City of All Seasons

by Oliver K. Langmead, Aliya Whiteley

A vibrant and emotional science fantasy about cousins trapped in mirrored worlds – the resplendent and verdant summer city and the ice-carved wastes of the winter city. For fans of Every Heart a Doorway and This is How You Lose the Time War.

Welcome to Jamie Pike’s Fairharbour – a city stuck in perpetual winter, its windows and doorways bricked shut to keep out the freezing cold, its residents striving to survive in the arctic conditions.

Welcome to Esther Pike’s Fairharbour – a city stuck in constant summer, its walls crumbling in the heat, its oppressive sunlight a relentless presence.

Winter and Summer alike, have both fallen under the yoke of oppressive powers, that have taken control after the cataclysm. 

But both Fairharbours were once a single, united city. And in certain places, at certain times, one side can catch a glimpse of the other. As Jamie and Esther find a way to communicate across the divide, they set out to solve the mystery of what split their city in two, and what, if anything, might repair their fractured worlds.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Adult, Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Book Club, Family

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2025

Reviews

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ☆

“It’s not that i loss faith in the stories of our past. It’s only that I’ve learned that new issues can’t be solved by old solutions. There are two cities now, not one. Pretending we are all the same will not make it easier for us to stand in the same place.”

the Pike family is famous because of their grandmother, who was a movie director. when she dies, the world gets split into two. i really liked the concept of this book, with the two cousins who are separated in these mirror worlds of each other. one in endless summer, while the other is constant winter. there’s a lot of familial drama, but i never got invested in the characters. Jamie and Esther were fine, I just think since the book is written by 2 different authors it wasn’t as seamless. i was curious to see how things would turn out but it also wasn’t hard to figure out how the book would end. i don’t even think this is a bad book, just a little underwhelming for me.

⇨ many thanks to NetGalley, the authors and Titan Books for the arc, all opinions are my own.

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 preserve everything, the other wants to tear everything down and start again.

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

Perhaps we only learn to stand up against others when they take away our places to sit.

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.

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[❁lilith❁ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for providing me with this eARC! My opinions are my own.
___________

For the first third or so of this book I was mildly invested. The premise - two versions of the same city, one in perpetual summer and one winter - was off the rip very interesting. Our POV characters were fine, and there was a cool back and forth going on between them in which they tried to communicate between the two different versions of the city.
It pretty much entirely lost me soon after. I found the characters to continue on to be rather bland, I don't know much about any of them really. We focus a lot on flashbacks and the POV characters memories of their grandmother and other family members, and I just didn't care about any of those characters AT ALL. It felt impossible not to skim from about 40% onwards, because there was so much description against little dialogue and it made the prose feel heavy and uninteresting. The description was GOOD, the authors write very well and some of the weather description allowed my imagination to flourish, but the story was very slow and not a lot happened even though there was lots of blocks of text.
The chapters being so long also made reading feel like a drain, sometimes I would be forgetting what character B was even doing in their last chapter, because character A's chapter took so long to finish.
All in all, an interesting premise but a, personally, disappointing execution.

[Quill&Queer · Rating 1 out of 5]

At no point did anyone think to send a note over to the other city like, hey, I got half of Grandma over here, don't suppose you've got the other half? City Of All Seasons is a book that constantly refuses to give up answers, while constantly coming up with new questions.

It couldn't decide if this was a science fiction story or a folk tale. Whether to have magic or science or even biological horror. It felt like the plot was constantly shifting, not finding where it wanted to go before eventually fizzling out with a weak ending.

[Izzy⁷♡•°]

DNF at 20%

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honerst review

It's me, I'm the problem. This book has an incredibly interesting synopsis, and the small amount that I read was a good foundation in terms of character work and world building. However, I just keep not picking this book up. I read the entirety of The Sword of Kaigen, and I'm not even in a reading slump. In fact, I want to read so badly, I just never make an effort to pick this book up. With exam season approaching, I know for a fact I'm not going to pick this book up right now. So I'm making the executive decision to DNF it, and who knows, maybe I will pick it up sometime later.

