Book Review-Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

Title: Spellbound

 Author:  Cara Lynn

Series:  Spellbound #1

Published:  

Length: 341 pages

Source: I think the publisher. Or a gift. Forgotten.

Other info: Book 2, Spellcaster, was published last year.

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 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:  Emma Connor moves to a fancy new school, after the latest near death experience is the last straw. Not much happens to begin with, but things start drawing her to Brendan Salinger. Such as his good looks. And his niceness. And the fact that they’re soulmates. Which shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but it is due to the fact that she’s meant to die horribly after she finds him. As they try to escape the evils of fellow   students and the while idea of the curse, Emma and Brandon realise how tightly together they are bound.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from this, but it certainly wasn’t this!  It’s a nice new take on the concept, and it comes off really well.

Emma was very nice. You get into her head really well and she’s funny and real. Brandan was nice, but he has annoying habit of showing up to save Emma most of the time. I would have liked her to do a bit more, considering that she handles everything else pretty well-she shouldn’t need someone to come save her from the school bully. Angelique was my favourite character-the fact she’s a witch and also her general way of being makes me think that we’d be good friends. Anthony and Kirsten were realistic and good antagonists.

The thing I enjoyed most was the book of the legends and the stories they  tell-beautifully written and intriguing.

This is very romance, which works plotwise because of the way the legend has it all set up, but when translate into actual  happenings, it makes it all a bit instalovey, even when you know it’s all due to the legend.

Plot wise, interest levels vary. Low to medium to start with, then you get the legend, theyget higher, then it goes down a bit, then comes up for the climax.

I would have liked to see a bit more of the magic side to it all.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a book for people who want a lot of romance with their magic.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Beautifully Broken by Sherry Soule

Title:  Beautifully Broken

 Author:  Sherry Soule  

Series:  Spellbound #1

Published:  30 August 2011

Length: 344 pages

Source: Author

Other info: Moonlight Mayhem, the sequel, came out recently.

Summary : Sixteen-year-old Shiloh Ravenwolf is a heritage witch from the Broussard family, a family both destined and cursed. After she takes a summer job at Ravenhurst Manor, she discovers a ghost with an agenda. That’s where she meets the new town hottie, Trent Donovan. But Trent may be the next victim on the supernatural hit list, and Shiloh is the only person with the power to save him.
Complicated much?
After receiving cryptic messages from a creepy wraith, and then frightening threats from a demon, Shiloh finally begins to understand the mysterious significance of the strange mark branded on her wrist. Now Shiloh must decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice to protect the other teenagers in town.
Unfortunately, for Shiloh, not all ghosts want help crossing over. Some want vengeance

Review: For a long time, Shiloh Ravenwolf has been able to see shades. And auras. And other things. This is because of her family background, which she doesn't know about. So she doesn;t know that she's a witch (I think-sorry if I'm wrong) and she doesn't know why there's a ghost stalking her. So when she starts a job at Ravenhurst Manor, she finds a ghost. She also finds Trent Donovan, who she instantly falls in lust with. Obviously. Then teenagers start going missing, and it's all being blamed on some spirit in the house. And Trent's on the list for disappearences. And maybe Shiloh is too.

There's a lot going on in this. Demons. Witches. Ghosts. Haunted house. All really good stuff to go in a YA paranormal novel. And then there's also Trent, the typical love interest. All these things come together after a good amount of anticipation and time to get really invested in the story.

I liked Shiloh (rather surprisingly as I'd recently watched a film with a MC called Shilo who was one of the most irritating characters ever for the majority of it). I especially liked her heritage-even though we don't know fully about her mother and such, the Native American side of her ancestry isn't the kind of thing we see often so it's a really nice change. She takes things well, ie realistically. Seeing her develop her powers and her understanding of the supernatural world she's in is really nice.

Trent. He's cool. i don't really like characters when they're described as being "the hottie" (I respect the character's opinions but I'll decide that for myself) but I liked his relationship with shiloh. Not the instalove aspect, but the way they work together makes them a great team. At times, I got a little confused with the other side characters, what they were for and what their motives were. They're all important in some way though.

There's a lot of build up so if you like suspense built stories, this is definitely one for you. The manor, the murders, the parents, the powers. Four side plots that end up coming together to a conclusion that leaves you wanting more. It would have been nice if it could be a little bit faster paced, and also have a bit more emphasis on the family who seemed a bit left out for the start of this.

I don't normally comment on settings, but I really loved Ravenhurst Manor. Lots of things happen there, a little spooky and very thrilling.

The writing is nice. Somethings like Shiloh's thoughts about Trent were a bit repetitive, but it doesn't detract too much.

The last fifty pages. So good! With everything simmering to start with, as it ends, it's all really exciting and you just don't want to stop reading.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a promising start to what should be a really good paranormal series.

Links: | Goodreads | Author website |