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A review by luluwoohoo
Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens
☀️☀️☀️🌥️
A fun and easy to read contemporary fantasy that is a good step forward for the author but still lacks in a few departments.
This is my favourite Lukens story so far. I found the tone much more consistent and relatable for the plot, with some humour throughout that didn't overpower the general vibe. The worldbuilding and magic system are a little too simple for my taste, with several obvious opportunities to flesh them out brushed over, but I didn't spot any significant holes there. We are encouraged to stretch the plausibility of their ability to outsmart the bad guys, and Rook's so-called 'genius' status, which is never ever displayed in any tangible way, both of which work against the realism of the story.
The relationship between Rook and Sun is nice and well paced for this type of genre, albeit very simple and predictable. The development of Antonia was also decent, but never giving us the full backstory of her previous apprentice did leave her feeling a bit two dimensional and therefore her connection with Rook sometimes felt forced.
This was a quick and enjoyable read that is Lukens' strongest book yet, but as someone who loves interesting magic systems and worldbuilding I can't bring myself to rate this much higher.
☀️☀️☀️🌥️
A fun and easy to read contemporary fantasy that is a good step forward for the author but still lacks in a few departments.
This is my favourite Lukens story so far. I found the tone much more consistent and relatable for the plot, with some humour throughout that didn't overpower the general vibe. The worldbuilding and magic system are a little too simple for my taste, with several obvious opportunities to flesh them out brushed over, but I didn't spot any significant holes there. We are encouraged to stretch the plausibility of their ability to outsmart the bad guys, and Rook's so-called 'genius' status, which is never ever displayed in any tangible way, both of which work against the realism of the story.
The relationship between Rook and Sun is nice and well paced for this type of genre, albeit very simple and predictable. The development of Antonia was also decent, but never giving us the full backstory of her previous apprentice did leave her feeling a bit two dimensional and therefore her connection with Rook sometimes felt forced.
This was a quick and enjoyable read that is Lukens' strongest book yet, but as someone who loves interesting magic systems and worldbuilding I can't bring myself to rate this much higher.
"Sometimes a family was a mischievous magical boss, her magical rival turned friend, a magical girl who used to be a babysitter and now was like an older sister, and the person you didn't understand in the beginning but liked so much now. And sometimes it was arguments and sometimes it was hugs and sometimes it was banding together to fight a morally corrupt government body and sometimes it was just existing in the same space together as friends."