2.5/5⭐ to A Season of Sinister Dreams by Tracy Banghart. Thank you to Hachette Canada for an egalley copy to review. This was by no means the worst book I read in 2021, but regrettably for me, it just got lost in the void of YA Fantasy. Our characters were fairly well developed and were able to hold their own within the story while I found the plot and magic system intriguing enough to finish the book. Beyond that, the writing wasn't my absolute favourite and the details of the story were a little forgettable. Perhaps a bit better development of the world and magic system to something a little more updated and reworking the tropes would help better this book. Definitely no hate to this book or author, and I hope it finds its readership.

I’ll be honest, this review is a difficult one to write because the story jumps right in to important details. Which is great!! I just like my reviews to be spoiler-free, so I’m going to tip toe around pertinent information as much as possible. Wish me luck!

OK, I want to start off by saying that I was blown away by the final connection of magics and characters that we saw at the end of this book.

While the general concepts of the magic used were ones you read regularly in fantasy novels (healing, lighting fires, etc.), I really enjoyed the author’s take on how certain individuals and certain types of magic could be connected or interact with one another. It was less “I use my fire magic on you and you use your water magic on me” and more “I just tried to use my mind controlling magic on her and it didn’t work. What sort of magic does she have that could block mine??”. I liked that it is written in a slightly more connected way than most fantasy authors give us.

My next big positive for this book is the fact that we get to experience the story from the point of view (POV) of two female leads. You aren’t seeing events from the traditional counter perspectives of love interests. You get to follow the journeys of two women from separate classes and parts of a kingdom. Then, later, see their POVs converge before finishing out the story. I really liked that aspect of the POV because so often the emphasis is placed on the romance because of who is telling the story. Where as, this dual-story perspective put more of the emphasis on the storyline and struggles of each individual before and after they came into the same storyline. You get separate family dynamics, experiences with magic, love interests, personal struggles, etc. This was really refreshing as a reader.

I will probably be in the minority, but I actually think I loved Annalise’s character the best! I know you’re not really suppose to love the anti-hero types, but the insight that her struggles brought about were SO good in my opinion.

Annalise is the King’s great niece and she is appalled by what his selfish actions have cost their kingdom: lives lost, families separated, excessive theft caused by unnecessary poverty. Her own mother was one of the lives lost because of his brutal and selfish reign. She wants to do whatever she can to make things right, but along the way her obsession leads her to commit some actions that she never would have imagined or condoned in the beginning. Someone can have all of the best intentions, but living your life so focused on a specific mission, no matter how “good”, can almost force you to do absolutely anything, no matter how “bad”, to get to the desired result. Annalise isn’t your princess in a castle who triumphantly fixes everything in the end. She is a flawed, sad character that makes for a very realistic take on a storyline that often works out too perfectly in most fantasy books.

Evra, our other POV, is a small town, farm girl who has yet to come into her magic. Her town fears and mocks her because if this. Little do they know, she is about to come into an amazing power that will help to shape the future of their kingdom.

She has a beautiful family dynamic that I really loved and a strong best friend, Tamsin. This support system is what got her through the town’s unkind treatment of her and, I believe, helped her to ultimately make the right (and difficult) decision at the end of this book. Her family’s love and a solid upbringing are what helped her character, though naive at first, to grow and save a kingdom.

Tamsin was a very delightful secondary character to me! Brought up in a “higher class” home than Evra, she was torn between two worlds: the steward’s daughter who liked to visit court in pretty gowns and the country best friend who loved to shoot her bow and arrow in the woods with mussed hair. She is the type of friend who won’t let Evra face anything alone and will stay with her until the end, and those characters always hold such a special place in my heart! Now, she doesn’t escape her own heartache and loss in this book, but she is a wonderful companion to Evra and I am SO happy she ends up with who she ends up with! (Sorry, cant tell you. No spoilers, remember! Ha)

I will say, I do wish this book had been longer, but that’s usually the case for me. HaHa

There are so many details (like, what exactly is the magic Annalise was gifted with??) that I wish were given more time. I also want to know what happens after that big “final moment”. I need a little of the “Happily Ever After” portion to really feel like the book was truly ended well. It’s not all roses, which I absolutely appreciate! It would just be good to get a small insight into how things go when they return to the palace. That’s all I’m asking for! Now, if it had a sequel, then fine, but even a little epilogue of “this is how things are going since the big ending” would be great.

