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Witch Season #1-2
Witch Season: Summer & Fall
Paperback
Simon Pulse (2004)
English
1416954546
978-1416954545
Product 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
Shipping 1 pounds
Simon Pulse (2004)
English
1416954546
978-1416954545
Product 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
Shipping 1 pounds
593 pages, Paperback
First published July 6, 2004
52 people are currently reading
1218 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey J. Mariotte
161 books163 followersAlso writes as Jeff Mariotte
Jeffrey J. Mariotte is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 70 novels, including the Cody Cavanaugh western series, historical western epic Blood and Gold: The Legend of Joaquin Murrieta (with Peter Murrieta), thrillers Empty Rooms and The Devil's Bait, supernatural thrillers Season of the Wolf, Missing White Girl, River Runs Red, and Cold Black Hearts, horror epic The Slab, and the Dark Vengeance teen horror quartet. With wife and writing partner Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell, he wrote the sf/horror/thriller 7 SYKOS and Mafia III: Plain of Jars, the authorized prequel to the bestselling video game. His most recent release is the short story collection Byrd's Luck & Other Stories, comprising five "traditional" Western tales and five horror-Western stories, two of them brand-new for this edition.
He also writes occasional nonfiction, short fiction (some of which is collected in Nine Frights), and comic books, including the long-running horror/Western comic book series Desperadoes and graphic novels Fade to Black and Zombie Cop. With Marsheila Rockwell, he has published several short stories and is working on more. He has worked in virtually every aspect of the book business, as a writer, editor, marketing executive, and bookseller.
Learn more at www.jeffmariotte.com, and follow him at https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyJMari... and @JeffMariotte on Twitter.
Also writes as Jeff Mariotte
Jeffrey J. Mariotte is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 70 novels, including the Cody Cavanaugh western series, historical western epic Blood and Gold: The Legend of Joaquin Murrieta (with Peter Murrieta), thrillers Empty Rooms and The Devil's Bait, supernatural thrillers Season of the Wolf, Missing White Girl, River Runs Red, and Cold Black Hearts, horror epic The Slab, and the Dark Vengeance teen horror quartet. With wife and writing partner Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell, he wrote the sf/horror/thriller 7 SYKOS and Mafia III: Plain of Jars, the authorized prequel to the bestselling video game. His most recent release is the short story collection Byrd's Luck & Other Stories, comprising five "traditional" Western tales and five horror-Western stories, two of them brand-new for this edition.
He also writes occasional nonfiction, short fiction (some of which is collected in Nine Frights), and comic books, including the long-running horror/Western comic book series Desperadoes and graphic novels Fade to Black and Zombie Cop. With Marsheila Rockwell, he has published several short stories and is working on more. He has worked in virtually every aspect of the book business, as a writer, editor, marketing executive, and bookseller.
Learn more at www.jeffmariotte.com, and follow him at https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyJMari... and @JeffMariotte on Twitter.
Also writes as Jeff Mariotte
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
December 28, 2012
Okay, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?
What kind of ending was that? What kind of book was that? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS AUTHOR? JEFF MARIOTTE, I AM TALKING TO YOU!
So, the story's about this girl called Kerry Profitt. She's in a summer- share house with 5 others just typically getting through her summer job. Suddenly, she stumbles across a handsome and mysterious stranger, that's practically bleeding out on her doorstep. Her reaction? Well take him in and cure him! GOD FORBID HE'D BE TAKEN TO A HOSPITAL OR WORSE, CALL THE POLICE! Anyways, this mysterious stranger is Daniel Blessing, and guess what? He's trying to hunt down a very powerful witch called Season Howe. Now you must be thinking right now how ridiculous that seems, right? Well Daniel sucessfully proves his point when Season attacks Kerry and all of her friends for helping Daniel out. Now what is a girl to do when she's falling hard for a boy she knows nothing about and is being hunted down by a powerful witch? Well, Kerry would like to know...
I'd initially enjoyed the story. I was pretty interested. Really. But suddenly, I reach page 42, and Daniel says this: "I hoped that you'd be safe, that helping me wouldn't put you in danger, I was wrong. You've got to leave here, right now." So by this point, I'd already groaned internally and almost threw the book against the wall. But, being the avid reader I am, I read on. There was decent action and good plot twists. I even got sucked in at a certain point! Everything was going well.... until the end of book one.
I found the end of book one abrupt and as if the author decided to merge all the possible endings to a book that may exist and create a huge CLUSTERFUCK. Book two was horrible for me, I mean I HATE Kerry, the main character. She's so flat and emotionless. And having to deal with 300 pages of flat and emotionless Kerryville must have been torture. But I kept on reading because I felt like there was something great that would occur at any time. I was somewhat right. A confrontation did occur and there certainly was action. Twists were presented and there was introduction for a second book.
You must be asking yourself by now, "I guess you'll be rating this about 2 stars, right?". To that I answer you, NO I WILL NOT. I'm going to, surprisingly, rate this 4 stars. Why? I HAVE NO IDEA. I just know that I don't want to give this book such a low rating, and if I'm so willing to read the next one, Jeff Mariotte must have done something right. I'm still pissed off by the way this book ended, and I'm pissed off by what the author did, but I really do want to know how this ends. So, enjoy your 4 stars, Jeff Mariotte, because for the next book I'll be EXTRA critical towards you.
What kind of ending was that? What kind of book was that? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS AUTHOR? JEFF MARIOTTE, I AM TALKING TO YOU!
So, the story's about this girl called Kerry Profitt. She's in a summer- share house with 5 others just typically getting through her summer job. Suddenly, she stumbles across a handsome and mysterious stranger, that's practically bleeding out on her doorstep. Her reaction? Well take him in and cure him! GOD FORBID HE'D BE TAKEN TO A HOSPITAL OR WORSE, CALL THE POLICE! Anyways, this mysterious stranger is Daniel Blessing, and guess what? He's trying to hunt down a very powerful witch called Season Howe. Now you must be thinking right now how ridiculous that seems, right? Well Daniel sucessfully proves his point when Season attacks Kerry and all of her friends for helping Daniel out. Now what is a girl to do when she's falling hard for a boy she knows nothing about and is being hunted down by a powerful witch? Well, Kerry would like to know...
