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Rating:  -
I really loved BEWITCHING SEASON! If I had to vote for Most Charming Debut, this would be it. It was lovely, adorable, fun and drenched in history.
Persephone and Penelope are seventeen-year-old twins about to face their first London Season. Persy is shy and studious and Pen is outgoing and lighthearted. Both are equally lovely, but Percy thinks Pen is the prettier. Percy is also the point-of-view character. They have a younger brother named Charles, who is twelve years old, and a governess whom they call Ally. When Ally vanishes just before they are supposed to make their debut, it's up to the three of them to find her.
Lochinvar, their childhood friend, returns from a long absence very nicely grown-up. It turns out that Persephone has loved Lochinvar since she was thirteen. He pops up in the most unexpected places, and has the most unexpected talents. Their love is delightfully thwarted by their own actions, yet it is not too drawn out.
Another mysterious man, Michael Carrighar, makes a reluctant henchman for a conniving lord. Here's where I had a quibble--Michael appears to be under an onerous debt of some sort, forcing him to do evil deeds when he otherwise would not. However, when the debt was finally revealed, it didn't seem nearly onerous enough to compel such deeds. Michael was the only character whose motivations never quite rang true for me. He was otherwise likable--truly conflicted and a rather dark soul.
The final battle was nicely done. I expected both twins to have to face the nemesis, but one twin had to go it alone. This made it a nice challenge. Having to fight wizards while in a breath-constricting corset is not easy, you know. All plot threads get sewn up satisfactorily, leaving Penelope free to gallivant off into the sequel, which will follow her adventures to Ireland.
It has been a long while since I was so charmed by a novel. In fact, I think you have to go all the way back to You Had Me at Halo by Amanda Ashby. My only complaint is that it was too short. I think Marissa Doyle will attract a legion of fans, both young and old, who will eagerly buy each new installment. I know I will. I loved it.
Rating:  -
On the whole a likeable and readable novel though the plot rationale was a little thin, and the period detail could have been better researched, especially language-wise: the constant intrusions of modern idiom and American English, e.g. people 'pop in', have 'crushes', the use of 'gotten' etc. all jar slightly. Would a kidnapped governess have been familiarly addressing her kidnapper as 'Michael'? A lad of the early C19th go 'Aw' to his sister? The editor ought to have been more rigorous. However, Bewitching Season is good enough that one will certainly lend it to friends and wait to see what the author next comes out with.
Rating: -
Seventeen-year-old identical twins Persephone "Persy" and Penelope "Pen" Leland are not quite like most upper-class young ladies in Victorian England. The girls were born with the gift of magic, and their governess, Miss Allardyce, or Ally as the girls call her, has educated them in the magical arts along with reading, writing, and history. Now the time has come for the girls' debut in London and their first season, where they will hopefully attract suitable husbands. Pen is eager to make her debut in society, but Persy, who is shy and bookish, wishes she could go against what is proper for a wealthy young lady and become a teacher.
Shortly after their arrival in London, however, more pressing concerns arrive. The twins discover Ally has been kidnapped, and that her captors hope to use her in a plot to gain control of the British throne. Meanwhile, shy Persy is finding herself falling in love with her childhood neighbor, Lochinvar Seton, who shares her love of books, reading, and education. But she doesn't believe he could ever find her attractive over Pen, the outgoing and social twin.
Bewitching Season is an absolutely wonderful debut novel from Marissa Doyle. The writer seamlessly blends magic, romance, and history against a realistic backdrop of 1837 London. I highly recommend this book to teen girls - and older readers - looking for a magical and romantic trip to the past, and I can't wait to read the sequel, which will be released in 2009.
Rating: -
Persephone and Penelope Leland hide their talent with magic from everyone, including their parents. Now their governess Melusine Allardyce has disappeared, leaving only a note saturated with her fear. Persy must take action if she wants rescue Ally - and Princess Victoria. A political faction seeks to control the soon to be eighteen-years-old princess in order to keep control once she becomes queen. But finding Ally might put Persy and Pen in the faction's power.
BEWITCHING SEASON is a light-fantasy historical adventure. The only thing that ruins the atmosphere is Persy and Pen's almost complete disregard for keeping their powers secret. They use them in front of a number of maids and young men. One of these young men is Lochinvar Seton, Persy's love interest. Lochinvar is well-read and liked by Persy's family, and paid attention to her before she became an attractive and desired young lady. For some reason obstacles to their romance keep cropping up.
I'm serious. Ridiculous obstacle after obstacle that looks less ridiculous in comparison to the new obstacle. I would have preferred it if Doyle simply let Lochinvar and Persy acknowledge their feelings, become a couple, and let the book's romantic plot focus on them maturing their relationship and getting to know each other past, "You like books? I like books too." Instead, she squanders their chemistry by keeping them separate for increasingly ludicrous reasons. (See, I dislike the handling of the romance so much I'm becoming redundant.)
In the end, the mishandling of the pace of the romance does not bog BEWITCHING SEASON too much. I'm glad Doyle is already contracted for a sequel to be released in 2009.
Excerpted from In Bed With Books.
Rating: -
If you like books about magic, princesses, mysteries and devious plots, this book has it all! The twins, Persy and Pen, head to London as they prepare to come out into society. Persy, the shy twin, positively dreads the thought of attending a multitude of social events, while Pen, the outgoing twin, can't wait. To add to Persy's anxiety, her governess disappears, the boy she's had a crush on forever is now a postively gorgeous man (who seems very interested in her sister) and she can't decide if having magic skills is an advantage or a detriment.
Marissa Doyle does a fabulous job of weaving an intricate web of events as the girls try to figure out what happened to their governess. The characters are very real and the writing is so vivid that somewhere along the way you feel as if you've stepped through the pages to join the girls on their quest. Persy shows a tremendous amount of growth and by the time I finished reading Bewitching Season, I definitely wanted more - any chance of a sequel?
This book is listed as a YA book and my twelve year old niece loved it, but it is also a great book for adults who love reading a well crafted story full of intrigue and great characters.
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