Name: The Accident Season
ISBN: 9780147517326

Moïra Fowley-Doyle

"Every October Cara and her family become mysteriously and dangerously accident-prone, but this year, the year Cara, her ex-stepbrother, and her best friend are 17, is when Cara will begin to unravel the accident season's dark origins"--

The Accident Season

It's the accident season, the same time every year. Bones break, skin tears, bruises bloom. The accident season has been part of seventeen-year-old Cara's life for as long as she can remember. Towards the end of October, foreshadowed by the deaths of many relatives before them, Cara's family becomes inexplicably accident-prone. They banish knives to locked drawers, cover sharp table edges with padding, switch off electrical items - but injuries follow wherever they go, and the accident season becomes an ever-growing obsession and fear. But why are they so cursed? And how can they break free?

Zaira A 

Book I really wanted to like you... Sigh.. I am not going to lie I was about called it quits after chapter 5. I guess this book is like an acquire taste, the more that you continue reading eventually you start to like it. The last chapters were the real MVP, which I felt carried the majority of the storyline forward.

This book combines some eerie and mystical elements which were interesting. I found myself wanting more magic and fantasy... but I am a sucker for fantasy. The main characters relationship were a little bizarre, I enjoy some of the romance storyline. However, the kissing fest that Cara had was extremely weird. It was an interesting read, the party scene was so descriptive and intoxicating. It definitely redeem the book at that point for me. The plot twist I saw it coming a mile away but it was nice to see how everything unfold.

Harry L

Haunting and absolutely captivating. I loved the feel of this book and how it just swept me away. I have a feeling that this is a book that is going to stick in my head for a long time. The writing was fabulous and the story mesmerising. I pretty much read it in one sitting and, having had a fortnight where I've found it quite hard to find time to sit back and get absorbed in a book, it was great to just get wrapped up in and enthralled by a book. Now I'm back into the swing of reading, on to my next book!!!

Emelie

3.5

It was a good read.. Mysterious and funny at some points.. That Elsie though, sneaky little... U could see the plot twist though if u thought about it during the book, the signs are all There!

Gisela Ayala 

In actually I give this book a 4.5. It was just a wee bit slow in the beginning to merit a whole 5, but once the ball got rolling, I couldn't put the book down. 

The book was not what I expected it to be at all. Spooky? Yes. Magical? Definitely. It helped a lot that I was reading this book in the dead of night during a hurricane, with the wind rustling the leaves outside. Perfect setting to read this book. 

The characters Cara, Sam, Bea, and Alice were so amazingly lovely. I loved them so much (flaws and all) that I wanted to be friends with them. I wanted to be a part of this bizarre and magical family. Every year in October, the Accident Season begins. Weird situations happen. Bruised bodies, broken bones, bloody lips, car wrecks, and deaths have occurred during this Accident Season, and their eccentric mother worries every year when the season comes along. Alice, the oldest sister is very suspicious about this season, while Cara (the main main character) knows there is more to the story, especially after she realized that a girl name Elsie has been appearing in everyone one of her photographs since she was a little girl. Does she have something to do with the Accident Season? 

The whole time while reading, you can't help but shift back and forth between reality and fantasy, which is the main thing when it comes to magical realism. You don't know what is real and what isn't, and this is some of my favorite type of reading. Being someone that looks for the magic in the every day, I eat this kind of novel up. One of my favorite scenes without giving too much away is the party scene. Wow... the author did an amazing job in making me feel like I was in the scene. I felt as drunk as the main character. Confused, happy, melancholy, tipsy... even more so during the party, the lines between reality and fantasy were blurred and her confusion was magical. I felt so connected to her at that moment. The added aspect of the Changelings made the scene even better. It was like having two alternate realities happening at once. 

Don't get me wrong the book got spooky, and ultimately the families demons are confronted and the truth is let out like a gust of wind that knocks all the walls they have put up throughout the years. Throughout the book, you get hints of what is really happening... and not everything is said but I like that the author gives the reader credit to put two and two together. A perfect example of show, don't tell. Secrets, friendship, family, and the supernatural are definite themes in this book, and sometimes we cover up things with half truths only so we don't have to confront what we truly are afraid of. 

Spooky and magical book, I could relate so much to the main character, Cara. Now I want some silver converse.

courtney garrison

This book started kind of slow for me. The plot mainly stay around a girl named cara, her best friend bea, ex-stepbrother Sam and older sister Alice. Every year in October is accident season. Every year they cover things in the house with padding to keep from getting hurt or worse. Cara soon discover a girl from school is in all her pictures, a girl that was a good friend after her father died, but they just drifted apart. Cara is soon searching everywhere for this girl and she discover family secrets as well as secrets of her own. Family relationships are tested, secrets are released and the mystery is finally solved and accident season is over. This novel for me was weird, but I was so engrossed in it I couldn’t stop reading. If you are into mystery and weird plot lines this is defiantly the book for you.