[Chrissie Whitley · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Living in a divided mystical world proved for an interesting premise, but that’s where it blurred into foggy world-building, heavy with dreamy flashbacks interrupting the story. The two main characters were bland, lacking distinct personalities, and I could barely keep them straight. The first-person present tense made for a monotonous narrative.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.

[Esmay Rosalyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars (rounded up)

City of All Seasons is one of those uniquely imaginative and unapologetically unconventional genre blenders that just refuses to be put in a box. It’s got a bit of sci-fantasy, dystopia, mystery and magical realism, but at its heart it’s just a beautifully human story about family, oppression, corruption and the power of creation and storytelling.

Now, the premise of two cousins trapped in alternate dimensions of the same city, one sweltering summer and the other freezing winter, had me extremely intrigued. And in a way, I think City of All Seasons is exactly what it promises to be, except the execution just so happened to be not entirely my cup of tea.

See, the storytelling is exceptionally introspective and reflective, to the point that even my character-driven loving heart started to have issues with the pacing. Moreover, the focus lies so much on dwelling on the past that I felt like we almost forgot to develop the characters (especially the side characters) and main conflicts in the present, which made it really hard for me to stay (emotionally) engaged despite the captivating storytelling.

I mean, I quite liked both Esther and Jamie as protagonists, and I thought it was beautiful to see their strong connection to each other despite living in mirror worlds and having been separated for so many years. However, despite the fact that they live in diametrically opposite settings, I found it surprisingly hard to distinguish between their perspectives; if their names hadn’t been mentioned at the top of each chapter, I wouldn’t have been able to tell who we were following, because their personality just didn’t come off the page for me. Also, it took me about half the book to realise that Jamie was a boy, oops.

All that said, I think Langmead & Whiteley both have an incredible imagination, and there is no denying that the atmosphere absolutely drips off the page. The prose is beautifully lyrical and immersive, which really fits with the magical realism vibe that permeates every aspect of this story. I might not have been invested in the plot and the characters, but I sure loved revelling in all the wonderfully nonsensical marvels.

To me, the ending was somehow both frustratingly rushed and surprisingly satisfying, which is honestly impressive on a whole other level if you ask me. While City of All Seasons was a bit of a mixed bag for me personally, I think it's worth giving a shot if you like highly imaginative, atmospheric, and theme-driven stories that leave you with more questions than answers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. City of All Seasons is scheduled for release on 29 April, 2025.

[Frasier Armitage · Rating 5 out of 5]

City Of All Seasons is even better than the forecasters could have predicted. It’s thoughtful, unique, genre-busting, and mesmerising — one of those books that creeps under your skin and stays with you. The partnership of Whiteley and Langmead is truly inspired, and I hope they’ll keep writing together for many more seasons to come.

This was my most anticipated book of 2025, and I’m happy to report that it didn’t disappoint. As a fan of both authors, I expected that this genius pairing would result in something special, absorbing, inventive, and timeless. Tick, tick, tick, and tick. It lived up to its promise, and existing fans are going to be left feeling satisfied.

The story revolves around two cousins — Jamie and Esther — and the chapters go back and forth between them. An event in Fairharbour’s recent past has split the city in two, and a supposed weather-bomb has fixed the season so the climate never changes. Jamie lives in the city of Fairharbour during a perpetual winter. Esther lives in Fairharbour during an eternal summer. In Jamie’s Fairharbour, Esther has gone missing and nobody knows where. Similarly, in Esther’s Fairharbour, many of the city’s inhabitants are missing. Neither place has any clue that the other exists. Same space, different places.

The juxtaposition between the two versions of Fairharbour and how they’ve acclimatised to this meteorological phenomenon makes the central concept easy to wrap your head around, and adds to the separation and distance between Jamie and Esther. If I’ve made any of that sound confusing, then don’t worry — it isn’t. The way this concept has been translated onto the page makes it simple, and it’s a testament to the talent of both writers that they’ve made such an outlandish conceit so accessible.

Also, side note: the weather in the UK is famously miserable. And it makes total sense to a UK reader that Whiteley and Langmead would come up with the idea weaponising the weather!

