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A review by wordsmithreads
Seasonal Fears by Seanan McGuire
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.