I'd initially enjoyed the story. I was pretty interested. Really. But suddenly, I reach page 42, and Daniel says this: "I hoped that you'd be safe, that helping me wouldn't put you in danger, I was wrong. You've got to leave here, right now." So by this point, I'd already groaned internally and almost threw the book against the wall. But, being the avid reader I am, I read on. There was decent action and good plot twists. I even got sucked in at a certain point! Everything was going well.... until the end of book one.
I found the end of book one abrupt and as if the author decided to merge all the possible endings to a book that may exist and create a huge CLUSTERFUCK. Book two was horrible for me, I mean I HATE Kerry, the main character. She's so flat and emotionless. And having to deal with 300 pages of flat and emotionless Kerryville must have been torture. But I kept on reading because I felt like there was something great that would occur at any time. I was somewhat right. A confrontation did occur and there certainly was action. Twists were presented and there was introduction for a second book.
You must be asking yourself by now, "I guess you'll be rating this about 2 stars, right?". To that I answer you, NO I WILL NOT. I'm going to, surprisingly, rate this 4 stars. Why? I HAVE NO IDEA. I just know that I don't want to give this book such a low rating, and if I'm so willing to read the next one, Jeff Mariotte must have done something right. I'm still pissed off by the way this book ended, and I'm pissed off by what the author did, but I really do want to know how this ends. So, enjoy your 4 stars, Jeff Mariotte, because for the next book I'll be EXTRA critical towards you.
September 15, 2013
What a strange book...At first I was merely reading it to read something suitably trashy, but the more I read the more I felt the story had something to offer. There were some standard cliches but at the same time there was a lot of new things that I hadn't encountered before. I'll make two lists:
Things I Enjoyed:
1: Daniel
Daniel wasn't the standard love interest. Sure, he was tall, dark, mysterious and handsome but he was older, wiser, more interesting then most paranormal-romance love interests. Often I find myself not 'shipping' the main guy with the main girl but in this case I certainly did (even if their "love" did descend into insta-love territory after such a promising start...) The addition of his journals were a good one because it definitely emphasized that he was older and had experienced a lot more. I also appreciated that he wasn't the typical bad boy type. When he [spoilers removed]
2: The Setting
I love settings in books like nothing else and although sometimes it seemed very specific in detailing the exact streets and highways taken, I enjoyed the broad scope of setting especially the parts that went to the swamp. I thought that was entirely unique and, unlike in some novels where one location like that becomes stale, very interesting.
3: The Twists
I liked that the author was willing to go further then a lot of YA books. It was clear that he had a story to tell and that he saw the characters more as tools then as close friends--something a lot of YA authors miss. [spoilers removed]
4:The Magic System
Sometimes magic systems in books can be confusing or annoying, but this one sit quite well with me and I think the author had a good grasp of what he was writing about (although at times, if you look back at my statuses, there were moments I was a little confused).
5: The Grey Areas
I kind of liked that in this book the situation seemed legitimately unenjoyable and I didn't want to be in it. Despite the hot guy, I decided to myself that a normal summer would've been much better. Often in YA the authors make their characters declare their wish to be normal and their hatred of the situation whilst showing a very cool, desirable paranormal world (as if to make the reader jealous of the main character...hm...). In this book the author genuinely created a sucky sounding situation where friends were dying and the character's lives were put on hold and changed often for the worst. This gave it a sense of plausibility and perhaps added conflict where it was struggling to show itself.
6: The Freshness/ Lack of Angst
Okay, maybe not the best way to put it, but I enjoyed the fact that there was a considerable lack of angst in a genre basically defined by it. Although sometimes this was out of place (witty remarks upon finding their friend dead? Hmm...) it mostly made for a much more enjoyable reading experience. It definitely created a more adult mood and made their college ages more realistic. Also, the ideas were fresh and the relationship between Kerry and Daniel was especially refreshing compared to all these Edward and Bella "I'll die without you!!" kind of couples.
Things I Didn't Enjoy
1: Special Snowflakeness
This is only very minimal and in some parts, but Kerry did come across as a special snowflake or Mary Sue at times. The whole thing about [spoilers removed] However, I did for the most part enjoy Kerry as the main character (I especially liked that she was a bit of a go getter, maybe even a gender swapped version of a "put in a fridge" plot with [spoilers removed] in a good way, that is.)
2: The Ambiguity At The End
I will admit that this does have some part to do with the fact that I have no idea where I'll find the sequel to this (considering that I picked it up at a closing sale of a discount book store), but I felt like the end didn't tie enough strings. It asked a lot of questions (that the readers were no doubt already thinking--yes, the book was predictable in parts but for the most part that doesn't bother me when reading) but didn't really attempt to answer them. I would've just liked some clue as to whether [spoilers removed]. I think to keep readers interested it also should've indicated what was going to happen next. This was another flaw in the book; often there was times when the conflict seemed quite...nonexistent. Especially in the second 'book' (Fall) I felt like there wasn't many pressing matters on Kerry's end. The book just kind of left it open ended as to where Kerry would go and what she would do ([spoilers removed]).
I'll also say that [spoilers removed]
3: The 'Summer Friends'
Although I feel like they were given a lot of time to be explored, some of the supporting characters fell flat for me. They were given one or two defining qualities and were not expanded from there (Rebecca the somewhat-hippy, Josh the goth who likes Film Noir (which kind of just made him look like a failed geek--Maltese Falcon, really? Could've been more subtle then that) Brandy the control freak or whatever (we were kind of forced to hate her, weren't we?) and Scott the push over). These small qualities would've been fine for much smaller characters but these guys were all given lots of reading time, including whole chapters to themselves. Josh felt like the most developed and although I found the whole 'spiked doll collar' goth thing a bit heavy handed he was probably the most likeable. The reader was forced to hate Brandy through the biased third person narration, merely to make Scott and Kerry a more acceptable item in the near future (I assume). Seriously--how many times have I read about the brash, angry, controlling black girlfriend in fiction? What a strangely specific cliche. Overall, these characters all felt a bit like stereotypes with just a few extra characteristics thrown in and although I wanted to like them, I found that often I couldn't. In YA, you should feel like you want to be part of their groups, you should feel like you want to be their friends, but I didn't...
