Two cousins must find a way to connect their two halves of the same city blown apart across dimensions by a myserious weatherbomb, one stuck in perpetual summer and the other in pemanent winter. A clever, multi-layered novel with a premise I haven't come across before. It sits more in the speculative fantasy space than sci-fi, blending stories about folklore and technology. The partnership between Langmead and Whiteley works well, creating distinct voices for Esther and Jamie. Overall a really fun and interesting read.

I read this courtesy NetGalley and Titan Books. A city divided into extremes because of what we are told is a weatherbomb (all too reasonable, with the rise of technology and reckless disregard of humanity in general), we have a story that looks at how mankind has to adapt in horrific weather climate circumstances. Cousins Jamie and Esther are trapped on opposing sides of Fairharbour, where one side of the city is basically frozen, like Narnia with the White Witch always winter, and the other side of the city is the opposite, all glaring summer. How they survive, what really happened, and the remaining, mesmerizing films of their late grandmother, the famed filmmaker Carmen Pike, used as commentary of their separate existences makes this story a memorable one.

#CityofAllSeasons #NetGalley

I thought that the City of All Seasons had such a cool premise & a fresh twist on the whole seasonal powers/locations theme. I really liked how the world felt unique and different from others in the genre, even though it plays with some familiar ideas. The atmosphere was strong, and the concept kept me interested throughout. Overall, a really solid and creative take on a well-loved theme!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

This book was a weird but interesting combination of whimsy fairy tale and sci fi/fantasy shenanigans. Not sure which category to put it in because it has elements of all of them and they really don’t work that well together in this story.

The writing was good but also I kept wanting to skip ahead, wanting to get to the point. Lots of repetitive storytelling and while I enjoyed how the family and town lore fed into what was happening, it only seemed to make me more confused. The magic system didn’t make sense for example.

While I enjoyed learning about the mystery about the twin cities, this story was not for me. 3.5/5 ⭐️

I saw another review that likened this book to a fairytale, and I totally agree with that assessment - namely in the convenient “unexplainableness” of the magic, the narrative distance from the characters, and the side characters as caricatures.

I kept reaching for something deeper and hitting a wall. Jamie and Esther were around 18 years old, but they felt like 30+ year old adults. Even their nostalgia wasn’t very teenage. So even though the sundering kind of had to happen when they were still kids, in order to hold up their part in the mystery, and they couldn’t have been separated for too long because the winter city would definitely run out of food and supplies eventually (shocked it hadn’t happened already - and the practicalities of living there weren’t explained at all), it just didn’t feel right. I kept wondering like “where do they get food? How do they handle medical emergencies? What sort of infrastructure exists beyond a cult of angry men on both sides?”

Overall, and especially with the various side characters who act as different levels of villain throughout the story, it felt more like one long drawn-out metaphor rather than a story in its own right. With long chapters that sometimes only amounted to passing a whimsical device to their counterpart, despite its length the pacing suffered and it began to feel repetitive.

My favorite parts were the flashbacks to the family memories and the films.

Since the alleged weatherbomb eight years ago, Jamie is trapped in perpetual Winter, so cold it is dangerous where the Doormen brick the city shut. Esther is trapped in a sweating Summer where there exits the Fenestration to make holes in everything.
The cousins realise that perhaps their missing loved ones didn’t disappear or die, perhaps they exist in an overlaid city. They start exchanging objects they tinker with, trying to remember the past and figure out the future.

We have two cities composed of opposites - more than just their weather. one wants to preserver everything, one wants to tear everything down and start again.

You could viscerally feel the weather. The biting cold and dripping sun.

<b>Perhaps we only learn to stand up against others when they take away our places to sit.
</b>
I would say this is more magical realism than science fiction or fantasy. There are a lot of unanswered questions or impossible happenings that are breezed over. However, I felt fairly satisfied with the scant information and confusion of the characters themselves that this didn’t detract too much.

The ending was anti-climatic and rushed. It felt like they ran out of steam when the twist was revealed.

This would make a brilliant film and I wonder if that was in the authors’ minds as their grandmother (the moving piece of this story), is a famous artistic genius.

