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paragraphsandpages's review against another edition
5.0
Middlegame was one of those books that you put off just because you know you’ll be obsessed with it as soon as you read it, and it wasn’t until I was approved for this ARC that I finally pushed myself to read it (and I was right, I was and am and forever will be obsessed with Roger and Dodger).
And because I trust Seanan McGuire with my life, I just knew Seasonal Fears would further this obsession, even if I had to lose the cast I’d adored in the book before. Seasonal Fears feels both brand-new in its execution and like a variation of Middlegame in its core elements, making it the perfect follow-up. It can both entirely stand alone or be read after Middlegame, though there are a few cameos you’ll only truly enjoy if you’ve read the first book.
Seasonal magic has always been something I’ve loved in stories, with the latest favorite being The Nature of Witches, and seeing Seana McGuire build upon this base was fantastic. I love how she tied it into the world set up by Middlegame, and while there is a LOT of description therefore needed to make it all make sense, it worked for me. It also felt a bit more accessible in terms of understanding than Middlegame did, perhaps because I already had that base of knowledge of the story world, but I also just think it was a bit better described more quickly here, even if there were moments where we heard the same explanation multiple times that sometimes felt repetitive. However, I feel like this repetition was largely due to the main characters having a hard time accepting this drastic change to their world, rather than it being for the readers necessarily.
Seanan’s writing style is still one of my favorite aspects of her books (alongside these massive magic systems and worlds layered on top of our own), and this book was no different. The way the words were able to wrap around the sometimes heartbreaking truths of this story just made it hit all that much harder, while also making the book impossible to put down. And while I forced myself to just slow down and enjoy every letter of this story, I wanted nothing more than to simply devour it.
The only thing I wasn’t fully a fan of was the final ordering of the end, and I wasn’t really into the exact place where the story left off. It almost felt like we got the true ending first, a slow tapering off, and then it was followed up with a more abrupt ending, whereas often you get this the other way around. I don’t fully understand the choice to end it exactly this way, but it didn’t really hinder my enjoyment of the book overall. There were also some scenes and moments at the end that were heavily built up throughout the entire book only for them to transpire and end rather quickly, which was sometimes a bit of a let down even as I enjoyed the events themselves.
Overall though, I adored this book, though differently from Middlegame, and cannot wait to read the middle grade books that connect a bit to this world, and hopefully, more books come to this world as well too!
And because I trust Seanan McGuire with my life, I just knew Seasonal Fears would further this obsession, even if I had to lose the cast I’d adored in the book before. Seasonal Fears feels both brand-new in its execution and like a variation of Middlegame in its core elements, making it the perfect follow-up. It can both entirely stand alone or be read after Middlegame, though there are a few cameos you’ll only truly enjoy if you’ve read the first book.
Seasonal magic has always been something I’ve loved in stories, with the latest favorite being The Nature of Witches, and seeing Seana McGuire build upon this base was fantastic. I love how she tied it into the world set up by Middlegame, and while there is a LOT of description therefore needed to make it all make sense, it worked for me. It also felt a bit more accessible in terms of understanding than Middlegame did, perhaps because I already had that base of knowledge of the story world, but I also just think it was a bit better described more quickly here, even if there were moments where we heard the same explanation multiple times that sometimes felt repetitive. However, I feel like this repetition was largely due to the main characters having a hard time accepting this drastic change to their world, rather than it being for the readers necessarily.
Seanan’s writing style is still one of my favorite aspects of her books (alongside these massive magic systems and worlds layered on top of our own), and this book was no different. The way the words were able to wrap around the sometimes heartbreaking truths of this story just made it hit all that much harder, while also making the book impossible to put down. And while I forced myself to just slow down and enjoy every letter of this story, I wanted nothing more than to simply devour it.
The only thing I wasn’t fully a fan of was the final ordering of the end, and I wasn’t really into the exact place where the story left off. It almost felt like we got the true ending first, a slow tapering off, and then it was followed up with a more abrupt ending, whereas often you get this the other way around. I don’t fully understand the choice to end it exactly this way, but it didn’t really hinder my enjoyment of the book overall. There were also some scenes and moments at the end that were heavily built up throughout the entire book only for them to transpire and end rather quickly, which was sometimes a bit of a let down even as I enjoyed the events themselves.