In terms of characters, Jamie and Esther are a joy to know. I was pulled into their lives from the first page. I felt like I was in their cities with them. They share a history, and a family, and all that goes with it. As they begin to see points and places where Fairharbour may allow for some intersection between Summer and Winter, I felt their desire to unite acutely. When they begin passing items back and forth between each other, it reminded me of The Lake House — where communication is limited to this peculiar phenomenon that neither of them can explain, but the how of it all is irrelevant. All that matters is that it’s happening.

I remember the first time I watched Memento, and part of the fun was trying to guess at what would happen to stitch the scenes together, as I’d already been given a preview of what was to come. In the same way, there’s fun to be had in knowing what item has been left for Jamie or Esther to discover, and to see how they stumble across it, and whether they can work out its meaning. Having that advanced knowledge adds to the experience of the book, rather than takes away from it, and I loved that aspect of the structure.

When it comes to two cities sharing spaces, comparisons with The City And The City are inevitable, but you couldn’t get two more different books. Miéville crafted a dark and pacy neo-noir where every character accepted two places inhabiting the same space as normal. Here, nobody even realises the other city exists. It’s not action-packed and the mystery isn’t placed front and centre. This is a quiet, character-driven, charming book that has a slice-of-life vibe about what it’s like to live with an endless winter or summer.

That’s not to say there isn���t plenty of intrigue. You’ll ask questions as the plot progresses, such as why these cities are kept secret from each other, or what caused the division between them, and how does it factor into the family at the heart of the novel. There’s even a mysterious death to solve. These questions propel you to keep reading, but the story deliberately paints them into the background, veering away from plot to focus more on the characters and their individual lives — their search for resolutions to their own situations rather than some greater conspiracy — and this technique of ‘undercover intrigue’ adds a beguiling aspect to the flavour of the prose.

In terms of prose, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how sumptuous this is on a sentence level. What a beautiful book to read. I wanted to slow down and soak up the way it was so elegantly crafted. The two styles of Whiteley and Langmead blend seamlessly to create a gorgeous gem that gleams with every word. There’s plenty of their trademark allegory on show and it lands with a powerful kind of subtlety, giving impressive layers to the world and characters.

One final observation on world-building — I dare you to read this book and not enjoy picturing the two versions of Fairharbour! There’s a sub-plot that involves a filmmaker, and it’s apt in a lot of ways, one of them being that Summer and Winter are described with such clarity that the world becomes cinematic, and the images you’re left with are impactful and enduring.

Ultimately, City Of All Seasons is a story about family, about connection and disconnection, about longing and finding, and about the secrets that shape our world. It’s a weird, meditative look at the places around us and within us, and the power that belongs to the bridge of reconciliation. Give yourself time to indulge in this vivid, speculative literary treat, and you’ll feel all the more appreciative for the future, and the coming of spring.

[Line Magnus · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[blok sera szwajcarskiego · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for honest opinion, thanks!

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 cousin 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.

[Gior · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc in exchange for my honest opinion.

City of All Seasons is a richly imaginative science-fantasy story that transports readers to two mirrored worlds: the scorching summer city and the frozen, desolate winter city. At the heart of the story are cousins Jamie and Esther Pike, who uncover family secrets and buried memories as they work to solve the mystery of what tore their once-united city apart. The novel deftly weaves together flashbacks, history, and present-day struggles, creating a world that is as intriguing as it is fractured.

There is so much to love about this book. The concept is fresh and original, with the history of the Pike family standing out as a particularly strong aspect of the narrative. The story moves at a fast pace, keeping the reader constantly engaged as new revelations and twists unfold. It’s an emotionally driven tale, and the vivid descriptions of both the summer and winter cities make the setting feel alive.

That said, the fast pace occasionally worked against the story. Some moments felt rushed, making it difficult to follow or fully appreciate what was happening. I also found the ending a little anticlimactic; while the resolution tied up some threads, I was hoping for a more impactful conclusion. Additionally, a few plot points and elements of the world-building could have been explained or developed more fully, as they left me with lingering questions.

