Thank you NetGalley for the ebook-arc. The story was wonderful and full of world building and character development. Following Tirne, and after being accused of breaking the mirror that allows them to travel from world she is demoted and sent on to do daily tasks, while getting help to solve that case of the broken mirror and trying to figure out who was trying to frame her

This was an interesting and unique adult fantasy, with wonderful writing!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This book was a great myth! I have not read about these gods/goddesses before and I very much enjoyed the story! I would like to see what else Amy Avery writes in the mythology world!

This book should've been a 5 star read because it has all these great ingredients: a god of death, a Herald who accompanies the dead to the realm, a mystery that needs solving. But the magic of all of those elements quickly loses its luster at around the halfway mark. The story becomes repetitive and there is barely any story progression. The characters decision making skills are horrible, as well as their lack of making any decisions. Our MC is so horribly oblivious that it can only be chalked up to bad writing, there are really no other justifications for her lack of action. The other characters are also flat. I had hopes that the ending might pick up at bit, but the ending just cemented my feelings about this book not living up to its own hype.

2.5 rounded up.

The longest autumn was perfect fall book to read during the winter.

Part of the plot points didn't thrill me and some of the character development wasn't for me.

I had very high hopes for this novel, and while those hopes were generally met/fulfilled in the beginning, the story kind of fell flat for me by the end. My interest in the Tirne and the rest of the cast of characters and their experiences and conflicts decreased throughout the story. The pace of the story was kind of all over the place which I think contributed to my experience of the story overall. While I enjoyed the novel magic system and the in-world lore, I wasn't very satisfied with the conclusion, and I'm not sure I'll be continuing with this series as I wasn't really left wanting more.

A fabulous debut standalone fantasy! I am always on the hunt for an author whom can build a complex world and story wrapped up one book. And this dedication, seared me: "For those whose careful plans and big dreams shattered, and who put themselves back together again."

This was surprisingly better than I thought it would be. Neither a romance nor super high fantasy, it nevertheless managed to include a bit of mystery, a dash of world-building, and an interesting exploration of two relationships thar form and break in different ways. The writing was easy to fall into from chapter 1, and I wouldn't mind picking up something else from the author in future.

The Longest Autumn is a great story that very well connects themes of resilience, personal growth, and the complexities of human relationships against the backdrop of the changing seasons. Avery's writing style is easy to follow but doesn't take from her excellent writing!

The story really forms when Elizabeth finds herself at the old, forgotten gazebo in the heart of the woods—a place that symbolizes how she feels inside, abandoned and broken. This scene also shows the beginning of Elizabeth's introspective journey toward healing and self-discovery.

I liked the themes of love, loss, friendship, and the importance of community. Although some were underdeveloped, the realistic and compelling characters added to the novel's emotional depth.

However, the love story was entirely predictable and could have been skipped altogether. And then there was the pacing! That was the most challenging part because I wanted to quit reading in the first half. Even though everything was nicely described and emotions were running high, I needed more action-driven narratives to keep me interested.

Overall, the book was ok! There are many ways the book could have been more exciting and engaging. I feel sad, but the story wasn't really memorable to me!

This book was very unique. This story created a new mythology system where the gods were able to control the seasons and had to come from their realm to ours to make the seasons change. I really enjoyed the unique mythology that was created in this story. It felt like a twist on Greek mythology with Autumn being the god that was able to help souls to the underworld. I liked the main character Tirne and definitely enjoyed her journey. What didn't work for me with this was that there felt like certain pieces of the story that were not fully resolved at the end, at least in my opinion. I also felt like the plot was quite predictable, which was okay, but it just made it a little bit less enjoyable for me since a main focus was solving a mystery of sorts and I had already predicted the villain fairly early on. I would say I liked this book because of the unique mythology and the main character, but I didn't love it.

3.75✨

Debut author. Fantasy. LGBTQIA+ rep. Disability rep.

The Longest Autumn takes place in a fantastical world where each season is a god, and they have Heralds (honored human assistants) who help them usher in their season each year by passing through a mirror from the gods’ realm to the human. The main character, Tierne, is Autumn’s Herald, but when after passing through the mirror, it shatters, Tierne is blamed for its destruction and the seasonal balance is put in jeopardy. It is up to Tierne to figure out who’s to blame for the mirrors destruction, or else lose her position as Herald.

