Cara Lynn Shultz’s ‘Spellcaster’ is a disappointment

“Spellcaster,” by Cara Lynn Shultz, Harlequin Teen, March 27, 2012, paperback, $9.99 (young adult)

A year ago I reviewed a book titled “Spellbound,” by Cara Lynn Shultz. At the time, I had a favorable view of the book writing:

“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.

For those reasons, I found myself looking forward to Cara’s follow-up novel, “Spellcaster.” Unfortunately, after reading it, my feelings have changed.

“Spellcaster” begins with Emma Connor returning, or at least trying to return, to her normal life. The curse that forced Emma and Brendan Salinger to relive a doomed love affair has been broken, and the two feel like they can take a sigh of relief. But everywhere Emma goes people are talking about her, talking about how impossible it is that a nobody like her could end up with a super hot, super wealthy guy like Brandon.

Emma’s trying to cope. She’s learning self-defense and figuring out her skills as a witch, which is pretty awesome. Things are about to change, though, and not for the better. Something dark is lurking in the wings, ready to pounce when the opportunity arises. If they’re not careful, Emma and Brendan will be split apart, despite all their attempts to stay together.

In “Spellcaster,” Cara again does a fine job recapturing her characters’ teenage voices and angst. However, the story is lacking. While her previous book had a story within a story aspect that not only drew in the reader but also moved the story forward, “Spellcaster” does not. I found myself growing tired of the drama and ultimately of the characters, too. There were numerous times I felt like putting down the book, and I kept reading in hopes that it would get better, which it did, but only mildly. I was really hoping for some growth in Cara’s writing and in her characters, but that just didn’t happen.