Living Fictitiously: Cara Lynn Shultz

Thursday, March 1, 2012

EARLY REVIEW: SPELLCASTER (SPELLBOUND #2) by Cara Lynn Shultz

Spellcaster (Spellbound book 2)

Author: Cara Lynn Shultz

Publisher: Harlequin

Imprint: HarlequinTEEN

Publication Date: March 27, 2012

Source: Netgalley

Finding your eternal soulmate - easy.

Stopping a true-love-hungry evil - not so much…

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 sixteen-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 and Brendan's deepest fears to reveal damaging secrets and destroy their trust in each other. And Emma's crash course in über-spells may not be enough to keep them safe…or to stop an inhuman force bent on making their unsuspected power its own.

Review:

This is a great sequel! For starters, Emma’s strength really shows and develops, and she becomes such a strong female character that I almost have to put her up on a little pedestal. Sure, she has her flaws and insecurities, but they just make her that much more real. That being said, Brendan finally has to get over his hero complex. Not that it’s a bad thing, but he’s forced to acknowledge and give in to Emma’s strong and valiant nature. Her protectiveness. And that protectiveness kicks in when Brendan’s past comes back to bite them both in the butt. There were little hints given in Spellbound that really flourish and develop into serious, and again life threatening, issues for the soul mates.

One thing I really liked about Spellcaster was that it was darker than Spellbound. While Anthony’s motivations were hateful and vengeful in Spellbound, the intentions of the new threat are truly evil, and this time, the evil has magic on its side. The dark magic and intensely vengeful witch is one thing Brendan can’t protect Emma from. She has to protect herself. She has to find the strength and power within herself to protect them both. And her witchy powers are finally developing. There’s a lot of spell casting (hence the title), and some interesting results. And since the evil witch has help from someone inside Vince A, Emma needs all the help she can get. With possession, dark magic, evil curses, and knife wielding attackers, the stakes are higher than ever.

As much as I love Brendan and Emma, my favorite character by far is Angelique. And I got a VERY happy surprise in Spellcaster. Two, yep two, sections from Angelique’s POV! This had me very excited, because her personality is so different from Emma’s, and I loved seeing her reaction toward Brendan first hand. The relationship between the two is so interesting, and the scenes that involved just the two of them were intense and revealing. It was definitely one of my favorite, if not the favorite, parts of Spellcaster.

So, overall, an excellent read! If you haven’t read Spellbound yet, you can read my review and find buy links HERE to get ready for Spellcaster’s release on March 27^th.

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Monday, February 20, 2012

REVIEW: SPELLBOUND by Cara Lynn Shultz

Spellbound (Spellbound #1)

Author: Cara Lynn Shultz
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: HarlequinTEEN
Released: June 23, 2011
Format: Paperback

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 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 a great read! Actually, I just re-read it. Yep, I had already read SPELLBOUND last year but hadn't written a review since I wasn't blogging at the time. And it was just as good the 2nd time around! With an ancient curse and an epic love between soul mates, this book really kept me interested and hanging on every word waiting to find out how everything would turn out.

It's somewhat of a Cinderella story, but this Cinderella is dealing with more than just a mean old stepmother and snotty step sisters. Emma's background is pretty depressing. Between losing her brother and mother, and being abused by her drunkard step father, she really had it rough. But I love her because she doesn't let it get her down. She stands up for herself and what she wants, and she doesn't back down. She is physically and emotionally tough and never feels sorry for herself. Not even when she finds out that her crush on Vince A's most eligible prince is hazardous for her health. Meaning, it could kill her, again! The witchcraft, reincarnation, and curse are all well developed and interesting, and I found myself quickly rooting for Emma and Brendan and their doomed romance.

Another thing I loved about SPELLBOUND was the minor characters. There are a few that really intrigued me, and I really hope to find out more about them in the future. The first is Emma's brother Ethan, who plays an important role in the story even though he is already dead. Also, Aunt Christine. I wonder if you she's a little more in tuned to everything than she seems to be. And most importantly, Emma's witchy best friend Angelique. She's such an interesting character, and I really hope to see more of her in the next book.