I wholeheartedly agree with the ‘Furyborn’ meets ‘A Curse So Dark and Lonely’ comparison. So if you liked either of these, definitely go pick up a copy of ‘A Season of Sinister Dreams’! It should also be stocked in every high school library, in my humble opinion. Happy reading!!

Thank you for granting my request for this title. I am unfortunately having troubling getting into this story. I wish this book all the best and I may try to pick it up again sometime in the future.

A Season of Sinister Dreams follows two young women, Annalise and Evra. Annalise is the king's niece, and when he announces the betrothal of Annalise and a man she does not wish to marry, Annalise loses control of her magical powers and turns the prince into a wolf. Evra is a country girl who has finally come to term that she does not have any powers of her own, but when she received a vision of the king she learns the truth that in her family runs a line of magic that can see visions into the future meant to serve the king and protect the kingdom.

I had mixed feelings about this book. First of all the plot was a bit slow in the first half of the book, so I can definitely see a lot of people getting bored with this book and putting it down. It does get better as the story goes on, but then you run into poor world-building issues, there were times where the characters were talking about places & destinations and I was very confused and they weren't explained properly and were not very memorable.

I did enjoy reading from the two character's perspectives, and I enjoyed both characters very much on their own. Annalise is very strong and mysterious, as her past slowly unravels during the story I was excited to find out more about her. Evra is the kind hearted and sweet character that you can't help but fall in love with right from the beginning, and her character building throughout the book was very well done. However what I disliked very much was the romance in this story, it felt forced and underdeveloped & to be honest I didn't really like the male character who falls in love with Evra at all.

Overall it was a very creative story and I loved the two main characters, however the plot, worldbuilding and romance in this novel could have been greatly improved.

This story felt like it picked up right in the middle. The story was fast paced and the main character was not likeable.

A Season of Sinister Dreams by Tracy Banghart is a decent fantasy but the story is a bit unwieldy and lacking in a clear path. Emotions rule the plot, to the detriment of said plot. Anneliese is clearly the villain but perhaps shouldn't be, while Evra is the wide-eyed innocent who just happens to know better than everyone else in the country. Cue eye roll. With its tired and over-used storyline, the one good thing is that it is a standalone novel.

A semi decent read with cool magic and lots of deception. Annalise was really hard to connect with as a character as she felt rather one-dimensional. I was never able to read her emotions and have them ring true. Evra felt much more authentic and I could relate to her. But by the end of the story the plot had fizzled and the choices the characters made were harder to believe. Overall, a pretty basic YA fantasy that ended lackluster.

I liked the idea of this book and it was well written but for me the pacing was off. Some parts of the book dragged, while others felt rushed. I do think the dual POV (rarely a favorite of mine) was well done and I did like the characters. Overall though it was unbalanced.

A Season of Sinister Dreams (2021) by Tracy Banghart follows two young women, Evra and Annalise, whose lives become irrevocably intertwined when the crown prince disappears. Told in first-person present and alternating points of view, this story is one of sinister magic, morally gray characters, and girls who stop at nothing to protect their loved ones.

Evra is the daughter of farmers, nearly outcast by her village because of her large stature and lack of magic. Annalise is the ailing king’s grand-niece with a magic so great, she’s kept it hidden from him all these years. It’s when her cousin abdicates from his position that she’s thrust into the spotlight as heir to the throne. An entire cast of characters support them in their respective missions, but a few stood out as stronger than the others.

My favorite characters are Evra and her best friend Tamsin. When Evra’s rare Clearsee magic manifests, the two girls travel together to the capital to lend Evra’s service to the king. The story with the king is a complicated one: ten years prior, he lost his son and daughter-in-law to the Sickness, which read like a plague, so he called (actually forced) all powerful magic workers, especially healers, to the capital to protect his grandson and himself.

