Book of the Week: Spellbound

What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death? Indeed. This is the quandry that faces teenager Emma Conner as she starts over at a posh NYC boarding school. Emma's had a hard time of it and moving in with her wealthy aunt seems like a fresh start, even if she finds herself having to navigate the jungle that is Vincent Academy.

Emma seems on track for starting over until she lays eyes on Brendan Salinger, a wonderfully written teen heartthrob hero in my opinion. Brendan is dark, noble, mysterious, and, well, plain hot. Not surprisingly Emma finds she can't resist him, perhaps a bit more surprising is the fact that Brendan seems interested in Emma. At first. Then he starts running hot and cold--the forte of teen boys everywhere.

While all this normal teen stuff is going on Emma is also dealing with other troubling events--like weird dreams and street lamps exploding above her head. These supernatural events and a mysterious locket eventually send Emma and her friend Angelique on a search for their truth, one that directly impacts Emma's would-be relationship with Brendan.

Sure, Spellbound's subject matter isn't exactly new. Past lives, fated lovers, we've seen it all before, but Cara Lynn Shultz's writing was snappy and entertaining. Plus I found both Emma and Brendan rather enjoyable. A nice, light read if you like a little bit of supernatural (no vampires or werewolves, mind you) in your romance.