4: Insta-love!
They almost didn't do it, they almost escaped it; at first Daniel and Kerry were boyfriend and girlfriend and they were so normal and it was great because clearly they were realistic but then...the L word. (Lesbian? No, the other L word!) I think the only thing that made it less annoying/ruining for me was the fact that [spoilers removed] The thing about Kerry falling for him quick because he filled the void of her sick parents also made a lot of sense to me and I actually think the insta-love was well explained (or as well as it can be).
There were a few other things I didn't like (including some bad grammar mistakes, some stupid lines including the clearly genre savvy MC declaring that she was culturally illiterate, and the cringe-worthy humor at some points) but mostly I found this to be a surprisingly enjoyable novel. It definitely set up a world I'm interested in and I will definitely look out for the sequel. It's strange because I wasn't particularly in love with Kerry or any of the characters really but it seems like the plot itself and the ideas behind it won me over! Okay, and maybe Daniel just a little bit...
So, overall, not an amazingly literary book by any standards but an enjoyable one that looks fresh next to a majority of the angsty paranormal romance fiction flooding the markets. Definitely something I'd reccomend to any YA paranormal-romance addict!
Plot Rating: 7/10
Character Rating: 5.5/10
Style of Writing: 5/10
First 1/3: 6/10
Second 1/3: 8/10
Third 1/3: 7/10
Main Character Rating: 6.5/10
Scenery Rating: 8.5/10
Concept Rating: 7/10
Emotional Rating: 6/10
Overall: 66/100
Things I Enjoyed:
1: Daniel
Daniel wasn't the standard love interest. Sure, he was tall, dark, mysterious and handsome but he was older, wiser, more interesting then most paranormal-romance love interests. Often I find myself not 'shipping' the main guy with the main girl but in this case I certainly did (even if their "love" did descend into insta-love territory after such a promising start...) The addition of his journals were a good one because it definitely emphasized that he was older and had experienced a lot more. I also appreciated that he wasn't the typical bad boy type. When he [spoilers removed]
2: The Setting
I love settings in books like nothing else and although sometimes it seemed very specific in detailing the exact streets and highways taken, I enjoyed the broad scope of setting especially the parts that went to the swamp. I thought that was entirely unique and, unlike in some novels where one location like that becomes stale, very interesting.
3: The Twists
I liked that the author was willing to go further then a lot of YA books. It was clear that he had a story to tell and that he saw the characters more as tools then as close friends--something a lot of YA authors miss. [spoilers removed]
4:The Magic System
Sometimes magic systems in books can be confusing or annoying, but this one sit quite well with me and I think the author had a good grasp of what he was writing about (although at times, if you look back at my statuses, there were moments I was a little confused).
5: The Grey Areas
I kind of liked that in this book the situation seemed legitimately unenjoyable and I didn't want to be in it. Despite the hot guy, I decided to myself that a normal summer would've been much better. Often in YA the authors make their characters declare their wish to be normal and their hatred of the situation whilst showing a very cool, desirable paranormal world (as if to make the reader jealous of the main character...hm...). In this book the author genuinely created a sucky sounding situation where friends were dying and the character's lives were put on hold and changed often for the worst. This gave it a sense of plausibility and perhaps added conflict where it was struggling to show itself.
6: The Freshness/ Lack of Angst
Okay, maybe not the best way to put it, but I enjoyed the fact that there was a considerable lack of angst in a genre basically defined by it. Although sometimes this was out of place (witty remarks upon finding their friend dead? Hmm...) it mostly made for a much more enjoyable reading experience. It definitely created a more adult mood and made their college ages more realistic. Also, the ideas were fresh and the relationship between Kerry and Daniel was especially refreshing compared to all these Edward and Bella "I'll die without you!!" kind of couples.
Things I Didn't Enjoy
1: Special Snowflakeness
This is only very minimal and in some parts, but Kerry did come across as a special snowflake or Mary Sue at times. The whole thing about [spoilers removed] However, I did for the most part enjoy Kerry as the main character (I especially liked that she was a bit of a go getter, maybe even a gender swapped version of a "put in a fridge" plot with [spoilers removed] in a good way, that is.)
2: The Ambiguity At The End
I will admit that this does have some part to do with the fact that I have no idea where I'll find the sequel to this (considering that I picked it up at a closing sale of a discount book store), but I felt like the end didn't tie enough strings. It asked a lot of questions (that the readers were no doubt already thinking--yes, the book was predictable in parts but for the most part that doesn't bother me when reading) but didn't really attempt to answer them. I would've just liked some clue as to whether [spoilers removed]. I think to keep readers interested it also should've indicated what was going to happen next. This was another flaw in the book; often there was times when the conflict seemed quite...nonexistent. Especially in the second 'book' (Fall) I felt like there wasn't many pressing matters on Kerry's end. The book just kind of left it open ended as to where Kerry would go and what she would do ([spoilers removed]).
I'll also say that [spoilers removed]
3: The 'Summer Friends'
Although I feel like they were given a lot of time to be explored, some of the supporting characters fell flat for me. They were given one or two defining qualities and were not expanded from there (Rebecca the somewhat-hippy, Josh the goth who likes Film Noir (which kind of just made him look like a failed geek--Maltese Falcon, really? Could've been more subtle then that) Brandy the control freak or whatever (we were kind of forced to hate her, weren't we?) and Scott the push over). These small qualities would've been fine for much smaller characters but these guys were all given lots of reading time, including whole chapters to themselves. Josh felt like the most developed and although I found the whole 'spiked doll collar' goth thing a bit heavy handed he was probably the most likeable. The reader was forced to hate Brandy through the biased third person narration, merely to make Scott and Kerry a more acceptable item in the near future (I assume). Seriously--how many times have I read about the brash, angry, controlling black girlfriend in fiction? What a strangely specific cliche. Overall, these characters all felt a bit like stereotypes with just a few extra characteristics thrown in and although I wanted to like them, I found that often I couldn't. In YA, you should feel like you want to be part of their groups, you should feel like you want to be their friends, but I didn't...