Despite these critiques, I found the story compelling and would recommend it to readers who enjoy fast-paced fantasy with a focus on family, mystery, and emotional depth. While it doesn’t quite achieve its full potential, City of All Seasons is a unique and memorable read that deserves attention.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only good thing about this book was its idea. The storytelling was haphazard, the world-building underdeveloped and the characters flat.

[Natasha Leighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A genre-defying, rollercoaster of a read that had me in thrall until the very last page! Split between two mirror versions of the same city, (one in perpetual winter and the other unrelenting summer) we follow cousins Jamie and Esther. Who despite the divide, find a way to communicate in the hopes of reuniting the city (Fairharbour.)

Seriously, I really enjoyed this one! The symbolism and nuance woven into the story was phenomenal and soo detailed, you’ll definitely want to reread just to make sure you didn’t miss anything.

Exploring complex family dynamics, the meaning of legacy, and the importance of connection and identity. Oliver K. Langmead and Aliya Whiteley’s prose was gorgeously rich and served as a powerful, metaphorical backdrop to the Pike family’s internal struggles. And the hope its youngest members (Jamie and Esther) have in finally reconciling it.

Both Jamie and Esther were fascinating characters to explore, with different experiences and emotional journeys that really brought them to life. And in a sense, highlighted how the same trauma can affect people in vastly different ways.

Their individual journeys to self discovery, and the differing (but no less methodical) approaches both take to understand their family legacy (and how it has shaped them) was beautifully in-depth. I also liked the lore and history surrounding the family’s film making matriarch, Carmen Pike. Who, despite her physical absence, casts a rather mighty shadow over both versions of Fairharbour.

This is such a difficult one to describe without giving anything away. So I’ll just say, if you enjoyed the whimsical duality (and focus on legacy) in Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus (but want a more contemporary setting) or liked the alternate reality aspect of The OA, then you’ll probably enjoy this just as much as I did.

Also, thanks to Titan Books for the incredible finished copy.

[Mela · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3,75/4*

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy in exchange for a review.

In this story we follow two POVs Jamie and Esther, two cousins who live in the same city, but in different dimensions. Jamie lives in the winter city and Esther in the summer one. Through a string of chances they find each other out and start making plans to reunite the city as a whole with all four seasons.

I really enjoyed both POVs, but I felt more connected to Jamie for some reason. I thought the world building was super interesting and smart, so I enjoyed the plot as well. I think that the ending was a bit confusing since a lot was happening all at once, but I still enjoyed the book nonetheless.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

i edited this book so i think it’s pretty neat

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

City of All Seasons by Oliver K. Langmead and Aliya Whiteley is a first person dual-POV science fantasy. The island of Fairharbour has been divided by the long-standing rivalry between two brothers, Remi and Jan Pike, for years. Weatherbombs have made half the town winter and the other half summer full time. Jamie and Esther, two cousins of the Pike family, are going to try to find a way to communicate with the other side.

Film plays a very large part in the plot. Carmen Pike, the mother of Remi and Jan, and the grandmother of Jamie and Esther, is the most famous person to come from Fairharbour and a popular director on the mainland. Her Technicolor works have won multiple awards and depicted the island she comes from in a variety of ways that resonated with the mainland. We get a lot of references to her filmography and some titles, from her full length pictures to her short films that helped build her skills. Because of how important film was in Carmen’s life, it ended up playing a pretty big part in the lives of her family.

Where the film aspects really get interesting to me is the themes of exploitation. For all intents and purposes, Carmen initially seems to be determined to preserve the life of Fairharbour and show off her home to the rest of the world. But then we get examples of the same person who gave her her big break butchering Fairharbour in a way that the island completely rejected and most likely felt betrayed by as the street that was depicted in the film ended up abandoned. We don’t talk enough about how works set in real small towns often only get the one piece of representation and when a creative gets it really wrong to the point that it feels like a betrayal, it cuts a lot deeper than if the town depicted was NYC or Chicago.

The plot is something of a mystery and the relationships of the Pike family are slowly peeled back through Jamie and Esther’s POVs. The weatherbomb aspects are a big part of how the scene was set before the plot opens and they do come up multiple times due to how they affected the lives of the cast outside the Pike. I think this book is a lot more theme driven rather than plot or character or voice-driven as family division really does touch every last piece of what happens.

I would recommend this to fans of science fantasy that feels like it’s set in the early days of film and readers looking for a theme-centric science fantasy

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars

City of All Seasons is a science fantasy standalone about two cousins trapped in opposite mirror worlds. Jamie Pike’s Fairharbour is one of perpetual winter while Ether Pike’s is summer. The island city of Fairharbour was once home to artists and inventors when a weatherbomb destroyed the city and killed most of the inhabitants 8 years ago. The trapped survivors adapt to their changed city, unknowing of the other parallel city until Jamie and Esther catch glimpses of each other’s worlds. Determined to unite the cities, they must find out what happened 8 years ago and soon discover that the cataclysm may very well be their family legacy.

How you’ll respond to this book really depends on how much you like the vibe and atmosphere, both which I absolutely loved. There was just this ethereal and dreamy quality to it with a tinge of melancholy and so much introspection that really drew me in. I went in without any expectations and came out really appreciating it. I thought the book was beautifully written with interesting characters and a mysterious story. It was actually rather cinematic, and I could imagine seeing this on the big screen as like one of those high concept directorial passion projects that becomes really divisive.

Although described as a science fantasy, this does come across as magical realism with the “science” coming across as essentially magic. While rather vague on the explanations and mechanisms, I was not bothered as much as I usually would because I was just there for the vibes and the mystery. The story is just very introspective and meditative in a lot of places with moments of big leaps of faith that the book just asks you to accept.

Jamie and Esther were great. It took quite a bit of getting used to to stop thinking of them as lovers but as cousins because romantic partners are the more typical. Told from their alternating perspectives, their bond really came through as they use their memories as young children (as two of the four young Pike kids) to leave clues for each other. And as they try to reconnect, they reexamine their dysfunctional family history and how it has shaped their world and the megalomania of privilege. Each of their point of views were distinctive by nature of their settings although they do read really similarly for being written by two different authors.

City of All Seasons is a unique and different speculative fiction about family and connection.

*Thank you Titan Books for the eARC via NetGalley

[Courtney (moyashi_girl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jamie Pike’s Fairharbour is a city stuck in perpetual winter.
Esther Pike's Fairharbour is a city stuck in constant summer.
Both have fallen under oppressive powers, that have taken control. But both Fairharbours were once a single, united city. And in certain places, at certain times, one side can catch a glimpse of the other. As Jamie and Esther find a way to communicate, they set out to solve the mystery of what split their city in two, and what, if anything, might repair their fractured worlds.

I liked City of All Seasons! It was a nice and easy read that I got through quickly. The writing style was lovely as well.
My favourite part was probably the world-building and the descriptions of the two Fairharbours.
I really felt like I was right there with the characters at times!
In the book you follow the povs of both Esther and Jamie and I really liked them both but I do think I enjoyed Jamie's pov a bit more as I preferred reading about the constant winter he was in.

I will admit that I did have an issue or two with the book mainly all the family drama and flashbacks.
I'm not a huge fan of flashbacks and while I didn't dislike the ones included in the book I didn't love them either.
I also quite liked the ending and thought it suited the story pretty well!
All in all City of Seasons was an interesting read that was a mix of different genres. I overall liked the book and would recommend checking it especially if it piques your interest!

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Titan Books for the free eArc in return for an honest review.


“It’s the job of the artist to create, not to tell other people what to do with the creation"


Jamie's Fairharbour - constant winter

Esther's Fairharbour - forever summer


When a cataclysmic event separates Fairharbour into two separate worlds, existing within the harshness of constant climates, cousins Jamie and Esther reconnect through the medium of artistic creation, fed through the cracks.


Throughout the story you find out how the cities were created and what survival means to it's citizens.


I agree with some other reviews I have seen. It is incredibly vibey. I was very onboard with the world's created by the author. The plot was a little obvious (though absolutely fine) but the characters lacked depth. I feel like I didn't get to know them at all. Hopefully the finished version will be a little more fleshed out.


What I really loved though was the theme of art being an important constant throughout trauma and difficult living situations. It may not be a priority for survival, but can provide connection between people and small relief.

[Laetabunag · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very interesting concept but overall execution was just dull and boring.

Throughout the book we get the POV of the two main characters, cousins, one who lives in the summer city and the other in the winter city. However, they felt very bland and underdeveloped and the majority of the time, I could barely distinguish between the two and would always forget whose chapter I was reading.

There was also just a lack of world building or explanation for anything. Given that the two cities were split, I thought magic or something fantastical would be involved but I think it was more science fiction than anything. But even that wasn’t really fully explained? I don’t really understand how the science works in this book and the authors never bothered to try and explain it.

Also, the actual reason why the city was split was so ridiculous and underwhelming and I was just hoping for something more.

Overall, not for me but thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Dina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Technically it’s the "City of TWO Seasons" but let’s not quibble.

The concept of mirror versions of the same city perpetually locked in frigid winter or scorching summer holds a definite appeal (ala A Darker Shade of Magic.) Unfortunately this book doesn’t quite fulfill its promise. The pace is a deliberate crawl, the POV characters (cousins trapped in opposing versions of the city) are too similar in tone and character aspects. Often, I would find myself suddenly unsure whose chapter I was reading (Esther’s or Jamie’s) and had to backtrack to check. The chapters are also long (one of my special peeves) composed mostly of internal reflections and random nostalgia about the cousins’ larger-than-life grandmother, her storied film career, the squabbling of their uncles, or the inexplicable disappearance of their parents. Some of this does not make any sense. Why would parents go off and leave their children?? Additionally I thought perhaps including Myra and Henry POVs (the other two cousins) might have enhanced the story overall.

There are some interesting quirks and plot points that lend the narrative a dreamy, fairytale feel (e.g. the Mayor), but other elements—like the Doormen/Fenestration—seem almost fantastically absurd.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars. As a whole, I adored this book! The prose was gorgeous, especially Jamie's chapters: something about the writing tied all your senses into the scene. Even when the author(s) didn't give you a full description of the setting, you knew what was drawing the main character's eye or you could feel/smell the elements that reminded them of their past. It was very evocative in a way that I often don't find in other novels. I didn't find Esther's chapters to be quite as visceral, but that felt almost as if it was a characteristic of how she interacted with the world: Jamie lived with his hands, building and creating, whereas Esther was more connected to the people and a storyteller. I also really loved the supporting cast: Bea, Henry, the Mayor, Myra, Crouch - everyone got to shine for a moment, in a way that was unique and sincere.

The reason this isn't a 5-star novel for me was the ending - I think the pacing needed a little more work, the climactic moments were a little too fast and I honestly didn't realize that the ending had come and gone until I was reading the epilogue.

[Zoe I.L.K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was delightfully insightful, bittersweet (emphasis on the sweet) piece of Speculative fiction that touches both genres or sci-fi and magical realism.

I don’t want to give too much away but wow.

I thought the characters were well rounded and despite their circumstances leaned on the hopeful/realistic side. (Yes, even Esther, who started out a little more cynical in the beginning.) One thing is very clear here: hope is a dangerous thing but it’s worth fighting for.

In that way there is something about the book that really reminded me of Le Guin. I think it’s because it’s a book about people how they’re not perfect, their lives are hard, but again there’s still hope and the dream for a better tomorrow. I don’t know—I just know I really enjoyed this. (And I got a bit weepy at the end.)

4.5 stars rounding up to 5.

Thank you Titan books and Netgalley for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Pike family is the most famous family in Fairharbor. This started with the matriarch and grandmother, Carmen who is a film director and producer. Her fame has created opportunities, but also rivalry. On the day of her death, Fairharbor is split into two cities, one permanently in winter and the other permanently in summer. Across these two cities, cousins Esther and Jamie both remember their family as the struggle for survival in their version of the city. Then they discover they can communicate with each other in small spaces where their two worlds meld.

I liked the concept of the book and so much of the imagery was great. I struggled with how disjointed the writing felt, and when I figured out that it was two writers that made a lot of sense. You can feel that the disconnect between the two.

