Whether you’re a sunshine lover or prefer to be cozied up in the winter (or anything in between!) it’s impossible to deny that the changing of the seasons is impossible to reckon with. These five authors have taken the power of summer, winter, autumn, and spring and blended them with fantastical worlds and magical properties and embodiments to enchanting effects. We can’t put these reads down!
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
The rift between humans and faeries is centuries old, and when Feyre strikes down a massive wolf, she finds herself dragged from her home and into the world of the fae. As she learns to navigate the dangerous, captivating land of Prythian and tries to gain her footing in a lethal land where many faeries would see humans back under their rule, she discovers that something is rotting in their lands. A blight, dooming her beastly, yet alluring captor Tamlin and his lands to darkness. When a challenge arises, will Feyre choose to try to save those who have brutalized her own people and save Prythian from the shadows that threaten it?
Court of Winter by Krista Street
Ilara has been looked down on by her people all her life. With no wings, no magic, and no power, most assume she doesn’t have what it takes to survive the brutal, devastating, and unceasing winters. But she’s managed. She’s lived a simple, purposeful life with her sister in a quiet village until the brutal Crown Prince of the Winter Court storms into her village and kidnaps her. She’s certain this will mean her death, but what she’s offered is worse. She can either ally with the hated Crown Prince who’s taken everything from her or plunge her kingdom into a devastating war.
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
Isobel is a prolific painter with skills – and clientele – that extend beyond this world. The fair folk, who cannot create human Crafts themselves, covet her work. And when she receives her first commission from a royal client, she makes a terrible mistake. She paints Rook, the prince of autumn, with mortal sorrow reflected in his gaze. She didn’t know it could cost him his life.
Enraged, Rook whisks her away to stand trial in his land for her crime, but there is something deeply wrong in his world. They are constantly attacked, and as the pair rely on each other to survive, their resentment shifts to trust, and then to a dangerous love that violates the very laws of the fair folk.
Seasons of the Storm by Elle Cosimano
The cycle of the seasons is as predictable as anything on earth can be. Summer follows Spring. Autumn follows Summer. Winter follows Autumn. Spring kills Winter. Jack Sommers made his choice to side with Gaia, and live forever as an embodiment of Winter, rather than lose his own life. But now, with each turning of the season, he must hunt down and kill Spring. Tragically, Jack and Fleur, a Spring, have fallen for each other, and if they want any chance of being together, they’ll have to fight their way out of the cycle – and its creator.
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Megan Chase has always felt that something was a little bit off in her life. Sure, she’ll be 16 tomorrow, but somehow she doesn’t think this year will be the dreamy, exciting teenage experience that people write songs and make movies about. When her little brother goes missing – ten years after her father did – Megan discovers that her whole life has been a lie and she’s secretly the daughter of a faery king, and a crucial piece in an ongoing war. She will have to face her fears and push herself as far as she can go to save those she loves and protect herself from the icy heart of a dangerous prince.
Whether you’re looking for a coming-of-age romance or a fresh imagining of the importance of human creativity, each of these reads boasts a vibrant world that will shape your view of each passing season – and the magic that comes with it.
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