Member Reviews
3.5 stars. An interesting story and premise, with a magical town with secrets and buried trauma. The characters' relationships shine but some of the romance felt a bit cliched.
The review for this book will be posted on Instagram under the profile readwithrache on sept 12 2022 . The poison season is about a girl named Leelo who has spent her entire life on an island built around a blood thirsty forest and a lake filled with poison. This wandering forest protects the island from outsiders who would harm it. One day Leelo see's an outsider almost drown in the poison lake. She knows she should alert her villagers and that the outsider will be killed by forest or by lake. Instead she is unable to doom him to that cruel fate and betrays her island and her people by saving his life. Leelo must keep him a secret, or they would both be in danger, but as they get to know one another, she learns there are other dangers lurking past the lake and there are secrets the island hides from her. In order to survive she will need to question everything she has been taught to believe.
I loved Rutherford's Crown of Coral and Pearl duology, so when I saw this was being released in December I was really excited to get my hands on it. I received this as an arc from NetGalley. First of all, the cover is gorgeous! Secondly, the magic system is so fascinating; and the forest itself being almost like a character in it's own right. The vibes of this book has a slow this book are a little cultish and spooky in the most intriguing way! Another thing I really enjoyed was how relatable leelo's character was. The scenes where she is describing her anger was so palpable! She was written so well.This book has a slow tension that builds throughout the book. There’s a mystery that’s unravels, and I enjoyed every second of figuring it out. The whole time you are reading you know something is strange ,but you can’t place it. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. All in all, I could not put this book down. At the end of the book i wished I could read it a second time. it was so action packed dramatic! All the clues we had been given up until that point come full circle to a highly satisfying ending . I highly recommend this book!
In Mara Rutherford’s new novel The Poison Season (out 12/6) our protagonist Leloo has lived on the magical island of Endla her entire life. The island holds a Wandering Forest that the people of the island nurture by sacrificing half of the animals they hunt to it, and the island is surrounded by poisonous water that kills all types of living things that come in contact with it. The outsiders in the nearby villages have always been known to be a dangerous threat to the people of Endla and to their forest. And Leelo believes that all outsiders are dangerous, that is until she comes face to face with an outsider on the shores of Endla. When Leelo decides to hide the outsider, Jaren, instead of outright killing him, she makes a dangerous choice that could put her and her family in grave danger. This fantasy novel is full of beauty, love, and the question of how much an island should be allowed to take from a person before the island is no longer worth protecting.
I'm on the fence between 3 and 3.5 stars for this book. My rating isn't low because I didn't like the book, I actually thought it was fairly enjoyable, I just didn't feel like the book had anything new or interesting. As I was reading I thought it was an easy read, the book flowed well, and I was genuinely interested in what was going to happen. However, after finishing the book, reflecting back on it, I felt like the book didn't bring anything new to the table that hasn't already been done before. So if you don't mind reading a mildly generic, good-old fantasy novel, then definitely pick this up. But if you like groundbreaking novels, then I'd say steer clear of this one. I thought the writing was very well done, a large aspect of this book is the nature and I thought Mara Rutherford did a great job really opening your eyes to the nature surrounding the characters. Jaren and Leelo were both enjoyable protagonists to read from and I was engaged and interested in both of their character arcs. My heart broke for Tate, I loved his addition to the story. I also liked how there wasn't a ruler or a higher power ruling the island, telling everyone what to do, the higher power was the forest, which leads to Leelo questioning whether the "forest's" rules are actually worth listening to.
Another thing about this book that I thought was interesting was that, even though I would characterize it as a fantasy novel, it has aspects of dystopian in its premise and story line. The idea that Leelo recognizes that her culture isn't as good as everyone believes it to be because it is hurting someone that doesn't deserve to be hurt. In this case, this is seen when Tate is sent away as a child simply because he doesn't have magic. The book also feels like a social experiment at times. Like, trap a bunch of people on an island with a dangerous forest and a poisoned lake and see what happens. If you look at the premise in that way it is actually quite interesting, but I'm not really sure that that was what the author intended. Overall, I thought it was a solid book albeit a little generic, it had good storytelling and followed a solid storyline.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5 stars
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The Poison Season is a story about Leelo, a girl with magic who lives on an island surrounded by a poisoned lake, and Jaren, a boy who lives on the other side of the lake and is drawn to it.
