Scan barcode
okevamae's review against another edition
4.0
Seasonal Fears is set in the same world as Seanan McGuire’s previous novel, Middlegame. It follows childhood sweethearts Melanie and Harry as they learn the secrets of a hidden world of magic and embark on a dangerous quest for the one thing that can save both their lives and fulfill their destinies: becoming Winter and Summer Incarnate.
As with the previous book, Seasonal Fears is beautifully written and centers around some concepts that can be a little hard to grasp – in this one, it’s humans as the embodiments of seasons – but it has interesting characters and a plot that will keep you entertained. Just be prepared, especially in the beginning, for a lot of conversations that are a little hard to follow, complete with characters commenting that what other people are saying doesn’t make sense. I didn’t like Seasonal Fears as much as Middlegame, but it’s still worth the effort to stick with it.
One thing was very confusing, though. I kept hoping something would explain it, but nope. As far as I can tell it’s just a mistake that made it past the edit. I did read the ARC, though, so maybe it was corrected?
Representation: Latino side character (Literally, that seems to be it. Disappointing, as McGuire is usually better at representation than this.)
Overall it’s a 4-star read, which I’d bump down to 3.5 because of the apparent continuity error and the lack of diversity, but then round back up to 4 because I liked it more than I didn’t.
CW: child abuse and neglect, gore
I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
As with the previous book, Seasonal Fears is beautifully written and centers around some concepts that can be a little hard to grasp – in this one, it’s humans as the embodiments of seasons – but it has interesting characters and a plot that will keep you entertained. Just be prepared, especially in the beginning, for a lot of conversations that are a little hard to follow, complete with characters commenting that what other people are saying doesn’t make sense. I didn’t like Seasonal Fears as much as Middlegame, but it’s still worth the effort to stick with it.
One thing was very confusing, though.
Spoiler
Summer, while speaking to Harry, said that he was William Monroe for three hundred years. Wasn’t Monroe Winter, and Diana was Summer? Or was Monroe effectively both, since he kept the Summer Queen locked away? If that’s the explanation, it definitely was not made clear. Super confusing.Representation: Latino side character (Literally, that seems to be it. Disappointing, as McGuire is usually better at representation than this.)
Overall it’s a 4-star read, which I’d bump down to 3.5 because of the apparent continuity error and the lack of diversity, but then round back up to 4 because I liked it more than I didn’t.
CW: child abuse and neglect, gore
I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
tigerlillymelody's review against another edition
3.0
I really struggled with Middlegame, but there were things that were strong enough about the concept and McGuire's writing - plus my own completionist tendencies and enjoyment of the companion Up and Under books - that convinced me to pick up the sequel and I'm glad I did. If you struggled to understand the concepts, timeline, and theories of the first book, this book explains them a lot more clearly and I definitely recommend picking it up if you need help untangling Middlegame. That being said, if you didn't like Middlegame AT ALL, this book is still probably not for you.
asreadbykat's review against another edition
4.0
Objective Rating: 3.75/5 Stars
Personal Rating: 4/5 Stars
Content/Trigger Warnings: Violence, mildly descriptive gore, mentions of pregnancy/birth complications, thoughts/plans of suicide, brief mentions/discussions of colonialism, character with a heart defect
My Thoughts
"But see, those people a long time ago, they thought so hard that the seasons were just like them that they started electing people to represent the seasons. They called them temporary kings and queens..."
We all have that one book we read, and we know that there's a sequel and all we can wonder is "Why?" The first book was so perfect, the ending leaving no real room for a continuation, that we can't fathom how an author could continue. Of course, I read "Middlegame" after "Seasonal Fears" was released and so I wasn't completely poleaxed. I was, however, worried. Not only did I not understand how a sequel could be made, I also knew that most people were disappointed with "Seasonal Fears." I may have also made the mistake of reading this novel the day after I finished "Middlegame." That being said, I did go into this with an open mind. I knew it probably wasn't going to be another 5 star, but I was at least hoping for something in the 4 star range.
