Spellbound

My thoughts:While at times I felt that the story was a little drawn out, overall I enjoyed Spellbound. Suspenseful and engaging with a cast of characters I found easy to like, I didn't love every aspect of the story but it was a enjoyable read. Emma is s strong character that stand up for herself and the people she cares about. She's a very real character. She's scared and self conscience but she also knows what she wants and isn't afraid to fight for it. Her swooning over Brendan was a little over the top at times but her feelings for him did seem genuine. The background mystery of Spellbound was a little far fetched. Soul mates and ancient curses and natural born witches. At times it was a little hokey but again, overall it kind of worked for the story. A few 'what were you thinking' moments, a few unrealistic social settings and a lot really sweet moments. Emma and her family, Emma and Brendan - there were more then a few sappy scenes but I really liked them all! Final verdict:A paranormal tale with heart. Nothing too over dramatic and very enjoyable to read, Spellbound has a few very important things going for it. Realistic characters that I felt connected to coupled with a storyline I couldn't help but be drawn into. AND as a bonus, NO love triangles! I really feel like Spellbound would be perfect as a standalone. Meaning, I'm not sure I'll read book 2. While I like this world, I wasn't completely draw into it. We'll see though!

I really enjoyed this book, just like I knew I would. Although the book blurb made it sound like Fallen without the angels something that had been done before, I still wanted to chance it and see what all the hype was about from the other reviewers. So I recieved my copy and began reading it as soon as I could. It was one book I could not put down. There were many things I liked about the book. One of the big things I loved was Emma's sense of humor and sarcastic nature. It reminded me of myself. I also loved the love story. Their love is so real and magical (no pun intended) and Schultz defintely made Brendan swoon-worthy. This brings me to another point. Although romance played a huge role in this book, Schultz does not over do it and they are not instantly in love. There is a kind of "run around" in the initial stages of the relationship and I appreciated that. I love a good fight for the one you truly love. As for things I didn't like, there wasn't many, just one small thing.... With me being an English minor, I caught a few editing mistakes, but I'll just say that was due to it being an ebook ARC.

This book really reminds me of another book I've read. It was Amber Frost by Suzi Davis. This book pretty much has the same concept: two star crossed lovers that have had some sort of curse placed upon them that separates them. When those two lovers meet, something gigantic could happen. In this case it means that Emma, if her and her boyfriend become too close, she could die. This story revolves around a locket while Davis' story revolves around some ancient tattoo like symbols that are on her boyfriend's back. The concepts are a bit different but still quite simliar. With that being said, I'll move into the story itself.I found the story to get off to a slightly slow start. I was starting to wonder why I was reading about Emma and her move to live with her aunt and her life that created those issues in the first place. It's really almost painstakingly slow. Then, things begin to pick up. The story begins to unfold and we have the typical boy likes girl, girl likes boy, it's so very painful for those two to be apart, things happen fast but for some reason, boy doesn't want to push girl too far. Of course we have bits of magic and curses and ancient texts too. It's really not a bad story when you dig deep and ignore all of those strange fluffy parts. x-posted to my blog.

This is one book that I kind of just skimmed the summary really quick before reading it. So going in, I didn't really know much of what to expect. I think author Rachel Hawkins summed up my feelings about Spellbound quite well with her blurb on the cover, "Spellbound captivated me from beginning to end!"Emma has experienced quite a bit of hardship in her youth. Moving from a small and basically unknown town to upstate New York and beginning school at an expensive private school, Emma has her reservations. She wants to remain anonymous, but how can she do that when she ultimately draws the attention of a creep, a mean girl, a witch and a hottie all on the first day? There are certain situations that Emma tends to shy away from, but she's not afraid of voicing her opinion and sticking up for those she cares about. She's a character that most teenage girls can identify with. Brendan on the other hand is like a complete mystery, at first. Some days he's hot and others he is completely cold. You'll find yourself doing double-takes wondering why Emma is so infatuated with him, but then you'll understand the reasoning why.Spellbound is about more than the "just add water" instant teenage love. There is a centuries old history behind Emma and Brendan's relationship. This was what I found most intriguing about Shultz's story. I loved the history of their ancestors, the charm and the curse. I loved reading about what happened in the past and wondering if Emma and Brendan could possibly survive this ancient curse.The writing is ultimately simple, which is perfect. Shultz's does not inundate readers with huge words requiring a dictionary to always be on hand. The story is written as a normal teenager speaks. I could have easily been back in my high school talking to my friends, uttering the same exact sentences. While the writing is simplistic, the storyline is utterly bewitching. From beginning to end I was completely immersed with the story of Emma and Brendan.Overall, Spellbound is a captivating tale full of fascination, intrigue and age-old romance. A very enjoyable read that will keep you engrossed until the very last page.

First read: April 4, 2012Initial rating: 4/5Re-read: September 11, 2016Rating: 3/5Holy hell, I didn't realize I've already read this, not until I checked in Goodreads....it just means the story was not really memorable...? ---"Is it too soon?"Yes, I say it's too soon to say 'I love you'.But I was still kilig.*same old tropes

*sigh* I really need to stop re-reading books that I read last year. Emma is quite possibly the most annoying heroine in any book I've read this year. She's constantly making bad decisions, especially at the end.

Honestly, I really was not expecting much from Spellbound. I imagined it would be a simple teenage romance novel, complete with instalove and completely disgusting couple scenes. Thus, I was incredibly surprised to find that I was wrong (rare though that occurrence may be) and that Spellbound definitely stands above the average teen fare.

While the whole plot of Spellbound does involve what I have termed instalove, it is much better done than in a lot of YA. I don't want to spoiler anything, so I can't be too detailed as to why it makes sense in this case. Generally, though, despite the great attraction the two main characters feel to one another, they do try to fight it, in ways that are rather familiar to anyone who has gone through high school. So, while their romance is unrealistic, that's because this is fantasy and, accepting the fantastical plot, I think it has been well done.

What really made Spellbound an utter pleasure for me to read, though, was not the romance or the sexily disheveled hero of the piece. Shultz clearly loves pop culture and references it constantly. At pretty much every reference, I really just wanted to give her a high five for her sense of humor and her good choices. While I did not love everything she referenced, I think the references were well-woven and fit with the personality of the narrator.