“They say Endla grows roots around your feet so you can’t leave, even if you want to.“
The book starts of very slow. You get a really good sense of the world and the characters on both sides of the lake. With the introduction, the stakes are immediately clear as well. This makes sure that the feeling of dread and why characters are afraid of certain aspects are very believable. We’ve been shown what would happen if they went against the rules.
The pacing does pick up towards the end of the book, but the slow pace is never annoying or to slow while reading the book. The slow pace gave me so much time to learn their world and magic. It was beautifully written and the dual POV also tributed to that very much. it was wonderful to see the world through two sets of eyes. I also really appreciated how the characters dealt with the views they grew up with. It can be compared to the social norms or boxes we are put in this day. I loved reading how they went about all that and stepping outside the comfort zone or norms they’ve always known.
Leelo is such a precious character, but super strong at the same time. She has a lot of love to give to those she cares about and will do anything for them. Jaren is also a very sweet guy. He is understanding, respectful and very caring. Sage was a very difficult character, very much like a fox. I don’t agree with how she went about everything, but the underlining is the deep love she has for her family, in which I can relate.
The whole book felt almost like a soft and comfortable blanket and it was so good to read. The sweetness of Leelo and Jaren also felt so precious. Their romance was adorable and slow burn in the best possible way. I loved watching their relationship grow. Other relationships that were written so well in the book were the family relationships. They were integral to the story and its progression.
Overall, it was an amazing story that I enjoyed reading! It is soft, sweet, comfortable and beautifully written.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
You can find a content review and a much shorter overview of my personal thoughts here: https://www.novelnotices.com/the-poison-season
My overall rating is probably a strong 3.5.
Having read Mara Rutherford's A Crown of Coral and Pearl as well as its sequel and being generally underwhelmed, I wasn't sure what I would think about the Poison Season. The beginning dragged for me, but I began to be invested around the 37-40% mark, when the story really *began.* I would have given it four stars in the end, but there were some things that had me raising my eyebrows like, "why was this even included?" or "what purpose did this serve?" Having experienced the same thing with Rutherford's previous novels, I wasn't too surprised and chose not to dwell too much on it.
Now for the good:
I loved the world! It was so interesting and refreshing, and I especially love the further secrets and truths about the lake and the Forest that were reveal later on.
Jaren and Leelo (can't same I'm a huge fan of the names, though) were so cute! They both struck me as a little bland at first, but Leelo was well-developed with the way her ideas and thoughts changed. I loved her devotion to the people she loved! Can I also just say that there was no unnecessary miscommunication or relationship drama, so thank you Mara Rutherford!
So the romance was cute, the world was super cool, and . . . Sage. Sage and Ketty. Oh wow. Not sure if this was Rutherford's intention but she made it absolutely thrilling to hate these two characters. The subtle manipulation and control was really well done, I thought, and I totally felt for Leelo. I was so happy about Leelo's character arc and how things turned out in all her relationships in the end.
So, I think some things could have used more foreshadowing and maybe some parts could have been explained a bit more clearly, but overall this was a super enjoyable read!
The Poison Season follows Leelo, who lives on a secluded island surrounded by a bloodthirsty forest and poisonous lake. The people of Endla watch over the lake and forest and keep outsiders away, and in return they are blessed with magic. But occasionally there are those without magic, like Leelo's brother, who are driven away. Leelo is struggling with her brother's imminent departure and the secrets of her home. When she rescues Jaren, an outsider who almost drowns in the lake, Leelo must confront the secrets of Endla and who she wants to be.
This book was a slow burn in the best way. It was slow paced and immersive, full of nature and magic. I loved the multiple POVs and seeing how both Leelo and Jaren dealt with the secrets in their lives. Leelo and Jaren were both absolutely precious and so soft, which I really loved. Everything about the book felt soft and comfortable, except for the lake and the forest. The horrors of Endla were captured so well and I liked how we discovered them from both Leelo and Jaren's POVs. There's horror and magic and romance, and everything was so well balanced. It was a really good book in every way.
