Third review for the day. I hope you are having a pleasant day. I know it might be jarring to get all these reviews at this time, in this way, without anything in between. However, August is just a meh month. September was going to be when I focused on online webnovels anyway. What a year this has been, truly.
Customary warning: This is a reminder that these are my personal opinions. My thoughts and feelings are not your thoughts and feelings. I may not always be the target audience for a book; sometimes I am. If I do not like a book, that doesn’t mean you’ll dislike it. If I love a book or simply like a book, you may hate it. Take everything I say with this knowledge. If it sounds interesting to you despite what I’ve said, then go ahead and read it. You’ll only know you like something if you read it yourself.
That being said… Spoilers ahead.
Seasons of the Storm by Elle Cosimano
Synopsis From The Book
One cold, crisp night, Jack Sommers was faced with a choice—live forever according to the ancient, magical rules of Gaia, or die.
Jack chose to live, and in exchange, he became a Winter—an immortal physical embodiment of the season on Earth. Every year, he must hunt the Season who comes before him. Summer kills Spring. Autumn kills Summer. Winter kills Autumn. And Spring kills Winter.
Jack and Fleur, a Winter and a Spring, fall for each other against all odds. To be together, they’ll have to escape the cycle that’s been forcing them apart. But their creator won’t let them go without a fight.
Fantasy | YA – E |Mention of violent death and suicide, Manipulation, General Violence | Choice, Love, Friendship, Time and Fate
Initial Thoughts Before Reading:
Alright so I’m behind, like badly behind actually. Lol ten days in 6 books done. If I can get three done today I’ll just have caught up with where I’m supposed to be. I doubt that I will. Two probably will get done. Maybe.
Regardless, this is a book for book club this month. I am excited for it because it is about the seasons! It is a big book about murder and romance. I’m here for it. I’m not anticipating this to take me long to read. So let’s go!
Edit: oooh content warning interesting. Also this is probably gonna be a stand alone, even better.
Initial Thoughts After Reading:
Alright so I really liked the seasons, their powers, and the concept. I think the ending is the only part that doesn’t sit too well for me, even though logically it all lines up right. I’m interested to see what book club thinks about this book, actually. I wonder if how I felt for the ending was the same for them.
EDIT: WAIT ITS A FIRST BOOK? I was putting the review together and getting the synopsis from online and… ITS A DUOLOGY? HOW? WHERE? WHAT? I am so confused. I thought it wrapped up perfectly well. Unless I’m right and Lyon is the second and main antagonist. Oh. Now I’m Hype.
Plot Overview:
Spring’s hands. He and spring are in love but they can not love each other for that would break all the rules. After they both turn off their transmitters to kiss, everything goes wrong. Fleur, spring, is re-educated which makes her sick to winter. And Jack, learns that there they have been lied to and before the season survived on their own before all of the technology and monitoring. The best Winter that existed, Lyon, tells Jack to follow his heart rather than to simply accept reallocation to Alaska. Jack, Amber (autumn), and their handlers (those they saved and have protected them through the years) hatch a plan. They get the spring involved through Jack telling Fleur and she tells Summer. The four escape together, leaving the confines of their season base, against all odds.
The four escape with their handlers to the sea. They are at sea for weeks and Jack helps Fleur wake up. When they land they are attacked and Woody (Amber’s handler) gets hurt. They escape narrowly and get to Jack’s cabin. Jack and Fleur spend a night on the lake and kiss for the first time without fear of killing each other. Back at the cabin Jack gets a note that tells him to call Lyon who warns them of an incoming attack. They fight and Julio and Fleur almost die. Jack takes in the power of another winter, almost kills amber but saves them all. The next day they fight over what happened and sleep it off a bit. Then Jack is shot the next day by a human kid who was hunting. Fleur lets the kid live but they flee the state. They end up at a bar when Jack wakes up. And end up in a bar fight. Jack who realized Lyon might be using them, gets them to flee and warns them that everyone is after them, including the kid who lost his gun when Fleur and Amber attacked him (for shooting Jack).
They make it to an open place where Jack and Julio create a storm that destroys everything and they can get to Arizona. Amber goes to see her mom and when she’s been gone too long they go in and see she’s gone. Chronus speaks on the tv telling jack to come back and jack calls him to say no. Julio leaves the team to find Amber who the others think is dead. Fleur and Jack go to the Grand Canyon and there they find their handlers who found them. They go to the beach where Julio died and find him with Amber. Defectors and rebels show up to join them. They all go to Mexico and it is there that Chronus fights them. People die and Jack gets to the end figuring that Fleur will decide the end of the story. Chill is stabbed as he’s trying to save Jack with Julio, and Lyon takes his power and kills Chronus, becoming the new Chronus. Gaia, the mother of their abilities, can’t save Jack but she makes Chill a new Winter. Chill saves Poppy who is dying, making her his handler. Fleur chooses Jack as her’s.