I definitely ended up being quite impressed with this novel. Spellbound is ultimately just a flight of fancy, not a great literary work, but I highly recommend it to anyone looking for fun, romance and magic. There is also a pretty dang convincing horror scene in there, too. Recommended to people who liked The Eternal Ones (or who liked the idea and thought it could have been waaaay better).

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Parts of it were really good, parts of it were pretty good, parts were slightly annoying (a bit too much "yelling" and "screaming" for me, but really, I've read worse--and recently too, unfortunately), and parts were fairly formulatic, but overall it was a good read with some interesting aspects that made it just different enough from all those other YA fantasy romantic fiction books out there to be enjoyable.

Emma is, of course, a teen with secrets and a troubled past who just doesn't feel she is pretty enough or worthy enough of Brendan, who is, naturally, one of the richest and pretty much the most gorgeous guy in all of NYC. (That would be the formulatic part. Honestly, I'd really like to read more books with average heroines who really are average, not just ravishing beauties wallowing in poor self esteem for some reason. And the guys don't HAVE to be gorgeous. Sure, they're nice to look at when they are, but average-looking guys don't stay average-looking for long when they're THE ONE. Honest.) But they have a connection that cannot be denied. (Oops, more formula.) I did like how they were connected, though--that was a bit different; however, at times the characters seemed a bit too accepting of it. Emma seemed to go from 'no, this cannot be true' to 'sigh...I might as well accept my fate' just a tad too quickly for my taste. A few of her ideas and decisions were eye-roll worthy, but overall she was a fun character with a surprising amount of strength when she needed it.

Brendan, besides being gorgeous and rich, is, of course, a great guy. He runs hot and cold toward Emma, for reasons that are fairly adequately explained (eventually), and even Emma admits that their relationship develops pretty darn quickly. He too has secrets in his family, secrets which he soon realizes involve Emma as well. They declare their love, battle the forces of evil, and...well, you'll have to read the book to figure out what happens next. But it's a fun read, and you'll be glad you did.

I forsee that this book will spend a lot of time NOT sitting on the shelves in my clsssroom library. It is very well written and well paced, and I look forward to seeing what Cara Lynn Schultz will write in the future. She leaves the ending of this one open so that you could definitely see a sequel, which would be great, or not, which would be fine too. I think she'll only continue to polish her skills, which will make for even more enjoyable reading. A great first effort!

NOTE: I received the ARC of this book from MIRA INK.

Where to begin, where to begin... The cover was very pretty, with these shiny glass-like particles suspended around.

But the story wasn't the best I've read so far. Umm, sad to say, it was rather in the middle of the rating scale, which is too bad because I had great expectations for it.

The writing style was good, though there were places (especially in the first half of the book) where I found it difficult to concentrate on the story. The story itself was well built, but it wasn't anything original. The soul mate concept was far too stretched, and I just couldn't find it believable or realistic. Sure, I believe in love at first sight, but this just felt sort of forced.

The paranormal element wasn't all that intriguing either. It was sort of pushed in the background, though it had the potential to play a major role. I think I would've enjoyed the story more, if the witchy part of it was expanded a bit more.

The characters... well, there wasn't anything special about them, to be honest. We have a girl and a boy, who fall head over heals for each other; we have the silent observers, and the antagonists. And nothing even remotely out of the norm.

Emma was the POV girl, lead female. She had experienced some drama back in the day, of which we're only told. She seems to have a hard time talking about her past, especially about her dead brother. I thought there'd be some terrible reason why that was, but I guess it wasn't important to mention. Also, Emma seemed more upset about the loss of her brother than that of her mom. It just seems a bit unrealistic to me. She's described as brave, because she defended her cousin in front of the whole school, but the way she did it was stupid. I mean, if you're a 5'5" tall girl, would you go messing with a guy who's like twice your size and could make you into a pavement stamp? Um.. no. To be honest, I didn't get the impression that the Emma was thinking much. She was rash and naive more than anything else.

Brendan was this super hot, super rich guy, who falls head over heals for Emma. He's very protective of her one moment, and very cold to her the next. He explained it as being confused. Whatever, I get it, guys are like that. But then, once he gains the courage to confess his feelings, well... the Brendan from the past is totally gone, and he only has eyes and ears for Emma. That's cool, which is why I liked the guy. But with all the weird things that surround the couple, you'd think he'd be more careful around her. Which is not the case.

Ashley was Emma's cousin. She was naive and unreasonable, and preferred not to listen to Emma's advice, which is why she got in trouble with the wrong guy.

Anthony, the antagonist, wasn't developed right, I think. I mean, his reasoning was sort of off. Sure, he was mean and a player, and a rich dude at that. But, I just couldn't feel all that disgusted with him. I was rather neutral, and that's not something I want to feel toward the 'bad' guy.

I don't think there were other prominent characters worth mentioning. I'm just really sorry that this book didn't get to me. I wish I had enjoyed it.

Still though, I believe that there will be at least 70% of the readers who will find it an enjoyable read.

Ended up really liking Spellbound. Love Emmas character she was so funny at times. You can really relate to her and her thinking. I really really hope theres a second book!! There was unfinished story lines so fingers crossed she will do a sequel!

I feel like this book could've been amazing. It wasn't bad, I did enjoy it but it had a lot of potential to be more original and unique. That being said it stands out from the rest of the paranormal romance books out there. For one, weeks after reading I still remember the basic plot. The plot drew me in and I could stomach the romance - I found it relatively believable or at least the author adequately made me believe it. Overall worth the read. I'll even pick up the next one.

This is awesome! I was able to talk about the book after I read it. You did well! ... If you have some great stories like this one, you can publish it on Novel Star, just submit your story to hardy@novelstar.top or joye@novelstar.top

Going in to Spellbound I truly had no idea what I was in store for. I rather like going into a book with little to no knowledge about what's inside. I feel like it makes the book that much more of an experience. So, when I opened up to the first page I had no expectations other than to read a good story.

As a character, Emma is a sweetheart. Really and truly. She wants to blend into the background, but her bubbly personality just won't let her. As a result she attracts a lot of attention, both good and bad. Emma is spunky, outspoken, and just a lovable character. The fact that she isn't afraid to stand up for herself made me dance around the room. A female character who isn't a shrinking violet? Yes please! Add in her friendship with her younger cousin, and you have a character that I really fell in love with.

