I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

For most of the year, Summer reigns peacefully over Alderland. Then, for six brutal weeks, Winter rages, obliterating towns and wreaking casualties. Magicians bond with powerful wands of Summer to defend the nation, a duty that costs many their lives.

Domenic Barrow never wanted such responsibility—but destiny hasn’t granted him a choice. The greatest Summer wand has awakened for the first time in a century, warning that an icy cataclysm looms on the horizon. And despite his reputation as the least suited of his classmates, the wand Chooses Domenic to wield it.

Ellery Caldwell spent years striving to be a perfect Summer magician—and burying her fears of her own power. But her worst suspicions are proven true when she accidentally creates the first ever Winter wand.

Now, as the unprecedented Chosen Two, Domenic and Ellery must thwart the oncoming cataclysm together. And in trying to fulfill their destinies, they wonder if they were brought together for a second fate: to fall in love.

Until they discover the unthinkable truth. The Chosen Two aren’t fated allies, but eternal rivals, and the only way to save their home is for one of them to slay the other.

This is no love story. It's a tragedy.

Short and Sweet Review

In Alderland Summer is peaceful but when went comes it’s a brutal six weeks, where towns are obliterated and lives are lost. Magicians bond with wands of summer to defend against winter. Domenic doesn’t want the responsibility but he has no choice but to accept when one of the strongest summer wands awakens in over a century and picks him to wield it. Ellery has spent her whole life preparing to wield the summer wand but she ends up creating the first winter wand. Ellery and Domenic come together to fight off the incoming winter storm but they soon learn that only one of them can make it out alive.

When I saw that Foody and Herman were writing a new series I knew I had to read it. There’s just something about the worlds they build and the magic system in them. This book is interesting because our characters are fighting of weather a season if you will, and winter has never been so dangerous. Domenic and Ellery are our main characters and we get both of their POVs and they were both good and distinct, we could really tell how each character felt about the situation they were in. Ellery always thought she would have a powerful summer wand so when she makes a winter wand it’s a big no no especially because she’s meant to be fighting of winter. Domenic would want to be as far away from this responsibility as possible and he knows he isn’t the best person to have this powerful wand and his classmates know it too. The synopsis really tells it all and I don’t want to ruin anything. I did like the romance between our two main characters and how they worked together to navigate this new path for both of them. The ending was good and it leaves you wanting more, which is exactly why I can’t wait to see how the next book wraps everything up.

Overall, this was a solid first book in this duology. We not only have a chosen one but a chosen two and they’re champions for the opposing sides and try to work together. If you read All of Us Villains and loved it, check out this book!