City of All Seasons by Oliver K. Langmead; Aliya Whiteley

Fairharbour has been fractured—the binding thread has unwound. In Jamie Pike’s Fairharbour, a cold and unforgiving climate awaits the residents, while Esther Pike's version of their hometown is filled with blistering sun and heat. What caused this seismic shift?

The curious explanation given for such drastic changes is a weatherbomb. However, as we follow the journeys of Jamie and Esther, the reader begins to understand that there is likely more to the story. Carmen Pike, the matriarch, is an artistic figure adored by the local townsfolk and the public at large, much like an icon. Her story unfolds as if captured on an 8mm camera. To grasp the complexities of each person's living situation, Jamie and Esther must rewind the tape of their memories. Pawel, the family crafter, has passed down his passion for tinkering, which proves vital in providing the answers they seek.

Splintered ice halts the flow of water running through our narrative. We see our breath in the frigid air. Jamie’s world is one of arctic bitterness, while Esther inhabits a realm where people languish in the oppressive heat of a merciless sun, foreheads sweating as they search for respite. It is one world with two planes of existence, marked by cracks that offer glimpses into the other. They embark on a quest to uncover any remaining family members who may still exist. Could it be true? Family members thought long dead in the depths of climate chaos emerge, bringing with them secrets.

A window appears, allowing us to traverse through the mist. Carefully constructed snapshots of a family's darkest ambitions rise through the hollow portal. Teasing us like a mime. The answers are murky. Creativity offers memories of years gone by, littering the ground with unusual pieces to unlock a covert puzzle. Follow the trail.

Smoothly written with a special tang I enjoy. The tale was chock-full of intrigue. I had opened Pandora’s box and was left bombarded by question after question. Who and Why? How did they do that? There was open confusion flooding my senses and a sense of overwhelming vertigo. Is it one city split in half or one city in two planes of existence? Luckily this sense of chaos tempered, and answers became clearer, providing several “a-ha” moments.

Overall I had a solid and unique reading experience. There was an innovative approach that tapped into my need for writing that was fresh and new. Once I had gathered my senses about the nuances of the world, I felt at home rooting for the protagonists. There was also sufficient depth in the character’s backstories to provide solid footing in the story’s believability. I am giving this 3.75 stars, rounding up to 4 out of 5 stars.

Many thanks to Titan Books for the ARC through Netgalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion.

All in all, I liked the book. The setting and prose were lovely. I agree with a lot of other reviewers. It was a bit rushed at the end but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Unfortunately I did not connect with this and once I reached 70% I just scanned the rest of it.

The concept is absolutely intriguing and the descriptions of both cities were vivid and exciting. The fact that it was written by two authors didn't show at all (in a good way) - it flowed as one cohesive piece which is an impressive technical achievement.

However, a lot of the world building was nonsensical to me, particularly the authoritarian regimes of Fenestration and Doormen which were based on concepts too silly to be threatening or even serious. The cousins also work out what's happening in the other city apparently spontaneously, apparently just 'knowing' their other cousin is behind the mysterious gifts and puzzles before they get hard evidence. I also didn't buy the concept of exchanging messages via several puzzles where one letter would do, even if Esther struggled with reading and writing.

The prose read a little YA to me as well - stilted and with excessive explanations.

Oliver K. Langmead has a new fan. I enjoyed Calypso so much I bought it physically, and I'm pretty sure I'll be doing the same to City of All Seasons. They have a knack for beautiful writing.

The filmography aspect is cool, and I like how the characters use it and other creative outlets to solve their problems. The plot surrounding the Pikes and all their complex familial history--and drama, ahem--I actually thought to be super entertaining.

Esther and Jamie both had great, distinctive voices. I could really relate to Esther, her initial cynicism for everything, including the future of her home. The supporting cast are also fascinating in their own ways. Even the Mayor, who essentially doesn't have any lines or dialogue, held so much interest.