I LOVED Banghart’s Grace and Fury (2018) and its sequel Queen of Ruin (2019), so I was excited when I received an ARC from Netgalley for her newest book. While Banghart’s writing is solid, the setting and the story fall a little flat for me. The story takes place in a fictional medieval-like setting, with kings, knights, and grand balls, and magic both commonplace and life-changing. Some of my qualms might be because I read an uncorrected proof, but there were a few small things that stuck out to me, mostly worldbuilding and word choice issues (e.g., abnegate vs. abdicate). The first few chapters from Annalise’s point of view were shaky and confusing, though they did get stronger later on.

Having loved Banghart’s first two books so fiercely, I was a little disappointed in this! I will still recommend it because it features two strong female characters that are good representations of what it means to struggle with decisions that affect not only yourself, but others as well, and a fierce female friendship that reminds me of my best friend. If you’re interested in a quick fantasy read without too much heavy worldbuilding, this one's for you.

Thank you to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an early copy of this book. I love Tracy Banghart. I’ve met her at an author event and we spent like an hour talking, so I love to read and support her work.
A Season of Sinister Dreams follows two main characters, Annalise and Evra. Annalise is the grandniece to the King and cousin to the prince. But she has secrets that she would do anything to protect. Evra is a country girl. She’s worried that she’ll never have any magic and the people in her town are starting to treat her differently. But Evra starts having visions that mean the kingdom is in danger. She’s this generations Clearsee. The Clearsee’s only appear once in a generation, and only when the kingdom is in danger. Evra must travel to court to meet with the king and inform him that she has been revealed as this generations Clearsee.
Evra and Annalise meet at court. But since we’re seeing things from both points of view, we know things that the other characters don’t. I think this fact made the story infinitely better. Knowing that there were secrets to be revealed and knowing what those secrets were kept me engaged into the story. Wondering how each of the characters were going to react when the truth finally came out was a really great way to add some suspense to the story.
Now, I really loved Evra. She’s a girl that loves her family. She loves her kingdom. And she’s willing to do her duty as Clearsee despite the fact that she disagrees with many of the things the king has ordered for the people. She’s taking her responsibility seriously and she does her best to make the right choices, the choices that will help the most people. The author really did her dirty with some of the things that happen, but I really loved Evra.
Annalise was a fascinating character. I wanted to hate her so badly, but I just couldn’t. I liked her. Her backstory pulled on my heartstrings. Because we got to see things from her point of view, we know that some events were complete accidents. We get to see the other side of the story which made it easier to sympathize with Annalise, even though she was in the wrong. I didn’t want to like Annalise at all, but I couldn’t help it.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s a short, political fantasy that follows two strong women. I liked the politics. I liked the bits of romance we got. I liked the different kinds of magic there was to see. I just genuinely enjoyed this book.

What if you have great intentions, but go about things really wrong? That's Annalise. She's got great ideas as to how the kingdom should run, but her plotting and planning isn't going to go well. And then there's Evra, who has these terrible visions that show a threat but of course don't show who and when and what. They would make a terrific team, except did you get the part about Annalise doing things horribly? I love the fact that they're strong women but in very different ways. Things are wrapped up at the end but are they really? We'll see...

eARC provided by publisher.

I enjoyed the book. It's well written. And then we get to the last 25%.

I am somehow disappointed in the ending.

*Spoilers*

Everything was tied up too neatly. All of the character growth went out the window. Annalise had no consequences for her actions or the people she hurt.. She got exactly what she wanted, all wrapped up in a shiny bow.

Annalise should have stayed dead. Kendrick's experience being trapped as a wolf should have given him the push he needed to be a great king.

Instead all we got was ~blah~ EVERYONE gets a happy ending.

*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC.

The problem with having an interesting concept for a story is that the author then has to deliver on it. And with slow pacing, boring characters, and confusion surrounding whose PV is was (both girls have the same characterization, so I couldn't tell who was telling the story), the execution did not match the concept.