Not gonna lie, this book sort of lost the plot, but I still very much enjoyed it. For me, the strong suit in this book is the characters, character relationships, and the atmosphere/world. Each character is refreshingly flawed, including Tierne, and the politics of how they obtain their wants and needs sometimes at the expense of others kept me invested until the very end. Even the characters I hated, I loved to hate. I also liked the backdrop of their world and the history and lore that came with it. Sometimes fantasy books that have worship/religion in them don’t really work for me, but for some reason, this one did.

Where this book fell short for me was the plot, which very much had to do with the mystery of who destroyed the mirror. My main struggle with the plot was the meandering way that it went on (i.e. Tierne would find a lead and then not know where to go next with it, etc.), which somewhat threw the pacing off. Even so, I was so invested in the characters and what would happen next to them, that the pacing didn’t bother me too much.

I would recommend this book to fantasy/fantasy-romance readers who love character-driven stories (and lots of LGBTQIA+ rep) in immensely atmospheric worlds. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author should they come out with another novel.

I went into this hoping for a mythology-esque fantasy with a tiny pinch of romance. Instead, I got smut heavy romance with a tiny pinch of fantasy. Objectively, the writing wasn’t bad, but I wanted more of the plot and less of the random sex scenes. Things happen so fast that there isn’t really any time for the reader to feel the emotions as the MC moves through the book. It left me feeling a bit disconnected. All in all, this story had promise, but lacked a bit in execution.

The Longest Autumn set up an interesting world and magic system. This book was a bit slower in pace than I prefer my books to be.

Thank you Netgalley and Flatiron Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The world-building of this story is fantastic and really had me immersed. I also loved the combination of the story being a mystery and romance.

The Longest Autumn by Amy Avery is about Tirne, a young woman who serves as herald to the god of death. She is devoted to her work, eagerly shepherding the souls of the dead from the mortal realm to the realm of the gods through an enchanted mirror that serves as a portal. Her world changes forever when, on a day that should be a celebration of the changing of seasons, she passes through the mirror and it shatters, leaving her and the god of Autumn stranded in the mortal world and the world stranded in an unending season of decay. When the temple leaders discover that her blood carries the curse that shattered the mirror, she becomes the prime suspect in its destruction, and she either has to find out who cursed her or risk losing her position.

This book delivers thorough worldbuilding and an intriguing magic system. I loved the connection between the gods and the seasons and the way that the balance of their mortality and divinity is kept by traveling between the two worlds. Avery does a particularly good job of showcasing the lives of those who live and serve at the temple and contrasting them with those who live outside the gates. The world is populated with a diverse range of LGBTQIA+ characters, and I appreciate the way she represents the experience of chronic pain through Tirne's point of view. I also enjoyed the way Tirne wrestles with her faith as she watches the god of Autumn become more human with each passing day.

While the plot of the book does involve a mystery and a romance, both feel incidental to the heartbeat of the story, which is about a woman who progressively loses everything she holds dear as the world around her crumbles. Avery does not flinch away from Tirne's suffering. She is devastated by the loss of her position and frequently debilitated by her chronic pain, and as her circumstances grow more dire, she has to decide how much of herself she's willing to give up in order to regain her status and the position she loves. Her journey toward separating her identity from her position and her faith is a worthwhile story to engage with, but given the way the synopsis positions the book, I found myself disappointed by the lack of development given to her romantic relationships and the anticlimactic, almost casual way the mystery's solution is delivered at the end.

I think this book will resonate well with people who prefer slow-paced, character-driven fantasies where romance is not a central force in the story's unfolding. Its intended audience is summarized well by the author's dedication: "For those whose careful plans and big dreams shattered, and who put themselves back together again."

3 ⭐

The world-building in this is next level! Amy Avery's debut definitely delivered on this front, I just believe some of the expectations from the plot of the story did not deliver. I loved the concept of this book upon hearing it - a forbidden romance with heavy mythology roots who gets trapped with the god of Autumn.