The ending is fairly satisfying in its own way, bittersweet; though, I do wish certain characters deserved a bit more of a "comeuppance" than what they received. And also: Pawel?? More answers on that, please! But the story was still enjoyable overall. City of All Seasons is a beautiful blend of magic and science, a story that revolves around themes of hope and creativity in a place born on survival.

Thank you to Titan Books, NetGalley, and the authors fir thus ARC in exchange for honest review

City of All Seasons is a thoughtful and contemplative book following two siblings trying to reunite after getting caught on either side of a divided city. This is a novel with an incredibly strong concept, with a city split into two co-existing versions of itself, one stuck in eternal winter and the other sweltering in an endless summer. I personally felt the story didn’t live up to its promise, though this is due to it taking a different approach that I can admire, despite not being to my taste.

The book has a critical focus on family relationships, between the two siblings Jamie and Esther, and their wider family. Without spoiling any plot points of the story, understanding the family dynamic and exploring their past is fundamental to the book’s plot. Put another way, this is a book that would benefit from a city map far less than it would a family tree! Whilst I admire the story for its unwavering focus on unpicking family divides, it left the worldbuilding feeling secondary and a little lacklustre to me. As such I wouldn’t recommend City Of All Seasons if you’re reading purely to find out about how the city was split and how the situation is resolved, as the story picks different themes to explore.

The worldbuilding felt a little off in City of All Seasons for reasons already described, though there are certainly moments of excellence to highlight. The Winter City was excellently described and brought to life, though it had the unfortunate side effect of making the Summer City feeling quite weak in comparison, as if it existed purely as an opposite without its own characterization. The Mayor of Fairharbor was a truly fascinating character, with an elusive and integral connection to the plot that reminded me of Jeff Vandermeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy - I hope there’s an alternate version of this book out there where he gets more screen time!

Plot-wise, there were just a few too many coincidences at play that allowed Jamie and Esther to find clues as to the other city’s existence. Some may argue that these coincidences were orchestrated by the book’s loosely defined magical elements, or that it was simply fate that governed their actions, but I personally struggled to suspend belief. I also found the final reveal and resolution to be a little simplistic given all the groundwork laid earlier on, though I will admit to really enjoying the final chapter as an excellent rounding off of the story.

I think there was a lot of interesting ideas here, but the further into the book the less developed it felt. I liked the difference between the two main characters and the contrast between the two cities a lot.

2.5 stars

This was really a miss for me. I really liked the opening but the longer the story went on the less complete it felt.

One island, but really two. On one, Jamie lives in an unending winter, living in fear of the Authority bricking up the doorways. On the other, Esther lives in an unending summer under threat of the Fenestration creating holes in every building. Weird premise but nothing crazy, and its a solid setup. But there's also a family feud, and magical tarot cards, and a grandmother who made films, and a man who made slightly magical objects, and a war outside, and weather bombs, and none of this feels integrated. This book feels like a whole bunch of ideas cobbled together with no sense of a complete world or a complete story. Very few of my questions were answered by the end of the book and those that were felt like non-answers. It's a shame because I like the setup and I like Jamie and Esther well enough but it just got lost somewhere along the way.

I'm sure there are people for whom this book will work but I really just came away from it with very little.

Thank you to Oliver K. Langmead, Aliya Whiteley, and Titan Book for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!

City of All Seasons was such a unique and entertaining story! I felt like we got to know the characters on such an intimate level and I was truly sad when the book was over.
This was a 4 star read for me simply because I felt like the ending was somewhat rushed and we didn’t get answers to somethings that I felt were needed to help explain the actions of the characters. The biggest question for me was what exactly was on the movie based on the family that led the uncles to split the city in two. Clearly it was a massive determinant in everyone’s lives and at the end of the book I felt myself dying to know what it was. Which maybe that was the authors desire, to keep you thinking long after the book has ended.

A city of all seasons explores an island split into 2 with a deep running family feud standing at the centre of it all. Esther and Jamie are cousins separated in two different forms of the same city, one stuck in perpetual winter and one in summer. When they find a way to communicate years after the split, they take charge of their own futures in an attempt to reunite.