Sadly, that's where the love affair ended for me. Emma's interactions with the characters around her were fun, but those characters were kind of one-dimensional to me. Even Brendan, who she is inexplicably drawn to, didn't really come to life. In fact I sometimes found myself annoyed with him. I won't spoil, but the way he reacts to their attraction rather bothered me. I just felt like their story was so contrived. Girl meets boy, is inexplicably drawn to boy, unforseen circumstances keep them apart, cue ending that I won't spoil. That's it.

To be honest, I think I was just expecting a little bit more from these characters, and so Spellbound was a "just so" book for me. I liked it, but I didn't fall in love with it. Like all books that fall into this category for me, it just didn't have that spark that will keep me coming back. I'm fully willing to admit I might be a bit jaded due to all the books in this genre I've read lately. I can see a lot of people falling in love with Emma and Brendan's story.

Recommended to those looking for a sweet read, with a paranormal twist.

A re-read, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much the second time around, just wanting different things from a story right this minute than I did then, though it still mostly entertained.A change for me from the first time I read this is that while I do love romance I don’t love it as much these days when a book solely revolves around the romance, I tend to want a fuller depiction of the heroine’s life than that now. You never really see Emma passionately engaged in anything outside of Brendan, he’s constantly on her mind when she’s talking to her cousin and her friend, he’s on her mind when she’s jogging, he’s on her mind in class, even trying to solve the mystery of her pendant is in part rooted in her fascination with Brendan. I am fine with romance taking center stage, I just crave a little something else to occupy the heroine in addition to that, maybe Emma putting together a running team for her school or something, any goal or interest that could make for a slightly more well-rounded character than just being consumed with her love life. Even with basketball and a DJ side gig, I didn’t feel like Brendan was all that well-defined beyond Emma either. I did like Emma and Brendan’s chemistry, however, had they worked harder to resist each other I probably would have been more invested, they have this legit reason to keep their distance yet the story didn’t really go with the juicy tension of forcing them apart. It seemed sort of a waste of potential drama to create a life and death obstacle for this couple that doesn’t ultimately put much of a strain on them being together.. The first time I read this I didn’t notice how heavily it echoes Twilight although it goes its own way enough with zero vampires, Central Park playing a key role, the villain having a more direct connection to Emma, and the witchy vibes. There were however not enough witchy vibes for my liking. Emma’s friend Angelique was one of the more unique characters here so I would have loved to see her feature more prominently (further exploring witchcraft is another thing the story maybe could have done to have more going on for Emma aside from romance) but the final passage in Spellbound suggests that its sequel Spellcaster may delve into that area more, so that’s an intriguing possibility.

Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz is one of those stories that left me conflicted. I really liked certain elements of the story and it started off strong, but as the narrative unfolded things just seemed to ride off the rails.Let’s start with a few positives. There were some light paranormal elements that I enjoyed, such as ghostly warnings, prophetic dreams, and an untapped ability lying dormant in teen lead Emma. The centuries-old curse at the heart of this story is appropriately romantic and tragic, and provides a decent roadblock to the path of true love. Protagonist Emma sports an intriguing back story, a sense of humor, and an accepting attitude, and there are some interesting secondary characters with solid personalities. But where everything falls apart is the other side of the romantic equation – Brendan.Brendan is sadly underdeveloped and lacks a believable male voice. He falls in the all-too-familiar category of “rock star gorgeous” rich kid who is inexplicably drawn to plain-Jane Emma with her middle-class background. Shultz at least gives a star-crossed lovers explanation to the attraction, but since Brendan lacks any romantic chemistry with Emma I was underwhelmed. When the curse’s background is more interesting than the current representatives of it, I think there’s a problem. I never really felt any connection to Brendan because Shultz never gave me anything to hold on to; he constantly shifts between stand-offish and interested, intense and uncertain, and even at points just a touch whiny. Brendan’s apparent hotness just left me cold.Pacing is uneven throughout. As I stated above, the story starts out strong as we are introduced to Emma’s character and how she to came to be in New York City at Vincent Academy. The secondary characters are added in swiftly – bubbly cousin Ashley, charming Cisco, friendly Jenn, witchy Angelique, mean girl Kristen, player/bully Anthony…even Emma’s dead brother Ethan. Pacing is energetic whenever Emma is interacting with any of these characters; sadly, however, most of them disappear for vast stretches of the narrative and all momentum is lost once it is just Emma and Brendan gazing adoringly at each other. As icing on the cake, Spellbound concludes with an over-the-top, camp-filled finale featuring some dumb decisions on Emma’s part and a rather lame dénouement to the curse (seriously, NO ONE pulled this off in all the previous cursed lifetimes?!?).Cara Lynn Shultz’s Spellbound is a light paranormal young adult novel featuring an intriguing curse and several interesting characters, but left me underwhelmed with its underdeveloped male lead, uneven pacing, and a finale that descends into the realm of camp. Spellbound starts off with a lot of promise but ends up a bit of a hot mess.Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of Spellbound I received from the publisher for sharing links about the book.

Teen paranormal romance. Though the plot-line starts out very similarly to Fallen (new girl at private school meets unbelievably hot guy who turns out to be her soul-mate from previous lives), Emma's voice is refreshingly snarky--and unlike Fallen, the story actually wraps up at the end as it should, with a conclusive battle (none of this suffering through a whiny heroine's abandonment by her would-be-lover in the second book, only to be reunited in the 3rd or 4th book, and then to do the big battle scene that could/should have happened at the end of the first book). Emma's friend Angelique's epilogue hints at a possible sequel, but for me this story is done. I would like to see Shultz write more teen romances though, as she writes better than many other teen authors. NOTE: Though there is no actual sex (Brendan shows remarkable restraint for a 17-year-old, don't you think?), there is some mild language--one of the mean girls is called the "b"-word more than once as well as a fair amount of violence.