In this world, Tirne is one of the fortunate few mortals who help escort the gods of the incoming season through the realms to transition. Tirne takes pride in her job as herald and loves it with her whole being. With this current transition, Tirne would take Autumn, the God of Death, through an enchanted mirror to cross the realms into the human lands.

however, the mirror shattered after passing through. There consequences spiraled and our story begins with Tirne being blamed for this tragedy. She is stripped of her duties and works her way to find the true answer to the mystery to clear her name.

This story was more of a whodunit rather than a fantasy-romance. The romance is what lost it for me. I suppose that was my own fault for my expectations, however the romance was entirely lacking. I didn't feel any chemistry between Tirne and Autumn while reading this. The only redeeming factor was the overall world-building and intrigue within the story.

Might change my mind in the future if I decide on a reread...

Interesting World-building
Character's Inner Journey
Whodunnit
Political intrigue
Chronic Illness rep (Debilitating Migraines)

For transparency - I did swap between the audio and ebook through the duration of my read and both were alright - neither truly made the experience better. The narration by Zura Johnson was lovely, but the story itself made it hard to be interested.

The Longest Autumn by Amy Avery released January 16, 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and MacMillan Audio for the eARC & ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very good debut fantasy! I loved the mythology and the religious servitude atmosphere, it felt really one of a kind. And I was a sucker for the very fluid relationships and love interests, in that way it kept me guessing the whole time. That being said, the mystery itself felt obvious from the start, so that made some of the fun die out quick. But the turn this book took about half way through was very surprising and pleasantly unexpected!
I do find that the main character was constantly helpless, not because of her chronic illness, but because she was constantly the victim of bloodletting, drugging, stabbing, you name it. It did get exhausting after a while but lol kind of reminded me of Stephenie Meyer so that was weirdly comforting in a nostalgic sort of way.
Overall a very original and intriguing story that had me interested the whole time. I can't wait to read more from this author!
Also funny note: I had pictured Sidriel as this crusty decrepit man [kinda like an old version of Randal from Monster's Inc] so LOL it was funny me trying to picture certain things a little bit into this book XD

I will include a review of this in my Monthly reading wrap up on my booktube channel and will link here when posted.

Real Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

This is an adult fantasy/romantasy tale by debut author Amy Avery, and I was vibing along with it at around the four star range until the ending. Then I was upset enough with this book to drop the rating to 3.5 stars.

I will tell you this book made me sob heaps and heaps of tears. This is a very sad book. It’s an emotional book. I guess that’s fitting for a book about a very long autumn, but by the ending I felt emotionally manipulated, and not in a good way. When there’s great trauma in the read there needs to be an equally cathartic payout. The payout here wasn’t cathartic. It was a mess.

The writing itself was pleasant, and I think Avery has a great future in front of her as a writer. The plot, while marred at the end, was really great and written well. The characters were well-written and designed. The book was predictable in a lot of ways but no more so than any other fantasy book.

I just really wish the ending didn’t feel so devastating to me.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Fantasy/Romantasy/LGBTQ Fantasy

Beautifully written and atmospheric. I will say I was a fan of the representation in this book, but less interested in the overall mystery. That’s not a discredit to the book, more so of me not being able to hold my attention for the majority of the book with the mirror. The pacing lost my attention a bit after the first half of the novel.

Thank you so much to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of “The Longest Autumn” by Amy Avery in exchange for an honest review. All of the following opinions are formulated on my own. Any quotes in this review should be cross-referenced with the final copy for any possible edits.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My review: The Longest Autumn by Amy Avery, a debut standalone, is a stunning play on mythology and is an interesting take on the subject. Usually, we see humans get stuck in the gods realm, and instead we see Tirne and Autumn get locked in the mortal realm after they pass through a mirror left shattered. Unable to return to his realm, Tirne slowly begins to lose his divine powers and grasping to find out who did this. The Longest Autumn is stunningly atmospheric and leaves you wondering about what more could happen in this world. My only complaint is the length and how the story could have been wrapped up in a better bow. I think this is an amazing debut and look forward to Amy's growth as a writer.


<b> Notable Themes, Elements, and Tropes: </b>
- Mythology & Gods
Mortals and Diety
Trapped in another realm
Seasonal Gods
LGBTQIA+ Rep