Essentially Ash: Book Review: The Violent Season by Sara Walters

Title: The Violent Season

Author: Sara Walters

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Publishing Date: October 5th, 2o21

Pages: 320

Audio Length: 7 Hours and 7 Minutes

Genre: YA mystery thriller

TW: Domestic violence, attempted rape, drug and alcohol abuse

Series: Standalone

Source: Audible audio

What it's about:

There is something terribly wrong in Wolf Ridge. Every November, every teen is overwhelmed with a hunger for violence…at least, that’s the urban legend.

After Wyatt Green’s mother was brutally murdered last Fall, she’s convinced that the November sickness plaguing Wolf Ridge isn’t just a town rumor that everyone ignores…it’s a palpable force infecting her neighbors. Wyatt is going to prove it, and find her mother’s murderer in the process. She digs up every past brutal act she can find from Wolf Ridge’s past – from car wrecks, suicides, and unnamed victims turning up in rivers—and even reaches out to an out-of-state journalist that seems to believe her. But all of her digging leads to nowhere. Everyone in Wolf Ridge accepts that the November sickness is real, and absolutely no one will talk about it.

As Wyatt’s best friend Cash turns on her, and her friend is almost killed in a tragic accident, Wyatt panics – how can she keep her friends safe, and find her mother’s murderer, when no one believes her?

As the evidence stars to disappear, Wyatt wonders: is she just imagining everything? Is the sickness real, or are the people of Wolf Ridge just naturally prone to doing bad things?

Can Wyatt and her friends come out of the Violent Season unscathed, or is one of them going to be the next victim?

What I thought:

I was really really excited to read this book. Based on the title and the cover it's a book I would really like. I was trying to find a book to read that isn't one I have on my 2022 TBR because I have so many on there. I saw this book and thought it would be perfect.

It's been a minute since I've written a review so it might take me a moment to get into the swing of things again...

When I first saw The Violent Season I thought it was going to be a book like The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman. Turns out it wasn't actually anything like this. It was more like bad things just always seem to happen every November (Yes I know that's in the description) but that nothing is actually linked together.

I feel like this book is pretty predictable, I figured out the who did it pretty early on and I feel like it was super obvious and kind of... cliche?

The romance felt rushed and kind of forced. I know it's typical of teens to just immediately develop feelings for people, but this felt a bit much. *Small spoiler* I feel like it's so typical of teenagers to be like "wow I love this guy so much" and then the guy doesn't return those feelings and so then it's off to another guy "Oh I think I could love this guy". *End spoiler*

I also got a little confused during certain parts because all of the characters names were kind of similar. So there was a few times I had to go back a few seconds to figure out who they were talking about.

Cover:

I actually really like how simple the cover is and how there's just a little bit of blood. It fits I think.

Story:

The story itself is good. It's kind of a unique one, but at the same time there's nothing specifically spectacular about it, you know what I mean? The idea is great, I just wish there was... more? I guess.

The one thing I did like about this book and this story is how it brings domestic violence and drug/alcohol abuse to light. Because I think this is something that isn't talked about nearly enough. I do wish there was more.... signs? I guess is what I'm trying to say, so maybe teens who read this can be aware of them.

Pace:

The pace is done pretty well. It's a quick read, but it's not like the author rushed it to be a quick read. It just is. It's an even pace most of the book, until you get to the end. That's why I rated the pace a 3 instead of 4, because the last quarter of the book feels like the author just kind of wanted to be done with it and didn't have anything else to write so just kind of threw it together.

Writing:

The writing is okay. Nothing special. I don't feel like it was written by a teenager but I also don't feel like it's written especially well. It's good but not great.

Characters:

First I love Wyatt's and Cash's names. They're unique without being a tragedy of names.

Wyatt was okay, one thing that bugged me was her constantly saying "I'm tough, I'm hard" blah blah, like she constantly had to remind herself not to feel and that she's a badass. Which I guess can come with the trauma of losing her mom, however it was like she was trying too hard to be badass. While she was also a puppy dog after a boy who couldn't care less about her, which is super not badass.

I hated Cash, straight up hated. He was a dick, he played with her heart constantly and reminds me of those teenage boys who think they're too cool for everyone while they're actually complete losers. I've known way too many Cashs in my life.

I liked Porter a lot. I like how the author portrayed him as a golden boy who is too good for everyone, until Wyatt actually got to know him and found out he's actually a really great guy.

World building:

Not much to world build on to be honest. I think the author didn't give enough descriptions about what was going on around them, so I didn't picture it in my head as well. However for a book like this I don't think it's as necessary as it would be in a fantasy type book.

Ending:

Like I said, I had this figured out. Not quite all of it, but the whodunnit I did. I think the book ends on a pretty good note. It didn't feel like there should be more and there was a resolution. The only reason I gave it a 3 is because I figured it out.

Narrator:

The narrator was easy to listen to, wasn't annoying, and read clearly. I was able to listen on 2.5 speed and not have to slow it down or rewind it because I couldn't understand her (Only with names, but that's not her fault)

Overall:

Overall this is a decently written book, that's a quick read, and has a pretty solid mystery/story.