Years ago, closer to when it was released, I was entertained by the first book in this duology, however, readers change, and recently when I revisted Spellbound, it was no longer a good fit for me, and unfortunately, I liked this sequel even less. These books would probably be best enjoyed by someone in a Twilight kind of mood, and that just isn’t me at the moment.

This felt too lengthy. Focusing solely on someone’s desire for power and revenge on Emma and Brendan became tiresome, and so much of the book is spent talking about what was going to be done or recapping stuff the reader already knew or telling us something happened rather than taking us there to see it unfold. It really wasn’t until past the half way point where it felt like there was enough going on. This could have used a secondary story to pick up some of the slack pacing, like maybe Emma pursuing a passion for something that conflicts with being a newfound witch and/or being with Brendan.

Brendan’s behaviour, the hair-trigger temper, the desire to solve every dispute with his fists, that just isn’t appealing to me at this point, so I spent much of my time not particularly enjoying the guy the reader is supposed to swoon over. I’m also not a fan of how pretty much every girl who crosses his path (except Angelique which is maybe why she’s the one character I still mostly like) is willing to throw their dignity out the window and even commit crimes to get with this guy even though he’s only ever treated one girl with any semblance of decency. There was intriguing potential in having Brendan’s past treatment of girls come back to haunt him, except Emma lets him off the hook super easily about it and the blowback is more on Emma than on him anyway, so it wasn’t as satisfying as it could have been had he bore the brunt of it.

There’s more witchiness in this book than in the first, and that contributes some of the most interesting, morally grey moments that take place at school, however, I tend to prefer it when a character struggles to get a handle on their power more than Emma does here, and I didn’t love when characters do discover she’s a witch, they swallow the news with relative ease. I can’t help feeling like the revelation that witches exist would involve more denial, shock, and need for proof, and probably even cause some to keep their distance for a time, but here nobody skips a beat, even someone threatened by magic goes right back to their old misdeeds, needing to be reminded that oh, yeah, this person could hurt you.

The one thing I truly did like here is that Emma isn’t the damsel in distress who Brendan’s constantly saving, it’s on her to step up and be her own hero. ( )

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. ( )

When I saw this in NetGalley (along with Goddess Interrupted), I may have squeed. It's possible. Anyway, I read the first book, Spellbound, late last year. I totally didn't expect to like it; I mean, the soul mate plot line is so overdone. However, Cara Lynn Shultz proved to me that it can still be done well!

Reading Spellcaster after Goddess Interrupted definitely created an interesting juxtaposition. In the latter, Kate constantly whines about not being told anything and has to be protected; I don't think she'll be that way in book three, but in this one, oy. Anyway, Emma definitely does not do that. I mean, she cries sometimes and does like that Brendan's protective, but she also fights and hard for herself, her friends and her love. She doesn't just complain; she gets things done.

Even the soul mate thing could be really disgusting, like it is in a lot of YA books, Shultz deals with it gracefully. I actually like Emma and Brendan, and their relationship. In spite of the soul mate thing, they do have issues. Plus, I like that they're not rushing into everything. Even thought they've been through so much at the beginning of this book, they still haven't had sex, because Emma's not ready yet. I love that Shultz is showing that every relationship is different and that, no matter how in love two people are, that doesn't mean they're ready for that step. It's such a good, non-preachy message.

Much as I do like the characters, what really makes Shultz's books shine, though, is her fresh, funny voice. I laughed so many times during this book. Pretty much every quote I marked as I read through was one that made me giggle or snicker, as did the one I finally selected as my favorite. (Gotta love a heroine who knows her grammar!) The characters banter like real friends do, and I love it so much. Plus, Shultz's humor keeps the whole soul mate thing from being too serious, because even Emma and Brendan know it's kind of ridiculous, just like life.

Spellbound is an incredibly clever, humorous series. If you're looking for some fun YA books, look no further. ( )

Had a hard(ish) time getting through Spellbound...it felt formulaic and it felt very much like Twilight, despite the different setting and paranormal element. I like Twilight, but I also like to read different books and I want strong female protagonists. Spellcaster just didn't hold my interest. DNF. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: An unnecessary sequel that improves in a few ways on the first book — more action, tension, and romance than in Spellbound.

Opening Sentence: “They’re not looking at you.”

The Review:

For those of you who thought Spellbound was a stand-alone, you aren’t wrong. This story picks up four months after the end of the first book and is very different. There’s no carry over, no “oh you thought you were free but really…”, it’s a new plot. Frankly, I wish that Shultz had left our couple alone and started a new series. Brendan and Emma deserve a break! In Spellcaster we have an unknown enemy who uses Brendan and Emma’s fears against them. Emma steps up her spell-learning lessons, which means we get to see more magic, but their enemy is still ahead of them and ready to destroy them.

Brendan and Emma’s storyline is solid. I was so, so glad Shultz added drama from outside of the relationship instead of trying to make them break up with each other via doubts and internal drama. Jealousy is overwhelming as girls who wanted Brendan hate on Emma for being with him. It was all very Mean Girls-meets-Gossip Girls and could’ve been toned down. We know they’re jealous, but I didn’t want to hear about it every few pages. What their relationship has in this novel that wasn’t in the prequel is the feeling of “We had no choice in this.” Yes, they’re reincarnated lovers who have just broken free of a cycle of tragedy — but I don’t want to feel like Brendan is stuck with Emma or vice versa. Which I did at more than one point.

Backstory is also dropped in every few pages. As in, you really, really don’t have to read book one, because Shultz tells you absolutely everything that happened in this installment. I could’ve done without having the whole thing rewritten in this book. Another writing point that really bothered me was the split POVs in Spellcaster. Spellbound didn’t split POVs — it was all Emma all the time — but this book did because Emma finds herself in situations where she can’t tell us what’s going on. We switch over to Angelique at random points, which felt like a cop out.

The tension in Spellcaster is much, much better than in Spellbound. Even though the stakes aren’t as high as they were in book one, Shultz does a much better job of bringing the story together. She also makes Emma into a stronger heroine — putting her right in the thick of things instead of relegating her to the sidelines. Part of this is that her magic helps her defend herself, and part of it is what’s going on with Brendan in this book. The villain is supposed to be a secret, but frankly the character screams “antagonist!” and that aspect of the plot doesn’t begin until halfway through the book. Unless you were a die-hard-must-have-more Brendan and Emma fan in Spellbound I say leave the characters in their happy place and skip this book.

Notable Scene:

“Let me put it this way. It’s all related,” Angelique explained. “Your attack. My feeling of dread. How tonight, I couldn’t feel certain things, as if there were holes in what I was sensing. And now, Ashley being sick. It’s all related.”

“And it’s all my fault,” Brendan added.

“You were just trying to push me out of the way,” I said, taking his hand and he ran his fingers over the Claddagh ring he gave me.

“No, he has a point,” Angelique said ruefully. “The blame does, essentially, go back to Brendan.” I twisted my head to look at him and he nodded, shutting his eyes. And that’s when I noticed that his black lashes were a little damp.

FTC Advisory: Harlequin Teen provided me with a copy of Spellcaster. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )