Didn't finish. ( )

Seasons of the Storm by Elle Cosimano is a cute story that personifies our seasons. In theory, it is the beginning of a new series, but with the ending it has, I am not certain how that is; the story is complete as it stands. While I can see the potential storyline should Ms. Cosimano continue, I don't think it necessary for her to do so. I would much rather she leave her characters alone, especially because I don't believe Seasons of the Storm is all that strong a story.

I say that because the love story that drives the plot, between Winter and Spring, is weak. This storyline, I believe, is more like love at first sight, but without any zing or any other indicator. We meet Jack and Fleur well into their odd relationship, developed over years of their flirting before Fleur kills Jack each spring, but we never get insight into how their relationship developed. As such, we never get the chance to build a relationship with them, something I feel is necessary to champion for them as they flee for their lives.

Also, while the elemental magic is cool, as is the idea of personified seasons, we don't get much knowledge regarding why the seasons need to kill each other every year. We hear about the rules that guide their lives, but we don't really get a chance to understand them or know why someone established the rules until the very end. For a story that is all about people bucking the rules and trying to escape, I feel this is a severe lack of knowledge that, once again, fails to build a connection between the characters and the reader.

Lastly, when a story's existence hinges on two potential lovers fleeing so that they can be happy together, the chemistry between the potential lovers is key. Sadly, I feel there is little to no chemistry between Jack and Fleur. I just don't get their relationship. Wanting to flee a rigid cycle of death, waiting, and rebirth makes sense, as does wanting to get to know other seasons. To cheer on Jack and Fleur as they cross the country, I want to experience butterflies. I want that little frisson of delight in my belly that denotes a truly believable and swoon-worthy relationship, and I never get that.

Seasons of the Storm does its job as being a pleasant distraction from the dual weights of the ongoing pandemic and Black Lives Matter revolution. But that is all it is - a distraction. Unfortunately, the lack of backstory, the lack of world-building, and weak character dynamics make it all too forgettable. I appreciate the unique approach to weather and enjoyed every time the characters used their powers, but I want to know more. With more, I believe Seasons of the Storm could be great. As it stands, however, it is simply okay. ( )

Story (4/5): The premise of the story is that teens on the brink of death can choose to become the embodiment of a season. From that point on they are destined to fight and destroy the season that comes after them over and over. Jack (winter) has long been in love with Fleur (spring) and Fleur is becoming reluctant to eliminate him. However, Fluer’s rankings are dropping and if they drop too low Fleur herself will be permanently eliminated and a new Spring will be acquired to take her place. It’s a very star-crossed situation but Jack has a plan to escape the system entirely.

This was different from what I thought it was going to be, more of a paranormal/urban fantasy than a fantasy book. It was fast-paced and engaging and made for a decent read. However, I never felt like the concept behind these teens who represented seasons was really explained all that well. The lack of explanation for why this whole “seasons system” was put in place made the story feel really contrived and a bit confusing.

Characters (3/5): I felt like I never really engaged with the characters, even though they are given full backgrounds.. The book does jump between Fleur and Jack, changing POV sometimes mid-chapter. I often had to go back and check whose POV I was reading from because Fleur and Jack didn't really "sound" all that different. Side characters are given backgrounds and partially developed but they were also hard to engage with.

Setting (3/5): The setting was just the world in general set in contemporary times. There is some discussion around where Seasons are located because they patrol certain regions. Most of the Seasons in this book were based in US locations.

Writing Style (3/5): It's a neat concept and is decently written but I didn't find myself dying to know what was going to happen. I think the pacing was a bit off at points and the erratic POV switching broke up the flow of the story. Fleur and Jack didn’t have unique enough voices, so it was hard to tell whose POV you were hearing the story from unless you went back to check the title of the section.

My Summary (3.5/5): Overall this was okay, I didn't love it but I didn't dislike it either. It’s an interesting concept but wasn’t fully developed. The characters were somewhat generic and never really engaged me in the story. The book ends at a good spot and things were nicely tied up. There is supposed to be a sequel to this book, but I struggle to see what it would be about since the story was complete at the end of this book. I don't plan on reading more books in this series when they are released. ( )