4: Insta-love!
They almost didn't do it, they almost escaped it; at first Daniel and Kerry were boyfriend and girlfriend and they were so normal and it was great because clearly they were realistic but then...the L word. (Lesbian? No, the other L word!) I think the only thing that made it less annoying/ruining for me was the fact that [spoilers removed] The thing about Kerry falling for him quick because he filled the void of her sick parents also made a lot of sense to me and I actually think the insta-love was well explained (or as well as it can be).
There were a few other things I didn't like (including some bad grammar mistakes, some stupid lines including the clearly genre savvy MC declaring that she was culturally illiterate, and the cringe-worthy humor at some points) but mostly I found this to be a surprisingly enjoyable novel. It definitely set up a world I'm interested in and I will definitely look out for the sequel. It's strange because I wasn't particularly in love with Kerry or any of the characters really but it seems like the plot itself and the ideas behind it won me over! Okay, and maybe Daniel just a little bit...
So, overall, not an amazingly literary book by any standards but an enjoyable one that looks fresh next to a majority of the angsty paranormal romance fiction flooding the markets. Definitely something I'd reccomend to any YA paranormal-romance addict!
Plot Rating: 7/10
Character Rating: 5.5/10
Style of Writing: 5/10
First 1/3: 6/10
Second 1/3: 8/10
Third 1/3: 7/10
Main Character Rating: 6.5/10
Scenery Rating: 8.5/10
Concept Rating: 7/10
Emotional Rating: 6/10
Overall: 66/100
August 23, 2018
When Kerry finds a man lying half dead in the bushes outside her summer share house, she takes him in and fixes him up. Daniel Blessing is gorgeous and on the run from a woman named Season. Only Season isn’t just some woman, she’s a very powerful witch, just like Daniel.
Kerry never believed in witches before, but now that her and her friends’ lives are threatened, they may have to reconsider.
Kerry is quickly falling for Daniel Blessing. If what Daniel says is true, Season has been the cause of death and destruction for generations and Kerry and her friends won’t be safe until she is stopped. With no other options, Kerry and her friends team up with Daniel to attempt to put an end to Season’s reign of terror.
I enjoyed the primary main character. Her personality is realistic for a teenager fresh out of high school. Because of the health situation with her mother, she has developed a higher level of maturity and a certain level of sympathy that compels her to help Daniel Blessing when she finds him slowly bleeding to death outside her home.
Daniel is the main male character. His personality, and his magical abilities, paint him as a hero, the kind of selfless, out for the good of all, kind of guy who just wants to do the right thing. Unfortunately, he is also blindly set on his goal of stopping Season, which leads me to wonder if he isn’t misled himself.
The plot line is relatively fast paced, and yet at the same time the motley crew spends a considerable amount of time on recon.
I would give this novel three and a half out of five stars and would recommend it to fans of stories similar to the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer.
I bought my copy of this novel from bookoutlet.com and the picture featured above were taken by myself and is of my personal copy.
stephanietiner.weebly.com
Kerry never believed in witches before, but now that her and her friends’ lives are threatened, they may have to reconsider.
Kerry is quickly falling for Daniel Blessing. If what Daniel says is true, Season has been the cause of death and destruction for generations and Kerry and her friends won’t be safe until she is stopped. With no other options, Kerry and her friends team up with Daniel to attempt to put an end to Season’s reign of terror.
I enjoyed the primary main character. Her personality is realistic for a teenager fresh out of high school. Because of the health situation with her mother, she has developed a higher level of maturity and a certain level of sympathy that compels her to help Daniel Blessing when she finds him slowly bleeding to death outside her home.
Daniel is the main male character. His personality, and his magical abilities, paint him as a hero, the kind of selfless, out for the good of all, kind of guy who just wants to do the right thing. Unfortunately, he is also blindly set on his goal of stopping Season, which leads me to wonder if he isn’t misled himself.
The plot line is relatively fast paced, and yet at the same time the motley crew spends a considerable amount of time on recon.
I would give this novel three and a half out of five stars and would recommend it to fans of stories similar to the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer.
I bought my copy of this novel from bookoutlet.com and the picture featured above were taken by myself and is of my personal copy.
stephanietiner.weebly.com
December 17, 2009
I finished Witch Seasons Summer.
And it was okay. Not the worst book I've read but also not the worst.
Daniel Blessing is hunting this witch who's dystoyed small cities after small cities. One day Kerry finds him and she and her friends get involved with this whole witch hunt.
The end of Witch Seasons Summer sucked. It really didnt make any sense after the battle between Daniel and gang and the all powerful witch, Season.
The begining of Witch Season fall is pretty understandable but also very. . . Annoying. It's like the whole New Moon thing. Karry becomes depressed and wants to avenge Daniel Blessing by destroying Season Howe.
All her friends are worried about Kerry and thinks that Season Howe is searching for them and trying to hunt them down.
That's pretty much it...
And it was okay. Not the worst book I've read but also not the worst.
Daniel Blessing is hunting this witch who's dystoyed small cities after small cities. One day Kerry finds him and she and her friends get involved with this whole witch hunt.
The end of Witch Seasons Summer sucked. It really didnt make any sense after the battle between Daniel and gang and the all powerful witch, Season.
The begining of Witch Season fall is pretty understandable but also very. . . Annoying. It's like the whole New Moon thing. Karry becomes depressed and wants to avenge Daniel Blessing by destroying Season Howe.
All her friends are worried about Kerry and thinks that Season Howe is searching for them and trying to hunt them down.
That's pretty much it...
