Last Updated: 11 May 2021
The accident season has been part of seventeen-year-old Cara's life for as long as she can remember. Towards the end of October, foreshadowed by the deaths of many relatives before them, Cara's family becomes inexplicably accident-prone. They banish knives to locked drawers, cover sharp table edges with padding, switch off electrical items - but injuries follow wherever they go, and the accident season becomes an ever-growing obsession and fear.
But why are they so cursed? And how can they break free?
I have one word for this book - wow! And that's it, that's the review.
(Just kidding).
But seriously, The Accident Season is definitely one of the best books I've read for ages. It's technically a children's book but I found it involving and intriguing throughout, so I wouldn't limit it to that. It's got elements of all the genres I love - YA, mystery, suspense, the supernatural and just a dash of romance. And for a debut novel, it's fantastic.
I was invested in the plot straight away and I had to know what happened - I read the whole book in one sitting. Although the beginning was good, it didn't really fully come alive until the end. Tension and suspense built throughout the entire book, slowly but surely winding their way into the story ever so subtly. By the end, the tone got darker and entered into an almost dreamlike state, which suited the plot perfectly. The writing was excellent and highly visual, as all this weaving of genres and multi-layers of story were complex yet still easy to understand. At no point did I lose the plot thread or get bored, which speaks volumes about the quality of Fowley-Doyle's writing.
The concept in itself is unique and different to anything else I've read. It's rare to come across a new idea that works so well, but the author has managed to do exactly that. The twists were exciting and (mostly) unpredictable, especially towards the end. I managed to guess a few of the minor twists early in the story but the major plot points all came as surprises to me.
The characters were intriguing and wildly different for siblings, yet they all had secrets to hide and at times were also similar, just like the differences and similarities between real siblings. The subplot of the love story was sweet and realistic, despite being potentially forbidden and all the problems that would arise from that. I also particularly liked that the characters didn't have to conform to expectations - they weren't afraid to be different and they weren't afraid of what others thought of them. In YA fiction especially that was really refreshing, and it allowed the diversity and originality of characters like Bea to really come alive.
The Accident Season is a strangely captivating book; one that I'm sure will stay with me for a long time.
Rating: 5 stars
The Accident Season is available to buy now (paid link; commission earned).
(Just kidding).
But seriously, The Accident Season is definitely one of the best books I've read for ages. It's technically a children's book but I found it involving and intriguing throughout, so I wouldn't limit it to that. It's got elements of all the genres I love - YA, mystery, suspense, the supernatural and just a dash of romance. And for a debut novel, it's fantastic.
I was invested in the plot straight away and I had to know what happened - I read the whole book in one sitting. Although the beginning was good, it didn't really fully come alive until the end. Tension and suspense built throughout the entire book, slowly but surely winding their way into the story ever so subtly. By the end, the tone got darker and entered into an almost dreamlike state, which suited the plot perfectly. The writing was excellent and highly visual, as all this weaving of genres and multi-layers of story were complex yet still easy to understand. At no point did I lose the plot thread or get bored, which speaks volumes about the quality of Fowley-Doyle's writing.
The concept in itself is unique and different to anything else I've read. It's rare to come across a new idea that works so well, but the author has managed to do exactly that. The twists were exciting and (mostly) unpredictable, especially towards the end. I managed to guess a few of the minor twists early in the story but the major plot points all came as surprises to me.
The characters were intriguing and wildly different for siblings, yet they all had secrets to hide and at times were also similar, just like the differences and similarities between real siblings. The subplot of the love story was sweet and realistic, despite being potentially forbidden and all the problems that would arise from that. I also particularly liked that the characters didn't have to conform to expectations - they weren't afraid to be different and they weren't afraid of what others thought of them. In YA fiction especially that was really refreshing, and it allowed the diversity and originality of characters like Bea to really come alive.
The Accident Season is a strangely captivating book; one that I'm sure will stay with me for a long time.
Rating: 5 stars
The Accident Season is available to buy now (paid link; commission earned).
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* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Will you be reading The Accident Season? Let me know in the comments below!
Will you be reading The Accident Season? Let me know in the comments below!
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