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entamewitchlulu's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
this is marketed as a mystery. calling it a mystery is a lot like saying an apple is a kind of fish. and telling me i'm about to have a fish dinner and then serving me a single apple is not doing anyone any favors here - not the people who like fish dinners, and not the people who like apples. this metaphor is getting out of hand so i'll stop now.
shhchar's review
5.0
I'll try to get around to writing a review for this, but let's just say for now it was AMAZING. (:
stephxsu's review
2.0
On one level, Alex’s world seems great: the glamour, the scintillating company, the witty banter between siblings and friends. But that’s just it; all of these things only occur on one level. I couldn’t help but feel like the characters were merely putting on a role, saying lines dictated to them without really meaning it.
With so many characters packed into this book, it was hard for me to keep track of who is who, what their personalities were like. I was constantly mixing up Alex’s brothers, Nick, Will, and Kit, because they are virtually indistinguishable from one another. Similarly, I disliked how Vivi and Ella were shallowly portrayed mostly as Alex’s “ladies-in-waiting,” always just reacting to Alex’s crises and never, seemingly, having desires or even opinions of their own. I would’ve loved to see all the secondary characters change more through the book. THE SEASON centers around Alex and Gavin’s relationship, yes, but for a book that depends so much on the characters’ interactions with one another, shouldn’t equal care be put into developing the others’ personalities as well?
Another thing that led to me being unable to get into this book was the pacing. For some reason, I had thought that the mystery behind the earl’s death, and the impending danger on Gavin and Alex, would have been given more time and explanation.However, the murder mystery ended up feeling like one great big plot device. Nothing remarkable happens until more than halfway into the book, which is where the relationship between Gavin and Alex intensified, and things started to pick up with the murder mystery. But if it takes a book half its length to get the ball rolling, I’m not sure if I’d be willing to stick it out until then. Unless it gets really, really good at the end. Which it doesn’t. It’s sad if I feel like I don’t need to read most of the book in order to understand what’s going on.
While it lacked the substance for my taste, I will still read Sarah MacLean’s future works, because I do believe she has the talent to create three-dimensional characters that we’ll end up liking and caring about.
With so many characters packed into this book, it was hard for me to keep track of who is who, what their personalities were like. I was constantly mixing up Alex’s brothers, Nick, Will, and Kit, because they are virtually indistinguishable from one another. Similarly, I disliked how Vivi and Ella were shallowly portrayed mostly as Alex’s “ladies-in-waiting,” always just reacting to Alex’s crises and never, seemingly, having desires or even opinions of their own. I would’ve loved to see all the secondary characters change more through the book. THE SEASON centers around Alex and Gavin’s relationship, yes, but for a book that depends so much on the characters’ interactions with one another, shouldn’t equal care be put into developing the others’ personalities as well?
Another thing that led to me being unable to get into this book was the pacing. For some reason, I had thought that the mystery behind the earl’s death, and the impending danger on Gavin and Alex, would have been given more time and explanation.However, the murder mystery ended up feeling like one great big plot device. Nothing remarkable happens until more than halfway into the book, which is where the relationship between Gavin and Alex intensified, and things started to pick up with the murder mystery. But if it takes a book half its length to get the ball rolling, I’m not sure if I’d be willing to stick it out until then. Unless it gets really, really good at the end. Which it doesn’t. It’s sad if I feel like I don’t need to read most of the book in order to understand what’s going on.
While it lacked the substance for my taste, I will still read Sarah MacLean’s future works, because I do believe she has the talent to create three-dimensional characters that we’ll end up liking and caring about.
lauren_robitaille310's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
reddyrat's review
4.0
The Season is one of those novels that is delightful if you enjoy it on the surface level, but dig too deep and you will find plenty to complain about. Luckily, I was in the mood for surface level and I found The Season perfectly adorable.
The Season is a mixture of romance, friendship, and mystery all set in aristocratic Regency-era London. Our heroine Alex was born into great wealth. Her role in life, as her mother and society sees it, is to socialize and quickly marry well. Alex doesn't want any of it. She continuously eschews marriage - not that it's inherently bad, but that it's not so important that she should be immediately pushed into it. I liked that Alex didn't go unrealistically outside of her time period in her desires. She wasn't looking for equality in education or treatment that would take another 100 years to even begin to occur. Rather, she wanted to be more than just a horse on the market.
Our hero Gavin grew up with Alex and her brothers. He is like an older brother to her, treating her at times like a child and at times like an attractive young woman. The dialogue between them was fabulous. Witty, somewhat daring, and sarcastic. The characters' familiarity allowed them to speak more comfortably than normally allowed in Regency society. The romantic tension was palpable almost immediately. It grew and grew until neither character could deny it. The Season is one of those romances where you love both characters and their chemistry so much that you can't help but squeal when they finally get together.
