Short and Sweet:

Though something feels a little off in the story, I fell hard for the beautiful writing, absorbing characters, and eery mystery!
To Elaborate…

This premise is probably one of my favorites that I’ve ever read. I LOVE magical realism, and this is a perfect example of it. The story is mystical, a little spooky, heartfelt, mysterious, and grounded in all too real characters and relationships. Some parts even verge (or full on cross over) into being trippy, but it works surprisingly well. The main characters act their ages and like to have a little fun, even while avoiding sharp objects and other potential accidents.

Something does feel a little off in the story. This could entirely be me (I definitely want to stress that), but I was really surprised at the direction to the story went. Based on the synopsis, I think I subconsciously expected the accident season to be the conflict of the story. How did it happen, why is this still going on, etc. The characters get all the answers to these questions, but they aren’t actually looking for the answers or asking the questions. Cara is focused on looking for a missing person, which does lead her to clues about the accident season, but it’s the missing person that she spends her time looking for. At the same time though, I understand why solving the mystery of the accident season wasn’t a primary conflict because of how everything turns out (can’t say much without spoilers). That might not make sense, but basically, I’m very pleased with where the story ended up and the journey there; I just didn’t expect where it went.

I have a secret love of the stepbrother/ex-stepbrother (in this case) romance trope, and I love it in this story. I know it’s not for everyone, but what I think makes this relationship stand out so much is that it’s also a friends-to-lovers kind of trope. Cara and Sam are super close, and they always have each other’s back. Their romance is minor, but it has a great slow burn. I wanted to shout, “NOW KISS!” approximately a thousand times. I also love a certain secret relationship in the story (more spoilers I can’t reveal), and the emotional responses between the entire cast of characters is entirely moving and intense.

Overall, the writing is strong and pulls the reader right in, and I finished the story in a night it was so absorbing. The emotion level is high and nearly intoxicating at times. The romance and premise are incredible, even though some aspect of the story still has me scratching my head. I decided to go with 4 stars because I would definitely read this again (and again and again), and I absolutely recommend it for lovers of magical realism.

Originally posted at The Forest of Words and Pages: http://www.forestofwordsandpages.com/2015/08/review-the-accident-season-by-moira-fowley-doyle/