Bewitching Season
Author: Marissa Doyle
Series: The Seasons?
Publisher: Macmillan
How Received: library
Summary from Marissa Doyle's website.
In 1837 England, young daughters of viscounts pined for handsome, titled husbands, not careers. And certainly not careers in magic.
Twins Persephone (Persy) and Penelope (Pen) Leland are anticipating their first London season with mixed feelings. Pen can't wait for the balls and parties and crowds of handsome young men to flirt with, but Persy would far rather stay home with their governess, Ally, and continue her magic studies. The only thing drawing her to London is the prospect of seeing Princess Victoria, her and Pen's idol.
But then Ally disappears from a busy London street and the twins are drawn into searching for her...and find that her disappearance is linked to a dastardly plot to enchant the soon-to-be Queen. Persy also discovers that a good lady's maid is hard to find, that one should never cast a love spell on anyone after drinking too much brandy punch at a party, that pesky little brothers can sometimes come in handy, and that even boys who were terrible teases when they were twelve can mysteriously turn into the most perfect young men.
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When I first started reading it, I couldn't quite get into it. I felt like Persy was going to annoy me throughout the entire book - a love spell? Really? (Though she did regret it.) And the plot line seemed somewhat predictable.
Thankfully, it improved.
I ended up loving all of the characters in the book - my favorite was Queen Victoria, however brief her appearance, followed by the swoon worthy Lochinvar. (Any man who discusses books, including Jane Austen books, gets top points form me.) The plot became entertaining quickly, including several twists at the end that I didn't quite expect.
I'm rather looking forward to getting my hands on Betraying Season, though as it follows Pen and not Persy, I'm not quite sure if I'll like it. After all, no Lochinvar!
Favorite quotes included:
Brothers. Just when you were ready to drown them, they said things like that to you.
She'd survived her first ball. Sort of. Now all she had to do was alienate the man she loved, keep secrets from her beloved twin sister, and find her governess without even knowing how to start.
Flying to the moon might be easier.
Overall Rating & Final Comments: A solid 8.5/10. A good read for anybody who loves witches and a bit of romance.