The Plot
The actual plot of this book is extremely interesting. I do love stories that personify the seasons in a non-godlike way, and this plot appealed to me so much. It was a mixture of road trip, Hunger Games/G Gundam (with only the United States being the battleground), and combine the inclusion of alchemical creations gone wrong, there's so much that could be done.
Unfortunately, the execution of the plot is where this fell flat and me give a personal rating of 4. Where "Middlegame" felt very much like an adult novel with its execution, "Seasonal Fears" feels VERY YA. The violence is severely toned down, despite a very violent set-up, and we get more road trip shenanigans and thoughts of how much our MCs love each other than we do the actual "competition." It felt a little childish and unrealistic given what we know about the first book, and it took all the tension out of the book after the first third or half. Even the pair who are supposed to be our main antagonists turn out to be very lackluster. The male's motivations are so pathetic, and the girl has potential but isn't allowed to use it.
One reason I loved "Middlegame" was the tension, and the fact that I NEVER knew what was going to happen. Again, I knew this novel wouldn't be able to compare to it, but the fact that the feel and execution is SO different is very disappointing.
The Characters
It says something when my favorite characters are the side characters and not the mains. Don't get me wrong, Harry and Mel are very likeable. Just...too much so. Again, McGuire misses an opportunity to add depth and tension to the story by having the two of them actually argue, actually TALK. Both of them have hidden issues about their partner that really should have been addressed. By the end, I was desperate for some kind of confrontation between the two of them to cement an actual healthy relationship. But no. Those opportunities are ignored, and for me it was really detrimental to the overall story. I've actually read YA and middle-grade novels with more conflict between the mains, and that's saying something. Again, there's nothing WRONG with Harry and Mel...but that may be the problem. They don't have a lot of depth, and that means our story doesn't get a lot of depth.
The Writing
This is honestly where the book saves itself, and why I, personally, can't give it below a four. I'm willing to forgive a lot if an author can at least write a lackluster plot in a compelling way. And, thankfully, McGuire's writing is just as sharp, witty, and poetic as it was in "Middlegame." The lore and ideas behind the plot were super interesting, and I probably tabbed every section that gave me that backstory.
I also tabbed so many humorous moments ("Salsa that actually knows what a pepper is") and more of the writing that borders on poetic ("Winter is for nights as black as the feathers of a raven's wing, for color dampened and overwhelmed by the cold and not yet brought back to blossom).
The way McGuire sprinkled both types of writing throughout the book, mixing them with more insights into the world that mixes with Roger and Dodger, kept me reading until the very last page. I was so absorbed in the book that I genuinely couldn't put it down, because even when I didn't particularly care about what Harry or Mel was doing or thinking, I dearly cared about how it would be explained or described.
Overall
If you loved "Middlegame" and thought it was perfect, then don't read the sequel. "Middlegame" works very well as a standalone, and you don't have to read this one to understand it. If you do want to see what happens, maybe borrow the book from a friend or the library first, to see if you like it enough to read it.
Personal Rating: 4/5 Stars
Content/Trigger Warnings: Violence, mildly descriptive gore, mentions of pregnancy/birth complications, thoughts/plans of suicide, brief mentions/discussions of colonialism, character with a heart defect
My Thoughts
"But see, those people a long time ago, they thought so hard that the seasons were just like them that they started electing people to represent the seasons. They called them temporary kings and queens..."
We all have that one book we read, and we know that there's a sequel and all we can wonder is "Why?" The first book was so perfect, the ending leaving no real room for a continuation, that we can't fathom how an author could continue. Of course, I read "Middlegame" after "Seasonal Fears" was released and so I wasn't completely poleaxed. I was, however, worried. Not only did I not understand how a sequel could be made, I also knew that most people were disappointed with "Seasonal Fears." I may have also made the mistake of reading this novel the day after I finished "Middlegame." That being said, I did go into this with an open mind. I knew it probably wasn't going to be another 5 star, but I was at least hoping for something in the 4 star range.
