andrea's Reviews > The Longest Autumn

Thank you to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for coming through with both an e-arc and an audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.

This atmospheric little fantasy novel releases on January 16, 2024.

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Me and Autumn? It's a thing.

So when I knew I was going to read this, I was desperately hoping for atmosphere and between chill breezes so visceral I shivered, apple cider kisses, and trails of dead leaves, I got atmosphere in spades.

Tirne is the Herald of Autumn - her duty is to usher him through a magical mirror into the human world to bring on the beginning of that cooler weather, those longer and darker nights, the smell of woodsmoke and fat, orange pumpkins. This is a role that means a lot to Tirne, desperate to be written into her history just like her mother before her.

Only, this year, something happens - that magical mirror shatters when she passes through it. And Tirne? She's the prime suspect for sabotage.

For someone so hellbent on loyalty to her god, we start to see her ambition control her - stripped of her title as Herald, she first beatifically commits herself to doing whatever's necessary to fix the mirror before food and firewood runs out and people begin to starve and infection spreads. But it soon becomes obvious that she'll also do anything to get her position restored, even if it means putting her trust in people she shouldn't.

Meanwhile, a bourgeoning energy is passing through Autumn and Tirne. Illicit touches are hidden, even though those same touches are against the commandments that Autumn himself laid down.

This was dreamy and sexy and mysterious and a super fun, quick fantasy debut. I'm sad to hear that it's a standalone - I'd have loved more of the lore of the passing of the seasons, more about the scions of each seasonal god, and more about the seasonal gods themselves. I definitely think there's an opportunity for a more expansive universe. Amy Avery is a skilled writer and I can't wait to see what she does in the future.