Reviews
See what people are saying about War of the Seasons.
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With its large cast of complex characters, this book has a remarkable level of depth and texture, especially for something billed as YA, and fantasy fans need not be put off by the teen label; this story is great for any age of fantasy reader.
-BullSpec.com
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I’m not the biggest fan of YA fiction, I tend to skew more towards Vonnegut and Graham Greene, but Spendlove’s story (and the main character, Story) grabbed me from the first page and kept me reading. I definitely can’t wait until the next volume is out.
This is a great first novel and my guess is Spendlove is a name you’ll be hearing from in the world of YA lit for a long time to come.
-Bryan Young, www.bigshinyrobot.com
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As anybody who has stayed up to finish a Harry Potter novel knows, young adult fantasies are not just for
young adults any more. A new novel by local author Janine K. Spendlove engagingly demonstrates that readers of all ages can get drawn into a world of magic and adventure.
-Karen Lyon, The Hill Rag
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The world itself is big, though Spendlove doesn’t break Rule 3 (Thou Shalt Not Have Worlds Bigger Than Tolkien) with her map and lands. The characters are completely believable, and while the romance is a bit on the heavy side (I’m a guy with limited sensibilities, of course the romance is on the heavy side), it really fits with the story well. I enjoyed the portrayal of both Morrigann and Eirnan, though my favorite character is the spastic young Adair, who is so full of life and energy that she allows Story to forget some of the pain she’s dealing with.
This book is a worthy addition to anyone library, especially for anyone who is sick of reading Twilight and not having any viable options elsewhere in the Teen/YA romance section. I would highly recommend picking this one up.
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To be honest, I didn’t expect to read this book yet. I’m about 2 months behind on my reading (actually about 6 weeks, maybe) and I certainly didn’t expect to read this in one night – it’s 363 pages long! But well, I received this package in the mail and thought I’d read the first paragraph and get an idea what’s it about and I got hooked!!
– Family Literacy
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This is a tale that has many levels. On the onset, it seems like most fantasy novels, but it does have a deeper layer as Story tries to discover who she is, what her strengths are and how to deal with extreme loss. I enjoyed this book immensely and I look forward to being able to read the next book in this series.
-Mandy Horetski, www.geekmom.com
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Book of the Week: The Human is a very fun read, very much in the vein of the Chronicles of Narnia or The Hunger Games. It has a very strong female lead, an incredibly well-developed world, a fiendish villain you just love to hate, and above all: a love story that doesn’t actually make you want to gag.
Though it’s a long book (90,000 words or so), I really couldn’t put it down and read it in a single sitting, a rarity for me these days. The world really draws you in and keeps you asking questions about it. And Spendlove has such a rich knowledge of the history of the world she created that it’s just dripping with details behind details you don’t even see. There are elves and faeries, dryads and selkies, trolls and gnomes, and anything else you can think of. And it’s all brought to life through Spendloves charming prose.
It’s destined to be a classic, so I’m telling you all now that you should get in on the ground floor so you can like it before it hits big. The second book doesn’t come out until next year and from what I’ve read of it, I can’t wait until it comes out.
BigShinyRobot.com
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Janine K. Spendlove’s War of the Seasons: The Human brings a lovely blend of Celtic lore and YA fantasy while full of beautiful Celtic names. The reluctant heroine provides a nice change to traditional masculine leads in the genre, with a romance that is only a tertiary line, as opposed to love struck girl mooning over a mythological man. While a bit flat at first, Story’s character grows as the book gains momentum, driving the reader to the finish. If you like books such as Inheritance Cycle (Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, Inheritance) and Progeny: The Children of the White Lions, you won’t want to miss checking out this up-and-coming author who only promises to be better with the next book in the series.
-LivingPeacefullyWithChildren.Wordpress.Com
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Janine Spendlove’s books on Goodreads
