Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz
3:40 AMAuthor: Cara Lynn Shultz
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release: June 21, 2011
Pages: 324
Series: Spellbound #1
Synopsis:
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 Connor, 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.
Review:
After hearing all the hype surrounding this book, I knew I should give it a shot, even though I often don't care for books about witches. As I got into the story, I noticed right away how much I disliked that main character, Emma. To me, she seemed a tad bit immature and her characteristics simply did not appeal to me. On the other hand, I found Brendan to be kind enough, but he did come off a little odd at times, mainly possessive. As for the plot, it didn't cover nearly as much as I had hoped, not much of the witch aspect was explored and too much of the relationship was. The end was a good one, leaving most strings tied and giving the reader the option to opt out of the series or continue on should they choose so, this aspect of the book was it's saving grace for me, being interesting and more fast paced than the rest of the book. The writing was great at some parts (ie. the ending scenes) and then too slapstick at others, by slapstick I mean there was not a high maturity level in the comedy used and it often brought down the suspense and attraction to the story for me. Altogether, I would recommend this to any die-hard fans of witches, I give Spellbound a 2.5/5.
4 comments
I wasn't really into this book either! I definitely did not connect with Emma (you're right about the immature part) and wasn't really feeling Brendan either. I skimmed it and eventually flipped to the end. It wasn't a downright terrible book but it seemed like every other paranormal romance to me. I liked your honest review though, you made good points!
ReplyDeleteThanks, I just wasn't feeling it, but I was determined to finish :)
DeleteI actually really liked this book as reincarnated soul mates is something I've never seen in YA. Even though Emma and Brendan weren't perfect characters, I enjoyed this and the sequel.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! I'm glad you enjoyed the book more than I did, it just didn't click for me.
DeleteThanks for commenting! I love getting feedback or just say Hi!