Spellbound has quite a few good traits. The protagonist is witty and lovable. There is no love triangle (whew!). The paranormal aspects are intriguing (strange dreams of past lives and supernatural warnings? Oh my!) but there was something distracting about the narration. There were times that I felt as though Emma was just giving me a list of the things she did and then what she did next. There were also times where she spun the tale so tightly that I couldn’t help but admire the characters on the pages as opposed to parsing through the words. The conflict of the story felt a little forced and I kept wondering, why they characters were acting the way they were. Perhaps it’s their life of privilege but there had to be some other reason for their behavior, however, I seemed to have missed that reason. There were times when I loved Brendan (the love interest) and times that he felt overbearing and to me. I understand that this might be due to the circumstances surrounding his relationship with Emma, but sometimes it felt stifling. There wasn’t subtly to the sweetness, but it was super sweet and this doesn’t work for my particular taste. The resolution left me feeling a little confused. Perhaps this will be taken up in another story, but it felt as though one of the antagonists disappeared in the end, lost in the narrative. However, I enjoyed the little extra from Angelique’s point of view and would be curious to see how Cara Lynn Shultz explores this character and that story.

Originally reviewed on YA Sisterhood Blog Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz Reviewed by: Middle Sis Jenn Published by: Harlequin Teen Release Date: 6-21-2011 The Sisters Say: Spunky, Spicy, Spectacular Spellbound is enchanting—from the first chapter I was hooked! You’ve got the Charmed type of witchcraft, the Cinderella type fairy tale, and the Vampire Diaries type sexy guy! Add all ingredients, put in a blender, and what do you get? A book that will truly keep you “spellbound” until the next installment! I really enjoyed the different characters that Cara Lynn Shultz melds together. You have Emma who, at first is the type of girl who shuns away from confrontation, but then as she is constantly picked on at the posh private school she attends, she begins to break out of her shell. I’m not sure “break” is really the word, even, more like lashes out of her shell and charges anyone who gets in her way. It’s great to see Emma’s confidence in herself build, and it’s even greater to see her start to stand up to Kristin (the resident, rhymes with smee-ootch) of the school. Then you have Angelique—the resident emo witch of the school who I absolutely adore! She’s so spunky and from the moment I met her, I couldn’t wait to see how her character developed. Besides Brendan (who’s my favorite because let’s face it…he’s an overprotective hottie with parent issues…yum), Angelique is definitely my favorite character. I can’t wait to see what awaits her next! Okay…drum roll please…..Brendan! Give me a moment to form my thoughts….because right now, all I’m getting is: BRENDAN!!!! OH LA LA!!!!! BRENDAN!!!!! EEEEEKKKK!!!!! BRENDAN!!!!! Where to begin? He’s got dark hair and mesmerizing green eyes that literally take your breath away. He’s tough as nails—winning every fight he gets in to, seriously, Cara Lynn Shultz should put him in a fight club—the only thing that could make this guy even hotter! His parents are practically “The Queen” type of rich, and the parent issues are obvious from the get-go. But who doesn’t love a guy that’s a rebel? What else? He’s crazy protective—which I love even more! The scenes where Brendan sticks up for Emma are the absolute best in the book! You know, it’s not very often that I find a book that quite literally speeds up my heartbeat. I found myself growing increasingly nervous as things became even more dangerous in the book. Even now, thinking back on it, I feel my heart beating a little faster—and I know how it ends! Now, there are a few flaws. Namely, I wish we would get more details about Emma and Brendan’s relationship (it’s pretty G rated)—there’s only so many kisses I can read about before I scream, “Come on! More!” But, maybe Cara Lynn Shultz is saving that for the future. I also wish there would be a few more plot twists (there were some aspects of predictability). As far as content goes, the only thing you might be wary about is the underage drinking (which there is quite a bit), and some violence against women. But truthfully, I wouldn’t mind my teenage daughter reading this one.

We all know the doomed story about Romeo & Juliet, but did these young lovers know how hopeless their star-crossed romance would be? When Emma gets to start fresh at an exclusive prep school after some family tragedies, finding a Romeo was bottom on her to-do list. So, why does the resident hottie Brendan draw her unwilling eye – and why does their dance feel like a tale as old as time? The answer is rather grim: True love, if what they have is true, will end in a curse called death if they are unable to resist each other. Will Emma and Brendan find each other worth the risk? I know the story of Spellbound seems familiar – Romeo & Juliet, new girl & hot-but-oh-so-elusive boy, true love headed down the track of destruction – and you must wonder if this book is worth a gander. My verdict? Spellbound has such an enchanting voice that will make the classic story pop and sparkle like nobody’s business. Fun and charming with enough dash of mystery, sizzle, and snark that will keep the pages turning. I tend to find something magical in a romance-gone-cursed – and watching Brendan and Emma try to decide between being together or staying apart is heart-wrenching. I am curious to see where the series goes from here.

Synopsis: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:This is one of those confusing ones where you really enjoy it even till the end, but then when you analyse it, its not so great. The author must have held me in by the writing which flows well and is exceptionally emotional.The evilness in this story comes in two very churly and horrible school mates. When I write mates that just means they go to the same school. But apart from bad attitudes and a whole lot of nastiness there was not a great deal of bad bad bad stuff.Ok, I get it that the two main leads are both reincarnations of the historical figures but I just couldn't help feeling that half way in, we got lost in all the gossip, bickering and he-said, she-said stuff. I really did loose focus at this point.Then the big climax is just not that huge, in my opinion. Sure, Brendan got thrown off a cliff and was rescued by Ethan but I just couldn't get fired up about the intrigue. There wasn't even that much witchyness either.One good point is that the romance is good. Very dreamy, very wish-he-was-my-boyfriend like! Sigh!