February 4, 2021
This was the worst book I have ever read in my entire life. Absolutely no character development whatsoever, meaningless plot twists that are never elaborated on and deaths just to make the book look like an actual 'dark vengeance'. *spoiler* What kind of book kills off characters without having their deaths impact the plot somehow? They killed off Daniel for what? The ending was absolute trash, I know ambiguous endings can be an acquired taste but the ending to this has way too much. Plus the pace of this book is almost frightening, although I was slightly invested (veeery slightly) in the plot and wanted to see how it would end. Everything about this book is absolutely awful: the characters, the plot, the writing, and the painfully obvious twists that weren't even 'twists' anymore. If you're reading this before purchasing/borrowing this book, don't. You'll thank me later.
February 13, 2010
I started reading this book but couldn't even get half way through Summer. In my opinion, it was poorly written and it couldn't keep my attention. I eventually gave up and put it back on the bookshelf and started a new book. I usually would care what happens in a book, but I couldn't make a connection with any of the characters, especially the first guy who got killed (I can't remember his name)
This is the type of book that I would maybe read if I ran out of books to read and couldn't get to Borders or the Library for a while. I might someday finish it... but I doubt it.
This is the type of book that I would maybe read if I ran out of books to read and couldn't get to Borders or the Library for a while. I might someday finish it... but I doubt it.
December 15, 2011
Even though each chapter is suppose to be written like a journal entry (or something, it's been awhile since I've read it), this book was poorly written. I could barely get past the first couple of chapters before I put it down and never picked it back up. This book taught me to read the first few pages of a book before buying it. Never again will I make that mistake.
February 8, 2012
Well I have to say this story definitely started fast, but I'm so disappointed. the first half totally killed my hope for Kerry. and by the second half I'm just left feeling so bad for the girl. However the book is wonderful. I'm usually not a fan of witches and magic but Mariotte has swayed me. it's a good fast paced book. and I cannot wait for the next.
May 6, 2015
so dull! no action at all!
May 16, 2019
Alright then, so I found this book in the basement next to the second two-parter in its series. Think it was my sister's. I thought the cover looked nifty so I gave it a go; two lessons learned 1. karma is a bitch (this is what I get for borrowing the book without my sister's permission) and 2. seriously, do not judge a book by its cover. Seeing as this book was titled 'Summer & Fall' I thought it'd be the perfect summer read. I was bitterly disappointed; I hardly ever rate a book two stars, much less one star. But I really just didn't care for this book. I got through Summer and started Fall hoping maybe it'd get better. Not the case, I'm not one to not finish a book but this one bored me so much I had to--and making me put a book down is really hard to achieve (I'm a 'once I start it I must finish it' kind of person). There were maybe two parts that held my interest in Summer. I liked the plot didn't really care for the way it was written. I hated Kerry as a character and a narrator. I don't really know how to describe the writing aside from way too teeny and kind of mediocre. The language was just way to simplistic and I found that Kerry's journal annoyed me loads--the language was worse and pretty much anything in parenthesis was irritating to read and unnecessary. Maybe my distaste for the language and general writing style is because I just so happened to pick this one up after reading Alison Croggon's wonderful and imagery-powerful The Nameing? Croggon herself being a wonderful poet and language-crafter. That didn't really help Mariotte's case any.
So let's talk about Kerry for a second. I found her to be a kind of snobby narrator. Kerry's first impression of Josh, for example, was kind of rude if you ask me. She's like 'oh he's gay, he's goth, and he's vegan' and for it she wrote him off. Basically she seemed to hate all three traits. And the general treatment of Mace. Mace was one of the only cool characters And she barely shed a tear. She also gave (me at least) the impression of thinking she's more important than her friends. She something alright (and it's not a good thing) I just don't know the word for it. Basically hearing the book from her point of view was taxing and painful to get through.
Speaking of, let's talk about her friends for a second. I don't have much to say about Mace aside from that he was really the only cool and realistic character--the only one that I actually gave a crap about. So then you have Scott and Rebecca...they were so insignificant in my opinion that (even after just reading the book) I'm thinking 'Scott and Rebecca who?'So then there was Brandy. She was another one that never failed to annoy me. She was probably just about as shallow (that's the word I was looking for!) as Kerry. She had them all vote Daniel out of the house for one and then there was her psychology craze. That could have been cool if executed right...but it wasn't (more on that to come). Josh was another character I found alright at best. He didn't irk me in any way but he wasn't super fascinating either. I guess I liked him. Daniel, like Josh, while I didn't hate him, I didn't like him any either. He was kind of lack-luster; you would think for a guy 300+ years old he'd be more alluring. But no, Jeff wrote him in the most cliche 'I'm a really really old young looking mystery man' kind of way. Season was an alright character as well (probably the only good female character in the series), problem is Jeff didn't give me a chance to like her. She appeared maybe three times and only one of those three she had a speaking part. Her backstory was pretty cool but it wasn't fleshed out enough for me.
Which brings me to my next issue.The rivalry between Dan and Season itself just failed to pull me in. And it was the main plot of the story. If the main plot of the story isn't grabbing then something is wrong. The worst part is, it very well could have been enduring for me...it just wasn't. The writing was just so boring and failed to immerse me into the world of Witch Season--granted it took place in 'our world'. But the imagery wasn't strong nor powerful (aside from maybe Dan's journal) enough to do it's job. I like to be whisked away to another world when reading and Witch Season did no whisking; it did the opposite really--making me want to go back to reality so I could get upstairs and find me a new and better summer read. What helps me get to that other world when reading would be the imagery I was talking about--a good description of the smells, sights, and sounds. This is why I've been complaining so much about imagery, it wasn't just to be nitpicky. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the writing of Witch Season didn't get me invested in the plot.
In general the book bored me to death. With each turn of the page I was begging for it to get better...thinking 'this can't be it, there's got to be more.' By page 180 the book still didn't pick up and I attained this 'let's get this over with' mentality that resulted in me skipping pages and (as mentioned above) putting it down after two chapters of Fall.
The romantic sub-plot didn't help Witch Season's case. Like why oh why can't I just have one YA novel that doesn't have the main fall for either the bad boy or the mysterious male protag? Really, Witch Season could have done without.
