#mara rutherford

[fancylala7]

[andreai04]

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

[heather--moors]

Beautiful books everywhere 🌿

[bookcoversonly]

Title: A Multitude of Dreams | Author: Mara Rutherford | Publisher: Inkyard Press (2023)

[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

[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]

A Multitude of Dreams, Mara Rutherford (out 09/26)

[judgingbooksbycovers]

The Poison Season

By Mara Rutherford.

Cover art by Fez Inkwright.

[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

[fancylala7]

[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!!!

[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.

[bookcoversonly]

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

[authorunpublished]

Book Review: A Multitude of Dreams

Title: A Multitude of Dreams Author: Mara Rutherford Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Gothic, Historical, Romance Rating: 5 Stars Description/Synopsis: Princess Imogen of Goslind has lived a sheltered life for three years at the boarded-up castle—she and the rest of its inhabitants safe from the bloody mori roja plague that’s ravaged the kingdom. But Princess Imogen has a secret, and as King Stuart…

[oracleofmadness]

This blood curdling tale takes place in a fantasy world that is much like the Middle Ages in Europe. The plague has decimated the countryside besides those who are immune. Nico lost his whole family and now works for a Lord on his property with others who were saved. Seraphina is pretending to be Princess Imogen while trapped in the castle because the king is too scared to open its doors. All of this with an undercurrent of the antisemitism that took place around this time period.

I really enjoyed this. The story became a lot more interesting when Nico and Seraphina meet, and the real bulk of this tale takes place. I had fun and also loved the horror, including the vampires, which were a great surprise.

Out August 29, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!