SPELLBOUND came recommended to me by a blogging friend– a fun story with the right mix of paranormal and romance. Or something like that, I can’t honestly remember. I’ve had it on my Kindle for months so I decided to open it up and read. To describe my experience in one word, I would have to say “average”. It was nothing special. Not good, not bad, just okay. Mixing the supernatural with a New York City day school for society’s elite children, SPELLBOUND is an interesting mix of catty drama and medieval curses. The problem is that it never uses its interesting bits to its advantage, leading to a story that is neither good nor bad – simply meh.Cara Lynn Shultz’s debut is the story of Emma, a high school girl who has lost her mother and left with a drunk stepfather. She moves in with her aunt and starts attending Vincent Academy, New York’s most expensive co-ed day school. There she meets Brendan, a boy who falls head over heels in love with her, and where Emma proceeds to make enemies with half the female student body – and with one boy who has it out for her after she turns him down. At the same time, Emma’s friendship with her lab partner (a witch) produces some interesting results – as in the keys to finding out she and Brendan are cursed soul mates destined to die over and over and over again.The instant attraction leads to instant love in this one. Within a week of their first date, Emma and Brendan are pledging their love for one another. It felt sort of contrived, like the fact that they were destined soul mates led to their romance more than actual chemistry. There was chemistry there, and Brendan was a bad boy who didn’t actually try and kill the main character (bonus points!!!!), but when I read a story, I want to feel like the evolution of love is natural, not guided by some notion that they are supposed to be together and that’s that. With Emma and Brendan, the moment they discovered according to an old book and some family legends that they were the real cursed deal, it was on. And I just didn’t buy it.SPELLBOUND does get bonus points for a good antagonist, even though he wasn’t used to his full potential. I wanted to know more about why the antagonist was so creepy crazy, and also why every parent at this school was completely oblivious to their children. Even Emma’s aunt was a very forgiving AND giving caretaker – she didn’t care about curfews and would shell out cash for whatever Emma wanted, from cabs to dresses for prom. She was a good motherly influence, something that YA needs more of in my opinion, but she was way too allowing in many cases.Shultz managed to craft a great idea – cursed love charting the centuries. While not the most original, especially in YA, I loved her twist that kind of mixed it with a family legend. What SPELLBOUND suffered was an overemphasis on high school clichés and not enough on the mechanics of the curse and Emma and Brendan’s future. For a story about magic and witches, there wasn’t that much magic involved – it wasn’t nearly paranormal enough. In addition, I wasn’t invested in the story as much as I had hoped, but I will be reading book two. VERDICT: A paranormal romance lacking a paranormal punch, SPELLBOUND is an average paranormal tale about girl meets boy meets ancient curse. With a great main character and cute romance, it’s a fast read, but not without flaws.

When a book has a title like Spellbound, there's a deep temptation for reviewers to pretend they're being clever by putting some kind of spin on it. Positive reviews might say something like "The title delivers -- this certainly kept me Spellbound!" and less-than-positive reviews might try a little harder for the negative equivalent. If I cared enough, I'd fall in to the less-than-positive camp because even though this is an incredibly quick read, only the most desperate-to-relive-Twilight readers will be particularly entranced by Cara Lynn Shultz's debut novel. FYI, I won't give away the ending with this review, but this is one of those books that draws out the obvious for a long time, and I won't tip-toe around that one.Emma is a seventeen-year-old whose life has been plagued by tragedies, roughly in this order: her father left, her twin brother died, her mother died, and then her drunken step-father nearly killed them both in a car accident. Following this final brush with death, Emma has finally decided to take up her mom's sister, Aunt Christine, on her offer for Emma to come live with her in New York City. Aunt Christine is well-off (evidenced by the fact that she has a spare bedroom in her apartment ready for Emma to move in to and the fact that paying tuition at a posh private school doesn't appear to be a big deal) but doesn't have much idea about what it takes to raise a teenager, so she trusts Emma to make good decisions and set herself a curfew in line with everyone else's. There's another aunt in the background, whose daughter Ashley is eager to show Emma the ropes -- even though she's only a freshman at Vincent Academy herself. Ashley is sweet and bouncy and obviously destined for a bad turn from the get-go. Despite her desire to lay low, Emma sticks out like a sore thumb. She immediately winds up on the bad side of the catty queen bee and the most popular self-obsessed jock in school. She makes one friend, a gothy witch named Angelique, sort of befriends another girl who has a drinking problem, and manages to hit it off with the semi-closeted gay guy (seriously, can we get any more stereotypical in our cast of high school characters?)... but unsurprisingly, everyone pales in comparison to the extremely handsome, smart, and wealthy Brendan Salinger... who alternately acts nicely to Emma and then blows her off entirely. This might be your average high school scenario, but as per current trends, we need to toss in something paranormal about everything, and for Spellbound, this involves a curse, a doomed love, and a necklace pendant. Emma wears a particular necklace, a gift from her brother, and it catches the eye of both Edward--I mean, Brendan--and Angelique, though for different reasons. Angelique is fairly sure that it has some kind of magic connotation and Brendan just seemed fixated. And then Emma starts having dreams where her dead twin brother is warning her away from Brendan. Will it spoil anything if I indicate that somehow, the necklace pendant is at the heart of everything? And it means something to Brendan that he's not too eager to share with Emma lest she get freaked out? Or that they're reincarnated doomed lovers and they need to break a curse if they're ever supposed to be together? If so, oops, but you really should have seen that coming.It’s no new thing for a story to feature a strong male hero that needs to “save” the heroine from some threat. Heck, this is one of the oldest stories out there. It's not even new for said hero to be billed as dangerous and for this to be part of his appeal. Twilight only tapped in to a much older story and reinvigorated our own abhorrence for the fact that, despite our knowing that this isn't feminist, there is still a twisted appeal and we have no idea how to both empower young women to make their preferences heard and yet tell them that this particular preference really isn't a good idea. Still, when one normally encounters this particular bad boy device (and, let's face it, there's a lot of them out there in the wake of Stephenie's success), I generally find that there's still something compelling and I just wasn't getting that here. It really did feel that someone just wanted to re-create Twilight with a twist and I found Emma and Brendan almost unrecognizable from Bella and Edward (minus the fangs). (Though at least Brendan doesn't put the kibosh on making out the way that Edward did, which yielded a steamy scene that should satisfy those who read YA for the romance.) Maybe it was because I didn't particularly feel that anyone had any personality or that I found the atmosphere of the NYC private school to be completely unrealistic. It's one thing when you write a novel about teenagers and manage to skip around scenes that obviously would feature profanity... it's another when you barrel head-first into fight scenes between teenage guys and expect the reader not to laugh when the harshest thing that's said is akin to "you're acting like a baby." It was an interesting contrast with the scenes of New York teenagers out drinking or doing drugs and yet the words they spoke just didn't fit. That said, Shultz might shy away from naughty language, but the violence (even violence against women) was intense for a YA that isn't Hunger Games or specifically dealing with violent paranormal animals or something. I did appreciate Emma sticking up for her cousin when hurtful rumors swirl around the school, but a death wish isn't the same as backbone and I wanted Emma to be much smarter in how she dealt with the pure evil bully. I suppose, though, that I was thankful that she didn't simply simper on the sidelines.Ultimately, I don't really mind the general idea of a doomed love, fated to play itself out again and again throughout time, but I wish the author had moved away from other inspirational material and made the characters her own just a bit more. I didn't particularly like the flashbacks to the original doomed lovers and the reincarnations that followed, but at least those were elements that were more original and different. There's some intriguing bonus material in the ebook -- a selection from Angelique's thoughts and a twisted little story of magic gone wrong as well as a playlist highlighting some of the music that Emma and Brendan listen to during the book. Unless Shultz brings more to the table in her next book, though, I think I'll pass on any future attempts at spellbinding stories.Please note that I received an advanced egalley of this novel courtesy of NetGalley for the purpose of review.

