Seasons of the Storm by Elle Cosimano

For fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Laini Taylor, a perfect storm lies ahead in this riveting fantasy duology opener from award-winning author Elle Cosimano. 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.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020 so I'm really sad I didn't enjoy it very much.

First of all, the synopsis does not make it seem like it, but this is an urban fantasy (not my favourite genre at all). So the book was not at all what I expected. When I started reading, I thought I had picked up the wrong book by accident and I checked and re-checked that I was actually reading “Seasons of the Storm”.

Second, the plot is confusing, the characters are rather one-dimensional and I didn't feel engaged in the romance. Now, I'm not a romance fan in general, but I can enjoy it if the story surrounding it is good and the characters are likeable. It just didn't do it for me in this book.

I considered DNF'ing, but decided I should give it a full go since it was so high on my anticipated releases... Oh well, I've finished it now. I won't be reading the sequel.

While a tiny bit confusing in the beginning like most world building tends to be, I knew I was in love with this book pretty early on. It is a very unique story that I enjoyed learning more about, and it made me feel excited for the upcoming change of seasons in the American Northeast instead of the dread I usually feel. The characters are written beautifully and I connected with them quickly. Amazing story, can't wait to read the sequel!