Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Spell Bound
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: Disney/Hyperion
Release Date: March 13, 2012
Pages: 327 pages (hardcover)
How I Got the Book: Received it in a swap with another blogger
Purchase: Amazon; Barnes & Noble; Book Depository

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

Review:

Normally, I prattle on about novels for multiple paragraphs, get wordy with it, and expand on exactly why I didn't like a certain quality of a novel. Whether it has to do with Spell Bound as a book or the painful health problems I was experiencing the day I read it, I can't find it in myself to write my usual lengthy review when I know how to narrow it down into bullet points that can say just as much. I've been procrastinating on writing this, but it's got to be done.

Liked:

• Jenna and Sophie's friendship. Their easy interactions and faith in one another come together to form one of my favorite friendships in YA.
• Acknowledgement that it's not necessarily black and white; the antagonists genuinely believe they are doing what is best. They don't see themselves as the villains.
• Mrs. Casnoff and what ends up happening with her.
• The introduction of the Brannicks in person. Izzy is adorable (if one-dimensional)!
• Spell Bound reads well and there weren't any major narrative stumbles.

Didn't Like:

• The way Cal is treated and the eventual resolution involving him.
• The love triangle with Archer, Sophie, and Cal.
• Did I get more mature or did Sophie and co. get less funny? Maybe some of both.
• Spell Bound felt too rushed. Needed to slow down and get a little deeper.
• Big Events/Big Revelations are quickly brushed off. See above bullet point.
• The ending was a little too sweet considering what happened.
• The hint of something involving Izzy and Torin. He's a warlock who is five or six centuries old by this point; she is a fourteen-year-old girl. Skeeve Senses are tingling.

-sigh- I'm just so disappointed. My unusual bulletpoint review was brought on by pain and painful disappointment. Here's to hoping I'll never have to write this sort of review again. I like my babbling, after all; expanding on things and helping people see them the way I do is fun. I've heard Hawkins is penning a spin-off (I'm betting it will star Izzy, but who really knows at this point except for Hawkins and co.) and I'm not sure I will be picking it up.

3 stars!

What am I reading next?: The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman