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Fallow Sisters #1
Comet Weather
A contemporary tale of four fey sisters.
Bee: the practical one, the lynchpin; still living in the family home of Mooncote in Somerset, where she has met an unconventional boyfriend that not even her sisters are aware of.
Stella: a DJ currently hanging around the Med after completing a series of gigs in Ibiza, she has vowed never to return to Mooncote following a row with Bee, but that was then...
Serena: a single mother and fashion designer living in Notting Hill, increasingly uncertain of her relationship with long-term boyfriend Ben, a Camden-based rock singer and the son of a family friend.
Luna: the youngest, head-strong and free-spirited, a wanderer living out of a horse-drawn van while she follows the Gypsy Switch: the route of horse fairs that spans the length of the country.
The four Fallow sisters, scattered like the four winds but now drawn back together with the comet due, united in their desire to find their mother, Alys – a former Vogue cover model who disappeared a year ago . They have help, of course, from the star spirits and the no-longer-living, but such advice tends to be cryptic and is hardly the most dependable of guides.
A tale to reignite your sense of wonder; a story that reaches from present day London and rural Somerset to other places and other times...
Bee: the practical one, the lynchpin; still living in the family home of Mooncote in Somerset, where she has met an unconventional boyfriend that not even her sisters are aware of.
Stella: a DJ currently hanging around the Med after completing a series of gigs in Ibiza, she has vowed never to return to Mooncote following a row with Bee, but that was then...
Serena: a single mother and fashion designer living in Notting Hill, increasingly uncertain of her relationship with long-term boyfriend Ben, a Camden-based rock singer and the son of a family friend.
Luna: the youngest, head-strong and free-spirited, a wanderer living out of a horse-drawn van while she follows the Gypsy Switch: the route of horse fairs that spans the length of the country.
The four Fallow sisters, scattered like the four winds but now drawn back together with the comet due, united in their desire to find their mother, Alys – a former Vogue cover model who disappeared a year ago . They have help, of course, from the star spirits and the no-longer-living, but such advice tends to be cryptic and is hardly the most dependable of guides.
A tale to reignite your sense of wonder; a story that reaches from present day London and rural Somerset to other places and other times...
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 24, 2020
132 people are currently reading
1115 people want to read
About the author
Liz Williams
146 books266 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Liz Williams is a British science fiction writer. Her first novel, The Ghost Sister was published in 2001. Both this novel and her next, Empire of Bones (2002) were nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award.[1] She is also the author of the Inspector Chen series.
She is the daughter of a stage magician and a Gothic novelist. She holds a PhD in Philosophy of Science from Cambridge. She has had short stories published in Asimov's, Interzone, The Third Alternative and Visionary Tongue. From the mid-nineties until 2000, she lived and worked in Kazakhstan.[2] Her experiences there are reflected in her 2003 novel Nine Layers of Sky. Her novels have been published in the US and the UK, while her third novel The Poison Master (2003) has been translated into Dutch.
Series:
* Detective Inspector Chen
* Darkland
Liz Williams is a British science fiction writer. Her first novel, The Ghost Sister was published in 2001. Both this novel and her next, Empire of Bones (2002) were nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award.[1] She is also the author of the Inspector Chen series.
She is the daughter of a stage magician and a Gothic novelist. She holds a PhD in Philosophy of Science from Cambridge. She has had short stories published in Asimov's, Interzone, The Third Alternative and Visionary Tongue. From the mid-nineties until 2000, she lived and worked in Kazakhstan.[2] Her experiences there are reflected in her 2003 novel Nine Layers of Sky. Her novels have been published in the US and the UK, while her third novel The Poison Master (2003) has been translated into Dutch.
Series:
* Detective Inspector Chen
* Darkland
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
September 28, 2022
Excellent, and I surprised myself by enjoying it so much.
My fantasy reading occasionally wanders off down little trodden byways searching for fantasy with a foundation in English folklore of some sort, and I’m often disappointed. I think this may be my best discovery in recent years.
It centres on four sisters who’ve gone their own ways as they’ve become adults, but still keep in touch and gravitate back to their old family home in contemporary rural Somerset, in South West England. I wasn’t initially taken by the characters who each get chapters to themselves as we progress through the book. They’re middle class, often with boyfriend or partner problems. One is a clothes designer in London; another a DJ on the club circuit, in Britain and abroad. I thought initially that the story might even be Chick Lit (an awful phrase but widely used and I’m no expert in it either). But the author won me over into liking them as I stuck with it and their back stories are expanded.
Their home is near Glastonbury, famous for the large annual music festival. Also with a New Age and Hippie heritage going back decades, and with prominent historical links even further back, even (allegedly) King Arthur. It’s an area not too far from my home and one I sometimes cycle around on long trips. A mix of rolling hills and the marshy Somerset Levels. The hard nosed sceptic in me finds it hard not to chuckle as I pass the many Crystal, Witchcraft and Fairy memorabilia shops in the town.
But fantasy readers secretly want some of that to be true and we suspend our disbelief reading such fantasy. I thought the author did an excellent job creating a fantasy world with a framework of pagan witchcraft, astrology, magical ley lines, etc. The family house, which is the centre of the story, simply lives side by side with this alternative world and the family think of it as their secret; seeing spirits and ghosts as an everyday experience, even if these ‘neighbours’ don’t seem to want to communicate much. Oh, and there’s a comet due in the sky, as suggested by the book title. Obviously they’re important psychic events!
It’s slow moving over the first 2/3 of the book, mainly giving you a deep world building, as well as giving the backstories to the sisters and some of their family and acquaintances. However, the final 1/3 moves up a gear or two for pace. It’s never a horror story but some threatening and dangerous events and adventures start to occur at some pace. A nice ending too which helps to round out this world. It seems that there’s already a follow up book which I’ll read soon, although all main threads to this story are tied up.
Partly because I’m familiar with the region, and like living here, with cider apples and the strong farmhouse ciders, wassailing traditions, White Horses carved into hillsides, etc., the story left an impression I could relate to. It’ll certainly give my imagination more zest when I make my future excursions by bike through the area. And maybe I should revise my opinion of the beekeeper, who I once called to remove a swarm of bees from my chimney, and told me they were there because of a crossing of magical ley lines where I live!
I almost lived this story in my mind, so 5*.
My fantasy reading occasionally wanders off down little trodden byways searching for fantasy with a foundation in English folklore of some sort, and I’m often disappointed. I think this may be my best discovery in recent years.
It centres on four sisters who’ve gone their own ways as they’ve become adults, but still keep in touch and gravitate back to their old family home in contemporary rural Somerset, in South West England. I wasn’t initially taken by the characters who each get chapters to themselves as we progress through the book. They’re middle class, often with boyfriend or partner problems. One is a clothes designer in London; another a DJ on the club circuit, in Britain and abroad. I thought initially that the story might even be Chick Lit (an awful phrase but widely used and I’m no expert in it either). But the author won me over into liking them as I stuck with it and their back stories are expanded.
Their home is near Glastonbury, famous for the large annual music festival. Also with a New Age and Hippie heritage going back decades, and with prominent historical links even further back, even (allegedly) King Arthur. It’s an area not too far from my home and one I sometimes cycle around on long trips. A mix of rolling hills and the marshy Somerset Levels. The hard nosed sceptic in me finds it hard not to chuckle as I pass the many Crystal, Witchcraft and Fairy memorabilia shops in the town.
But fantasy readers secretly want some of that to be true and we suspend our disbelief reading such fantasy. I thought the author did an excellent job creating a fantasy world with a framework of pagan witchcraft, astrology, magical ley lines, etc. The family house, which is the centre of the story, simply lives side by side with this alternative world and the family think of it as their secret; seeing spirits and ghosts as an everyday experience, even if these ‘neighbours’ don’t seem to want to communicate much. Oh, and there’s a comet due in the sky, as suggested by the book title. Obviously they’re important psychic events!
It’s slow moving over the first 2/3 of the book, mainly giving you a deep world building, as well as giving the backstories to the sisters and some of their family and acquaintances. However, the final 1/3 moves up a gear or two for pace. It’s never a horror story but some threatening and dangerous events and adventures start to occur at some pace. A nice ending too which helps to round out this world. It seems that there’s already a follow up book which I’ll read soon, although all main threads to this story are tied up.
Partly because I’m familiar with the region, and like living here, with cider apples and the strong farmhouse ciders, wassailing traditions, White Horses carved into hillsides, etc., the story left an impression I could relate to. It’ll certainly give my imagination more zest when I make my future excursions by bike through the area. And maybe I should revise my opinion of the beekeeper, who I once called to remove a swarm of bees from my chimney, and told me they were there because of a crossing of magical ley lines where I live!
I almost lived this story in my mind, so 5*.
July 27, 2020
Gorgeously written mythic fiction set in contemporary Somerset (quite near where I lived for a while, which made it even more fun on my end! - but that's certainly not necessary context for new readers). The protagonists are four adult sisters, all of whom are fabulous characters, and their relationships are wonderful. The magic is eerie and perfectly rooted in the landscape, which is vividly and beautifully described. It's not a fast-moving book, but it is SO immersive and absorbing. I absolutely loved every moment of it! Perfect for fans of Terri Windling or Robert Holdstock.
December 18, 2019
If you love The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Witches of Lychford and Rivers of London, you'll love this delightful British witchy ghosty mystery
April 12, 2020
It takes a deft touch to write about the real world that is touched by magic or the supernatural, and do it convincingly without an explanation of how it works. John Crowley did it in “Little, Big” and Elizabeth Hand did it in “Wylding Hall”. Now Liz Williams does it in “Comet Weather”.
As with Crowley's book, the story centers on a single family and their ancestral home. The four adult Fallow sisters gather at the aforementioned home to solve the disappearance of their mother some time before. Where the mother went, and what the sisters have to do to find her, ensnares them in otherworldly doings that involve a brother and sister duo who are up to no good, and have a bit of mystery about them too.
The character of the sisters are well drawn and distinctive, and the way the supernatural eases into the world is mesmerizing; it's as easy as walking into another room, or perhaps down past the orchard. You sometimes have to read a sentence twice to realize “oh, now things have changed completely” - a realization that the characters have to make as well.
The chapters alternate rapidly among the sisters' viewpoints, and it can be a struggle to keep up, but as things accelerate towards the climax the book becomes un-putdownable (if that's a word).
Charming and engaging. I'll have to look for more of her work.
As with Crowley's book, the story centers on a single family and their ancestral home. The four adult Fallow sisters gather at the aforementioned home to solve the disappearance of their mother some time before. Where the mother went, and what the sisters have to do to find her, ensnares them in otherworldly doings that involve a brother and sister duo who are up to no good, and have a bit of mystery about them too.
The character of the sisters are well drawn and distinctive, and the way the supernatural eases into the world is mesmerizing; it's as easy as walking into another room, or perhaps down past the orchard. You sometimes have to read a sentence twice to realize “oh, now things have changed completely” - a realization that the characters have to make as well.
The chapters alternate rapidly among the sisters' viewpoints, and it can be a struggle to keep up, but as things accelerate towards the climax the book becomes un-putdownable (if that's a word).
Charming and engaging. I'll have to look for more of her work.
May 4, 2020
Stella could see it now, the snow changing to white rose petals and drifting down onto the water. The oaks flushed a darker green with the heavy leaf of midsummer, not solstice but beyond, lammas-tide when the tides of the land grow slower and the days begin to darken and things begin to ripen and die. [loc. 3870]
Bee Fallow has been the guardian of the family house, Mooncote, since her mother Alys went missing a year ago. Mooncote is a rambling old house, with the ghost of an Elizabethan privateer in the orchard, and star spirits, extravagantly dressed and bearing flowers or herbs, appearing randomly. Bee's three sisters -- Stella the DJ, Serena the fashion designer and Luna the uprooted traveller -- are unfazed by these quiet magics, and are busy with their own lives. But the sisters find themselves drawn back to Mooncote as autumn fades and Lerninsky's Comet approaches. Can they discover their mother's fate? Who, or what, are the slithery Stare siblings who suddenly seem to be worming their way into the Fallow sisters' lives? And what will the comet bring?
That is a paltry summary of a rich and very English novel which I vastly enjoyed. The Fallow sisters, with their distinct personalities and passions, and their various reactions to the weird and unsettling happenings around them, are so vividly depicted that they felt like people I knew. There's a strong theme of place, of persistence and belonging, in the novel: the Fallows have lived at Mooncote for centuries, and there are others who have been in the area for much longer. The star spirits personify the Behenian stars, which was an educational insight into medieval astrology and astronomy: Alys' father, now dead, was an astronomer, and his influence is clear throughout the novel. The ghost in the orchard, Ned Dark, sailed with Drake -- and may do so again, for time is a mutable construct in Comet Weather. And, for someone trapped in an urban environment during lockdown, the evocative descriptions of woodland, coast and hills were tantalising as well as satisfying.
I was reminded of several favourite fantasies: Rob Holdstock's Mythago Wood and especially Lavondyss; various works by Diana Wynne Jones and Alan Garner; and, oddly, Gwyneth Jones' Bold as Love, perhaps because of the vaguely counter-cultural ambience. But Comet Weather is very much its own book: a story about the sometimes difficult relationships between sisters, about the perils of hunting thieves and of seeking help from old cold entities, about women making their own way in the world and reshaping that world.
There are a lot of intriguing loose ends here (not least American cousin Nell's purpose in the story), so I was overjoyed to read that a second volume, Blackthorn Winter, is due. But when, when ...?
December 7, 2020
Loved it. It felt like a mix of Alan Garner, Susan Cooper, & Diana Wynne Jones. Weird and wonderful, leylines, otherworldly intersections, wry humor. Looking forward to the sequel.
September 17, 2022
Four sisters reunite at the family home in rural Somerset to seek out their missing mother.
I'm disappointed that I didn't really fall for this book. It has strong female characters, touches of magic, old ancestral homes, beautiful imagery of the seasons - what's not to like? But I found myself putting this down to pick up other things and finally realized that it just moves too slowly for me right now. Each of the sisters gets point-of-view chapters, many of which are quite short, which made it feel choppy. The slow mixed with choppy meant it was just too easy to pause.
Of the four sisters, I liked Bee best (mostly stay-at-home, book lover Bee), then Luna (travelling with Sam in a horse-drawn van around Great Britain), Serena (fashion designer whose boyfriend may have broken up with her), and Stella (rambling DJ). It drove me nuts that Serena and Stella have names that are so close together - I had to stop and think each time one of them was the POV to remember if this was the fashion designer or DJ.
After I finished this, I realized that the author also wrote "Snake Agent" which I thought was ok/disliked. So - maybe Liz Williams is a not-for-me. Plenty of people love this book so give it a try if it sounds interesting.
That cover - amazingly beautiful!
I'm disappointed that I didn't really fall for this book. It has strong female characters, touches of magic, old ancestral homes, beautiful imagery of the seasons - what's not to like? But I found myself putting this down to pick up other things and finally realized that it just moves too slowly for me right now. Each of the sisters gets point-of-view chapters, many of which are quite short, which made it feel choppy. The slow mixed with choppy meant it was just too easy to pause.
Of the four sisters, I liked Bee best (mostly stay-at-home, book lover Bee), then Luna (travelling with Sam in a horse-drawn van around Great Britain), Serena (fashion designer whose boyfriend may have broken up with her), and Stella (rambling DJ). It drove me nuts that Serena and Stella have names that are so close together - I had to stop and think each time one of them was the POV to remember if this was the fashion designer or DJ.
After I finished this, I realized that the author also wrote "Snake Agent" which I thought was ok/disliked. So - maybe Liz Williams is a not-for-me. Plenty of people love this book so give it a try if it sounds interesting.
That cover - amazingly beautiful!
October 22, 2025
What a beautiful and strange novel. Weaving together traditional British mythology with Christian elements and some entirely new bits created by the author that are never fully explained left me a bit unsatisfied, but I will definitely read the next book.
January 31, 2025
Lovely. Reminded me at times of The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper and Moonheart by Charles de Lint. The writing is beautiful and I loved the relationships between the sisters. I have three sisters, I’m the oldest and while we are a lot older than the protagonists in this novel I saw something of my relationships with my own sisters in this. Less magical of course and harder at times but still. Kind of loved this.
March 27, 2022
Hard to rate. I didn’t hate it and there were some things I enjoyed but I found the overall lack of plot and lack of background for all the magical shit rather frustrating. Nothing much happens until the last quarter of the book, just eerie premonitions and weird shenanigans. The chapters are all short, alternating the four sisters’ POV but because the story keeps bouncing among them and it happens so quickly I found it hard to connect to the various sisters (and for God’s sake, did two sisters have to be called Stella and Serena?) I had the hardest time keeping them straight).
The magical stuff might have been more fun if the author had colored in some background. I don’t need to be spoon fed everything, some mystery is good but it was seriously lacking in context.
As I said there’s not much plot - four sisters who have grown up with a slightly strange family have lost their mother, so the story is about a) what happened to Mom and b) trying to actually find her. There’s some stuff with ghosts and Behenian Stars that I had to look up because I’d never heard of them. Some mild relationship issues for all the sisters but really, what was it all about?
Very meandering and rather vague and mystical. If that’s your jam then this book might be for you.
Been a Liz Williams fan since Poison Master and Inspector Chen series but this didn’t float my boat. YMMV
The magical stuff might have been more fun if the author had colored in some background. I don’t need to be spoon fed everything, some mystery is good but it was seriously lacking in context.
As I said there’s not much plot - four sisters who have grown up with a slightly strange family have lost their mother, so the story is about a) what happened to Mom and b) trying to actually find her. There’s some stuff with ghosts and Behenian Stars that I had to look up because I’d never heard of them. Some mild relationship issues for all the sisters but really, what was it all about?
Very meandering and rather vague and mystical. If that’s your jam then this book might be for you.
Been a Liz Williams fan since Poison Master and Inspector Chen series but this didn’t float my boat. YMMV
April 27, 2020
Properly Magical!
I absolutely loved this book! Wonderful characters, can't wait till the next one.
Hope there will be many more. Blessings
I absolutely loved this book! Wonderful characters, can't wait till the next one.
Hope there will be many more. Blessings
May 11, 2020
I loved this story. Sisters and magic in a very real British setting. My only disappointment -- the author has mentioned an upcoming sequel, but I couldn't find any sign of it yet. Can't wait!
Want to read
August 31, 2020Here's a nice essay by the author about writing the book:
https://whatever.scalzi.com/2020/08/2...
https://whatever.scalzi.com/2020/08/2...
August 21, 2024
I should have enjoyed this book, but found it slow and very difficult to get into. The short chapters looking at each individual sister, I found hard to follow.
October 24, 2023
There are so many mythological/fantasy tropes here that it can be a little overwhelming - there’s no clear sense of how they fit together. However, that’s my only complaint and at some point I quit worrying about that and just enjoyed the story and the writer’s imagination.
September 23, 2021
The four Fallow sisters are all dealing with the fact that their mother, Alys, is missing, maybe dead, in different ways. But now a comet is coming, and all four are drawn back to their ancestral home in the depths of England, helped by the star spirits and the ghost of their grandfather.
I rather loved this somewhat dreamy and somewhat spooky story of four sisters who aren't quite the same as other people. All very different from each other, and with two of them having had a major row at the start, the book nonetheless shows us how deeply they care for and respect each other, and how they are able to lean on each other when there is trouble.
The book is set in the present day, but unlike a lot of modern fantasy, it shies away from the great urban centres. London does feature, but much more important are the wilds of Somerset, giving this a very different feel to other primary world fantasies set in the present. All four Fallow sisters are protagonists, with rotating chapters from each sister's point of view, often quite short, but enough to engage your interest and to create clear pictures of the personalities of all: steadfast Bee, who remained in the family home after their mother disappeared; single mother and fashion designer Serena, living in London; Stella who's DJs around the UK and the Mediterranean; and Luna, who lives in a horse-drawn wagon, following the Gypsy Switch around Britain.
The story emerges organically, with the mystery of Alys' disappearance, the mysterious Stare siblings and the Behenian stars all playing a part. The magic feels organic, coming out of the landscape, and the history of the land, without much formalisation.
I feel the end of the book feels a bit rushed, and there's still several mysteries left unsolved. I feel I sort of missed something going on with Nell, their American cousin who's visiting and seems oblivious to everything going around her. I don't know if the sequel will answer those questions, but I just want to spend more time with the Fallow sisters and in Williams' glorious writing. I've already got it ordered.
I rather loved this somewhat dreamy and somewhat spooky story of four sisters who aren't quite the same as other people. All very different from each other, and with two of them having had a major row at the start, the book nonetheless shows us how deeply they care for and respect each other, and how they are able to lean on each other when there is trouble.
The book is set in the present day, but unlike a lot of modern fantasy, it shies away from the great urban centres. London does feature, but much more important are the wilds of Somerset, giving this a very different feel to other primary world fantasies set in the present. All four Fallow sisters are protagonists, with rotating chapters from each sister's point of view, often quite short, but enough to engage your interest and to create clear pictures of the personalities of all: steadfast Bee, who remained in the family home after their mother disappeared; single mother and fashion designer Serena, living in London; Stella who's DJs around the UK and the Mediterranean; and Luna, who lives in a horse-drawn wagon, following the Gypsy Switch around Britain.
The story emerges organically, with the mystery of Alys' disappearance, the mysterious Stare siblings and the Behenian stars all playing a part. The magic feels organic, coming out of the landscape, and the history of the land, without much formalisation.
I feel the end of the book feels a bit rushed, and there's still several mysteries left unsolved. I feel I sort of missed something going on with Nell, their American cousin who's visiting and seems oblivious to everything going around her. I don't know if the sequel will answer those questions, but I just want to spend more time with the Fallow sisters and in Williams' glorious writing. I've already got it ordered.
February 11, 2024
I am going to have to start noting where I got the idea to read some of these books. I know I saw this book mentioned in a review somewhere, but I have no idea where now.
Anyway, if there's such a thing as a cozy supernatural story, this is probably it. And I don't mean that in a BAD way. This is the sort of story that has roots in English folklore tales. There are lych-roads, ley lines, the spirits of stars that appear unexpectedly on the stairwells, and yes, there's a comet coming too!
Four sisters, Bee, Serena, Stella, and Luna, were thrown into dismay when their mother, Alys, disappeared suddenly a year ago. No one knows if Alys is dead or alive, except that the girls think she PROBABLY isn't. But they're not sure how to find her. Until they get a surprising clue. Then Things Start To Happen.
This is a book of strong female characters, all different, but all still believable and generally likeable. There's a little bit of handwaving about WHY some of the things happened as they did, but honestly, it didn't bother me. I enjoyed the plot and the characters and the magic. I even enjoyed the descriptions of the countryside.
Good stuff. +1, would read another by this author.
Anyway, if there's such a thing as a cozy supernatural story, this is probably it. And I don't mean that in a BAD way. This is the sort of story that has roots in English folklore tales. There are lych-roads, ley lines, the spirits of stars that appear unexpectedly on the stairwells, and yes, there's a comet coming too!
Four sisters, Bee, Serena, Stella, and Luna, were thrown into dismay when their mother, Alys, disappeared suddenly a year ago. No one knows if Alys is dead or alive, except that the girls think she PROBABLY isn't. But they're not sure how to find her. Until they get a surprising clue. Then Things Start To Happen.
This is a book of strong female characters, all different, but all still believable and generally likeable. There's a little bit of handwaving about WHY some of the things happened as they did, but honestly, it didn't bother me. I enjoyed the plot and the characters and the magic. I even enjoyed the descriptions of the countryside.
Good stuff. +1, would read another by this author.
February 16, 2021
This is a lovely story about four sisters, scattered across the country living their own lives, who come together to help find their missing mother, with the somewhat helpful assistance of some ghosts and star spirits. The whole story has a beautiful mythological vibe, and the sisterly relationships were beautifully done.
January 3, 2021
Comet Weather is a contemporary fantasy deeply rooted in English folklore, specifically the folklore of Somerset. There are 5 main characters, the four Fallow sisters all well-drawn and dissimilar but then each has a different father. The fifth character is Mooncote, the family house the Fallows have lived in for centuries and full of weird stuff. As the Fallows have grown up surrounded by it the sisters are unperturbed the weird stuff; after all the ghost of their astronomer grandfather is still around to chat to (though he is annoyingly cryptic at times). At the opening of the story, their mother Alys has been missing for a year and the sisters are dispersed with only Bee, the eldest at Mooncote. With the approach of a comet the weird happenings are growing more intense and the sisters are drawn back home to face a series of challenges as ancient peril arises.
I enjoyed this story which is told through the rotating points of view of the four sisters and the weaving of the folklore into the real world. As I travelled deeper into the story, and the weird happenings grew more intense, I was hoping for more explanation of them, I was disappointed in this. However, the story is very much “to be continued” so perhaps more clarity awaits in the subsequent books.
I enjoyed this story which is told through the rotating points of view of the four sisters and the weaving of the folklore into the real world. As I travelled deeper into the story, and the weird happenings grew more intense, I was hoping for more explanation of them, I was disappointed in this. However, the story is very much “to be continued” so perhaps more clarity awaits in the subsequent books.
April 15, 2020
The Fallow half-sisters, all very different, have ties to their Somerset home, an old house steeped in family lore, imbued with ghosts, and subject to supernatural happenings. Bee, the oldest sister is the current caretaker of the house during the unexplained disappearance of the sisters' mother, Alys, who has been missing for a year. Bee's boyfriend, Dark, is somewhat unusual. Serena is a fashion designer, living in London with her teen daughter, and currently having unreliable boyfriend problems. Stella is a DJ, estranged from Bee at the beginning of the book, but on her way home from gigs in Ibiza to make amends. Luna has gone on the road in a horse drawn van with her traveller boyfriend, and is currently following a route she thinks her mother might have taken. They are all worried about their mother, while carrying on their own independent lives. We follow them, individually and together, as they experience strange happenings and encounter good and bad manifestations and put together clues that might lead them to find Alys.
A comet is about to appear in the sky and when it does, things will change.
It's a female oriented book which is refreshing. I love the characters in this, the main and the supporting ones, especially the ghostly Dark, who is utterly intriguing, and the grandfather who is nothing but a (talking) blue flame hovering over his own grave. It starts out with a measured pace, but the supernatural elements are bang upfront as Bee gets a message from one of the trees in the orchard. This doesn't suffer from anyone keeping back information. Whatever the sisters learn, they share. The story unfolds through their individual and collective experiences. Marvellously magical. Highly Recommended.
A comet is about to appear in the sky and when it does, things will change.
It's a female oriented book which is refreshing. I love the characters in this, the main and the supporting ones, especially the ghostly Dark, who is utterly intriguing, and the grandfather who is nothing but a (talking) blue flame hovering over his own grave. It starts out with a measured pace, but the supernatural elements are bang upfront as Bee gets a message from one of the trees in the orchard. This doesn't suffer from anyone keeping back information. Whatever the sisters learn, they share. The story unfolds through their individual and collective experiences. Marvellously magical. Highly Recommended.
April 1, 2024
Liz Williams writes magic better than almost anyone. Whether an iron teapot becoming a hedgehog guardian spirit on a policeman's houseboat or trees whispering secrets to a quartet of sisters, you believe that her magical worlds exist just around the corner from your own. The Fallow sisters come complete with tangled relationships with family and friends, a missing mother, and just a bit too much familiarity with ghosts, talking trees, and wandering star spirits. The star spirits are a particularly nice touch (I see them as Burne-Jones ladies). As the stars go from merely decorative appearances to a key clue as to why the sisters' mother has vanished into the magic of Old Britain, other things come crawling out of the dark and cold. Luckily sisters have each other, and some charming gentlemen friends (Sam or Dark, which is nicer, can't decide, love them both), to protect their home and welcome in a comet.
September 17, 2025
I liked this book enough to read the whole thing but it did not hang together well. The details were original and fun and the writing was decent. I wanted it to be better than it was, but the payoff was muted, I think because the characters did not understand what was happening, the reader doesn't, either. A really skilled writer can do this with foreshadowing and hints but there is not enough of that. There is a very little amount of foreshadowing for one fairly major plot aspect (literally, one sentence). Most of the major plot point resolutions are pretty much deus ex machina such as the following spoilers
The characterization was pretty weak for Serena and Stella (she's a DJ!), though a little better for Luna and Bee.
The characterization was pretty weak for Serena and Stella (she's a DJ!), though a little better for Luna and Bee.
October 5, 2025
This review is really for the whole series, which I greatly enjoyed. It's a sweet and fascinating family fantasy drama with strong cozy tendencies, that makes me wish I lived in the British countryside and was maybe also a witch. I love that each book is thoroughly grounded in a particular season. I'm planning to reread each one during the relevant time of year. Even though I don't live in a place with four distinct seasons these days, I look forward to reading each one again in its time. Blackthorn Winter is my favorite.
There's a serious supernatural conflict in each book, but the climax scenes all lack a sense of urgency or threat to me. That's wild given some of the stakes (stolen babies, souls bound to monsters, etc.). Maybe this is just a genre distinction, since I don't normally read cozy. I do like that I wasn't stressed out while reading it! Invested, yes. Panicked, no.
I also love the updated cover art and am glad that's what it is; I would absolutely have skipped this series based on the previous art, and I would have missed out. All in all, 4 stars and change.
There's a serious supernatural conflict in each book, but the climax scenes all lack a sense of urgency or threat to me. That's wild given some of the stakes (stolen babies, souls bound to monsters, etc.). Maybe this is just a genre distinction, since I don't normally read cozy. I do like that I wasn't stressed out while reading it! Invested, yes. Panicked, no.
I also love the updated cover art and am glad that's what it is; I would absolutely have skipped this series based on the previous art, and I would have missed out. All in all, 4 stars and change.
May 7, 2020
Definitely one of the best contemporary fantasies I have read in a while. I really enjoyed the characters and the matter-of-fact way they deal with the weird stuff happening around them... as you would if that's all you'd known since childhood. In fact, for me, that's one of the best things about this book... no overblown 'stepping out to meet their destiny', just ordinary women dealing with what, to them, is just part of life. Of course the stakes get ramped up a little, which makes the storyline more compelling, but the overarching impression is one of 'hey, this is our life, and we get on with it'. Add to this the beauty of her prose, which is so descriptively luscious in places, and I think Liz Williams deserves to have a real winner on her hands!
May 13, 2021
The first half of the book is a leisurely telling of an idyllic and charmed (but not perfect) life; after that the supernatural adventure begins to take off. As far as setting, it's British countryside fairytale/urban fantasy.
The tone of the book and the storytelling are fairly different from the mainstream, reminiscent of Donna Tartt. There's a certain measured pace that continues throughout, and a certain unflappability to the world, no matter how much characters might describe being upset, or how crazy things get. And indeed it feels a bit like the characters are along for the ride, but have limited agency beyond simply reacting. This is what bothered me the most. The characters are interesting but never develop depth, and I never developed a connection or an urge to keep on reading.
The tone of the book and the storytelling are fairly different from the mainstream, reminiscent of Donna Tartt. There's a certain measured pace that continues throughout, and a certain unflappability to the world, no matter how much characters might describe being upset, or how crazy things get. And indeed it feels a bit like the characters are along for the ride, but have limited agency beyond simply reacting. This is what bothered me the most. The characters are interesting but never develop depth, and I never developed a connection or an urge to keep on reading.
June 2, 2020
This is a beautifully written book. The way it engages with and describes the natural world and its inherent magic connects on so many levels. I found myself totally engaged with the lives of the Fallow sisters and their search for their mother. Each of the four point-of-view characters have full and different lives and yet are connected through time, heritage and good old sisterly love. The two antagonists are richly portrayed, and generate equally strong emotional reactions in the reader (me, that is).
This is a story that I did not want to end (I don't say that very often) and I look forward to the next instalment.
This is a story that I did not want to end (I don't say that very often) and I look forward to the next instalment.
July 5, 2020
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This is an interesting story, though I think I’d need to know more about British folklore to totally get it. It has a lot of things that are cool—sisters, talking trees, mystical star people wandering around, ghost boyfriends, etc. Parts are exciting and parts are compelling, but other parts are slow and the end was a little anti-climactic (except for one weird hinted at twist). I mean, I liked this while I was reading it, but at one point I put it down for three days and never was dying to pick it back up. Still, really cool atmosphere and characters. B+.
This is an interesting story, though I think I’d need to know more about British folklore to totally get it. It has a lot of things that are cool—sisters, talking trees, mystical star people wandering around, ghost boyfriends, etc. Parts are exciting and parts are compelling, but other parts are slow and the end was a little anti-climactic (except for one weird hinted at twist). I mean, I liked this while I was reading it, but at one point I put it down for three days and never was dying to pick it back up. Still, really cool atmosphere and characters. B+.
February 7, 2021
You can easily get lost in the lives of the four sisters. At first only two are home but as forces build around their Mother's disappearance and something evil comes the other two return. This is not a typical cozy. There are true villains who walk in alternate worlds. Frankly, while I enjoyed the story it's not a world for me. If all is not solved by the passing of the comet so much is lost to the others. And you are only marginally satisfied with the ending. I did love the references to the Romany people and customs, the old world details were great.
April 1, 2023
Really liked this. I enjoyed revisiting that delicious feeling of reading Susan Cooper as a kid, and I liked the combination of lyrical writing with some modern expressions, like F-bombs. I liked most of the characters. I wished it had one or two fewer scenes of wandering through a mysterious landscape--they started to drag a bit--and that it had been just a little funnier. I would have liked 10% more dialogue to balance the hazy mysticism. But overall, a delightful discovery, would recommend.
September 28, 2025
The place setting was lovely and the ideas were enchanting. But there was no background to any of it and the sisters were practically indistinguishable from one another making it tough to invest in anything that happened to them. Because the chapters were so short there was little continuity and many of the plot events seemed haphazard and arbitrary. I would love to have read a version of this that took more time both with characterization and some kind of world building where the magic made sense. I love mystical stuff but this just fell short.
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