Format: ebook
Genre: YA Fantasy/Supernatural (witches)
Book from Netgalley*
Cara Lynn Shultz's Website | Twitter
From Goodreads. 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.
Review by Kate
SPELLBOUND, by Cara Lynn Shultz, is a story about a girl with a deeply troubled past moving to Manhattan with her aunt and trying to start anew. In the process, she meets Brendan who she is inexplicably attracted to with no hope for shaking off this mysterious boy from her head. Secrets begin to reveal themselves and Emma finds herself stuck in a dangerous predicament and fights to stay alive with the boy she loves.
Goodness I wanted to like this book, I really did, but it just didn't cut it for me. I loved the beginning and getting to know back story about Emma, but as I went on I increasingly became more and more bored with it. I had issues with the 'teen talk' and the swoon-at-the-sight-of-him connection that Emma had with Brendan. I think in the younger YA bracket will love this book. I remember as a teen how I swooned at a cute boy in a book, but the cutesy factor was too overwhelming for me. The way the teens spoke (especially Kristen) seemed circa Clueless times and I felt I was reading from the perspective of an adult writing YA, trying to get inside their heads.
Also, I just have issues with the whole past-lives thing. I don't know if it is just getting overdone with me in its predictability or what but I found myself rolling my eyes at anytime where Emma swooned at the sight of Brendan and he would ignore her some more.
I didn't connect with Emma at all, which is a big deal for me while reading. If there is no connection with the main character, I find myself wandering toward the bookshelf for another book.
Overall, this book did not cut it for me. The witches thing was interesting but not enough to make me like this book. I do think that teens and fans of the past-lives connection will like this book so I would recommend picking it up if you like that sort of reading, but unfortunately it was not my cup of tea.
*FTC Disclosure: I received this book from Netgalley. I do not receive payment of any kind in exchange for a review. I do not receive monetary compensation from any book links in my review.
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