As promised, another thing that I found off putting was Brandy's psychology. It was poorly executed. There wasn't enough detail to make me believe she was a psychology major; in fact Kerry almost made it seem like Brandy's psychological observations were invalid and unwanted. This only made me think that Mariotte added this trait to Brandy so she could stand out. In reality it only made it apparent that Mariotte has no experience with psychology. The whole thing just seemed sort of stuck in there.
And finally, there were bits of Witch Season that almost sounded like a soapbox; Mariotte venting about things he doesn't like. For example, that random bit where Dan and Kerry were talking about cars vs carriages. Perhaps that was put in for comic relief (and if it was, I wasn't laughing). But he goes on this whole thing about Dan complaining about holes in the O-zone layer and global warming and stuff. Like where did that come from?! And even worse was the Josh issue. Through Kerry Mariotte made it pretty clear that he doesn't care for gays, vegans, and goths. He was practically making mockery of them and stereotyping them all. As someone who can occasional fall under the goth label I 101% disprove.
The only thing I could appreciate about this book was being able to relate to a crappy summer job and being 100% done with it. As well as Mace's general thoughts on driving and his car. And there were some funny bits like "qouth the magic 8 ball". But other than that I wouldn't recommend this at all. Needless to say, I am super shocked by all the positive views this waste of time and paper has received. Perhaps this review will save someone a couple hours of their life! Next to Twilight and the House of Night series, this is one of the worst books I ever read.
So let's talk about Kerry for a second. I found her to be a kind of snobby narrator. Kerry's first impression of Josh, for example, was kind of rude if you ask me. She's like 'oh he's gay, he's goth, and he's vegan' and for it she wrote him off. Basically she seemed to hate all three traits. And the general treatment of Mace. Mace was one of the only cool characters And she barely shed a tear. She also gave (me at least) the impression of thinking she's more important than her friends. She something alright (and it's not a good thing) I just don't know the word for it. Basically hearing the book from her point of view was taxing and painful to get through.
Speaking of, let's talk about her friends for a second. I don't have much to say about Mace aside from that he was really the only cool and realistic character--the only one that I actually gave a crap about. So then you have Scott and Rebecca...they were so insignificant in my opinion that (even after just reading the book) I'm thinking 'Scott and Rebecca who?'So then there was Brandy. She was another one that never failed to annoy me. She was probably just about as shallow (that's the word I was looking for!) as Kerry. She had them all vote Daniel out of the house for one and then there was her psychology craze. That could have been cool if executed right...but it wasn't (more on that to come). Josh was another character I found alright at best. He didn't irk me in any way but he wasn't super fascinating either. I guess I liked him. Daniel, like Josh, while I didn't hate him, I didn't like him any either. He was kind of lack-luster; you would think for a guy 300+ years old he'd be more alluring. But no, Jeff wrote him in the most cliche 'I'm a really really old young looking mystery man' kind of way. Season was an alright character as well (probably the only good female character in the series), problem is Jeff didn't give me a chance to like her. She appeared maybe three times and only one of those three she had a speaking part. Her backstory was pretty cool but it wasn't fleshed out enough for me.
Which brings me to my next issue.The rivalry between Dan and Season itself just failed to pull me in. And it was the main plot of the story. If the main plot of the story isn't grabbing then something is wrong. The worst part is, it very well could have been enduring for me...it just wasn't. The writing was just so boring and failed to immerse me into the world of Witch Season--granted it took place in 'our world'. But the imagery wasn't strong nor powerful (aside from maybe Dan's journal) enough to do it's job. I like to be whisked away to another world when reading and Witch Season did no whisking; it did the opposite really--making me want to go back to reality so I could get upstairs and find me a new and better summer read. What helps me get to that other world when reading would be the imagery I was talking about--a good description of the smells, sights, and sounds. This is why I've been complaining so much about imagery, it wasn't just to be nitpicky. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the writing of Witch Season didn't get me invested in the plot.
In general the book bored me to death. With each turn of the page I was begging for it to get better...thinking 'this can't be it, there's got to be more.' By page 180 the book still didn't pick up and I attained this 'let's get this over with' mentality that resulted in me skipping pages and (as mentioned above) putting it down after two chapters of Fall.
The romantic sub-plot didn't help Witch Season's case. Like why oh why can't I just have one YA novel that doesn't have the main fall for either the bad boy or the mysterious male protag? Really, Witch Season could have done without.
As promised, another thing that I found off putting was Brandy's psychology. It was poorly executed. There wasn't enough detail to make me believe she was a psychology major; in fact Kerry almost made it seem like Brandy's psychological observations were invalid and unwanted. This only made me think that Mariotte added this trait to Brandy so she could stand out. In reality it only made it apparent that Mariotte has no experience with psychology. The whole thing just seemed sort of stuck in there.
And finally, there were bits of Witch Season that almost sounded like a soapbox; Mariotte venting about things he doesn't like. For example, that random bit where Dan and Kerry were talking about cars vs carriages. Perhaps that was put in for comic relief (and if it was, I wasn't laughing). But he goes on this whole thing about Dan complaining about holes in the O-zone layer and global warming and stuff. Like where did that come from?! And even worse was the Josh issue. Through Kerry Mariotte made it pretty clear that he doesn't care for gays, vegans, and goths. He was practically making mockery of them and stereotyping them all. As someone who can occasional fall under the goth label I 101% disprove.
The only thing I could appreciate about this book was being able to relate to a crappy summer job and being 100% done with it. As well as Mace's general thoughts on driving and his car. And there were some funny bits like "qouth the magic 8 ball". But other than that I wouldn't recommend this at all. Needless to say, I am super shocked by all the positive views this waste of time and paper has received. Perhaps this review will save someone a couple hours of their life! Next to Twilight and the House of Night series, this is one of the worst books I ever read.
February 1, 2020
Not even sure where to start with this one without giving spoilers, but lets attempt! This book was nothing but a complete shock. The characters that were killed were the most earth-shattering. They are what propelled the story but seemed to an extreme degree. The ending to the second book was foreseeable but the true murderer has really shaken the plot. Hence, there are a lot of unanswered questions and finishing the series seems to be the only thing that will bring peace of mind back.
