Series: Standalone
Format: Hardcover, 400 pages
Release Date: December 6, 2022
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
One choice could change everything.
Leelo
has spent her whole life on Endla, coexisting with the bloodthirsty
forest and respecting the poisonous lake that protects her island from
outsiders who seek to destroy it. But as much as Leelo cares for her
community, she struggles with the knowledge that her brother will be
exiled and forced to live with the outsiders unless he gains enchantment
powers before his next birthday.
Then
comes the day that Leelo sees a young outsider on the verge of drowning
in the lake. She knows she is supposed to leave him to his fate, but,
instead, she betrays her family, her best friend, and her whole
community by helping nurse the young man, Jaren, back to health,
understanding that discovery could lead to unthinkable consequences for
both of them.
As they
grow closer, Leelo and Jaren discover that not all danger comes from
beyond the lake—and they can only survive if Leelo is willing to
question the very fabric of her society, her people, and herself.
The Grace Year meets The Devouring Gray in Mara Rutherford’s atmospheric new fantasy The Poison Season,
which follows a girl named Leelo Hart who unintentionally draws a stranger to her island
with her magic, leaving her with a choice—rescue him from the lake, or
risk betraying her insulated community’s safety and customs. Is
everything the elders taught her of outsiders true, or is there
something more sinister surrounding their island than its poisonous
waters?
The story actually revolves around two characters: Leelo Hart, and Jaren, a boy who lives on the other side of the poisoned lake that seems to be immune to the singing coming from Endla. Leelo has spent her whole
life on Endla, isolated from outsiders and protected by the poisonous lake and magical forest that surrounds it, with her mother Fiona, her aunt Ketty, and her cousin Sage, coexisting with the bloodthirsty forest and respecting
the poisonous lake that protects her island from outsiders who seek to
destroy it. As a Watcher in training, she must spend one year protecting her home from outsiders.
The
Endlans are an isolated people who are cared for by the forest and care
for it in turn - offering it blood sacrifices by singing magical songs
that lure animals to them. In this world, nothing happens until it does. Outsiders caught on Endla are given the choice of the Forest or the Lake. Neither choice is a good one. As much as Leelo cares for her community, she struggles
with the knowledge that her brother Tate, who has no magic of his own, will be exiled and forced to live
with the outsiders unless he gains enchantment powers before his birthday.
Most
people on the island have the gift of enchanted singing, but those who
don’t gain this gift by their twelfth birthday are exiled from the
island. Then comes the day that
Leelo sees a young outsider on the verge of drowning in the lake after being chased there by a rather large wolf. She
knows she is supposed to leave him to his fate, but, instead, she
betrays her family, her best friend, and her whole community by helping
nurse Jaren back to health, understanding that discovery
could lead to unthinkable consequences for both of them.
As
they grow closer, Leelo and Jaren discover that not all danger comes
from beyond the lake—and they can only survive if Leelo is willing to
question the very fabric of her society, her people, and herself. This accessible fantasy world is filled with magic, evil forests, and
haunting revelations. It will perfectly satisfy your spooky cottage-core
dreams. This story is a standalone. The story wraps up nicely so that a sequel should not be necessary.
No comments:
Post a Comment