arc received in exchange for an honest review. thank you, netgalley and yen press!

This light novel begins a series centered around the origin of the four seasons, and the agents who keep the cycle turning. It first follows Hinagiku, the Agent of Spring, who returns after a decade of disappearance and does not return just with her chosen season, but a brave decision to face the trauma and regret of what happened ten years ago. 

Like many others, I mistakenly thought this was a manga, and I don't have much experience with light novels. I enjoyed the lovely artwork and the unique formatting for things like flashback pages, but overall I didn't enjoy my reading experience. It was really hard to get into in the beginning because of Hinagiku's speaking patterns, and I didn't particularly enjoy Sakura as a character right away. I think I enjoyed Rosei more overall, especially with the dip into darker themes, but overall the story didn't captivate me and I was a little confused on the purpose of the Agents and relation to the seasons. 

I personally won't be continuing, but if you enjoy stories about reconciling mistakes and dark pasts as well as worldbuilding centered around the four seasons, I would recommend you give this a try. I've heard the physical version especially is quite lovely!