I was given this ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Evra discovers she has the power of sight, past, future, and present, and it is her duty to protect the kingdom with her gift. Annalise, who is the king's niece, has power no one expects, but after making a horrible mistake, she is terrified someone will find out about what she can do. These two girls come together in court, and even though they both have the goal of protecting the kingdom, they don't trust each other. Mistakes are made, and vengeance is the name of the game.

This book was just okay for me. I really didn't love either of the main characters, and I just felt the overall pace of the book was pretty slow. There were some cool parts, and their powers were really good concepts, but the pace, the plot, the characters, the climax, the plot twists... they were all just kind of bland. I can see other people liking this book, it just wasn't as exciting as I was wanting it to be. 2.5 stars

I was given and arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! It had a unique magic system, great characters, strong women taking the power they deserve, and courtly intrigue. The world was established, the political system was well done and well explained, and the magic system was easy to follow. It had a nice, if slightly rushed, ending. 4 stars for sure!

I think i would have liked this book a lot more, however, if it wasn't a stand alone. All of world, magic, and character set up was well done, but about halfway through as the author started to wrap up the book, all of the development fell through the cracks and the end kind of rushed. I still enjoyed it, but I just wanted more. I think with another book the end could have been better as well.
Regardless, this was a fantastic book and will be recommending it once it is published!

Tracy Banghart’s A Season of Sinister Dreams is a tale about vengeance. The story focuses on Annalise and Evra, two girls who seek retribution for actions taken against them. Annalise and Evra are strong, female characters, and I love the single-minded focus that the girls exhibit towards their goals of revenge. Both girls try very hard to not let anything deter them from achieving their goals.

A Season of Sinister Dreams is a stand-alone, and Banghart does a great job at answering all lingering questions while also leaving the ending open enough that she could return to the world and write a sequel. The plot, however, was very mediocre and predictable. Within the first 1/3rd of the novel, I had several of the twists already figured out. The ending was what saved the story for me, changing my final rating from 2 stars to 3 stars. Banghart ends the story with a clever twist that was a very fitting consequence for one of main characters.

Many thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the e-ARC! All opinions are my own.

This was a very slow start for me, especially because I had to go back more than once to see if I had skipped entirely over a chapter describing what kind of beast Kendrick had become. I was very confused by the descriptions of him and what just how beastly he was. After about a third of the book I began to get more involved and then things moved faster. I am a HUGE fan of Grace and Fury so I had big expectations for this one, but it ended up being just okay for me. I liked the magic in this world, particularly Annalise's abilities to sway people. I also like a story where a character thinks of themselves as a good guy but their actions don't bear that out. I think a lot of real life people fall into that same category. Although there is a lot happening in the opening chapters, I think the book needs something more to move the reader along to build interest right off the bat.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.

I regrettably have to put this book on the DNF pile at sixty percent. I liked the author's other duology so I'm a little surprised this one didn't click with me. I think part of it is just personal taste-- I don't really like the writing style. However, I also found that the book was a little slow in getting the plot going. And even once it did, it felt like it was dragging. I considered finishing it anyway but as I wasn't really invested, I just gave up.

I also feel the need to address something that nearly made me quit the book at ten percent. Both main characters have negative thoughts about their looks because they don't fit into the conventual view of beauty. Dear YA authors, can we please stop writing female characters this way? Can we just for once have a female character who is not conventually beautiful but who still has a positive self-image? But that's not all. One of the main characters is sexually assaulted and I think it awakened her magical power. Couldn't there be any other method for doing that? Did she have to get sexually assaulted? It serves absolutely no purpose to make her go through that.

Another issue I had was that both girls sounded the same in their narratives. It was dual first-person but I sometimes forgot which one of them was actually speaking. If you're going to have a dual first-person, make the voices unique. The magic is interesting and Annalise is an interesting enough character that I am curious how things turn out. I just felt like I was forcing my way through and I don't really like doing that when I read.