When the gods leave and evil freely rules Ashlund, Una and her family bear down for the season of darkness. Seemingly safe in the comfort of her own home, she explores her newly acquired gift with the help of her loved ones. Within days, her plans are interrupted and instead of fighting boredom, she finds herself fighting to survive. Trapped in a situation where there is no escape, Una endures … endures the worst the Authority has to offer. Who knew family could be so kind…or so ruthlessly cruel? For all the things her parents taught her about surviving in a world set against them, they never prepared her for this. Una is about to discover the true demons of the dark were here all along.
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Una’s strength is inspiring!
Despite all Una continues to amaze me. Every step of her journey is fraught with strife. Yet the scavenger in her doesn’t yield. Action packed story left me wanting to know more!
WOW. To think, I had to be talked into reading the first book in this fantastic series… (teehee)
It’s true – the author, the eminently talented Jennifer Arntson, reached out to me last year and requested a review of Season of Atchem, the first novel in this new five-book series (pentalogy just sounds funny, even if it’s technically correct). I hemmed and hawed and made her send me a sample and finally agreed to take a look, but frankly wasn’t sure what I’d find. I’ll tell you what I found – an excellently crafted, utterly original world populated by marvelously detailed characters and intricately interwoven plot lines that pulled me in much more deeply than I imagined possible. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was looking forward to seeing what came next.
Then came Book Two. And now I’m hooked for good…
In this book, Arntson really came into her own with the series. Everything fell into place – plot, characters, pacing, the balance of action and exposition, the proportion of levity and malevolence – and I literally could not put this one down once I started it. (Seriously, I read through the night – check out my dates started and finished.) The things that I enjoyed in Book One were expanded upon and blossomed into a riotous over-growth that would put Carroll’s Garden of Live Flowers to shame. Every few pages there would be a revelation: large, small, or middling, size had never before been so irrelevant, because each proffered yet another piece to the overarching puzzle that is just starting to frame itself out. There is SO MUCH going on here; layer upon layer of secrets, mysteries, whos, whats, and wherefores are delicately interwoven into a Turkish rug of uncertainty that is unraveling almost as quickly as it’s being woven…
There were a few surprising changes in tone and tenor this time. While the first book had its moments, violence-wise, this one takes that to an entirely new level. This is not a story for the faint of heart; it may be the story of a teenager, but it is NOT a teenager’s story. (Sadly, in the modern world it’s probably STILL too tame for teenagers – but I don’t much care for the modern world, preferring my own headspace that is firmly entrenched somewhere in the mid-1980s, and from that vantage point, it’s pretty graphic for kids.) The developments in tone are reflected in the gorgeously lush cover (seriously, wait until you see all five books together, the graphic will blow your mind – and that’s all Arntson too, she’s a double-threat this one!) that thrums with bloody promises. I think they’re also indicative of the shifting nature of the threats Una is facing, and her increasingly intense responses to them. And this is only Book Two – I cannot even imagine where things will go in Three through Five!
Seriously, I cannot say enough good things about this one. It’s an intense read that will linger with you, images snaking their way through your head like creeper vines, lurking and insinuating themselves into your subconscious until you suddenly realize they’ve got you utterly and completely at their mercy. I don’t get to say that about very many books – and I read rather a lot – so trust me when I say you should DEFINITELY pick this one up (after reading the first – you’ll be way lost otherwise).
My review copy was initially provided by the author. I then downloaded it on Kindle Unlimited.