I have heard of this author before but have yet to pick up any of their work until now. Was this a great introduction to their work, I wouldn't say so?
I found this book to be a bit on the slow side as not much was happening, and the vast majority of the conflicts could have been easily solved with some logical thinking and communication. Besides that, I just wasn't a fan of the environment that the main character lived in as it was borderline cult-like, and I am not a fan of cult books.
Let's get into the details.
WRITING:
The writing, aside from the fact that the pacing was slow, was easy enough to digest so no complaints there. I did spy a spelling mistake but that could be rectified in the final copy.
PLOT:
The author said that this was for people who love star-crossed lovers, creepy forests, unique magic, enchanting girls, broody boys and animal symbolism. Some of those themes I am not a fan of, but the issue I had here was that I don't think any of these were done particularly well.
The forest was not very creepy and it ended up taking a backseat as the poisoned lake took more precedence. I didn't find any of the characters to be enchanting or broody. There was some animal symbolism but I wish that it was more than it ended up being, or that it was more integrated into the lore.
As I also said in the beginning, this was very borderline cult-like, which is something I don't like to read. Unfortunately, this ended up being a very prominent theme which severely impacted my enjoyment of this. I also just find cult books frustrating because to the reader it is obvious that something isn't quite right, but I can't fault the characters for not realizing they are being manipulated.
The progression of the story, once it started to pick up a bit, was due to reasons that could have just been avoided. I sat there thinking that it was a bit of an idiotic choice. I found that the ending as well, without going into spoilers, resolved the conflict way too conveniently.
WORLD-BUILDING:
This book has a very small setting consisting of the island of Endla as well as the small town where Jaren lives. With a setting that small, the level of detail and integration into the story has to be complex in order for me to feel like the word was developed enough. The author did a decent job at this, but I would prefer something a bit more expansive. There is a map though that is rather beautiful which gets some brownie points.
As for the magic system and whether or not it was unique, I would say not really. I have read books before that had a magic system based around music. I also would have liked for the book to go into more depth in terms of the forest itself. I thought the idea of a Wandering Forest was intriguing, but the story didn't really take that concept and go with it considering this had a stagnant setting.
CHARACTERS:
I found Leelo to be an aggravating character mainly because Sage was an aggravating character. Leelo considered her cousin Sage to be her best friend, but it was very clear that they had different morals. Leelo was more open to the outside world and didn't think that they were all how the Endlands viewed perceived them to be. Sage, on the other hand, put Endla first and would not hesitate to do what it took to protect the island. Leelo though, stuck with Sage even though her morals were very questionable.
Jaren I didn't mind as a character, but I also didn't care much about him. As for the side characters, like Sage, I found that some of them were focused on a bit too much to the point where it was detrimental to the story. When I started reading the story, I was unsure who the main character was because it focused on both Leelo and Sage which threw me off.
As I stated earlier on, star-crossed lovers are definitely not my go-to when it comes to romance. I like a good enemies-to-lovers, but when a couple are on opposite sides and are supposed to be enemies, it just doesn't work for me. I also simply didn't care for either of the characters and their romance which you could see coming from a mile away. The romance also progressed rather quickly which is something I am not a fan of either.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS:
I ultimately found myself bored while reading this. The story just didn't do enough for me and the pacing was a bit too slow with not enough going on to hold my attention. I do still think though that this may work for others who like this kind of story.
Will I still pick up the author's other books, sure, why not? I don't think this book was horrible, just not very interesting.
Thank you, NetGalley and Inkyard Press, for giving me the opportunity to review this in advance. My review will be posted to my blog 2 weeks prior to the release.
This book was not exactly what I was expecting but enjoyable none the less. Rutherford does a great job building the world in which The Poison Season takes place. The characters are well written. It also gives the reader a beautiful introspection on the boxes that society puts you in. Meaning, how your world view can change by stepping outside of your comfort zone, societal expectation and, even how your views can change when introduced to someone who didn't grow up in the same environment as you.
I will definteily be recommending this to my teenage step-daughter and her friends. Any young adult reader who enjoy this book and it may even open their eyes to how they may see the world.
