The Soul Mirror — Carol Berg

In a royal city beset by hauntings, plagues of birds, and strange sinkholes that swallow light and buildings, whispers of necromancy swirl about the queen's volatile sorcerer.

Scholarly, reclusive Anne de Vernase rejoices that she lacks magical talent. Her father's pursuit of illicit sorcery has left her beloved family in ruins and her future bleak. But a plague of murders compels Anne to unravel a dead sister's magical puzzle. With none to trust but a friend she cannot see, Anne must investigate matters beyond science - a centuries-old rivalry, the boundaries of death, and the most dangerous sorcerer in Sabria . . .