Rating: 3.5 Stars
“You make me feel alive, Elle. You make me want to live a thousand stories right here with you.”
Spellbound by Rebecca L. Garcia is a quick enjoyable read filled with snarky witches and vengeful gods. I easily finished it in one sitting. It’s sure to be a winner for fans of Kingdom of the Wicked, and it’s standalone so there’s no need to commit to a long, unfinished series.
Elle, a young apprentice curse keeper in her coven, has made it her life’s mission to return to find the sister she was torn away from as a child. She spends her days studying for the exam that will promote her to “keeper” status. Life becomes more complicated when a mysterious (and attractive) young warlock arrives at the same time as a string of murders popping up in the woods, and Elle has to figure out who to trust as her life becomes drastically more complex and dangerous.
I’ve always been a sucker for found family stories, and Spellbound is no different. Maddox is definitely one of my top favorite characters. “Viktor” is also another favorite character. I can definitely see him joining the ranks of popular book boyfriends like Wrath from Kingdom of the Wicked, Thomas Cresswell from Stalking Jack the Ripper, West from Fable, and Rowan from Throne of Glass.
I would recommend this book to an audience of upper young adult readers to adult readers, as there are some intimate scenes featured. The intimate scenes are definitely HOT. In terms of genre, it would probably fall in the new adult category (which I realize is somewhat ambiguous). The snarky banter between Elle and “Viktor” was one of the main reasons I became hooked. There was so much sexual tension between them I was left wondering who would be the first one to snap.
I’m curious to see what characters will be introduced in the next book in this series, as I believe it’s set in the same world. Some “standalone” novels can feel rushed or leave you with very unsatisfying endings, but there was none of that with Spellbound. Everything felt included for a reason, and I liked how Garcia wrapped things up at the end of the story.
Thank you to the author and Book of Matches Media for providing me with an early copy of the book at no cost to myself. I voluntarily read and reviewed Spellbound. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
CW: Mentions of Assault (Historical, Off-Page), Sibling Death, Hanging
No comments:
Post a Comment
I would love to hear your thoughts! Post your comments here.
Be sure to check back again later, as I do make an effort to reply to comments.