Thank you NetGalley and Titan books for this ARC!

[Riley (runtobooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

unfortunately, this was one of those books that was a great premise but was so poorly executed. a lot of the issue stemmed from the pacing of this book: its inherently introspective, but to the point where we barely get to know our main characters nor the side characters in any meaningful way. huge amounts of the book covered past familial history, which made the present plot move at a snail's pace. this also led to neither narrator having a distinct voice, and both came across bland & uninteresting. the split winter/summer town was such a neat idea, but even the "twist" at the end (if you can even call it that, because i saw it coming) didn't make up for the lack of strong narrative voice.

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn't bad, but I definitely prefer it when this author writes his books in verse like a Greek epic. Also it's been so hot out lately that the city where it's always summer was triggering me.

[Taylor Giovannetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit speculative friction, a bit dystopian, a bit sci-fi - I loved this story of family, mystery and trying to figure out how to fix the world. Truly could not put this down! A bit dark at times and a bit sweet and tender at others.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminded me of Gliff by Ali Smith a lot. I'm not sure how much this one is going to linger in my mind, but I really did enjoy reading it. Langmead and Whiteley have created a crisp, fascinating story about two parallel versions of the same city that exist in two different seasons- summer and winter. It's a weird little book, in the sense that it never really offers fulfillment and I don't feel a particular grand connection to the universe or anything after finishing it, but I was never bored, if sometimes a little confused.

City of All Seasons is a fun little exploration of crossing parallel worlds from the perspective of peolple who remember those worlds as one. It was fun and entertaining, and I was invested in Jamie and Esther's fight for survival, as well as their search for family and what it means to build. There's layers to this story that I don't think I fully got, but there was a lot lingering throughout its words and motifs.

what was up with esther's beef with pip. like. i get that pip gets revealed to not be great. but in the beginning, why? why do we hate pip? what was up with that? did i miss something? i feel like i missed something.

[Katherine Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read. I got a bit confused at times and yet I found I kept turning the pages. My ratings are based on enjoyment. While the two main characters fell a bit flat at times, the premise was intriguing enough to keep me reading.

[Harry Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Living without all the answers is necessary in this place”

Sometimes you come across a quote in a book that so succinctly sums up the book that it almost feels pointless writing a review, but I shall try my best!

City of All Seasons is a sort of science fantasy meets magical realism novel from the combined brains of Oliver K. Langmead and Aliya Whiteley. The book follows dual POV’s of Jamie and Esther Pike as they are stuck in alternate versions of the same city of Fairharbour. Jamie finds himself in a city frozen to the core in perpetual winter, whereas Esther finds herself in a sweltering Fairharbour that knows no season other than summer.

The two Fairharbours aren’t quite as disconnected as first thought though and there are little pockets that enable a glimpse between the mirror cities. Jamie and Esther stumble across a way to communicate through the void by sending items to each other. They can’t communicate through messages so they are forced to draw upon childhood memories and are banking on the other being able to understand the implied meaning of the objects that are sent back and forth.

The history of Fairharbour is explored throughout the book and the “Pike’s” (the family that both Jamie and Esther belong to) are shown to be a thread that is interwoven into the fabric of the city itself. The “Pike’s” were the makers of the city and over time Jamie and Esther discover that they may have been the breakers of it too.

City of All Seasons leaves you with almost as many questions as answers. It opens doors and then doesn’t necessarily close them. I really enjoy magical realism and there is so much here that lends the book to the genre. The mayor in his diving suit travelling between cities, Pawel and his seemingly magical inventions, the eventual fate of Carmen Pike that is revealed. The book is full of slightly confusing but ultimately captivating mysteries. It leaves you wanting answers but simultaneously content with never truly understanding.

The authors do a wonderful job of making the extreme temperatures come through the page, in particular the winter version of Fairharbour. There were times that I found myself shivering along in solidarity! The weaving of mystery, fantasy, and science with the human nature of complex family dynamics, sibling rivalries, and a need to live up to the family reputation is masterfully done. It is an exploration of humanity as much as it is a speculation of fantasy.