Recently I have found myself falling in love with the cozy atmospheric stories full of darkness and heartbreak and Mara Rutherford ticked so many boxes for me. It is definitely not a fast paced book, but one thing I have always loved about Mara's writing is her world building which is something The Poison Season is certainly not lacking in.
The Poison Season is a dark but cozy romantic fantasy about a blood thirsty wandering forest, an island surrounded by a poisonous lake and the villagers that protect both.
“The Wandering Forest had found people who would protect it, and so it, in turn, protected us.”
The people of Endla have rules that have been followed for generations. Rules of secrecy and blood sacrifices and sending away the ungifted children to fend for themselves in a world where they know nothing and no one.
Leelo has always followed the rules. Even if she may not agree with them, she trusts that it is what is best for her family and her people. But when an Outsider manages to cross the poisonous lake Luma while desperately running for his life Leelo must make a decision to save his life or hand him over to The Council.
"Outsiders caught by Watchers were always given a choice: the Forest or the lake. Either way, they were never heard from again."
I have always loved the bonds Mara writes between siblings and family and TPS was no different. While I loved so many of these characters there were others I kept wanting to reach through the pages and strangle.
The romance between Leelo and Jaren was so adorably awkward and I loved watching their romance come alive. I also loved that I genuinely could not see where the relationship or even the story was going, or predict how everything was going to come to an end.
While a lot of things were wrapped up quite nicely at the end I still feel like I have unanswered questions. I know this is all part of the mystery of the forest but I need to know everything!
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to get my hands on a hardcopy when it releases! I highly recommend The Poison Season to any loves of dark and romantic fantasies!
Many thanks to Mara, Inkyard Press and the TPS street team for this eARC!
3/5
It wasn’t necessarily my favorite book but it was good . I would recommend it though. I feel like it a little boring for my taste and took me a while to get into and read.but once I got into it the book wasn’t that bad.I honestly don’t even know what made it so slow cause I quiet honestly think the beginning is good and I liked it .if it didn’t bore me the first chapter it would be a four
This was a different kinda story, honestly. A wandering forest, hungry for blood and the fae-like people who sing and sacrifice to protect it. Wow. Creative....and yet strangely familiar somehow.
I loved Leelo and Jaren. I loathed a couple side characters to the point of nearly throwing my Kindle out a window but hey, what else is new?
The ending took this book from 5 stars to four. The last few chapters dragged and dragged and dragged and dragged. I thought the book was ending repeatedly only for it to keep going. I like loose ends tied up, but not to the point of boredom or repetition.
Overall a good fantasy romance.
Will definitely read more by this author.
Thank you Netgalley, Inkyard Press, and the Poison Season street team for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
"Outsiders caught by the Watchers were always given a choice: the Forest or the lake. Either way, they were never heard from again."
The Poison Season is perfect for readers who love a dark, and elegant, atmospheric story.
Mara Rutherford weaves a tale of people who live on the island, Endla. The people sacrifice children who do not have magic, animals for the hungry Wandering Forest, and themselves for Endla's survival.
Seventeen year old Leelo follows the rules of Endla but when she meets Jaren, an outsider from across the poisonous lake, everything she thought she knew is wrong.
"We look out for each other, don't we?
Always."
I will admit, as much as I love the story and Rutherford's writing, the beginning is very slow. There is quite a bit of world-building and introductions made before the pacing takes off. Once Leelo saves Jaren from the lakes clutches is when I truly felt 100% invested in the plot.
The romance is bittersweet, touching, and forbidden. I adore the development of Jaren and Leelo's relationship as they try to hide their love from the people of Endla. Leelo has to keep Jaren hidden until they can find a way to get him off the island before someone kills Jaren for being an outsider. I liked the dreamy and shy moments between them as they navigate first love and Jaren's survival.
As much as I wanted to strangle Sage, I do love how she is written and how Leelo, in her own way, let's her go after the ending events. Sage is a compelling character and I'm curious if she will find her mother later.
I'm in love with the cover design! You honestly can't go wrong with Charlie Bowater's illustration, it's very eye-catching and fits perfectly with the story.
I recommend checking out The Poison Season if you liked the vibes of the film Midsommar, the eerie stories of Small Favors by Erin A Craig and Spells For Forgetting by Adrienne Young.
