Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

CLShultz-SpellboundOriginally posted at Book Chick City on March 1st.

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.

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.

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 pop up in YA books; he wasn’t exactly what you’d call perfect but his imperfections made him all the more alluring.

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.)

Also reviewed by: EMS Book Reviews, Book Brats, Serendipity Reviews, Feeling Fictional, The Reading Fever

About Casey 203 Articles
Casey is the founder of Heart Full of Ink, Director at Reading Until Dawn Con, and a full time cheese addict. She's been ranting and reviewing for Literary Escapism since 2010, and is part of the trio #3Bloggers1Series podcast. When she's not reading, looking for new books, or stalking authors online (waiting for more books), she can be found binge watching Netflix. But really, her life is all about DEM BOOKS!