RECEIVED FROM: Net Galley for Review***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***When Emma Conner begins her new life living with her Aunt Christine in New York and attending the exclusive Vincent Academy all she wants to do is fade into the background, finish high school and as she puts it move to Siberia. What she gets instead is the teen mean queen targeting her, the school playboy hounding her and an undeniable crush on the hottest boys in school Brendan Salinger. When she finds he’s interested in return she thinks thing might be turning her way, that is, until lights start exploding around her and she gets realistic nightmares about dying in past lives. It’s then that she learns of a thousand year old curse that she and her new love are destined to reenact, a curse where they fall in love only for her to die. Will her new love interest be her blessing or her death sentence? Maybe you can call me sappy, but this is the kind of fated magic love story that I can’t help but adore. I recently saw a somewhat similar plot about soul mates parted for a thousand years where she keeps dying and he keeps repeatedly losing her. So I can’t say it’s totally original. But the difference is here he isn’t the same guy, but also a reincarnation so it’s not like he’s been stalking her reincarnations all that time. And in this portrayal of the idea of star-crossed soul mates it doesn’t seem creepy in the way it did in Evermore. Why do I think that Schultz did it better even though the love story did happen just as quickly in Spellbound as it did in Evermore? First of all the discovery of the curse was something that both participants learned about on their own. They’re on somewhat equal footing in that regard. When things finally start emerging about this curse each of them is filling in the blanks for the other. Secondly neither of these characters just goes with the flow on the soul-mates thing. It’s something they instinctively fight against initially and over time they just stop fighting and decide that regardless of what comes they deserve to be happy for what time they have. Finally Evermore comes across more as a greed tinted kind of love. I mean yes we do have another girl in the picture that wants Brendan and she is the stereotypical high school mean girl. However he isn’t blind to her nastiness they way Damon is with Drina in Evermore. And while Damon saves Ever from death by making her immortal because he doesn’t want to be without her, Brendan is willing to sacrifice his own life to keep Emma safe. Damon comes across as greedy and stalkerish at points in Evermore, while Brendan even though he also seems to have it all puts Emma first. Their doomed soul-mate love is more about sacrifice and real caring than Evermore. It’s impossible not to see the plot similarities between these two book having read Evermore so recently but the ideal of doomed soul-mates is one that has been around forever so I’d hardly say it was pulled from Noel’s series. What impressed me so much was that Schultz took a well known idea and retold it with class. It was skillfully written with compelling characters and I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. No I can’t say everything about the plot is original, obviously. But Schultz did add her own original embellishments and I personally don’t believe that every story needs to be a completely unexpected, unheard of idea to be a good novel. What matters is not if it’s been heard before, it’s how well you can tell the tale and how well you can take that tale and make it yours. Schultz has done that with exceptional skill in my personal opinion. The plot had a logical and interesting flow from beginning to end. Do you know what my very favorite part about this young adult novel was? THERE IS NO LOVE TRIANGLE! I am getting so tired of reading books by young adult authors where whether there seems to be a need or even a real reason for it they have to throw in a love triangle. Yes when well done it can be a nice plot point, however when it’s forced it actually detracts from the story. I absolutely loved that Schultz didn’t see the need to throw in some extra guy or girl for one of the character to obsess over making a choice about. Nobody has to get emotionally hurt in her love story and there’s not some character that we as readers kind of feel bad for in the end. She may had had the psychopathic popular guy showing an interest in Emma but from minute one Emma wasn’t the least bit interested. I personally think we should be applauding Schultz for not including the extremely over popular love triangle and not making our female lead initially interested in the bad guy as well as the good one. The pacing on this novel is I guess you’d say quick paced, it’s not quite completely fast paced but it’s closer to fast paced than it is to slow. It was fast enough that it’s not a story you want to walk away from once you begin reading it. But I also wouldn’t compare it to an Indiana Jones movie in pacing either. Schultz writes an excellent first person point of view in Spellbound keeping us very much in Emma’s head while still managing to make other characters more than one dimensional. I like how she lightly skims the edge of the paranormal genre without making it a focus. Yes she has a few elements here and there, but I wouldn’t really call this a paranormal romance. It’s got enough of the elements that as a person who prefers the paranormal and fantasy genre it catches my interest, but the focus of this novel remains the love story. Everything else is secondary. The only thing that really puts this into the paranormal genre is the breaking of a legendary curse, her having some witchy powers which is more a blip in the novel than a plot point and the dreams she has where she receives messages from her dead twin. I know that sounds like a lot of paranormal romance flashy lights, but if you read the novel I think you’ll find that they really aren’t played up in the way most paranormal romances are. I liked most of the characters and fell they were well fleshed out and while some did come close to perfection they weren’t quite Mr. or Ms. Perfect, having just the right amount of flaws to make you sigh but still believe in them. I loved Emma’s sarcastic wit as well as her insecurities. Many of her comments had me laughing out loud. I thoroughly enjoyed the pop culture references though I do feel her teens more behave like 90s teens than teens from 2011 or at the very least early 2000s. Emma’s favorite band is Blink-182 which I remember listening to as a teen and as much I’d rather it not be, that was a while ago. She has references to characters from The Ring, which was released in 2002. Yes they all have cells and such, however they’re more into things that occurred in the past referencing bands like Slayer then referencing recent popular icons like Justin Beiber. Of course being that I’m not a teen anymore it’s probably just another thing that helped me relate so easily to these characters. I think this book will find a home both with young adult readers and adult romance lovers. It’s skillfully written, extremely engaging and let’s face it the kind of love story that makes sappy people like me sigh. Though I didn’t see any indication on Goodreads that this novel is part of a series I really hope that it will be. No I don’t want to keep repeating dangers for Emma and Brendan like we see in the Ever series of which this novel bears many similarities, however seeing them as secondary characters and delving into more of the awful fairy tales Hadrian’s Medieval Legends and bringing those tragic characters a happy ending much like Emma’s and Brendan’s. I really liked these characters and I would definitely enjoy seeing more of them, though I don’t want to see the same main characters as in this novel because I’d like to think the Emma and Brendan have their happy ending, now it’s time for them to help someone else get one. Overall as you can see from my rare five star rating I loved this novel and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good love story.