The Plot
The actual plot of this book is extremely interesting. I do love stories that personify the seasons in a non-godlike way, and this plot appealed to me so much. It was a mixture of road trip, Hunger Games/G Gundam (with only the United States being the battleground), and combine the inclusion of alchemical creations gone wrong, there's so much that could be done.
Unfortunately, the execution of the plot is where this fell flat and me give a personal rating of 4. Where "Middlegame" felt very much like an adult novel with its execution, "Seasonal Fears" feels VERY YA. The violence is severely toned down, despite a very violent set-up, and we get more road trip shenanigans and thoughts of how much our MCs love each other than we do the actual "competition." It felt a little childish and unrealistic given what we know about the first book, and it took all the tension out of the book after the first third or half. Even the pair who are supposed to be our main antagonists turn out to be very lackluster. The male's motivations are so pathetic, and the girl has potential but isn't allowed to use it.
One reason I loved "Middlegame" was the tension, and the fact that I NEVER knew what was going to happen. Again, I knew this novel wouldn't be able to compare to it, but the fact that the feel and execution is SO different is very disappointing.
The Characters
It says something when my favorite characters are the side characters and not the mains. Don't get me wrong, Harry and Mel are very likeable. Just...too much so. Again, McGuire misses an opportunity to add depth and tension to the story by having the two of them actually argue, actually TALK. Both of them have hidden issues about their partner that really should have been addressed. By the end, I was desperate for some kind of confrontation between the two of them to cement an actual healthy relationship. But no. Those opportunities are ignored, and for me it was really detrimental to the overall story. I've actually read YA and middle-grade novels with more conflict between the mains, and that's saying something. Again, there's nothing WRONG with Harry and Mel...but that may be the problem. They don't have a lot of depth, and that means our story doesn't get a lot of depth.
The Writing
This is honestly where the book saves itself, and why I, personally, can't give it below a four. I'm willing to forgive a lot if an author can at least write a lackluster plot in a compelling way. And, thankfully, McGuire's writing is just as sharp, witty, and poetic as it was in "Middlegame." The lore and ideas behind the plot were super interesting, and I probably tabbed every section that gave me that backstory.
I also tabbed so many humorous moments ("Salsa that actually knows what a pepper is") and more of the writing that borders on poetic ("Winter is for nights as black as the feathers of a raven's wing, for color dampened and overwhelmed by the cold and not yet brought back to blossom).
The way McGuire sprinkled both types of writing throughout the book, mixing them with more insights into the world that mixes with Roger and Dodger, kept me reading until the very last page. I was so absorbed in the book that I genuinely couldn't put it down, because even when I didn't particularly care about what Harry or Mel was doing or thinking, I dearly cared about how it would be explained or described.
Overall
If you loved "Middlegame" and thought it was perfect, then don't read the sequel. "Middlegame" works very well as a standalone, and you don't have to read this one to understand it. If you do want to see what happens, maybe borrow the book from a friend or the library first, to see if you like it enough to read it.
bookish_withsky's review against another edition
5.0
Actually a 4.5, but I rounded up for this one. It had every single element of the first book that made me fall in love, and I did get to know and enjoy the new characters as well, but this one seemed strangely anticlimactic for me. I was expecting certain characters to have more to do with the story and they didn’t; they were actually taken care of very easily. Still, it was marvelous. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
rachelkc's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
jane_0_0's review against another edition
This was not nearly as imaginative as the previous book set in this world. This book focuses on seasonal courts in which these two kids are thrust into competition for the crowns. However, I found it incredibly predictable and somewhat boring as the concept of a ice girl and a summer flame boy being in love but unable to touch.....already done? I suppose. Unfortunate because I really like this author but she tends to be hit or miss. I will probably stick with her horror from now on.
maricelbearicel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
barrit89's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
aranafyre's review against another edition
3.0
DNF. I enjoyed the characters and the concept but there was way too much exposition way too late in the story. I get the rules - move on. I really want to know how the crowning of the seasons play out but not enough to keep slogging through.