Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz, ARC review

[Snaha o publikování číslo 2]

Pro jednou trocha cizího jazyka, protože předběžnou kopii téhle knihy mi poskytlo na recenzi vydavatelství Harlequin Teen. Pokud by vás tedy zajímalo, jestli kniha stojí za to, nemusíte se bát nějakých složitých větných konstrukcí - maximálně nějakých legračních kiksů :)

V originále kniha vychází 28 června.

Title: Spellbound

Author: Cara Lynn Shultz

Expected publication: June 28th 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

~ Teenage life

I can´t really say that Spellbound put me under spell, but at the beginning it was pretty close. I love books set in today´s New York – Spellbound was deliciously urban: kids are hanging out at bars, using fake IDs, drinking, partying next to the Met (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) wrapped up with some extra witch stuff: spells, prophecies and amulets... It was new, it was fresh and – most importantly it was fun. Great debut novel of an author capable of capturing teenage life and language. Emma´s inner monologues and comments made me love her in more than one way.

Thanks for letting me borrow this. Here´s your stupid sweatshirt, you moron. I totally wish I´d spilled nail polish on this. By the way, do you have an evil twin?

~ Scars for life

Emma is likeable, clever and easy to relate to. She just wants to be one of the crowd, not to stand out in any way but she can´t help but step in when her beloved are concerned. She´s the girl next door, really - loving music, failing Latin, crushing on the most gorgeous guy in school who seems to be ignoring her after one brief sparks-flying moment. But at the same time she´s still bearing the physical scars left by her drunken step-father´s driving and the psychical ones - caused by the deaths of her beloved mother and brother.

“So, like, did your family, like, throw you out?” she sneered, punctuating it with another toss of her white-streaked hair and srossing her red-soled shoes. Of course she wore Christian Louboutin heels. My cheeks got hot.
“So, like, do you have some kind of OCD that makes you toss your hair all the time?” I mimicked her.

~ Girl meets boy

His name is Brendan Salinger, he´s unbelievably rich in having-his-own-floor-in-thier-mansion kind of way. He´s always fighting, looking like he has just rolled out of bed... He even got suspended from the basketball team. He´s trouble. But there is a curse – an old medieval legend about two star-crossed lovers, reincarnating only to be separated again, and Emma can´t stay away in spite of all the signs – bursting street lamps and terrifying dreams warning her to do the only right thing. And Brandon might be the knight in the shining armour after all. Belveder Castle in Central Park is the witness of some pretty heart-fluttering scenes.

It´s not safe with him. Can you stay away?
I knew the answer.
No, I could not.

~ Upper East Side witches

As much as I loved first half of the book, the second - though not bad – was “just OK” in an average sort of way. Such a waste! I didn´t really buy the witchcraft represented by an old pendant and candles blowing in the wind – nothing really new and original. The witches here are the modern stereotype set by girls wearing black, too much eye-liner and carrying around old-looking spell books. Also we all know the high school routine of mean prom queens with flat character trying to make the life of the main heroine hell on earth so I can´t give any point for originality here.

She looked surprised that I approached her before regarding me with serious, red-eyeliner-rimmed ble-gray eyes. “Your energy works for me,” she said, raising her hand, her black-painted index fingernail extended as if she were trying to stir the air.

~ In comparison
I don´t make a habit of comparing books to other books - I´ve seen Spellbound being compared to Twilight and I have to say that I don´t really see any similiraties. If something, it reminds me of The Body Finder - not only because Emma and Violet share the same interest in jogging but because of the high school setting, the way main characters interact and the way plot continues.

~ To sum up

Spellbound is well written and very sweet high school romance tinged with witchcraft and doomed soul mates theme. Dramatic ending and actual playlist (which I listened during writing this review and I can´t stop listening still) included.

GOODREADS REVIEW

 

~Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Teen for providing me an Advance Reading Copy. 

Much appreciated ~

[Credits: excerpts from the book, Images: Belvedere Castle at Night by JoeJosephs , Spell by *lauren-rabbit]