This was an absolutely charming book.. no pun intended. I was absolutely drawn in to this story from the start. Although I’ve read a number of stories centred around paranormal romances and the like, I can honestly not say I have read a story centred around witches and magic. And this was refreshingly different!The story centres around Emma, who has had a tough life so far and through a series of events is living with her Aunt and starts attending Vincent Academy, a posh prep school. I really loved her character, she was tough – not afraid to stand up for herself, but at the same time she is fragile.And Brendan. Oh Brendan… doesn’t every girl dream of a guy like him? Pearcing green eyes, he sounds absolutely gorgeous. AND a total gentleman too. There were a few steamy moments in this book that I was disappointed had to end!I really enjoyed the story of their relationship. The initial attraction, Brendan turning cold on her, both of them discovering more about who they were and the story that links them together.And of course the villains in this book are SO well written! Anthony and Kristen are absolutely diabolical… and to think they are this evil and they’re only in high school! I really do enjoy a story with good villains in it though.Overall a highly enjoyable story, with a highly interesting story line, lots of magic and ultimately a romance. Would definitely recommend this story to anyone who loves a good paranormal romance.

If what you are looking for is a good story about the innocence of a first love, pick up SPELLBOUND. Debut Author, Cara Lynn Schultz creates a realistic character in Emma Conner. The seventeen year old has suffered tragic losses within the past two years, and is taken in by her Great Aunt Christine to start a fresh beginning in New York. With her Aunt’s influence, Emma is enrolled in an exclusive co-ed private school, Vincent Academy which is described as something straight out of a Blue Bloods novel. Among making friends like resident-wiccan Angelique, Emma meets Brendan, a tall, gorgeous, and mysteriously evasive. Emma knows, Brendan likes her, even her friends can tell, but he’s keeping her at a distance and she doesn’t know why. She also has these weird dreams, so real it’s almost as if she has lived them in a past life. Emma’s digging into her past uncovers more than she could have dreamed, and because of it she knows there’s no way to get over her feelings for Brendan. SPELLBOUND is a fun read taking the reader into a modern-day fairytale with descriptions of character interactions so clear it’s as if watching them on a TV. I grew quite attached to Emma and Brendan’s relationship, and wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel come of the story. It’s breezy but in a good way. Not hard to fall back into the story again after setting it down.

Spellbound adj. having one's attention held as though one is bound by a spellI struggle with reviews of books that are just plain old good. It’s pretty easy for me to tell you why I adore a book or why I abhor a book, but just telling you it’s a good read is difficult for me.The romance between Emma and Brendan is what held my attention through the pages of Spellbound. I loved the relationship they built/had and I always love romance in a book. If the romance wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have liked Spellbound.The myth and legend is the book is interesting, but at the same time very predictable. I’m horrible at predicting how movies and books will end and who is the bad guy and all that stuff, but I was able to figure out all of these points easily. I also heard myself telling Emma out loud not to do certain things because many things she did was scary movie cliché to me.Spellbound wasn’t a bad book at all, I enjoyed reading it while I was reading it and I read it fairly quick. I think the story as a whole is kind of forgettable and I feel kind of bad for saying that, but that is how I feel. I’ve seen other reviews of those who have loved this book, so I know my thoughts aren’t in the majority.

I will admit that the first thing that drew me into this book was the cover. I mean come on, tell me you don’t see that and want to know what is going on. I was scrolling through NetGalley, saw that image and instantly stopped and had to read the summary for the book. The summary just upped the intrigue for me and I immediately requested it. I tried to wait closer to the release date to read it (since I have a lot of books to read that release before this one) but it just kept calling to me. So I bumped up it in the “to be read” pile and dove in.I immediately loved Emma and her internal as well as external dialogue. She was quick to dish out the clever remarks and her references to awesome music such as Paramore. I also enjoyed her random comments about smells. For example her cousin, Ash, sprays her with perfume and she responds by saying:“Oh, come on, Ash, that smells like a unicorn fart,”I was laughing at loud multiple times at these random comments and was surprised how easily I fell in step with Emma.As for her mystery man, Brendan, he was having the opposite effect on me. He was very hot/cold with Emma in the beginning and it was driving me crazy. I was proud to see her call him out on his obnoxious attitude a couple of times. His behavior is all explained eventually, but warming up to him took a little longer for me.Once the two of them do get together it is an all-consuming love scenario, but this one does have a logically explanation behind it so I did not mind. The dialogue between Emma and Brendan was cute banter and normal teenage stuff for the most part, but when the conversations turned romantic there were a couple of lines in there that were a little over the top for me. It did not take away from the story, but interrupted the pace a little because I was laughing when I probably should have been swooning. Overall though, I enjoyed seeing the two of them together trying to work through their problem and figure out a way to stay together.I am not going to say exactly what the paranormal element is in Spellbound is because it does not come out until later in the book, but we have seen it before in the young adult world. That being said though, I think Cara still puts her own spin on it and I loved the new ideas she brought to this genre. They kept me interested in learning more about Emma and her world and how exactly Brendan fit into it.This book does focus on the romance quite a bit, which I did not mind at all. I normally want my paranormal elements to be more prevalent, but I enjoyed the pacing for this book and the natural build for the relationship between Emma and Brendan. I also loved the heart pounding ending. I was gripping my kindle a little too tightly at the end racing to try and see how everything would turn out. I was not expecting to be that immersed in the ending, but I was completely captivated for the last 100 pages and could not part with the book until I knew the outcome.I have heard this is part of a series, but I know if it did not turn into one I would be perfectly content. The book ends on a good note, there are of course some unanswered questions, but I think it could stand on its own and not necessarily be turned into a series. If there is another book published though, I will definitely be reading it. Spellbound kept me interested from start to finish and even though I have a copy through NetGalley, I will still be going out to buy my own copy!

