Persephone and Penelope Leland are about to be thrust into their coming out season! These girls may look alike but that is as far as their likeness goes. They couldn’t be more different from each other. While Penelope can’t wait to start her season and longs for dancing at wondrous balls, Persephone would rather be reading a book or studying her magic.But there is much more than their upcoming season that the girls must worry about. It seems that their governess, Ally is missing. They only clue they have to her whereabouts is a note apologizing for her absence. Persy and Pen both realize that something is not right and that Ally’s disappearance may be more like a kidnaping!Bewitching Season is Marissa Doyle’s debut novel. I love historical fiction and Bewitching Season moved into one of my top favorite spots! Doyle’s writing is smooth and intriguing. Although magic is a key component in the story, her dialogue and cultural references allow the story to maintain it’s historical appeal! One of my favorite characters from the story is the twin’s younger brother in the story, Charles. I like to think of him as the comic relief, but I think his role in the story goes well beyond that. The plot itself is full of twists and turns and Doyle brilliantly keeps them from unraveling! The ending may have been a little bit predictable, but that didn’t bother me at all! I would highly recommend Bewitching Season to historical fiction and fantasy fans! ( )

A light (post-)Regency romance in a world where magic works. If this description sounds like Wrede and Stevermer's Sorcery and Cecilia, there's good reason for that. It's lighter and less witty than S&C, but with its own charm.

The heroine is a shy, bookish young woman who would rather be learning Greek than making her debut. Her twin sister is much more vivacious and sociable. Together, they must negotiate the shoals of society, deal with suitors both wanted and un-, and investigate the disappearance of their governess, who taught them magic.

The copy I read is labeled Young Adult, presumably because the protagonists are still teens, but it's no more inherently YA than any of the light Regency romances from Signet or Zebra. (It's set in 1837, after the Regency but before the reign of Victoria--who is exactly the same age as the twins--but it reads like a series Regency.)

If you like Regency romances and don't mind a bit of fantasy, or if you like historical fiction with magic and don't mind a romance plot, I recommend this book. ( )

I loved the beginning of Bewitching Season and the premise behind it but I ended up hating Persy and her constant self-deprecating attitude. By the end of the book I didn't care what happened or which characters would get their happy endings, I was skimming just to be done with it. Which probably isn't being very fair because I loved the younger brother Charles and Lorrie. I hope the author has more in store for them in future books.

If you are looking for a well-written historical YA novel with magic, romance and likable characters throughout, I highly recommend Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer instead. ( )

This book was a good meld of debutante society, love, magic and adventure. The characters were interesting even if the main plot was lacking a little at times. I would have liked to see more action, but it was a good read. I was a little disappointed by how it ended. Not the ending she chose, but really the last page of the book - the last few paragraphs. I don't feel like it was wrapped up real well. ( )

Bewitching Season
By: Marissa Doyle

Persephone and Penelope Leland are young witches learning magic and trying to find their future husbands. But when their governess (her name is Ally) goes missing, the sisters and their eleven year old brother search for Ally in 1837 London. But when they encounter Sir John Conroy and Princess Sophia they fall into even greater danger (though they were in danger already). Along the way Persephone and her sister will go to dances, Tea, and meet Princess Victoria. They have to stick together to find Ally and with help of a close friend, they just may be able to defeat the bad guys.

Bewitching Season was very well written. For Marissa Doyle’s first novel it was fantastic. I loved that Persephone was a 18 year old girl that reads and enjoys books better than going to balls and to tea.
I didn’t dislike anything in this book, I loved every single page. Bewitching Season was one of those books that you had to keep on reading even if your favorite TV show was on or that it one o’clock in the morning.
It was an absolute page turner. I can’t wait until the next book comes out. I would recommend this book to girls that are 12 and up that love history and magic. ( )