Hello everyone! I hope that you’ve had a good week. It seems the kids again wanted to bring something home from school and now I am the only one in the house not sick! I am hoping to take time to get a bunch of books read this weekend but really hope everyone feels better so that I can feel alright attending a psychi event I am setting up at Monday!
I am very excited to write this review today. I was not sure what to expect from this author as I’d never read their work but I was pleasantly surprised. Let’s take a look at the book…
Solstitium (End of Seasons Book 1) 
Author: Colby Meyer
Publisher: Colby Meyer (Self Published)
Published: April 19th, 2024
Book Length: 248 Pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Buy the book: Amazon
*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review*
Seattle holds many secrets. Alice Winters is one of them.
After washing up on a beach in Scotland in the year 1518, Alice awoke with no memory of who she is, where she came from, or why she has these strange elemental powers.
Seemingly immune from aging, she has spent the last five hundred years hiding from anyone who would seek to do her harm or try to exploit her power. Until a chance encounter in a Seattle coffee shop brings the first clue to unravel the secrets of her mysterious past.
Pursued by a nameless adversary and equipped with nothing except a handwritten message on the back of a business card, she searches for answers about the elusive council known as the Tempore. However, with each new bit of information she uncovers, the questions only multiply.
After spending her whole life keeping the people around her at a distance, Alice must rely on an unwitting pair of friends to help her answer the questions of the Tempore and the shadows that follow her every move. As her past and her future collide, she will find herself faced with a destiny bigger than she could have ever imagined._____________________________**This book is saving lives.**A portion of profits from the sale of this book go to Life Impact International, an organization fighting against child sex and farm slavery. For more information, www.lifeimpactintl.org.
There is always something about reading the work of an author you don’t know for the first time. A little bit of nervousness and a whole lot of excitement. There is always that chance that you may not enjoy the writing style or tone of the writing. Well, thankfully that was not the case here! I loved this book and I am desperately waiting for more. Such a unique concept of what I will call magic elements for now to avoid giving away too much to those who have not read this yet.
Solstitium is a story of a woman who has lived an unnaturally long life but she recalls nothing before washing up on a beach. She has been persued in the past and present and only wants to live a simple life in peace. That was until she met a stranger in a cafe who wrote a note that sent her life into a spiral of more questions about her past.
We are given the story, in two parts that are rotated chapter to chapter. Some chapters occur in a past time and others are present, clearly noted at the top of each. This is a nice touch that avoids any reader confusion. Knowing what we are reading before the start of the chapter allows us to change our mindset for that section. Similar to when people label the chapters with who’s point of view it is in when using a multiple point of view style. I think the past and present worked really well together. We learned about a character at the perfect time and things were revealed as other events happened in the present, pulling the reader along chapter by chapter.
When someone mentions the magic ability to wield ice, many might think of Elsa but this character is anything but. Although, I do think it feared her initially. We learn more and more about her as each chapter progresses but I think what we learn a lot from is her past. It shows us why she lives the way she does now. The one thing that caught me and made me think was why her white hair was such a huge deal in the beginning of the book. These days, dying our hair crazy colors is normal so that would not have been a big deal to have white hair. It would simply be explained by her choice to color it and nobody would be the wiser. Or if she wanted to hide the hair completely why not choose a wig? They are available in present day.
With regards to world-building, there is not a lot that needs to be done since it takes place in two time periods and the text reflects that. Meyer did a wonderful job with giving enough details for the reader to understand the story without being bored knowing what color flowers grew outside her window. Meaning they offered the perfect amount of information without causing me to want to stop reading. The plot was engaging and continued to keep my interest. Perfectly placed plot twists and events made me verbally say “no” or gasp at points. Which earned me a side eye from my husband until he realized I was reading. I will be honest here, I read the majority of the end of the book while walking the treadmill at the gym because I did not want to put the book down. That says something! The pacing for the novel was fantastic. I finished it really quickly, especially the second half. The romance in the novel was very slow burn and there is no spice in it either.
Overall, I was impressed with this being the first novel I’ve read from this author. I will be looking for future books. If you are looking for a nicely paced, engaging fantasy that is not as trope filled as popular novels, pick this one up. I want to say more but will refrain because I do not want to give away any information. However, I think I now need a physical copy.
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