#mara rutherford

[andreai04]

“The very fact that death was inevitable made life all the more precious.”

[heather--moors]

Beautiful books everywhere 🌿

[blueberryshelves]

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Book Review

Title:  The Poison Season Author: Mara Rutherford

Series: Standalone

No. of Pages: 390

ISBN: 978-1-335-01243-2

Synopsis:

Outsiders are always given a choice: the Forest or the lake. Either way, they're never heard from again.

Leelo has spent her entire 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 to accept that her younger brother will be exiled by his next birthday, unless he gains the magic of enchanted song so vital to Endla.

When Leelo sees a young outsider on the verge of drowning in the lake, she knows exactly what she's supposed to do. But in a moment that will change everything, Leelo betrays her family, her best friend, and Endla by making an unthinkable choice.

Discovery could lead to devastating consequences for both Leelo and the outsider, Jaren, but as they grow closer, Leelo realizes 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.

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What did I think of the book?

The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 of 5 stars I picked this up wanting something different, and with the gorgeous cover, I dived into the world of Endla. At first, the story was really slow going, but as soon as you hit that 50% mark, everything starts to pick up, and I wanted to flip through page after page all day to see what would happen. If anything, in the last 3rd of the book, I felt like I couldn't catch my breath with the amount of revelations and secrets that were brought to light in the story. On one hand, that kind of tension was exciting, but it was also teetering slightly too far over the line into being muddy with the details. Eliminating maybe one or two of the twists could have cleaned it up a little, but that's the only real negative I can say about this book. The romance between Leelo and Jaren was very wholesome and clean, and had my heart aching as I read their scenes. It made for quite a nice contrast with what was going on with the relationships on Endla before the secrets started unraveling, and flowed well into the themes of 'torn between loyalties', your heart or your responsibilities, and carving a path for yourself in life when your world is demanding other things from you. I also enjoyed how this book touched on things like the way generational lies and fear impact the young.

Endla reminds me a bit of the carnivorous island in Life of Pi, but with a fair few differences that in a lot of ways makes it scarier, in my opinion. I quite enjoyed the world building around this, and the author did an awesome job in bringing out a vivid picture of what this island is like in the book. Some of my favorite scenes that show this would be chapter 23, pages 141-142, and chapter 30, page 188.

… The bird cocked its head at Jaren, studying him, and this time when he hummed the tune, he remembered a few more notes than he'd sung before. But his elation was short-lived. One moment the bird was there, innocently watching him, and the next, it was gone. Jaren hadn't seen the long, snaking root rise up from the ground and wrap silently around the bird's leg until it was too late. He stood, horrified, but the only sign that the bird had ever been there at all was a few shiny feathers, drifting slowly to the Forest floor. Jaren backed up to the shack and crawled inside, closing the door firmly behind him. - page 141-142

These scenes are layered into more "innocent" ones, where the characters are unsuspecting or minding their own business, so it kind of catches you off-guard when something like the above quote happens. It was like a constant reminder to not forget the nature of this island the characters are on, which when I was really immersed into the story, gave me absolute chills.

Favorite character/s: I don't have a particular favorite, but I admire the character development in Leelo as she goes from being constantly controlled by her family, people, and her home, to finding her own self and strength by the end of the story. Same for her mother as well, when she finally stood up to her sister in the end, and put her daughter before everyone else's lies.

What drew me to this book? The title of the book, it sparked my curiosity immediately.

Stars: Easy 4 out of 5 stars, a wonderful read.

View all my reviews

[bangbangwhoa]

books I’ve read in 2023 📖 no. 003

The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford

“Just remember, my girl, it’s not the falling that breaks you.”

[shanti-ashant-hai]

am i a roshani chokshi and margaret rogerson addict? yes. yes i am

[bookcoversonly]

Title: The Poison Season | Author: Mara Rutherford | Publisher: Inkyard Press (2022)

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Quick Review: Luminous by Mara Rutherford Rating: 3/5

This was an imaginative story that honestly had a few shades of Stardust and Howl's Moving Castle in it. Three sisters, the magicians on the run, the shadow world, falling stars, a country in need of a new monarch. But I got lost in the second half of the story - the plot seemed to shift focus quite dramatically and I just couldn't keep up. But I liked how it all came together in the end and I'm still excited to read Rutherford's next book. 

[bookishlyvintage]

The Poison Season, Mara Rutherford (out 12/06)

check out my thoughts here

[parisarose]

#31. The Poison Season

By : Mara Rutherford

[judgingbooksbycovers]

The Poison Season

By Mara Rutherford.

Cover art by Fez Inkwright.

[someonelookingpraediti]

OwlCrate Unboxing

Star-Crossed December 2022

Some super unusual items this month! OwlCrate have definitely ended the year with a really strong box. The theme is "Star-Crossed", but I can't judge if the fandoms fit the theme, because I'm not really familiar with most of them.

This month's book is "The Poison Season". I hadn't heard of this book, and it looks very young, which doesn't bother me. I've realised OwlCrate is definitely aimed at the "young" end of the Young Adult bracket. I love the design of this book. The regular cover is alright, but I do prefer the OwlCrate version. It's a complete redesign, and it looks really cool. There's full artwork on the hardcase, based on the standard edition cover - it's amazing, and I'm tempted to leave the dust jacket off this one, to show off the hardcase design! The endpapers are exclusives, and there's artwork on the interior of the dust jacket.

The first item out of the box is a reusable tea bag and tray. The tea bag is made of silicone, and the tray is a ceramic moon shape with gold lettering, featuring a quote from "These Violent Delights". I actually thought that book was totally rubbish, and I don't remember the quote, but I love the design! If I use the tea bag it'll probably be with a travel cup - but I'm definitely going to use the tray, although not for tea bags, I'll use it as a trinket dish.