As a bit fan of this is how you lose the time war, I really enjoyed this book. The POV of both winter and summer cities had me interested from the get go. I enjoyed exploring each world through the eyes of Esther or Jamie, and was constantly intrigued by the cause of the split. The two cities might have the same layout but couldn’t be more different. Two brothers leading each one and wreaking havoc in different ways on the innocent people. This book explored creation in the face of destruction, defiance of political powers, and the strength of familial love breaking boundaries even in the most trying situations.

The ending of this book was also great. Not everything working out perfectly or resetting entirely. I like the realistic happy ending with some reuniting but other things remaining a mystery. It has you wondering what happened to some people - allowing you to make your own judgement about their endings.

Overall, I was a fan of this book. It has a similar concept to this is how you lose the time war, but with a completely different style of writing and characters.

Thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for sending me the eARC of City of All Seasons for review!

City of All Seasons is a story about two mirrored cities, one stuck in a frozen winter and the other stuck in intense heat. In these two cities we follow cousins, Jamie and Esther Pike, grandchildren of a celebrated film director. Jamie and Esther navigate their lives through their respective cities, trying to work out why the weather changed so suddenly and how they can change it back to how it used to be before.

The premise of this story was right up my street, however the execution just didn’t connect with me. I’m usually not a speculative fiction enjoyer, and I like the reasoning for things happening in a story to have a clear explanation, so having the reasoning be less explained in this, and to still have questions at the end, wasn’t great for me personally. The pacing also didn’t help; the beginning/middle was quite slow and then suddenly at the end everything was happening so fast, so I would have liked more consistency I think.

The family dynamics are the best part of this story. The Pike family’s history and connections with each other are very well explored in flashbacks and in the main story, and I enjoyed seeing how the history shaped the present story in such an interesting and compelling way. The prose from both authors was also beautiful, you could really feel the essence of both cities through the vivid writing.

If you love speculative fiction and books like This is How You Lose the Time War then definitely pick this up!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of City of All Seasons.

This was such an interesting and unique book. I love that the plot and world building are developed through two contrasting POVs and that each one is so distinct and characters easily identifiable. There’s so much beautiful and vivid imagery throughout that really utilises the senses of the reader in such an effective and immersive way.

I also loved how fun this book was to read and because it’s so unique I was constantly wanting to go back and pick it up again. I loved that the emphasis was on family rather than romance which is becoming less common in fantasy and that this powerful family has so much history that shapes the world(s) they live in and the people around them in ways that wouldn’t be expected.

4.5 stars rounded up

This was a fabulous little book. The prose was LOVELY while being kind of understated — description is handled with a light touch but I still got a good sense of how things looked and felt to the characters. The characters themselves were interesting, as was the worldbuilding; a lot of the draw to keep picking up the book was that I wanted to be be with those people and in that world(s). I would especially recommend this to people who want fantasy without any romance! There was still lots of juicy interpersonal stuff because the cousins’ family has some HISTORY. I didn’t give it a full five stars because the pacing kind of ran away at the end, and we’re told about some parts of the resolution more than we see it on page, which I would have liked to.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy in exchange for a review.

In this story we follow two POVs Jamie and Esther, two cousins who live in the same city, but in different dimensions. Jamie lives in the winter city and Esther in the summer one. Through a string of chances they find each other out and start making plans to reunite the city as a whole with all four seasons.

I really enjoyed both POVs, but I felt more connected to Jamie for some reason. I thought the world building was super interesting and smart, so I enjoyed the plot as well. I think that the ending was a bit confusing since a lot was happening all at once, but I still enjoyed the book nonetheless.

Thank you to Titan books and Netgalley for this ARC

The biggest strength of this book is its unique and intriguing world building. We follow two main characters (Jamie and Esther) who live in two mirrored but opposite worlds. Both of these worlds. Esther and Jamie begin to uncover secrets and memories that lead to finding out how these two cities correlate a d what their connection was and can be.

