Well, this is a lovely way to start off the novel’s life cycle, don’t you think?
“Kowal has always had a talent for integrating historical fact into her series, but her use of the cold summer of 1816 coupled with the original creation of the “coldmongers union” transforms a simple weather phenomenon into a fascinating and moving examination of class.” – Regina Small, RT Editor
via April Seal Of Excellence | RT Book Reviews.
I myself would add, having just finished listening to the audiobook version, that I was completely blown away by the character development in ‘Without a Summer’, particularly in regards to Melody and Jane. You may have started with the weaves of Jane Austen’s style in ‘Shades of Milk and Honey’, but I think at this point in the series you have grown past where she would go. That scene in the shop–! There were hints up to that point of how Melody was growing out of the stranglehold of her childhood circumstances, and how Jane was repeatedly making the kind of assumptions that make an a** out of ‘you’ and ‘me’, but I never thought my own assumptions and options about Melody would be so thoroughly upended and transformed into respect. In Jane Austen’s world, I don’t think Melody would get that hurrah; Lydia Bennet never did.