Seasons of the Storm

April 1, 2020
Seasons are meant to hunt and destroy each other, but what happens when two Seasons fall in love? Jack is a Winter. With the help of his Handler, he hunts down the Autumn who comes before him, kills her, and runs from the Spring who comes next--until she kills him in turn. This cycle maintains the seasons and the weather, which is why Seasons are regulated: kept to their own territories when out in the world and to their own sections of the compound they call home. But since the beginning, Jack has sought out gaps in the system, which may be why he finds himself drawn to Fleur, the Spring tasked with killing him. Monitored both by technology and the magical creatures controlled by Chronos and Gaia--the beings responsible for the Seasons--as well as watched over by their own skeptical Handlers, Jack and Fleur nevertheless take a risk that could destroy the delicate balance in their lives and in the world. Melding high-tech bunkers in London and secretive road trips across the U.S. with mythology and magic, Cosimano tells a story of the bonds of friendship and the power of hope for the future. Though the large cast is sometimes cumbersome, the themes of friendship despite differences and self-sacrifice nevertheless shine through. Jack and Fleur seem to be white while a secondary character is cued as Latinx. A solid urban fantasy with a novel premise. (Fantasy. 14-18)

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April 1, 2020
Grades 7-10 As teenager Jack is dying, having fallen through ice on a frozen pond, Gaia offers him a job as a Season, an immortal being who shepherds a particular season in a particular part of the world. He becomes a Winter, pursued and killed every year by Fleur, his Spring counterpart. As time goes on, Jack and Fleur start falling for each other, disrupting the order mandated by Chronos and sparking wider resistance to following his commands. This nifty tale is rooted in the Greek mythology of Gaia (Mother Earth) and Cronus/Kronos (Gaia's son and overseer of time), although it departs from the myth in its details. Cosimano's adventure story of the fugitive, star-crossed lovers develops in two parts: In the first, Jack, Fleur, and friends follow the rules. In the rest, they are on the run. With lots of action, fairly flat characters that still claim our affections, and an exploration of when and how much to trust those in authority, the story asks whether you will be the user or the used.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2020

Gr 9 Up-At the precipice of death, Jack can choose to do nothing or he can choose to live-with strings attached, of course. Jack Sommers decides to live, and he becomes Winter. Each person is assigned a season to control the change of weather on Earth, and that change is violent. The incoming season must kill the outgoing season, e.g., Summer kills Spring, Autumn kills Summer, and so on. There are rules that must be followed or the consequences are severe, and can include final death. But Jack is not good at following rules, especially the one forbidding seasons from fraternizing with one another. Jack has fallen in love with Fleur, the Spring who kills him every year. Cosimano, in the first book of a duology, takes a familiar concept and adds a wild twist; what Jack and Fleur do not realize is that their rebellion is going to alter everything. And through the story, readers will experience the common occurrence of the seasons changing as something magical and mythical. VERDICT This is an enjoyably edgy novel with a great premise, filled with adventure, loss, love and suspense.-Jessica Perovich, US Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Library

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 25, 2020
Immortal beings embody seasons in this fast-paced mythological fantasy by Cosimano (The Suffering Tree). For the last three decades, Jack, a Winter, has each year hunted and killed the Autumn before him, who kills Summer, who kills Spring, a cycle that maintains the weather system. The rules set in place by Chronos and Gaia instruct Seasons to be ruthless and bloody with their kills, which are monitored and reported on by their handlers. Otherwise, they live segregated in the Observatory, where they remain for nine months until their time approaches. Otherwise, opposing Seasons aren’t supposed to engage outside of their annual hunts, which are enforced via strict surveillance and a ranking system. When Jack and Fleur, the Spring who kills him each year, fall for each other, and Fleur’s performance drops below standards, placing her in jeopardy, Jack determines to get them out from Chronos and Gaia’s clutches. But the secret to surviving lies in relying on the cooperation, trust, and harmony of other opposing Seasons. Blending mythology with the modern world, Cosimano uses the rhythm of nature to create a whirlwind of romance and friendship that illustrates both the power of choice and the strength in differences. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sarah Greenhouse, Greenhouse Literary.