Witch Season: Summer & Fall by Jeff Mariotte
Release Date: July 6, 2004
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 320
Summer:
“Kerry Profitt is having an amazing summer, working at a resort on the California coast and hanging with her summer share housemates. Everything's great, until an injured stranger lands on their doorstep. Daniel Blessing is a handsome young man with a mysterious past. He's on the run from a powerful witch named Season. Of course, Kerry and her friends don't believe in witches. But Kerry is beginning to believe in Daniel, and her feelings for him. Which is too bad for Kerry. And her friends. Because now Season is on their trail, and they won't all survive the summer. Hunting Season is now open...”
Fall:
“Summer's over. Kerry, Josh, Brandy, Scott, and Rebecca have left their California share and returned to school. Once, there was nothing better than the freedom and energy rush of college. But in the wake of such a life-altering summer, campus life leaves the friends feeling restless--and bored. Kerry, for one, barely leaves her dorm room. She keeps reading Daniel's journals over and over, searching for a clue to solve the mystery that is Season Howe. But answers aren't to be found--until the evil witch is spotted in Las Vegas. The five friends trek to the city of sin, rallying to fight Season. She destroyed something important to them, and they all seek revenge. Unfortunately the season won't end without her taking something else: a life even more precious than the first...”
I read this book a while ago and I’ve just been unmotivated to write this review. I first saw this book at Barnes and Noble, they have a special edition that includes two books instead of four. So, the first book is Summer & Fall and the second book is Winter & Spring.
Anyway. This book was good. It wasn’t exceptional by any means, but still good. The characters weren’t exceptional either and the only one that I found semi-interesting ended up dead. Ah well, so is life. I have to admit that I did like Fall better than Summer. There were certain aspects of Summer that just seemed too far fetched. I know this is a “fantasy” novel but its basis is real life. For example the big fight scene near at the end of Summer, it wasn’t even the outcome of the fight that bothered me, it was the fight itself. I kept flipping back through the pages sure that I’d missed some crucial component... that was it! In any case I was VERY disappointed. I don’t know about you, but if my friend was in a fight and losing, I’d probably just stand there and watch too. Yeah I definitely wouldn’t do anything to help that person. Sorry about your luck there BFF! Better luck next time.
The writing itself was great. I loved the aspect of the journal entries! They were my favorite part of the whole novel, it’s where I felt like I was actually/finally getting to know the characters, that I so badly wanted to know! The dialogue and descriptions were wonderful. In the second half of the novel, which would be Fall, Kerry finds herself heading to the swamps of the deep south, I felt like I was there with her. But in the end I guess I’m the type of reader that prefers good character development over exceptional writing. Or perhaps I am in this instance.