Six months later things are changing and Jack is happy with Fleur. Lyon and he often talk, and Jack has the chance at his abilities again, not that he’s sure he ever wants them back.
What I Liked:
Jack; Jack Frost was what I first thought when I saw his name. Its funny because when I explained this book to my friends and I told them that his name was Jack they were like “of course it was.” Am I the only one who is okay with it? I actually really did like Jack. What he would do for the others and how he inspired others, I really liked. Also that he was willing to have everyone focus on him for this story, when Fleur was the one who would decide everything. I love it.
Fleur; She’s cute, she’s fury, she’ll mess you up in a hurry. Fleur was strong and no one expected it of her but Jack. I respected her so much, and the fact that she was the true main character of this story has me. Let her be happy in the city of eternal spring. She deserves it.
Julio: He was cool, and charming. Horrible backstory of how he and his sister died. I’m happy that he got a good ending too, and became a great linch point for their group when Jack was being an angsty winter boy.
Amber; She was cool. I am furious for her having missed her mother by a short margin, however it is the way life is and time stops not even for a season. She needs to get everything she wants, however. I don’t make the rules.
Chill; He was cool. I really like how he became the new Winter and got his placement in Alaska.
Poppy; She pushed for what she wanted, and she just never wanted to be alone. Let her and Chill be happy forever. I need her to be happy, please.
Other handlers; Marie and Woody were cool, but they didn’t leave too large of a lasting impression on me.
Guards; Other than Noelle, I really didn’t care much for the guards. They were antagonistic people but that was about it. I did like the inclusion of their characters, but I probably won’t remember them as people much.
Relationships; So Fleur and Jack, when I told this to my friends they were like “of course they did.” And honestly it was pretty obvious how the pair ups were going to happen. It didn’t stop me from loving it anyway. Jack and Fleur were so cute and as season crossed lovers, my heart ached for them. I’m happy that they get to be with each other now.
Gaia; I didn’t get much on her specifically. Other than how she loved Lyon. Was I mad about that? No.
Lyon; So I have a mixed relationship with him. I know that he was supposed to be a father figure to Jack. But what sort of father figure sends the cops after his son, as he’s telling his son that the cops are coming, and that he needs to fight? Lyon used Jack. He’s a villain in his own right, and that’s kind of how I see him. Did I hate him? No. Was he a good person? Also no. I felt him another villain with Chronus, if anything.
Chronus; What a comical villain. Standard in most ways, and honestly I wasn’t expecting more for that. Him being afraid of inevitability made sense to me. As Time himself, him being the enemy was all I needed. I didn’t really care to learn too much for him.
Mythos and Magic; I really liked how the seasons and how they had to kill each other. I liked the idea that they could take other seasons, and become more. (I wish I saw more with this) The magic was cool, although elements was to be expected. Winter felt like they got the short end of the stick in a way, but somehow everyone feared them. In general, I liked how the magic, system, and the history, was explained in the novel. I would have wanted more, but I’m not mad about what we got.
What I Would Have Liked or Changed:
The ending; I will put the caveat here that I understand why things are the way they are. Fleur never having made a choice? I like that. I like that she brings back Jack for that. I also really thought that Fleur was going to become Chronus and Jack her new Gaia. And in a way I almost wanted that more. Lyon screwed them over so much. I would have loved to see Jack and Fleur take their spots, but I suppose that is just me being vindictive. Thematically it makes little sense, and I know that, but I felt so off about Lyon and Gaia getting what they wanted after everything.
Jack’s Powers; For someone who is claimed to be one of the best Winters, he really didn’t surprise me with his powers. Freezing a lake, obvious. Chilling the air, clearly. His wind didn’t seem that powerful, nor his ice. Maybe I just needed to see what other winters could do, but the only other Winters we got were Guards, and they had all the elements. What made Jack so great? Other than the fact of global climate change.
Book Club Thoughts:
In general, we said we would have been interested in seeing the book only from Fleur’s perspective. Where we think Jack is the chosen one but its her. Also, Jack was not powerful for them either. We were interested in Chill and Poppy’s relationship. And then Lyon. We all pretty much loathed him for what he was leading Jack into (And the audacity he had to say that Jack was like a son to him).
Rating: 4/5
Notable Quotes:
“Because inevitability in inextricably tied to our choices, and you are the only person who knows your own hear as you make them.” – pg 124
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity. A perfect storm lies ahead. You can let it destroy you, or you can take control of it. How the story ends is up to you.” – pg 320
Marlena Marie 
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