Grace O'Callaghan

*4.5

Writing: 5/5
Plot:4/5
Characters:4/5

"Accidents happen. Our bones shatter, our hearts break. We stay alive." 
Let me just say wow. This book was everything I wanted and more. It was a whirlwind of mystery and magic. Moira's writing was really the star of the show for me. Her writing is so incredibly atmospheric and lyrical it just makes my heart ache from how talented she is. I will say that it's definitely not for anyone, if you've read any magical realism it's that kind of flowery writing. But this was no issue for me, I swear I could talk about her writing all day.

The plot was very good. I thoroughly enjoyed where the storyline went. I just think it could've been taken further in my opinion and there were too many loose ends for my liking. However I did really like the fact that I was never quite sure if magic was actually involved in the story or not.

The protagonist was slightly unreliable throughout the book which added to that feeling of whether magic existed in the story or not. I also enjoyed all the side characters but particularly B (I don't actually know how her name is spelled, I listened to it as an audiobook). I always enjoy witch/ psychic kind of character.

I also feel that the setting was magical and also very real to me. I live in Ireland myself and found the setting of a small Irish town very relatable to me personally. It also mentioned actual places I've been to which makes me feel even more attached to the story.

Overall this was a wonderful read for anyone who's looking for whimsical writing and books set in quaint Irish towns. I couldn't quite give it a five stars as it just missed the mark for me. I'd also recommend the audiobook as it's read by an Irish person, it definitely added to the story. I can't wait to read more of Moira's work!

danielle bush

Despite leaving 3 stars I did enjoy reading this book. It was addictive, and wanted to keep reading to see what happens next.. some things were confusing and I dont think had a resolution. Like Beas feelings for cara. If there were actually any or not? And what happens between them.. I definitely didnt see the twist at the end coming, why they all had accidents every october. And who Elsie actually is.. or the major secret that was revealed towards the end..

Emily C Peterson

This was a difficult read because it's hard to tell what's real and what's in Cara's imagination. 
It's also VERY WEIRD.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

What the heck did I just read?

The Accident Season was unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It was spooky, emotional, romantic… it was so unique I couldn’t possibly compare it to any other book. It’s packed full of mystery and secrets, its twists and turns jumping out throughout the entire story until the bitter end. It was intense, and I loved every minute of it!

The concept behind this story was so intriguing, it’s what really caught my attention at first glance. Cara and her family suffer from accidents and injuries that occur during October each year – this is what they refer to as The Accident Season. The family doesn’t know why these accidents occur, but they continue to every year. Bones are broken, injuries are sustained, and there are even deaths. The family members are the only ones affected by The Accident Season, and they have no idea why these accidents keep occurring.

Basically the entire story resolves around four characters: Cara, her sister Alice, ex-stepbrother Sam, and best friend Bea. The family and friendship ties were extremely strong in this book. Cara, Alice and Sam seemed to grow closer and closer every time The Accident Season occurred. Bea, who wasn’t a family member but still experienced these accidents from the sidelines, was as much a part of this family as possible. She was a quirky, tarot card reader with a knack for all things witches and magical. I really appreciated how Bea was as much a part of all of this as the family was, which really portrayed how strong their friendship was. There was also a bit of a romance in this book which builds slowly throughout the entire story. First kisses, butterflies, secrets… all whole nine yards.

A wildly wonderful story involving a messy group of flawed characters, all who try their very best. Expect all kinds of confusion of the best kind possible, and TONS of secrets! It’s extremely intense, and you’re honestly better off going into this book knowing as little as possible. I’d say it’s a mixture of magic with some paranormal, and a slight contemporary feel. I avoided all reviews before reading this one, and I’m so glad I did. Though I had no idea what was going on at times, it was fantastic and I really loved that about it. If you’re looking for a book to give you the chills AND the giddy butterflies, this is a book you’ll want to get your hands on.

Audiobook Impressions:
This is my first experience with Colby Minifie as narrator. I tend to shy away from narrators with accents (just a personal preference), but her adorable accent definitely contributed to this wildly creative story for me. Colby did a fantastic job with these quirky characters and this what-the-heck-is-going-on-right-now story line. If you’re interested in reading this one, the audio is the way to go!

(Thanks to Listening Library for the review copy!)

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The Accident Season

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