www.crackingthecover.com
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • Home
    • Picture
      • Ages 0-3
      • Ages 2 and up
      • Ages 3 and up
      • Ages 4 and up
      • Ages 5 and up
      • Ages 6 and up
      • Ages 8 and up
      • Author Interviews
      • Bedtime Stories
      • Gift Guide
    • Middle Grade
      • Author Interviews
      • Ages 6 and up
      • Ages 7 and up
      • Ages 8-12
      • Ages 9-12
      • Ages 10 and up
      • Gift Guide
    • YA
      • Author Interviews
      • Reviews
      • Adult Crossover
      • Gift Guide
    • Seasonal
      • Back to School
      • Christmas
      • Earth Day
      • Easter
      • Fall
      • Father’s Day
      • Mother’s Day
      • Gift Guide
      • Halloween
      • Spring
      • Valentine’s Day
      • Winter
    • Diversity
      • AAPI Heritage
      • Autism Month
      • Black History
      • Chinese New Year
      • Pride Month
      • Women’s History
    • Crossover
    • About
      • Review/interview policy
      • About our reviewers
    www.crackingthecover.com

    Cara Lynn Shultz’s ‘Spellbound’ is spellbinding

    0
    By Jessica on July 7, 2011 YA review, young adult

    “SPELLBOUND,” by Cara Lynn Shultz, Harlequin, June 21, 2011, $9.99 (young adult)

    Sometimes what a person needs is a chance to start over, to get away from their past and get a fresh start.

    And a fresh start is just what Emma Conner could use. Life hasn’t been easy for the 16-year-old. She’s lost both her brother and mother, and her stepfather isn’t what you’d call a caring guardian. So Emma has decided to move in with her aunt in New York, hoping for a quiet, uneventful existence.

    But the move to New York can’t keep Emma out of school. She has to finish that no matter where she lives, and living on the Upper East Side means attending an exclusive prep school.

    At least Emma has her younger cousin to show her the ropes. If only everyone was a nice. Emma can’t even make it halfway through her first day before she finds herself with an enemy. She also finds herself inexplicably drawn to a fellow student — Brendan Salinger, the richest kid in school who may also be the hottest.

    There’s no doubt that Brendan is paying Emma some extra attention, but his mood toward Emma seems to change as frequently as music on the radio. That doesn’t thwart Emma’s interest, though. Strange things have been happening since the first time they met — exploding streetlamps, nightmares and visions of herself in past lives. Someone or something is trying to warn Emma, if only she can decide about what.

    “Spellbound” is spellbinding, catching the reader’s attention from the beginning. There’s nothing high-literature about it, but that’s OK. “Spellbound” is an engrossing read throughout. The characters are, for the most part, predictable, but they are fleshed out well, as is the plot.

    Author Cara Lynn Shultz does a fine job setting each scene and she captures both teenage voice and angst well. The action in her final scenes feels a bit rushed, but it does seem in keeping with her driving pace. Of particular note is Cara’s use of a story within a story, which some will feel carries greater appeal than the larger story as a whole.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Jessica
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    Jessica Harrison is the main reviewer behind Cracking the Cover. Prior to creating Cracking the Cover, Jessica worked as the in-house book critic for the Deseret News, a daily newspaper in Salt Lake City. Jessica also worked as a copy editor and general features writer for the paper. Following that, Jessica spent two years with an international company as a social media specialist. She is currently a freelance writer/editor. She is passionate about reading and giving people the tools to make informed decisions in their own book choices.

    Related Posts

    Return to Alyson Noël’s time-traveling adventures in Ruling Destiny

    M Hendrix’s The Chaperone is haunting dystopian YA

    Ruchira Gupta’s I Kick and I Fly is must-read YA

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    • facebook
    • twitter
    • instagram
    • goodreads
    • amazon
    • bloglovin
    • mail
    Subscribe by email
    Follow
    Recent Posts
    June 2, 2023

    ICYMI: Books offer Middle-grade magic for summer reading

    June 1, 2023

    Return to Alyson Noël’s time-traveling adventures in Ruling Destiny

    June 1, 2023

    Mini Review: Hello Hummingbirds is adorable board book

    May 31, 2023

    Sara Shepard’s Penny Draws a Best Friend is authentic read

    May 30, 2023

    Excellent Land of Broken Promises explores immigrant experience

    Archives
    Categories
    On Writing

    “The dance with words and the way the hair on the back of my neck raises when it works right is what I live for.”

    —Gary Paulsen

    “I write because I exist. Because I read. Because I breathe.”

    —Lindsay Eager

    “Books are kind of like the sense of smell: inhale one page and memories come rushing back.”

    —Keir Graff

    Cracking the Cover is a website dedicated to picture, middle-grade and young adult books. It features reviews, author interviews and other book news. PLEASE NOTE: We are not currently accepting self published books for review.

    Copyright © 2010-2022 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.

    Reviews Published Professional Reader 2016 NetGalley Challenge 100 Book Reviews

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.