War of the Seasons Series by Janine K. Spendlove

Eirnin's silver eyes, now showing hints of bright yellow, widened in astonishment as he stared, transfixed, at the red blood dripping from the wound on Story's foot."What are you?"A simple question with a not-so-simple answer for seventeen-year-old Story, who finds herself, a lone human, thrust in the middle of a war between creatures she once thought only existed in faerie tales.

“Spring has something of mine; he knows what it is.” She smiled coldly. “I need you to bring it to me.”“And why would I do that?” Story folded her arms over her chest.A branch from the sidhe’s hair glided out in front of her, bearing a single, small acorn. “Because I poisoned Eírnin.”One of the tattoos on her shoulder coalesced into a live oak leaf, and she plucked it before standing up and holding it out toward Story. “And if you want the antidote, you will bring me what I seek... more“Spring has something of mine; he knows what it is.” She smiled coldly. “I need you to bring it to me.”“And why would I do that?” Story folded her arms over her chest.A branch from the sidhe’s hair glided out in front of her, bearing a single, small acorn. “Because I poisoned Eírnin.”One of the tattoos on her shoulder coalesced into a live oak leaf, and she plucked it before standing up and holding it out toward Story. “And if you want the antidote, you will bring me what I seek.”Story lunged for the leaf, but the Autumn Princess was too quick and crushed it in her hand. “You have until winter’s first frost reaches him. Then, he dies.”Without waiting for a response, Metirreonn disappeared in a scattering of red-gold leaves and sparks.*****Six months after arriving in the world of Ailionora, Story finds herself once again on a quest; only this time it is not to save a dying race but the life of the elf she loves. Along the way, she must face the consequences of her previous choices and battle with enemies both old and new while she races against time.“Engagingly demonstrates that readers of all ages can get drawn into a world of magic and adventure.”— Karen Lyon, The Hill Rag less

The temperature dropped, and, shivering, Story stood and turned slowly around. A massive polar bear towered over her, his mouth twisted into an animalistic grin. "You're sick, Geamhradann." "I'm so glad you remember me." The Winter King sat down on his haunches and licked one of his dinner plate sized paws clean of drying silver blood. "And I'm feeling quite well, thank you very much." Story rubbed her hands over her arms against the freezing wind... moreThe temperature dropped, and, shivering, Story stood and turned slowly around. A massive polar bear towered over her, his mouth twisted into an animalistic grin. "You're sick, Geamhradann." "I'm so glad you remember me." The Winter King sat down on his haunches and licked one of his dinner plate sized paws clean of drying silver blood. "And I'm feeling quite well, thank you very much." Story rubbed her hands over her arms against the freezing wind. She couldn't feel her feet any longer, and though her head told her to run, she knew it was no good. Geamhradann would catch her as soon as she moved. She looked around for a weapon, a rock, a chunk of ice, anything to throw at him to force him to break his concentration and therefore loosen his hold on her in the dreamscape, so she could wake up. "You should know better, half-blood. You can't hurt me here." Story must face an evil greater than any she's encountered before. As darkness looms over Ailionora, Story, her companions, and all of the races of Ailionora band together to fight for their very survival. "Spendlove acknowledges authors Michael Stackpole and Aaron Allston in her book. Her writing style mirrors the easy readability of those two master wordsmiths, where the words flow and the characters don't make you stop and wonder why they are doing something. The tale just feels believable and the characters relatable." -Tricia Barr, FANgirl Blog less