Overall though, I adored this book, though differently from Middlegame, and cannot wait to read the middle grade books that connect a bit to this world, and hopefully, more books come to this world as well too!
hrgisahero's review against another edition
4.0
Not as good as Middlegame, but I still enjoyed it. Felt closer in vibes to her kids books and I just wanted it to be more like the first book!
tcjax's review against another edition
2.0
This feels like someone wrote mediocre fanfiction of Middlegame
fallingletters's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally published 27 April 2022 at Falling Letters. I received a free digital copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
I’m going to compare Seasonal Fears to [b: Middlegame|35965482|Middlegame (Alchemical Journeys, #1)|Seanan McGuire|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537297437l/35965482._SX50_.jpg|57524946]– my darling, a top five all-time favourite of mine. It can’t be helped. Readers do not experience books in a vacuum. Especially not sequels, even sequels positioned as more spiritual successors than direct follow ups.
I did not expect Seasonal Fears to hold a candle to Middlegame. That would have been an impossible task for any novel. That impossibility stems from the fact that two of my favourite aspects of Middlegame cannot be recreated. Once they had been done, they were done. If you’ve read and loved Middlegame, you might guess what those aspects are.
The first aspect was the slow build and gradual reveal of the alchemical world and what the heck was actually going on. That was one part of Middlegame that I found delightful – learning about alchemy and the Doctrine and how Rodger and Dodger have truly been affecting the world. The awe factor I got form the unfolding worldbuilding in Middlegame is absent from Seasonal Fears simply because it’s already been done.
The second aspect may be more personal. I found Rodger and Doger to be vividly realized characters who both undergo striking development arcs. I also connected with both of them on a deeply personal level. Seasonal Fears wouldn’t be able to present two characters that I would fall in love with the same way. Even still, I found Henry and Melanie to be the least compelling protagonists of any Seanan McGuire work I’ve read.
Neither had anything that drew to me to them. They felt thinly drawn, more actors in a plot than people in their own right. I certainly never felt the commitment they had to each other another, not like I did with Rodger and Dodger. I suppose one could argue that connects well to the theme of personal choice vs destiny and would they still love each other if they weren’t Summer and Winter people? Suffice to say those two just didn’t do anything fo rme.
Without those two appeal factors (worldbuilding and character), what DOES Seasonal Fears have to offer? An action-adventure plot that takes the form of a deadly road trip race to a labyrinth and claim the crowns of the seasons. Further illumination on how embodiment works (ie how the seasons become ‘people’ and an expanding of the alchemical world. And McGuire’s ever-compelling, observant prose. Just because its missing the shining diamonds of Middlegame, doesn’t mean it’s not still a good read!
I’ve still got more to say about the relationship between Seasonal Fears and Middlegame… Seasonal Fears also ties more closely to Middlegame than I expected! To my delight, Rodger and Doger make more than a cameo appearance. I won’t give much away. Suffice to say they occupy more than the two pages glanced-from-a-distance than I expected. And we hear from Erin and Smita as well.
“It is later than it has ever been before in the life of the universe. The clock has started running again, and the future is here.” (7%)
The story takes place shortly after the events of Middlegame. Rodger and Doger are no longer resetting the universe. Reed’s death and the embodiment of the Doctrine echoes throughout the story, with characters knowledgeable of the alchemical world recognizing that both of those events have a notable impact on their world, if not as immediately on Melanie and Henry’s story. For example, Melanie’s father was a colleague of Reed’s. I actually found some of the descriptions and commentary in Seasonal Fears helped me better understand the events of Middlegame.
“She’s not acting superior because she’s older. She’s doing it because she’s Mathematical Function Incarnate, fully manifest, and she could edit us out of existence if she wanted to.” (50%)
Also! Did I catch some hints that Asphodel may not be dead as you and I would know it?! Or is that just my overactive wishful thinking? Please do let me know if you caught that impression as well.
The Bottom Line
I’m going to compare Seasonal Fears to [b: Middlegame|35965482|Middlegame (Alchemical Journeys, #1)|Seanan McGuire|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537297437l/35965482._SX50_.jpg|57524946]– my darling, a top five all-time favourite of mine. It can’t be helped. Readers do not experience books in a vacuum. Especially not sequels, even sequels positioned as more spiritual successors than direct follow ups.
