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Bewitching Season (Leland Sisters, Bk 1)
Bewitching Season - Leland Sisters, Bk 1
Author: Marissa Doyle
In 1837 London, young daughters of viscounts pined for handsome, titled husbands, not careers. And certainly not careers in magic. At least, most of them didn't. — Shy, studious Persephone Leland would far rather devote herself to her secret magic studies than enter society and look for a suitable husband. But right as the inevitable season f...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780805082517
ISBN-10: 0805082514
Publication Date: 4/29/2008
Pages: 352
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating:
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 11

3.5 stars, based on 11 ratings
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

ourlittlehouse avatar reviewed Bewitching Season (Leland Sisters, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 2
Reviewed by my 11 year old daughter...


"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 Doyles 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 didnt 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 oclock in the morning.
It was an absolute page turner. I cant wait until the next book comes out (Betraying Season will come out spring 2009). I would recommend this book to girls that are 12 and up that love history and magic."
nelliebly1025 avatar reviewed Bewitching Season (Leland Sisters, Bk 1) on + 141 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by Bibliophile's Bestiary Blog at bibliophile-bestiary.blogspot.com/

Fantastic book. It is very well written and pulls you into the Leland twins world. This book mostly follows Persephone (Percy) Leland, who likes books more than balls and dresses. I did want to smack Persy a few times, but only because she worried too much. The twins are an amazing pair, and the magic in the book is a great read. The story line is perfect and the timing right on. A great first novel.
cloverluv avatar reviewed Bewitching Season (Leland Sisters, Bk 1) on + 129 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Persephone and Penelope Leland are excited to start their first season as eligible women in London. At least Penelope is. Persephone is nervous and besides, she'd much rather continue her studies in magic with their governess Ally.

The twin girls are witches as is their governess and in addition to their book and finishing training, Ally helps them to learn magic and how to use it responsibly. Things go horribly wrong however when Ally comes up missing a few short days before their coming out. When the family receives a cryptic note, the twins know something is not right, but have no idea what to do about their missing governess who they love and miss. Little do they know they are walking into a much bigger plot in which Ally is a central player, and to top it all off Persephone has an admirer whom she has to try and fend off at the same time.

"Bewitching Season" was a perfectly bewitching YA book. I sincerely enjoyed Doyle's ability to take several different characters that have very different stories and bring all of them together into an exceptionally enjoyable and satisfying end. Essentially "Bewitching Season" is a love story combined with a magic evil plot. Sometimes books that try to combine two very different plots become overwhelmed by one or the other. Doyle however has a genius for combining the two. Just when I thought one plot was starting to overcome the other, she would shift gears and remind me of the other plot. Overall "Bewitching Season" kept me guessing the whole time in a good way.

It was such a pleasure to read a YA book that had a mature enough plotline to keep an adult enthralled but was simple enough to lure in younger readers who have been looking for something to fill the "Harry Potter" void.

This is a series and I'm excited to read the next installment "Betraying Season." Since this series has a touch of romance, I can't see a lot of pre-teen boys flocking to read it, but I can see it becoming a smash hit with pre-teen girls. Doyle has possibly penned a new "Twilight," we'll just have to wait and see if young readers find "Bewitching Season" as charming as I did.
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GeniusJen avatar reviewed Bewitching Season (Leland Sisters, Bk 1) on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by Tasha for TeensReadToo.com

Persephone and Penelope Leeland are the twin daughters of a well-known English viscount and are getting ready to be thrown into their first season. While you couldn't tell the girls apart by looking at them, if you talked to them you would know that they are completely different.

All Penelope can talk about is the upcoming balls that the girls are planning on going to and the numerous gowns that she is going to wear. She loves all thoughts that have to do with future dances and possible husbands. Then there is Persephone. She would much rather hunker down and devote her time to magical studies. She really doesn't want anything to do with finding a husband or dancing the night away in a dress that she can hardly breathe in.

Just as the season is about to begin, the girls' governess disappears. It's up to the girls to figure out what happened. Along the way the girls will discover that the kidnapping has much to do with the plot to take away Princess Victoria's power. Encountering many interesting people, including a mysterious Irish wizard and a boy who might just be husband-worthy, the girls set off to solve the mystery.

I am a huge historical fiction fan as well as love books that include magic. Putting the two together created an amazing book that I instantly fell in love with. I thought that the story was completely original and absolutely spellbinding. I was highly impressed with Marissa Doyle's ability to captivate my attention throughout the entire book. I don't think I actually put the book down once - which is a big thing for me! I thought it was really neat that the main characters were twins who really didn't have much in common. The girls' differences thoughout made the book so interesting and it was really evident that they depended on each other for different strengths.

Another really special thing about this book is that the story sticks. The story keeps ringing through my head and I'm still loving it! I was really impressed with Ms. Doyle's debut novel and absolutely cannot wait for the sequel which will be out sometime next year (why oh why does it have to be that far away?!). It has definitely become a new favorite of mine, and if you haven't had the opportunity to read BEWITCHING SEASON I highly suggest you run out and get it now.


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