Title: Spellcaster
Author: Cara Lynn Shultz
Series: Spellbound (Book 2)
Genre: Magical, Paranormal, Romance Teen and Young Adult
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Mira Ink
Date of Publication: 1st of February 2013
Author: Cara Lynn Shultz
Series: Spellbound (Book 2)
Genre: Magical, Paranormal, Romance Teen and Young Adult
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Mira Ink
Date of Publication: 1st of February 2013
***WARNING THIS POST MAY CONTAIN UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS***
Synopsis
After breaking a centuries-old romantic curse, Emma Connor is (almost) glad to get back to normal problems. Although
it's not easy dealing with the jealous cliques and gossip that rule her exclusive Upper East Side prep, even for a seventeen-year-old newbie witch. Having the most-wanted boy in school as her eternal soul mate sure helps ease the pain—especially since wealthy, rocker-hot Brendan Salinger is very good at staying irresistibly close
.But something dark and hungry is using Emma's and Brendan's deepest fears to reveal damaging secrets and destroy their trust in each other. And Emma's crash course in überspells may not be enough to keep them safe
or to stop an inhuman force bent on making their unsuspected power its own.
Review
Spellcaster was the sequel to the sweet contemporary fairytale Spellbound and it was a tough act to follow.
Spellbound was like an old-fashioned tale that had been extended and transplanted into contemporary times. It held magic, a curse, love and danger and it was the perfect read for a overgrown child, such as myself, looking for an inked disney fairytale upgraded to our reality and with a dash more suspense.
Following in Spellbound's footsteps, I was very glad to be reacquainted with the romance and tenderness shared by Emma and Brendan, and to see how their relationship grew and evolved as time passed and new obstacles presented themselves.
In this respect there was an obvious change from Spellbound and development in the relationship of the characters to each other and to the world surrounding them.
However in all truthfulness I cannot say I felt quite the same about the remainder of the storyline and the characters themselves as individuals. As a sequel I didn't feel it added much to either. I was eager to read Spellcaster as I very much enjoyed Spellbound and was expecting a new tale full of adventure, magic and love that would bring further growth and understanding to the characters. Unfortunately I did not see much of this. I will admit though that this could very well be due to the fact that I enjoyed Spellbound so much as it was that, I didn't really feel like anything needed further development.
That said I did enjoy how Emma tested and gained confidence in her new found magical talents and witchy side leading to the more complete acceptance of who she is, what her gifts mean and, more importantly, the responsibility they entail.
Despite this Cara Lynn Shultz's narrative style and pacing did not change or falter from her previous work and I enjoyed how it calmly but steadily took me through Emma and Brendan's new adventure. She is yet another author who's work I shall continue to follow.
Overall Spellcaster was perhaps not necessarily a required sequel to complete Emma and Brendan's story, but it was a nice read all the same. And being the soppy saddo romantic that I am I will, blushingly, admit that I was very happy to catch a few more tenderly sweet moments and some slightly more sizzling ones :p
Spellbound was like an old-fashioned tale that had been extended and transplanted into contemporary times. It held magic, a curse, love and danger and it was the perfect read for a overgrown child, such as myself, looking for an inked disney fairytale upgraded to our reality and with a dash more suspense.
Following in Spellbound's footsteps, I was very glad to be reacquainted with the romance and tenderness shared by Emma and Brendan, and to see how their relationship grew and evolved as time passed and new obstacles presented themselves.
In this respect there was an obvious change from Spellbound and development in the relationship of the characters to each other and to the world surrounding them.
However in all truthfulness I cannot say I felt quite the same about the remainder of the storyline and the characters themselves as individuals. As a sequel I didn't feel it added much to either. I was eager to read Spellcaster as I very much enjoyed Spellbound and was expecting a new tale full of adventure, magic and love that would bring further growth and understanding to the characters. Unfortunately I did not see much of this. I will admit though that this could very well be due to the fact that I enjoyed Spellbound so much as it was that, I didn't really feel like anything needed further development.
That said I did enjoy how Emma tested and gained confidence in her new found magical talents and witchy side leading to the more complete acceptance of who she is, what her gifts mean and, more importantly, the responsibility they entail.
Despite this Cara Lynn Shultz's narrative style and pacing did not change or falter from her previous work and I enjoyed how it calmly but steadily took me through Emma and Brendan's new adventure. She is yet another author who's work I shall continue to follow.
Overall Spellcaster was perhaps not necessarily a required sequel to complete Emma and Brendan's story, but it was a nice read all the same. And being the soppy saddo romantic that I am I will, blushingly, admit that I was very happy to catch a few more tenderly sweet moments and some slightly more sizzling ones :p
If you liked this: and would like to remain in a witchy theme then I would recommend trying Ruth Warburton's sweet "A Witch in Winter". If on the other hand you'd like some more fairytale like stories then you may want to try Beastly by Alex Flinn, Ella Enchanted by Gail C. Levine and The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth F. Long. I would also like to recommend Finding Sky by Joss Stirling and The Goddess Test series (now completed and finished you'll be happy to know) by Aimee Carter. Although these are paranormal romance they are very sweet and tender and I do believe you would enjoy them if that's what you are looking for and if you've enjoyed my other recommendations.
A big thank you to the lovely people at Mira Ink for sending me a copy of Spellcaster to review.