Seasons of Wonder {INSPY Review}

Season of Wonder by Lisa T. Bergren

Remnants #1

Visit the Author's Website HERE

Publisher: Zondervan

Publishing Date: April 8, 2014

Goodreads Summary:

THEIR ARRIVAL WAS FORETOLD FOR YEARS . . .

Andriana is a Remnant, gifted as an empath and one of the Ailith, destined to act as humanity’s last shield against the horrors that now plague those who remain.

After years of training in stealth and warfare, Andriana and her Knight protector, Ronan, are finally ready to answer the Call and begin the life they were designed for. But as they embark with the other Remnants on the first of their assignments, they quickly discover that the world beyond their protected Valley is more dangerous than they imagined.

The Sons of Sheol will stop at nothing to prevent Dri and Ronan from rescuing anyone sympathetic to the Remnants’ cause. And as the Remnants battle the demonic forces, still other enemies close in. Dangers intensity, but so do Dri’s feelings for Ronan–the one emotion she is not meant to feel. In the midst of their mission, Andriana must find a way to master her feelings. Or risk compromising everything . . .

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Buy a copy today! 

My Thoughts:
This book is set in our future. The world and society are a different now and in some ways a bit backwards. Super basic plot: An evil emperor has jailed his twin brother and plots to rule the whole world. There was a prophecy that children would be born with a certain birthmark and be given certain 'gifts' (powers). These kids, along with their bonded Knights, are to find others like themselves and eventually raise an army to put the rightful heir on the throne. Along the way, our MC Dri begins to develop romantic feelings for her Knight which is expressly forbidden.

Overall, the mission that they are on and the purpose they are given make for great reading. The summary and my basic plot summary do it little justice. This ragtag group of teens is basically thrown out into the world to help and protect others from demons. They make enemies and friends along the way. It is like an action adventure with just a teeny dash of romance. But it is their purpose that I can so get behind. They actually want to HELP others and stop evil, not just save themselves, their family, or their lover like a lot of other YA books in this genre. Also, I love how prevalent the religion is to the story and characters. Of all the books nominated in the INSPY awards, I think this one helped me reflect on my walk with God the most.

The characters, however, were a bit elementary overall. Their language and actions with each other are very stiff and formal feeling. This stiffness really kept me out of the story and prevented me from truly losing myself in their world. With such a giant mission on their shoulders, our author needed to break past the formal barrier and dive into the feelings and emotions of the characters on the journey. There were probably a lot of feelings, a lot more depth we could have experienced. Maybe a bit more 'past history' for the characters, or at least for Dri, give them more of a basis, would have really made a difference. Oh, and I would have LOVED to see them use their 'powers' a bit more and really explore those in depth.

This one certainly deserved to be on the INSPY YA lit short list. And I am totally glad it was or I may never have come across it. I have already picked up book number two, 'Season of Fire', from the library and read it. It was a solid, action packed read though the action had too much detail sometimes. In this book, we get to explore Dri's gift a bit more and the struggle she is experiencing with it. It made her come more 'alive.' Still, not as good as book one.

The final book of the series, 'Season of Glory' has a cover and release date according to Goodreads. I am definitely picking it up ASAHP to see the conclusion of the series. 4.5 stars. For fans of post apocalyptic reads featuring teens with a dash of supernatural.