Both of the characters were very likable and deep in the sense that the author delves into both of their backgrounds and history.

Only issue I had with the book was the pacing. It was either insanely rushed or slowly moving

This was delightfully insightful, bittersweet (emphasis on the sweet) piece of Speculative fiction that touches both genres or sci-fi and magical realism.

I don’t want to give too much away but wow.

I thought the characters were well rounded and despite their circumstances leaned on the hopeful/realistic side. (Yes, even Esther, who started out a little more cynical in the beginning.) One thing is very clear here: hope is a dangerous thing but it’s worth fighting for.

In that way there is something about the book that really reminded me of Le Guin. I think it’s because it’s a book about people how they’re not perfect, their lives are hard, but again there’s still hope and the dream for a better tomorrow. I don’t know—I just know I really enjoyed this. (And I got a bit weepy at the end.)

4.5 stars rounding up to 5.

City of All Seasons is a bit of an oddity. This may well be the most eccentric book I’ve read all year. A quarter of the way through the book, if asked, I still would have been hard-pressed to tell you what the book was really about.

The story follows two protagonists, cousins Jamie and Esther. They each exist in the dystopian landscape of a city fallen to ruin and destruction, but they are in opposing dimensions of that city. In one, the city is locked in an endless deep, arctic winter. In the other a relentless scorching summer. As the story goes on the two find tiny pockets through which they are able to leave one another trinkets and artifacts, and they slowly begin to unearth clues and realize that actions in one affect the other.

What is unknown is what caused the disaster that led to their current circumstances in the first place, though it appears to have its origins in a rivalry between the cousins’ uncles. It’s a quirky book, and it has a way of drawing you in with its hints of steampunk ingenuity. But it’s also somewhat nonsensical and reminds me more of speculative fiction than science fantasy. By the time you’re two-thirds through the book you’ve gleaned an idea as to what caused the two instances of the city to diverge, thanks to the clues the authors ingeniously sprinkle throughout, but honestly, you’re just along for the ride at that point.

This book was not at all what I expected it to be, and I can’t say that it’s anything I’d normally choose given what I now know about it. But it’s a quick read that keeps you engaged and entertained. And while you certainly unravel some of the “mystery” as you go along, it’s far from predictable. That in itself is a rarity and makes the time reading City of All Seasons well spent.

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am leaving a voluntary review.

Overall a thoroughly enjoyable read. The idea of the reonworlds went beyond the temperature - the differences were reflected throughout which was really effective.

I echo what others said about the pace occasionally being a bit quick, and I hoped for slightly more with the ending.

That being said - the dual perspective was well handled and it was an imaginative storyline.

As a whole, I adored this book! The prose was gorgeous, especially Jamie's chapters: something about the writing tied all your senses into the scene. Even when the author(s) didn't give you a full description of the setting, you knew what was drawing the main character's eye or you could feel/smell the elements that reminded them of their past. It was very evocative in a way that I often don't find in other novels. I didn't find Esther's chapters to be quite as visceral, but that felt almost as if it was a characteristic of how she interacted with the world: Jamie lived with his hands, building and creating, whereas Esther was more connected to the people and a storyteller. I also really loved the supporting cast: Bea, Henry, the Mayor, Myra, Crouch - everyone got to shine for a moment, in a way that was unique and sincere.

The reason this isn't a 5-star novel for me was the ending - I think the pacing needed a little more work, the climactic moments were a little too fast and I honestly didn't realize that the ending had come and gone until I was reading the epilogue.

slow, contemplative, almost timeless book aboutpeople stuck in different worlds, one in a swelteringly hot perpetual summer and one in a frozen winter. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

This was a five star read for me. The diffences between the two cities are just not cold and warm but everything goes to a much deeper level. The two main characters are charming and well written. Their development makes sense and is nicely done within the plot. All of my questions did not get answered but it's ok, the read was wonderful!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.