Random side note: It took me a while to realise Jamie was a boy.

Physical arc gifted by Titan Books.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book! I appreciate it.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t click with this. I made it to 40% and I decided not to finish. Jamie’s chapters were well written, but I found myself to be bored; it provided the “what” but no “so what” to the plot. Esther’s chapters felt incredibly dull and I couldn’t click with her character. I felt like I didn’t care what happened to Esther or Jamie.
The world building had potential but the delivery fell short. The Doormen in Jamie’s world made sense; the bad action taken by them is due to survival (though morally wrong). The Fenestration on the other hand… holes?!? What’s the point? Where the depth in the ideology?
Again, thank you for this opportunity!!

This was such a beautifully strange novel. It reminded me of an episode of The Twilight Zone. I read an eARC of this novel so thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley.

This novel is written from two POVs. Two cousins each trapped in a version of a city. One forever summer, the other trapped in an endless winter. Both facing different challenges associated with the extreme weather from menacing local administration. In summer the fenestration committee is knocking holes in every wall for ventilation, ruining the buildings. In winter, they brick up all the doors. Our characters find themselves with fewer rights and freedoms as the local administrations become more extreme.

All the while, they start to uncover clues. Clues about the parallel city, clues about what happened to cause the split, and clues about their mysterious grandmother. Their grandmother was a film-maker and we see glimpses of her films and legacy throughout the book, as well as the family history and local mythology. This was absolutely fascinating. I loved how the history and mythology built throughout the story, both about the island they live on and the city itself, but also their own family anecdotes.

I thoroughly enjoyed the way this was told through the parallel cities and the different challenges each face. This was so cleverly done and created something that felt really immersive. This was a unique and memorable read.

Thank you to Oliver K. Langmead, Aliya Whiteley, Titan Books, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was expecting a more strongly leaning sci-fi book than speculative fiction. Coupled with the dual POV / first person / present tense, I couldn’t carry on. I can definitely see the book working for some.

The synopsis was better than what I read. I think the idea was phenomenal but when it came to execution, this is where the book suffered the most.

City of All Seasons is an interesting mix of fantasy, science fiction, dystopia and magical realism. The resulting story reads like a fairytale, so if you enjoy fairytales and their retellings, this might be a great book for you.

Unfortunately, however, that was the reason it didn't quite work for me. There are elements to the fairytale that I don't enjoy in books I read, specifically emotional distance from the characters and a whimsical kind of magical realism. I'm a big fantasy reader, but I like magic systems to be based on some kind of sense or logic. In many fairytales (and in this book) random things are magic just because, which means that anything can happen at anytime, and then I find I just can't get invested.

There were also things I enjoyed: the writing was good, even great at times, and I liked Jamie as a character. The start of the novel is strong, and I felt myself drawn into the mystery of the city and its characters. I enjoyed the family lore that gets explored throughout the story, even though in the end it didn't tie into the main narrative as much as I would have liked.

About halfway through, though, the story became a little repetitive to me and I felt like not much was happening. The ending was the weakest part to me: the story became increasingly surreal and symbolic, and I felt that the ending was rather anticlimactic.

On the whole, I would still recommend the book if you enjoy magical realism and fairytales.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Titan Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

City of All Seasons is a weird and wonderful novel that mixes sci-fi and fantasy, taking the reader to a world that feels both familiar and strange. The story is set in a city stuck between eternal summer and non-stop winter, while the fates of Esther and Jamie weave their way through this strange tale. From the get-go, the novel casts a spell with its atmospheric density. Jamie lives in a fairharbour of cold and snow, where people don't seem to have much warmth left in them either. But there are strange patches of sunlight where peaches appear and objects disappear. Esther, on the other hand, knows only the blistering heat of a summer that never ends, in a city marked by craggy rooms and windows like dead eyes without glass. Jamie and Esther are both inventors and "students" of the super-talented Pawel and they're at the centre of this mysterious family history that's inextricably linked to the events of Fairharbour. When Jamie discovers images of another vibrant, green city in a kaleidoscope, a fascinating search for the truth behind the divided world begins.

