalia—accompanied by five companions—must go to meet the Air Ethnic Queen, Juno, in their search for answers. Enduring not only the physical trials of the journey, she also faces trauma and the stress of challenges she never anticipated.

Series Key Elements & Tropes:

~Quality relationships—includes family, platonic, and intimate 

~Humour and banter

~Romance and "spice"

~Love triangles

~Dragon and form shifters 

~Elemental Spirits and Dragons

~Humans with "ancestral gifts" (wings, pointed ears, gills, tails, heightened senses)

~Political/Council factions and "Ethnics"

~Layered and multidimensional character arcs and plotlines

Content Warning:

Includes strong language, mature relationships, violence, and other adult content.