Bewitching Season

Bewitching Season
By Marisa Doyle
Henry Holt, 2008. 346 pgs. Young Adult

Persephone (Persy) and Penelope (Pen) are twins embarking on their debut season in London. However, they aren't ordinary girls: they're witches, and while Pen is happy to take London by storm, shy Persy would rather not have a season. Her first choice would be to marry their handsome neighbor Lochnivar, but she thinks he could never care for her, especially if he discovered her magical abilities. Her second choice is to find a job as a governess or something that's more compatible with using her magic--something no lady should do. However, as they set off to London, their governess, also a witch, goes missing and, in between balls and parties, they need to figure out what happened to her.

This book had a lot of plot lines mixed together, and I honestly started to wonder why the twins weren't more concerned with their governess's disappearance. Luckily, their little brother pointed that out to them and spurred them along in their rescue. I enjoyed the look at the London season and Victorian society, and I liked Persy as a main character, although her complete obliviousness to Lochnivar's feelings did start to get a little grating at the end. Overall, it's a frothy, fun book, good for a lazy summer afternoon.

AE