The story is told in a playful, convoluted and experimental way, like a stream of consciousness, with chapters passing between the authors like a baton. The story is told in a nested structure, with stories within stories, and this creates a dense, mythical atmosphere. Fairharbour itself becomes a living backdrop, with magical objects like an old diving suit, a set of tarot cards or a two-handed saw taking on their own meaning.

The multi-layered supporting characters, from Crouch and later Chris to the mayor, are really lovely. They all come alive and fit into the overall picture, which is like a kaleidoscope. The world of Fairharbour is small and huge at the same time – it's like an RPG in which every encounter reveals a new facet of the story.

The web that both authors weave here slowly spreads out and ultimately creates a family feud that divides a world. I didn't find this twist the most exciting because it was a bit obvious what had happened and why. I liked the many quirky characters that Jamie and Esther meet and that make their respective worlds come alive.

Anyone expecting an elaborate arc of suspense will probably be a little disappointed, because the plot is rather quiet and feels like a staged puzzle in which the pieces slowly fall into place. At the same time, it is totally exciting to observe the clues and side scenes and let the narrative work its magic. It was a patient read for me, but I really enjoyed it.

The initial promotion of the book with a similarity to “This Is How You Lose the Time War” created a false expectation for me - the differences outweigh the similarities and “A City for all Seasons” ultimately stands on its own. Those who can engage with a poetic, enigmatic and interwoven narrative will have a unique reading experience here.

And as Esther aptly puts it: It´s the job of the Artist to create, not to tell other people what to do with the creation, isn´t it?

(I received this book from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

The City of All Seasons tells the story of a city split in two, winter and summer, but it also tells the story of the Pike family, its secrets and regrets, its past, present… maybe future?

The book is told in two distinct points of views: Jamie, trapped in the frozen landscape of the winter city, and Esther, looking forward to a day with no sun. Jaime’s chapters are very poetic and beautifully written, we as the readers quickly understand what he wants, misses, hopes. Esther’s chapters are not so clear, maybe due to her personality not being as forward a Jaime’s from the beginning. And then there are several minor characters, some archetypes, some names that only drop in the background… and the matriarch of the family, Carmen Pike, a great star who did not live to see how the city changed.
With just a little over 300 pages, the rhythm is one of this novel’s greatest weaknesses. It feels very relaxed in the beginning, descriptive, poetic, introspective, and suddenly, towards half the pages, everything starts to rush and some of the information the main characters were looking for appears out of nowhere and this haste that the writers feel infects the reader and it all just becomes a kind of a blur. Were all the questions answered? Was that a satisfying ending? Who knows, because so much is told in such a short amount of time that it becomes overwhelming. And sadly, that is the feeling that stays the longest.

Two Great Authors Combine Their Imaginations in This Storm of a Novel

Fairharbour, island city, home to Jamie and Esther Pike, cousins and grandchildren of a famous filmmaker. Except that Jamie's Fairharbour is stuck in eternal winter and Esther's in summer. Only the mysterious mayor appears to be oscillating between the two cities. Will the Pike grandchildren discover what truly split their city and will they manage to use their gifts to reunite it?

While I agree with previous reviewers on the somewhat unexpected and slightly rushed ending, this is a solid five-star read for me. Oliver K. Langmead and Aliya Whitely join forces to write this dual point-of-view masterpiece with exquisite worldbuilding and very tender, detailed narration. It has the feel of a modern classic of fantasy literature and is truly original. The two halves of the city (dimension is not one of the four we know) are starkly contrasted and yet eerily similar. This parallel world structure highlights the plot and the cousins' struggle really well. The novel sometimes feels a bit like a videogame, especially when backstory is delivered in monologues to the point-of-view character. I loved it!
The authors will keep you guessing until the very end and everything you think you've gleamed can turn out to be false at any turn and twist this story takes. The authors' skill and craft really shine through and make this a riveting read.
Thoroughly recommend to fantasy and sci-fi readers who enjoy small but intricate settings, mysteries and young characters facing up to adults' organisational structures in order to reunite. If you liked The Hunger Games, The Starless Sea or Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, this is for you.