The next item is a set of salt and pepper shakers! This is such an unusual item - but this is one of those where it's a great item to get once, but would be really unimpressive once you'd had two or three. But as this is the first time I've seen this item, I'm thrilled! These are based on "Serpent & Dove". I haven't read this, so I think there's a reference I'm not getting.

Then we have a set of reusable drinking straws. There's definitely a kitchenware theme going on with this box! I hate the idea of reusable straws - I just think they'd never be properly clean. And these ones are heart shaped, so surely even harder to keep clean. But that's just a personal OCD thing, I'm sure there's no real logic behind it. They come in a "Bridgerton" inspired canvas bag, which says "You are the bane of my existence and the object of all my desires."

The most impressive item is definitely the hanging organiser! This is inspired by "Strange the Dreamer". I cannot for the life of me think what I'm going to do with it, and it doesn't go with any of my decor, but it's so cute! Again, I haven't read the book, so I don't know the relevance of all the moths, but I've seen similar designs on other items inspired by this book.

Finally, there are a pair of bookmarks - these are inspired by "An Ember in the Ashes" and "Daughter of Smoke and Bone". They're pretty, but they're just cardboard, so not very durable.

This month's pin is based on "Outlander". It's the last in this collection of suitcase pins, but OwlCrate have just announced that their new pin collection starts in January. No!! This is not what I want! I don't want twelve of the same pin! I love, love, love getting pins, but I like getting a different design each month! Even if I like the theme for the pin collection, I want one of them, not twelve!

At the beginning of the year, I was almost certain I wouldn't be renewing my subscription, I'd had a fair amount of disappointing boxes, and although it's a really reasonable price, the shipping costs make OwlCrate a very expensive option for me. But the second half of the year, the boxes have been brilliant, so I think it's worth keeping up my subscription for now.

[brittanybwrites]

I met the author last year, and now I’m reading this now and it’s really good

[noveltyreads]

The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford Book Review

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really whimsical and dreamy read that was very immersive. 

The Poison Season follows Leelo who lives on an island far away from the outsiders on the other side of the poisonous lake. Those with magic are the only ones allowed to stay on the island, those without are cast out of their society to find their own way in the world. When Leelo discovers a boy her age on the island who came from outside, Leelo is forced to reconsider everything she thought she knew about the dangerous 'outsiders'.

I think the characters were the strongest part of the book. I really liked Leelo and I thought the way she approached the world around her was very unique. I liked Jaren's chapters too, he was such a sweet character. There were times I thought the relationship between him and Leelo felt like a bit much, but overall, I didn't mind it. This book was easy to get through, one that could easily be read in one sitting. 

The only negative I really had was with the magical, dangerous forest. We knew it was a dangerous place and yet the tension, the danger was lacking a little in the book. There weren't many times when I felt scared of it, despite the main character saying how terrible and cursed it was. I also wished we got more information about the singing magic used by the islanders. It seemed like a cool concept but it wasn't talked about much. 

All in all, a pretty good read. I enjoyed this one.

4 STARS

[harlot-book-club]

The next book review is probably gonna be Crown of Coral and Pearl and it's kind of a vibe so far. Keep your eyes peeled!!!

[chisaiyume]

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­­­­­­­­­Title 1: Crown of Coral and Pearl                                   

Title 2: Kingdom of Sea and Stone

Author: Mara Rutherford

Series: Duology

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Synopsis: For generations, the crown princes of Ilara have married the most beautiful maidens from the ocean village of Varenia. Nor once dreamed of seeing the mysterious mountain kingdom for herself, but after a childhood accident left her with a scar, she knew her twin sister, Zadie, would likely be chosen to marry the crown prince.

Then Zadie is injured, and Nor is sent to Ilara in her place. She soon discovers her future husband, Prince Ceren, is as forbidding and cold as his home. And as she grows closer to Ceren’s brother, Prince Talin, Nor learns of a failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen…and a plot to destroy her village.

To save her people, Nor must learn to negotiate the treacherous protocols of a court where lies reign and obsession rules…but discovering her own formidable strength may cost her everything she loves.

Chibi: I got interested in this series because of the synopsis. I was really hoping for a world adventure and romance, but this series fell short of that expectation. However, to be fair, I think that this is a great book for anyone who loves a well-developed girl character and a story that will inspire self-love and growth.

I do have to say that I adore Nor and her growth through out the series, my disappointment comes as there was really no built up of the romance between her and Talin. But I guess you can say that, that is what happens when you read a book from the young adult section…especially since I was use to reading books from Hannah Howell, who does not shy away from the romance.

Would I recommend it? No. If I had to read it again, would I? No. But did I regret reading? No. It was honestly just not my typical read nor to my liking.

Although, I would love to read a spin-off of the series about Talin’s brother Ceren. I do not want to give away any spoilers…but I am a sucker for the bad boy type….and I really saw a lot of potential in Ceren as a character. His back story is a great foundation for a potentially steamy or even good read spin-off.

So have you ready this series?

Do you agree or disagree?

And if you have any suggested book [even though my to be read list is huge] I would love to hear them.

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: Luminous

Author: Mara Rutherford

Series or standalone: standalone

Publication year: 2021

Genres: fiction, fantasy, romance, paranormal

Blurb: Liora has spent her life in hiding, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king's warlock, Darius, who uses mages' magic to grow his own power...but when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn't take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora's childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius' visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to. To find Evran and save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared...but the greatest danger she'll face is yet to come. Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos, and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him.