What a fabulous book! As soon as I started reading this book, I was Spellbound LOL. From the moment I started reading, I was determined to finish and could not put it down. Yes, my husband gave me a hard time because I didn’t go to bed until 3:30, maybe even 4 in the morning.When I first started reading and started to get an idea of where the story was headed, I was a little worried that it would be too similar to a couple other books I have read. But I was wrong! It was completely different! Cara Lynn Shultz kept me entertained from start to finish, perfectly! And I truly love the whole premise of the book.Cara Lynn Shultz also did an amazing job developing each character; I either loved or hated each character, not much in between.The main character’s (Emma’s) personality fits perfectly with the things she lived through in her past. Her emotions and her personality seemed so lifelike that I thought she was a real, living, breathing person I could know. I cannot think of any other author who has been able to pull that off as well! My favorite parts are when her tough side bursts through in the heat of the moment, but at the same time she would be struggling internally to keep her composure. Throughout the book, Emma’s past is brought up slowly throughout, and there were several things that happen to her that were so horrible that I could truly feel her pain, and where my heart actually reached out to her!These are the rest of my favorite characters . . . in the order of how much I loved each one: Ashley is Emma’s little cousin who really looks up to Emma. Ashley has the cutest little teenage personality, and as I sit here and think about her, it makes me smile. Then there’s Brendan! Wow is he HOT! How many times are these authors going to make me fall in love with fictional characters? Last is Angelique. Angelique totally rocks! OH! Wait! I can’t forget Aunt Christine! I loved her too! But then there’s Kristen and Anthony…grrrrr!!! Do I need to say more?The way this book ended was perfect. No cliffhanger here, but I feel the ending is left open enough to create another book and I really hope she does!

Summary: Emma has just moved to the Upper East Side after surviving a terrible car accident. Things don’t start off too well at her new school, but soon Emma encounters Brendan, a sweet, incredibly handsome loner-type, and she can’t get him out of her mind. When Emma discovers that her unnatural pull towards Brendan is the result of a centuries-old curse, she must somehow find a way to stay away from him…or else her life may be in danger. Spellbound initially seems like a typical paranormal romance, but the intricate workings of the curse upon Emma and Brendan really make it stand out. Cara Lynn Shultz takes us back to medieval times with an intriguing story about the origination of the curse, and slowly doles out hints to her two protagonists. The parallels between this story and the current lives of Emma and Brendan are fun to pick out, and the mystery of how the curse might be solved is unpredictable and heart-warming. Emma, the protagonist, isn’t too gifted in the self-confidence department, but her loyalty for loved ones and unwillingness to take crap from mean girls is heartening. Her background story, while a bit dramatic, makes more sense later in the story, and provides evidence that Emma has some crazy resilience. Overall, Emma succeeds as a heroine, and her narration is a joy. More exciting than Emma is Angelique, a “witchy” girl who dresses dramatically and pretends to recite spells during class. Emma quickly befriends the quirky girl, and she steals the show whenever she pops up in a scene. Because Spellbound focuses so much on romance, it wouldn’t do to go without mentioning it. The connection between Emma and Brendan could easily be described as insta-love (something frequent paranormal romance readers have grown tired of), but the background story describing their history makes it feel a little less unrealistic. Plus, the two of them are absolutely adorable together. Sometimes they get a bit too affectionate for my tastes (for example, Brendan’s excessive possessiveness of Emma), but the interactions between the two are still enjoyable. Overall, Spellbound is a fast-paced, fun read that kept me fairly absorbed. Fans of paranormal romance will delight in the forbidden love between Emma and Brendan. And for those not too hot for romance, Spellbound also provides an intriguing curse, a perplexing mystery, and high-tension chase scenes (you heard me--chase scenes!).

I saw this book on netgalley, but I didn’t request it because it didn’t seem like a book that I would really enjoy. Then it kept popping up on people’s blogs, and I started to read a lot of positive reviews about it. I really liked the cover and let’s face it-it’s from Harlequin Teen, so how bad could it really be! Let’s just say I am so happy that I gave Spellbound a chance. From page 1, I was intrigued. I thought the story was original and I really liked the characters. I also had so many laughs out loud moments and I wish I would have wrote down some of the hilarious lines that I read.Emma moves to NYC from PA after her alcoholic stepfather drove drunk and almost killed her. Emma already lost her twin brother, Ethan and her mother and is now living with her Great Aunt in the city. She wants to just be normal and try to forget about the horrible things that have happened. When she meets the popular, hot, and rich boy Brendan she feels an undeniable attraction to him. Brendan and Emma begin to realize that their attraction can not be helped because of a curse put upon their souls hundreds of years ago. This curse also means that Emma is going to die. I could not turn the pages fast enough. I had to know what was going to happen.I found the entire story of the curse very interesting. I thought that Cara Lynn Shultz did a wonderful job explaining it.I loved everything about Emma. She is a tough cookie. She has been through a lot in her short life, but she is still capable of love and is strong. She lets people in, and isn’t afraid to be herself. I would want Emma as my best friend. Brendan was a little hard to figure out at first and it was hard for me to be able to form an opinion about him. Once I did understand him, I loved him. As much as he loves Emma, he was willing to suffer and be without her to save her life. He wasn’t selfish, and he is genuinely a good person. He really is not the bad boy he originally appears to be.The secondary characters were also fleshed out in a wonderful way. I enjoyed Emma’s Cousin, Ashley, who was adorable. Emma also meets Cisco and Angelique, who play a huge part in the story. Even her dead brother Ethan plays a much larger role then I would have thought!Overall, Spellbound was a fast-paced enjoyable story. I loved the ending and I am looking forward to reading more from Shultz.