I did not expect Seasonal Fears to hold a candle to Middlegame. That would have been an impossible task for any novel. That impossibility stems from the fact that two of my favourite aspects of Middlegame cannot be recreated. Once they had been done, they were done. If you’ve read and loved Middlegame, you might guess what those aspects are.
The first aspect was the slow build and gradual reveal of the alchemical world and what the heck was actually going on. That was one part of Middlegame that I found delightful – learning about alchemy and the Doctrine and how Rodger and Dodger have truly been affecting the world. The awe factor I got form the unfolding worldbuilding in Middlegame is absent from Seasonal Fears simply because it’s already been done.
The second aspect may be more personal. I found Rodger and Doger to be vividly realized characters who both undergo striking development arcs. I also connected with both of them on a deeply personal level. Seasonal Fears wouldn’t be able to present two characters that I would fall in love with the same way. Even still, I found Henry and Melanie to be the least compelling protagonists of any Seanan McGuire work I’ve read.
Neither had anything that drew to me to them. They felt thinly drawn, more actors in a plot than people in their own right. I certainly never felt the commitment they had to each other another, not like I did with Rodger and Dodger. I suppose one could argue that connects well to the theme of personal choice vs destiny and would they still love each other if they weren’t Summer and Winter people? Suffice to say those two just didn’t do anything fo rme.
Without those two appeal factors (worldbuilding and character), what DOES Seasonal Fears have to offer? An action-adventure plot that takes the form of a deadly road trip race to a labyrinth and claim the crowns of the seasons. Further illumination on how embodiment works (ie how the seasons become ‘people’ and an expanding of the alchemical world. And McGuire’s ever-compelling, observant prose. Just because its missing the shining diamonds of Middlegame, doesn’t mean it’s not still a good read!
I’ve still got more to say about the relationship between Seasonal Fears and Middlegame… Seasonal Fears also ties more closely to Middlegame than I expected! To my delight, Rodger and Doger make more than a cameo appearance. I won’t give much away. Suffice to say they occupy more than the two pages glanced-from-a-distance than I expected. And we hear from Erin and Smita as well.
“It is later than it has ever been before in the life of the universe. The clock has started running again, and the future is here.” (7%)
The story takes place shortly after the events of Middlegame. Rodger and Doger are no longer resetting the universe. Reed’s death and the embodiment of the Doctrine echoes throughout the story, with characters knowledgeable of the alchemical world recognizing that both of those events have a notable impact on their world, if not as immediately on Melanie and Henry’s story. For example, Melanie’s father was a colleague of Reed’s. I actually found some of the descriptions and commentary in Seasonal Fears helped me better understand the events of Middlegame.
“She’s not acting superior because she’s older. She’s doing it because she’s Mathematical Function Incarnate, fully manifest, and she could edit us out of existence if she wanted to.” (50%)
Also! Did I catch some hints that Asphodel may not be dead as you and I would know it?! Or is that just my overactive wishful thinking? Please do let me know if you caught that impression as well.
The Bottom Line
wordsmithreads's review against another edition
3.0
The difference between a forest fire and a candle is scale and control, not elemental nature.
I read [b:Middlegame|35965482|Middlegame (Alchemical Journeys, #1)|Seanan McGuire|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537297437l/35965482._SX50_.jpg|57524946] in March 2020, and I remember enjoying it immensely, the I'm-not-sure-what's-happening element of it. I had seen a few reviews of Seasonal Fears noting that it was similar vibes, so I was excited.
Ultimately, this didn't quite hit the mark for me. It felt like it was trying a little too hard to be mysterious, shoving in feminist life lessons (which I am a hardcore feminist, but the asides felt random and forced). I remember Middlegame being fairly well plotted, and the reveal at the end being worth all the build up. For Seasonal Fears, out of 479 pages, 437 is build up,. It felt a little like Breaking Dawn: you do all this preparation and discussion, just for there to not be a battle?
I also was annoyed with Harry and Melanie, consistently. Harry kept saying, "This is hurting my brain" or "you're not explaining things" even when Jack was literally in the middle of explaining. There were a couple plot holes, and contradictions. When we come across Rodger/Dodger and crew, it feels like the story lands back on its feet for a little while, because Rodger and Dodger know how to ground each other, and therefore the rest of everyone around them. They are not even human, but they at least speak and act like it. Jack and Jenny and Harry and Melanie (and Aven) are all so ... cookie cutter and dramatized that I had a hard time really liking any of them.
