The Best Reader + TIME

Spellbound — Cara Lynn Shultz

"There was a moment at the end where the breathe in me caught in my throat and I literally had to gasp out loud. My heart raced and my adrenaline roared. It was the quickest 100 pages of my life." — Miss Remmers

Release Date: June 28th, 2011 (TOMORROW)
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Challenges: iChallenge, 100+ Reading Challenge, eBook Challenge, DAC 2011

"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."
While it wasn't what I expected, "Spellbound" was a novel that I enjoyed. I thought the pacing was right and I connected with the characters. I went into this novel expecting more of a "witch" book but instead found a "reincarnation" book. By the description I knew there was some kind of past life thing going on, but I didn't think it would be the entire book — which it basically was. There was very little witchcraft or "witchiness" going on until the very end.
Random Tangent — I really thought there was a reason Angelique all of a sudden and a week-long flu.
Back on track: I always base my thoughts on a book in direct correlation to how "addicted" I was to it. I wasn't addicted to "Spellbound" until the last 100 pages. I enjoyed it, but I was able to put it down and not think about it for a few days. However, last night D and I were watching some random television show and I was only going to read 50 pages and be done and go to bed (Summer School in the morning). But I couldn't stop myself from "flipping pages" (in reality — clicking the button on my Nook). There was a moment at the end (no spoiler) where the breathe in me caught in my throat and I literally had to gasp out loud. My heart raced and my adrenaline roared. It was the quickest 100 pages of my life (well, so far this summer). I thought the ending was played out very well and timed perfectly. Despite it only taking a few pages, the ending didn't seem too quickly paced.
While I had "luke-warm" feelings in the beginning, by the end of this book you'd have thought my body was in boiling water. Okay, that was absolutely a horrific metaphor. Without the metaphorically challenged insinuations: if you can read a couple hundred of pages with a mild like for characters and plot, "Spellbound" is definitely worth it in the end!
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To the FTC, with love: eGalley received from NetGalley

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Spellbound — Cara Lynn Shultz + TIME