The concept of this story was really intriguing – I loved that there was a split in the city as well as the way the story was told, going between POVs. I didn't love the ending, which part of the way explained how the city came to be split but didn't fully explain the how of it happening – I just wanted more explanation! Also, it felt like there were a lot of flashbacks used to detail the story, and I would've preferred to see more things happening in real time.

I really enjoyed my time reading this! It is dystopian and whimsical at the same time with just a touch of darkness. One of my favorite things were the inventions and the way the us readers discovered the two worlds. If you like magical worlds that are a bit more open ended and whimsical then this is a great book to pick up. I do think this could have been a bit more descriptive, especially with the characters but overall, I think this was a fun little read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book to review.

The City of All Seasons is a novel that splits us in two. Taking place in the island town of Fairharbour, we follow two cousins who live in separate versions of this city. While Jamie is trapped within perpetual winter, Esther is struggling through an ongoing summer. Believing the other to be dead, the other city unknown to them, they soon find a way to send messages to each other through the barrier of these alternate universes. And with it, they begin to unravel the mystery of what happened to their hometown that split it in two in the first place.

This novel has a wonderful premise that I was intrigued by going in. We switch point of view every chapter, following one of the cousins every time. It feels like a real back and forth between them as we send a message, receive it, and then send another one back in a sort of pattern. The book continues with this rhythm all the way through, though towards the end it becomes a little more mixed up. The book was clearly built around this structure which I find particularly fun. Especially as the messages aren’t just usual letters. The two cousins, both tinkerers, build contraptions that they send to each other — recognising the work of each other because they know each other so well.

While this main premise was fun while reading, I was always wanting a little bit more from the relationships in the book. We get a lot of flashbacks, which give us something to understand why these two cousins care about each other so much, but I wish we had a little more of building relationships in the present day. Who are all the other people in these two cities? Do we feel any connection to them at all? There are a handful of characters that make an appearance throughout the book that play a part in the plot, but these relationships didn’t feel very developed to me. I would have liked to meet more characters who also had family members in the other city that we meet, maybe even kept a secret from the audience and we learn of their connection later. I feel like it would have felt more fun, and like the split of the cities hurt more than just our two main protagonists. I was really hoping that a revelation would come for the character I liked the most, but she just haunts the narrative all the way through.

I was also a little unsatisfied with the resolution to the novel. While the mystery holds through the entire way of the book, we eventually find out why the city was split in two… But still not really HOW, in a practical sense. It’s something you just have to suspend your disbelief for, which I just couldn’t wrap my head around in this case. I was looking for a more concrete answer. Still, the setting of the book was fun to explore, and the final ending surprised me in a pleasant way. It was going to be a hard one to wrap up, but I think the authors did a wonderful job in leaving the characters and the cities in a place that makes sense.

Thanks again for the advanced copy to review.

So good. An interesting take on the multiverse/alternate universe trope that seems to be prevalent in contemporary media. Beautifully written, relatable characters while still staying in a fantastical world. Will definitely be rereading in April.

I loved everything about this book. It's beautiful, melodic, poetic and intricate. It's a space odyssey of the highest calibre. I really think this is going to become a new classic of its genre! The authors write so confidently and assuredly that I understood everything they were trying to do and why.

"City of All Seasons' tells a story of a city torn by unknown circumstances into two entities – one covered in never melting snow, one drowned in summer sun. One sister lives in endless winter, one in constant summer. But under such simple division lies an actual story, about a legendary Pike family, about corruption, love and... cinema.

I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised with this title! At first glance it seems like a simple idea for world-building, one that doesn't reach deeper than surface level, yet Langmead and Whiteley created a complex world, simultaneously intertwining it with a family saga. The prose is beautiful, I enjoyed the atmosphere and descriptions of two cities. Although Jamie and Esther are the narrators, each character is a layered human being that shares a significant role to the whole image. I will admit, the intrigue and bitter-sweet ending are the elements that truly put the whole story together. It was a welcomed surprise.