On a more literal standpoint, it almost seemed like everything was rushed. Nothing truly developed for you to grow with the characters or even the story. Kerry's diary entries are the only thing that brings the story along, as engaging as a teenage girl can be that is. All in all, there is no easy way to take this book. Just expect to be rattled by the end. Whether Kerry and her friends survive or where they end up is what has drawn me to finish the series.
On a more literal standpoint, it almost seemed like everything was rushed. Nothing truly developed for you to grow with the characters or even the story. Kerry's diary entries are the only thing that brings the story along, as engaging as a teenage girl can be that is. All in all, there is no easy way to take this book. Just expect to be rattled by the end. Whether Kerry and her friends survive or where they end up is what has drawn me to finish the series.
September 6, 2021
Kerry has stumbled into a world larger than her greatest imaginations. She meets several people who only look human. She learns so much about herself in a summer time span and continues to fight for what she loves, even putting her own life on the line several times.
464 pages. This entire novel could have been broken down into several chapters and still have gotten the same points across. So much excess information that isn’t relevant whatsoever. A story book love that dies as quickly as it begins. To murder several main characters so early in a series with limited character development is absurd. It pains me to know that I actually finished this book.
464 pages. This entire novel could have been broken down into several chapters and still have gotten the same points across. So much excess information that isn’t relevant whatsoever. A story book love that dies as quickly as it begins. To murder several main characters so early in a series with limited character development is absurd. It pains me to know that I actually finished this book.
March 15, 2024
I was so excited for this book. Every single time I went to the book store, it always caught my eye, and I always kept telling myself, "Next time you come, this'll be the one to buy." I've read all the reviews, and everyone seems to rave about how much they loved it, regardless of what happened in the book. Anywho, I was so let down. I was bored the whole time reading it. I kept trying to push through, chapter after chapter, waiting for it to interest me, and I'm not sure how it has great reviews. I think maybe it was the writing style tbh *le sigh*
January 30, 2020
Summer: ⭐⭐
Fall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A REREAD!! And wow book 1 isn't as good as I remember it to be lol. It's frustrating that it sucks... gives a bad impression despite the second one being good.
Don't expect a lot of magic action in book 1. I would rather describe this more of a quest than fantasy tbh.
Book 2 is by miles a lot better. It introduces you to the witchcraft rules, and sets up a good mystery.
The writing & characters are not perfect, but the story left me wanting for more.
Fall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A REREAD!! And wow book 1 isn't as good as I remember it to be lol. It's frustrating that it sucks... gives a bad impression despite the second one being good.
Don't expect a lot of magic action in book 1. I would rather describe this more of a quest than fantasy tbh.
Book 2 is by miles a lot better. It introduces you to the witchcraft rules, and sets up a good mystery.
The writing & characters are not perfect, but the story left me wanting for more.
August 1, 2022
Not one of my favorites. Some of the writing is off dramatically and there is little to no character development with some of the characters. The writer ends up killing some of the characters in the book before they could develop. It was a dry read for me and unfortunately I'm not a quitter so I'm going to push myself the read the 3rd and 4th books and hope that they are a lot better then the 1st 2.
September 22, 2017
I feel the book was alright. I found myself continually setting the book down. Towards the end it picked up a little and I'm curious to know what happens but don't think I will read the next one. A little dry and slow for my taste.
May 14, 2018
I was not impressed with this. I finished the first part summer and decided the 2nd part wasn't worth reading. It seemed finished so I don't see what else there was to write about.
January 27, 2023
Did Not Finish. Not what I was expecting. Think I let this sit on my shelf for far too long and lost interest in this book. Gave it a good try though.
August 2, 2023
Absolutely loved this series. Could not put it down.
March 20, 2024
A fun low fantasy read! The magic system was easy to understand and the plot was engaging. The cliffhanger this book ended on had me dying to start the second book!
April 6, 2012
combined reviews from the separate books:
SUMMER
4 stars
so far i am loving this book! i love the author's writing style, especially his parenthetical clauses!
i find myself looking forward to Kerry's journal entries throughout the book. they're written exactly like one, well, I, would write in their journal.
there are a handful of awkward phrases, where it appears that a word was left out, and the whole I vs. me issue (see previous reviews), but the author's style and story more than make up for it!
READING OMNIBUS
this story would have received 5 stars if it weren't the continued lack of words. it just got a little more confusing as the book progressed.
oh, and i am totally bummed about
FALL
5 Stars
i KNEW IT!!!!!! as soon as she met Mother Blessing and then when died, and she
SUMMER
4 stars
so far i am loving this book! i love the author's writing style, especially his parenthetical clauses!
i find myself looking forward to Kerry's journal entries throughout the book. they're written exactly like one, well, I, would write in their journal.
there are a handful of awkward phrases, where it appears that a word was left out, and the whole I vs. me issue (see previous reviews), but the author's style and story more than make up for it!
READING OMNIBUS
this story would have received 5 stars if it weren't the continued lack of words. it just got a little more confusing as the book progressed.
oh, and i am totally bummed about
FALL
5 Stars
i KNEW IT!!!!!! as soon as she met Mother Blessing and then when died, and she
April 6, 2012
Dark Vengeance is about magical guy named Daniel that is very old, that is trying to kill this evil witch that killed his twin brother 200 years ago. Daniel is in the present day trying to kill the evil witch and passes out in front of Kerry and her 4 roommates house. Kerry and Daniel fall in love while trying to kill this witch. In the end he dies and Kerry goes after the witch by herself with the help of Daniel's mother, Mother Blessing is her name.
I think this was a very good book it was very detailed and interesting but in some spots where there wasn't any action, it was boring like after Daniel dies, things become boring in the book as Kerry goes back to college and try's to resume being normal. After about 2 chapters in the book Kerry finally goes to find Mother Blessing to teach her magic because Daniel said that you don't always have to be born with magic to do magic.