4.5 stars
dnf at 20%. there was nothing unique enough about this to let it stand out from the countless other fantasies on the market.
Magical, eerie and a must read fairytale-esque story, The Poison Season tells a story of a girl on a island surrounded by a poisoned lake, confronted with a choice: save an outsider or give in to the rules of her village and give him the death sentence. The love our main character has for her family, her people, and her curiosity of this outsider is everything you want and more. It begs readers to question want would you do if you learned the truth of what you and your own people have created. I loved this book a lot, and found mysellf unable to put it down!
Stunning, beautiful, unique. What more can I say? Everything that Mara Rutherford writes is pure magic dripping out of words on paper pages. This book was so instantly engaging with the complex characters and richly crafted world building that I associate with this author. I Immediately loved Leelo, not because of a specific character trait like her kindness, but rather because the way that her mind struggled between finding what was right and wrong in different situations and the way that she always tried to do the right thing felt very familiar and relatable. This book overall was such a wonderful exploration of family, loyalty, trauma, and perhaps most importantly: love. Even MORE importantly, none of these things were made out to be only one thing—there is so much gray area in this book.
It was just handled really well and I'm not sure I really have much else to say, but you should all go read this charming book if you like YA fantasy novels, because it is such a stunning edition to my shelf of favourites and I already can’t wait to reread it.
In all, I enjoyed my time reading this book. The setting was beautiful and captured the mood of the story very well, and the nature of the singing magic fit perfectly into the world building. The foil between Leelo and Sage was well written, and I found myself at times frustrated and conflicted for their motivations and reactions. I adore when books elicit an emotional response, and I was on the edge of my seat reading how Leelo would choose her next move. The development of Leelo as a character was realistic in that I could see how her indecision and vulnerability reflected her upbringing. Leelo's growth is the highlight of the story.
I did have some issues with some elements that felt underdeveloped. The wolf in Jaren's story seemed unresolved and it is unclear how it related to the rest of the novel. The development of the romance seemed stilted and unbelievable, especially given that the author reminds us several times that they have fallen in love in no time at all. The characters themselves almost have a hard time grasping why they're in love. I couldn't tell you much for why they love each other.
I also found the larger reveals at the end of the book to fall a little flat. As I was reading, I found myself thinking, "Is this the big secret?" I wasn't convinced entirely with the secret of Endla. As I finished the book I felt like I was missing things.
Despite it's shortcomings I enjoyed reading The Poison Season. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys books with bloodthirsty forests, unique magic systems, complex characters, or far-reaching generational secrets.
I really enjoyed this book. It is pretty much like a fantasy romance book with a fairytale story like parts. I also absolutely obsessed with the love interest Jaren.
My favorite part about this book is probably how both characters grow and develop on their own and become the people who they were meant to be. I highly recommend the story for an amazing plot an even better characters.
This was an elegant surprise. I loved every second of it! The characters and the plot development had me on the edge of my seat. At points I cried because this was too beautiful a book not to. This is one of my few 6 star reads for this year.
The cover is gorgeous!! I was unable to finish this one but it was really good what I was able to read. I will definitely buy a hard copy to finish it at some point!
I would like to first thank NetGalley and Inkyard Press for giving me this E-arc.
I was really hoping to love this book, but in my opinion it fell short in many ways that it could have expanded on.
First for what I loved about the book. I loved the system of magic with Endla, and how through songs they embedded it with magic. The concept of the villagers of Endla was highly intriguing, and the way they view the world compared to outsiders. The conflict that was built between the two, especially how Endla saw those who were incantu( non magic born children of Endla) and those that were outsiders as a danger and beneath them. Second I loved the concept of the Wandering Forest and how the survival of those from Endla created a balance between the two.
Now for what I wish had been expanded on. Firstly the love story I felt could have been explored more. Spoiler ahead, but the fact that most of the story is in a cabin, kind of was a let down for me, when so much more depth could have been given between the relationship of Leelo and Jaren. Secondly, we could have explored more about the world, especially the Wandering Forest, and there are so many questions left unanswered as the story focuses just in a cabin for most of it. I want to understand more about the people of Endla, instead of this rushed explanation at the end. I am quite disappointed, as I enjoyed reading it, but I felt that more could have been explored.