Alex's friends Ella and Vivi also add depth to the novel. When I saw the cover with three intimidating looking girls on it, I assumed this was going to be a regency Gossip Girl, full of cattiness and major rule-breaking. Instead, it's a story of three sweet, vivacious friends. Ella and Vivi are nice, loyal girls who have a mind of their own but don't veer too far away from standard social mores.
As you would expect from the title, the "season" is a main feature of the novel. If you love fancy dresses, you're in for a treat, because each one of Alex's ball gowns are vividly described. And there are parties and balls galore. This part of the plot is fun and simple and whisks you off to a different world.
The mystery is somewhat of a dud. It was predictable and rather silly. While it was intended to feature prominently in the story, it felt like an afterthought. I would have enjoyed the story just as much if it hadn't been there. Aside from the mystery, the only big complaint I have is the relationship between Gavin and Alex. While I loved the romance, I did think their freedom was unrealistic. They were frequently together unchaperoned. The story set up that everyone around them views Gavin as a quasi brother to Alex, but I have doubts that society of that time period would have really allowed an unrelated young man to be alone with an unmarried young woman. It worked well as a plot device but it felt like a stretch.
All in all, The Season is a fun romance with spunky, likeable characters. It's not a book you want to think about too much. If you're in the mood for something light, I highly recommend it.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
The Season is a mixture of romance, friendship, and mystery all set in aristocratic Regency-era London. Our heroine Alex was born into great wealth. Her role in life, as her mother and society sees it, is to socialize and quickly marry well. Alex doesn't want any of it. She continuously eschews marriage - not that it's inherently bad, but that it's not so important that she should be immediately pushed into it. I liked that Alex didn't go unrealistically outside of her time period in her desires. She wasn't looking for equality in education or treatment that would take another 100 years to even begin to occur. Rather, she wanted to be more than just a horse on the market.
Our hero Gavin grew up with Alex and her brothers. He is like an older brother to her, treating her at times like a child and at times like an attractive young woman. The dialogue between them was fabulous. Witty, somewhat daring, and sarcastic. The characters' familiarity allowed them to speak more comfortably than normally allowed in Regency society. The romantic tension was palpable almost immediately. It grew and grew until neither character could deny it. The Season is one of those romances where you love both characters and their chemistry so much that you can't help but squeal when they finally get together.
Alex's friends Ella and Vivi also add depth to the novel. When I saw the cover with three intimidating looking girls on it, I assumed this was going to be a regency Gossip Girl, full of cattiness and major rule-breaking. Instead, it's a story of three sweet, vivacious friends. Ella and Vivi are nice, loyal girls who have a mind of their own but don't veer too far away from standard social mores.
As you would expect from the title, the "season" is a main feature of the novel. If you love fancy dresses, you're in for a treat, because each one of Alex's ball gowns are vividly described. And there are parties and balls galore. This part of the plot is fun and simple and whisks you off to a different world.
The mystery is somewhat of a dud. It was predictable and rather silly. While it was intended to feature prominently in the story, it felt like an afterthought. I would have enjoyed the story just as much if it hadn't been there. Aside from the mystery, the only big complaint I have is the relationship between Gavin and Alex. While I loved the romance, I did think their freedom was unrealistic. They were frequently together unchaperoned. The story set up that everyone around them views Gavin as a quasi brother to Alex, but I have doubts that society of that time period would have really allowed an unrelated young man to be alone with an unmarried young woman. It worked well as a plot device but it felt like a stretch.
All in all, The Season is a fun romance with spunky, likeable characters. It's not a book you want to think about too much. If you're in the mood for something light, I highly recommend it.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
ribbonquest's review against another edition
3.0
This is a pleasant enough cotton candy adventure romance. Alex and her friends are all rich, clever, and lovely, with attitudes and interests more suitable to a contemporary setting which sometimes get them into trouble. Their only other problem in life is an excess of suitors and a disinterest in marriage. The murder and intrigue adds a little spice to the formula, except it's all very predictable.
The Season hits most of the Regency romance cliches, but the only one that I found particularly annoying is the "characters love reading Jane Austen books in a Regency romance." Even most of the men have read the novels and Alex has read P&P at least three times.
The ending sets up for an ongoing series but there is no sequel. Sad, I wanted more cotton candy.
The Season hits most of the Regency romance cliches, but the only one that I found particularly annoying is the "characters love reading Jane Austen books in a Regency romance." Even most of the men have read the novels and Alex has read P&P at least three times.
The ending sets up for an ongoing series but there is no sequel. Sad, I wanted more cotton candy.