I would rate this book 4 out of 5 because of the boring areas and Kerry's diary kinda parts. It was really good while Daniel was around and I have about 2 chapters left so I am hoping that he isn't really dead and comes back and they go and kill the evil witch lady.
I think this was a very good book it was very detailed and interesting but in some spots where there wasn't any action, it was boring like after Daniel dies, things become boring in the book as Kerry goes back to college and try's to resume being normal. After about 2 chapters in the book Kerry finally goes to find Mother Blessing to teach her magic because Daniel said that you don't always have to be born with magic to do magic.
I would rate this book 4 out of 5 because of the boring areas and Kerry's diary kinda parts. It was really good while Daniel was around and I have about 2 chapters left so I am hoping that he isn't really dead and comes back and they go and kill the evil witch lady.
September 13, 2019
I read it and I just couldn't stand it. I really tried liking this book, but everything was moving SO fast and there's little to no character development for example: *Spoiler* If someone dies, there wasn't any trauma or heartache instead everyone just carries on AND THE MAIN LEAD DIDN'T EVEN CARE. I mean its explained that he isn't the most sympathetic of guys, BUT HE WAS HER DAMN FRIEND! Your not even going to be torn up about it? Instead just "Well he wasn't a good guy anyways so-" *RAGE quits*
Plus I just can't get over how she just "trusts" this guy (Daniel) she found outside in the bushes. And I know its part of the book and thats what makes the plot yadda, yadda. If it were me and you can call me paranoid, but I would be dialing 911 so fast EVEN IF I was told not to.
Plus, the way Season's back story was explained was just so flat-linned. It was all explained in one paragraph and to me, I felt like it ruined the climax.
Over all it was just impossible for relate with the main character and her choices.
This book had so much potienal but for me, flopped. I really wish I could have enjoyed it, but I can't enjoy a book that just disinterests me.
Plus I just can't get over how she just "trusts" this guy (Daniel) she found outside in the bushes. And I know its part of the book and thats what makes the plot yadda, yadda. If it were me and you can call me paranoid, but I would be dialing 911 so fast EVEN IF I was told not to.
Plus, the way Season's back story was explained was just so flat-linned. It was all explained in one paragraph and to me, I felt like it ruined the climax.
Over all it was just impossible for relate with the main character and her choices.
This book had so much potienal but for me, flopped. I really wish I could have enjoyed it, but I can't enjoy a book that just disinterests me.
June 16, 2010
I love this book! But I hatehatehate how Daniel dies. He's the best character. Now I'm waiting for my copy of Witch Season 2 (Out of Print) to come in the mail. I have this stupid belief that Daniel will come back. I hate how Josh dies, too. Kerry sometimes gets on my nerves, though. She's too serious like soooo many heroines. So, Kerry and her 5 friends find a mysterious stranger on their doorstep. He's a witch (Why didn't the author use the word warlock?!) named Daniel Blessing. He's hunting for a witch named Season. They try to hunt for Season. Once they have her cornered, Daniel finishes her off. Or so they think. At the last moment Season casts a spell that kills Daniel and he gets squished "like a squirrel under a semi truck." Then, Kerry seeks Mother Blessing, Daniels mother, who lives in a swamp of all places. She traines to become a witch and thats where the books leave off.
October 15, 2010
this book was interesting it was about this girl named kerry profitt and she is out with her collage buds in the woods to hang out. one misterious night there was knocking on the door, they open it and there lays kerry's love life daniel. he was all scratched up and bleeding everywhere. they let him in to sleep for the night and the next day he wasnt there. they meet up (kerry and daniel) one day and daniel tells her why he was all scratched up. a witch. then the witch that scratched him all up killed him in front of kerry. she is now seeking for revenge. that witch, Season, is going to pay for what she did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2012
Winter: So I finished book one (summer) and that was okay, so I went on to read the sequel (Fall) because I thought that Daniel was going to come back, but I don't think he will at least not until the later books (winter and spring). I decided to drop the book because it was getting boring because there was no romance in it except the failing/failed relationship between Scott and Brandy. There might be a relationship between Scott and Kerry because that's what broke up his relationship with Brandy, but this book is not centered on romance so it won't be that exciting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2013
I WANT SOME ACTION UGH this book is getting dull and I just really hoped it improved throughout Fall and it didn't ugh. I'll probably give it another try next month or next year. I don't know. Daniel was interesting and Kerry not so much and it was lacking in detailed emotion and it frustrated me how I got characters confused (the gang [idk??] from La Jolla) and I'm not a fan of Jeff's writing style. AND THEN THE ENDING WAS WEIRD I HAVE NO IDEA WHO IS EVIL AND WHO'S NOT I'LL PROBABLY JUST READ WINTER AND SPRING TO TRY TO FIND RESOLUTION (hopefully)
March 2, 2017
DNF.
I tried. I truly tried to get to the end, because I despise starting a book and not finishing it. But after the first half (summer), I lost all interest.
The characters are okay enough, but they feel so one dimensional. The phrasing within the writing style bugged me as well. I found myself skipping over sections. Especially every other "though" tagged onto the end of sentences.
I gave a two star rating rather than a one star merely because it kept me interested for a couple hundred pages before I completely lost interest.
I tried. I truly tried to get to the end, because I despise starting a book and not finishing it. But after the first half (summer), I lost all interest.
The characters are okay enough, but they feel so one dimensional. The phrasing within the writing style bugged me as well. I found myself skipping over sections. Especially every other "though" tagged onto the end of sentences.
I gave a two star rating rather than a one star merely because it kept me interested for a couple hundred pages before I completely lost interest.
November 11, 2011
These two books were awesome the whole story of how And in the second book how there's all these secrets and you don't know what might happen next. ..... Awesome .....
July 26, 2011
I enjoyed Book One more than Book Two. I'm a huge fan of everything witchy, but to be honest, as soon as Kerry arrived at Mother Blessing's... I got BORED!!! I had to force myself to finish the book. I'm definitely going to finish reading the series, but I'm not excited about it, unfortunately :(
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