Ultimately, I'm glad I read it, because it's a follow on to Middlegame, but I don't think I would read again.
Change is another word for chaos, and chaos disrupts the best possible plans.
What loves you is best positioned to hurt you, because you let it in. You invite it through the front door, you drop your shields and bare your throat and tell it to feed if it hungers, because you love it, because you want it to be happy.
Sometimes, not asking is the only way to get the answers you need.
I read [b:Middlegame|35965482|Middlegame (Alchemical Journeys, #1)|Seanan McGuire|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537297437l/35965482._SX50_.jpg|57524946] in March 2020, and I remember enjoying it immensely, the I'm-not-sure-what's-happening element of it. I had seen a few reviews of Seasonal Fears noting that it was similar vibes, so I was excited.
Ultimately, this didn't quite hit the mark for me. It felt like it was trying a little too hard to be mysterious, shoving in feminist life lessons (which I am a hardcore feminist, but the asides felt random and forced). I remember Middlegame being fairly well plotted, and the reveal at the end being worth all the build up. For Seasonal Fears, out of 479 pages, 437 is build up,
Spoiler
and by 443, the action you've been waiting for is overI also was annoyed with Harry and Melanie, consistently. Harry kept saying, "This is hurting my brain" or "you're not explaining things" even when Jack was literally in the middle of explaining. There were a couple plot holes, and contradictions. When we come across Rodger/Dodger and crew, it feels like the story lands back on its feet for a little while, because Rodger and Dodger know how to ground each other, and therefore the rest of everyone around them. They are not even human, but they at least speak and act like it. Jack and Jenny and Harry and Melanie (and Aven) are all so ... cookie cutter and dramatized that I had a hard time really liking any of them.
Ultimately, I'm glad I read it, because it's a follow on to Middlegame, but I don't think I would read again.
Change is another word for chaos, and chaos disrupts the best possible plans.
What loves you is best positioned to hurt you, because you let it in. You invite it through the front door, you drop your shields and bare your throat and tell it to feed if it hungers, because you love it, because you want it to be happy.
Sometimes, not asking is the only way to get the answers you need.
novelsandnailfies's review against another edition
3.0
Seasonal Fears is the follow up to one of my favorite reads of 2020, Middlegame. This book brings a whole new alchemical adventure with a new cast of characters. High school students Melanie and Harry are a pretty typical football player/cheerleader teenage couple on the surface, except that Melanie has a fatal heart condition, and Harry knows he will eventually lose her. But their lives as they know them are turned upside down when they discover the world and their places in it are far bigger than they could have imagined. To stay together, they must compete to become the living embodiments of Winter and Summer.
Sounds pretty confusing, right? Part of the beauty of Middlegame was the slow, teasing introduction to the mind-boggling world building, but Seasonal Fears lacked the same finesse. What it got right was fantastic characters that had me rooting for them right from the start. Where it fell short was too much exposition and not enough action. The explanations of what was happening felt fairly constant, and by the time the real action started, it was almost the end of the book. Seanan is a wonderful writer and world-builder, and I did enjoy this one, it just didn’t quite live up to the epic adventure that was Middlegame.
_b_a_l_'s review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful and interesting but not quite at the level as the first book.
“I know it’s warm, but the month still stands, and the moon still shines.” “And we’re still tidal creatures all.”
“I know it’s warm, but the month still stands, and the moon still shines.” “And we’re still tidal creatures all.”
specialk3782's review against another edition
3.0
Seasonal Fears is the sequel to Middlegame and is a fantasy story following two best friends Melanie and Harry. They have always been together and when something crazy happens in their life they go on a big adventure to find out more about themselves. Sometimes I come across a book I just don’t know how to rate and this is one of them. The writing of Seanan McGuire is so unique and peculiar which makes her books incomparable to others, which is so rare. If you liked Middle Game absolutely pick this up. It was hard for me to get into at the beginning but once I was hooked I couldn’t stop listening. Did I like it, yes… Did I really like it? I don’t know… but it was an experience. 3.5*
jlbailey831's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars? I loved this and loved that we got to revisit the characters of middlegame a little. It just felt a little anticlimactic to me.
teaturtlesandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0