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Mar012012
GUEST REVIEW: "Spellbound" by Cara Lynn Shultz
by Carolyn • Posted in 4.5 Star Reviews, Authors Q-T, Book Reviews, Cara Lynn Shultz, Guest Review, Harlequin, Paranormal, Young Adult
Title: Spellbound (Spellbound #1)
Author: Cara Lynn Shultz
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: June 2011
Format: eARC
Genre: Paranormal
Young Adult
Source: Review copy
Source: Review copy
Guest Review by Casey
SUMMARY:
What’s a girl to do when meeting The One means she’s cursed to die a horrible death?
Life hasn’t been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Conner, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she’s irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.
But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can’t stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma’s been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else. (Goodreads)
REVIEW:
When I started reading “Spellbound“, I figured it would be another one of those cutesy, kind of romantic, fluff stories that are rather rampant in YA. (Not that I don’t like those books, they’re just not my favorites.) “Spellbound” took me by surprise by being so much more than that.
“Spellbound” was a love story through and through. It made the romantic in me sigh in happiness. Yet there was enough magic and action/fight scenes to keep the rest of me appeased too. The angst and the we-want-but-we-can’t-be-together never got to the point of annoying me. In fact, it really only made the inevitable that much sweeter.
The plot wasn’t completely about Emma and Brendan getting together either. They each had to over come family/personal issues before they could even begin to figure out how to break the curse that was set on them lifetimes ago. Emma was strong yet vulnerable, which was an odd combination, but it worked. She was almost afraid of confrontation unless someone she loved was being hurt. Then there was no stopping Emma, even if what she did could be considered excessively stupid.
Brendan was everything I wanted and more. Sweet, funny, romantic yet cynical with a bad boy attitude. And did I mention he was yummy? Because he was so deliciously yummy. Very swoon/drool worthy. He wasn’t the typical boyfriend that pops up in YA books; he wasn’t exactly what you’d call perfect but his imperfections made him all the more alluring.
VERDICT:
To make a really cheesy joke, “Spellbound” kept me spellbound. I was riveted from the beginning, and alternately sighed and swooned through the rest of it. I cannot wait to see what happens next in Spellcaster. (Though I don’t know if it could possibly beat “Spellbound“. That’s going to be a tough call to make.)
RATING: 9/10
1 Comment
Totally LOVE the cover. And the story sounds good as well – it's mine!
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