Every October Cara and her family become inexplicably and unavoidably accident-prone. Some years it’s bad, like the season when her father died, and some years it’s just a lot of cuts and scrapes. This accident season—when Cara, her ex-stepbrother, Sam, and her best friend, Bea, are 17—is going to be a bad one. But not for the reasons they think.
Cara is about to learn that not all the scars left by the accident season are physical: There’s a long-hidden family secret underneath the bumps and bruises. This is the year Cara will finally fall desperately in love, when she’ll start discovering the painful truth about the adults in her life, and when she’ll uncover the dark origins of the accident season—whether she’s ready or not.
2.5 Drink Me Potions
This book is deliciously eerie. There’s no other way of describing it. And the chaos that occurs to this little family is erratic and a bit dark, like there’s something otherworldly following their accidents. The strange coincidences that happen every October. I don’t know how to describe it. It makes you wanna peel it back layer by layer, slowly unravelling the craziness.
The imagery portrayed in the ghostly figures Cara sees and the other strange things this one particular “girl” keeps leaving behind for her to find. It’s a mysterious story with a plot that sometimes confuses you and makes you wonder what the heck is going on.
Amidst the scarier intrigue, there’s a bit of a forbidden romance going on. I personally have nothing against Cara falling for her ex-stepbrother but it is a little weird if you focus hard enough on it. However, I find their little piece of romance like a small island to float in and bask in its blissfulness amidst the hushed tones of the rest of the novel. It’s like this story’s version of comic relief, except more cute.
The ending is also wonderfully ambiguous. In a good way. Whether or not you believe in magic, ghosts or mere coincidences, this does teach the idea that secrets kept hidden in closets all eventually find a way to explode itself out.
Overall Recommendation:
The Accident Season is unlike any book I’ve read. It stands out with its mysterious airs and strange happenings to this little family. With accidents that aren’t always just small mishaps, the intrigue and excitement ramps up when Cara thinks she’s seeing things, or people more like it. It’s an interesting read, albeit a bit strange for my general tastes, but I’d say it’s worth a flip through.
Down the Rabbit Hole 