Cara Lynn Shultz

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.… (mehr)

So, I know I'm way behind the crowd in just reading this book, but I absolutely loved it anyway! I didn't have a chance to read the first book in the series, but that wasn't a problem at all since they referred to the events from before often enough that I was able to follow along.

Soul mates Emma and Brendan have already fought a curse to be together, but they don't really get a chance to rest on their laurels before their next crisis happens. This time they are fighting an unknown but very powerful dark witch who is literally out for Emma's blood.

I was drawn into this story very quickly, and didn't want to stop reading it once I started. The love story was written perfectly and the action just didn't stop!

I'm really glad I finally read this book and give it an enthusiastic 5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.… (mehr)

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.… (mehr)