Review ~ Seasons in the Sun (The Night Songs Collection .5) by Kristen Strassel

ebook downloaded from Amazon for free

Description:
Summer has finally arrived, along with a boy who will forever change the life of fourteen-year-old Callie. After growing up hearing stories about Tristan Trevosier and his famous family, Callie finally meets him when he spends the summer on Martha's Vineyard. Seventeen-year-old Tristan is a hurricane of destruction and rebellion, and he quickly blows a hole right into Callie's sheltered life. Callie sees a side of Tristan that he doesn't show anyone else. She's determined to make everyone see what she sees in him.

Callie defies her parents by leaving the island with Tristan. But when his ugly habits rear their head, Callie realizes maybe she's the one who's wrong about him. He's beyond her help. But it's too late for her to walk away. This summer, she learns that love can be stronger than reason.

My Opinion

I downloaded this because I've been on the hunt for short novellas that I can read within a hour. The time I can spend reading this month has lessened dramatically so novellas seem to be the perfect solution as I'm struggling to keep up with novels. So, because this was free I thought I'd give it a go. I didn't know it was a prequel going in--which probably answers my problems, but more on that in a minute.

One thing I thought the author did well in this novella was make the character appropriate for her age. I'm not normally a fan of books where the main character is under 15 but I didn't mind this one. I've seen it done so many times where an author decides to create a younger character and then dumps every problem under the sun on them, makes them act like a brat and uses language I don't feel comfortable reading in NA (and I'm not bothered by most things). However, the author of this struck the right balance I think. Callie was a believable fourteen year old, her emotions felt real and the situations she found herself in felt real. She also had parents who clearly cared and disciplined her which was a nice change.

For me though this novella started off well but slowly went downhill. I started off lighthearted and joking between friends. There was even a little flirting and those scenes were great, however it didn't stay like that. I have no problem with Tristan's drinking and out of control manner but the changes did seem a little sudden. The ending also seemed like a different story entirely and I found myself asking "How did I get from a romance to this?!" There were subtle links but they weren't developed enough to make the ending plausible for me. I don't know if things are better linked if you read the actual book first, but after seeing some reviews stating there are vampires involved, I don't think I'll be reading it to find out.

Overall, this novella moved at a quick pace, did hook me in the beginning and was the easy read I was looking for. It was a shame about the ending, but like I said I only found out it was a prequel after I'd finished it so it may make more sense if you read the book--I don't know.