Spell Bound follows 16-year-old Rook, who, after the death of his grandmother, was ousted from the magical community because he seemingly doesn’t possess any magic of his own. Refusing to lose his connection though, Rook created a ley line detector and marches straight into the office of the most powerful magic wielder of his time to ask for a job.
Antonia, while scary, can’t help but warm up to Rook pretty quickly. When Rook meets Sun, the apprentice of another local sorceress, the both of them can’t seem to stay away from each other, despite their frenemies situation. After all, Sun is a stickler for the rules, just as their sorceress teacher is. Whereas Antonia…has a long, difficult history with magic, apprentices and the community of her own and what starts as a fun way to defy the powers that be might just end up with all of them paying the ultimate price.
F.T. Lukens just knows how to pack a punch. Spell Bound has so many great components. There’s adventure and escapes, mutinous curtains and an unexpectedly cuddly cat.
One of the best parts of Spell Bound (and really, any F.T. Lukens book) is the worldbuilding. The magic system is pretty complex but Lukens manages to make it all easily digestible while showing the strengths and advantages of everyone and their individual magic.
I also loved the dynamic of the characters and how it mirrored society at large. Rook is being kept out of the community simply because he is believed to have no magic but Antonia sees something in him that reminds her of herself at a younger age, the underdog fighting to belong. Antonia, meanwhile, is struggling with the thumb she’s been kept under ever since something happened with her previous apprentice. It’s clear that Antonia is an incredible powerful sorceress and her breaking the rules is as daunting and ultimately thrilling as you’d expect.
There were also subtle hints at gatekeeping and especially with the magical overlords who hold strong to their traditions (read: backward ways that need to be eradicated already) and don’t want to see how things are changing, you can’t help but think of today’s society. I absolutely loved how nuanced this discussion was and how we had queer, neurodivergent characters who challenged the system and turned the world upside down – really, you can’t root enough for these characters.
And of course, we have the fun grumpy/sunshine dynamic between Sun and Rook that made this book even better. I absolutely adored Rook’s sunny disposition and his passion for magic. And I loved Sun who has so much going on in their head and takes a while to warm up to Rook but once they do, you can just tell they’d go to the ends of the earth for him.
On top of that you have people reluctantly teaming up to save the people they care about, the concept of finding a home when yours has been taken from you and the dangers of being different than the norm, which made for an intoxicating, action-packed and fast-paced story. All I can say is, if you need a break from reality, then this book is for you.
Following two rival apprentices that just can’t stay away from each other, Spell Bound is a magical tale filled with fun transformations, grumpy/sunshine vibes, intriguing conversations around what it means to be lost and lonely but inevitably found and a sweet hint of romance that will tug at your heartstrings.
Spell Bound is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up Spell Bound? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Two rival apprentice sorcerers must team up to save their teachers and protect their own magic in this lively young adult romantic adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of In Deeper Waters and So This Is Ever After.
Edison Rooker isn’t sure what to expect when he enters the office of Antonia Hex, the powerful sorceress who runs a call center for magical emergencies. He doesn’t have much experience with hexes or curses. Heck, he doesn’t even have magic. But he does have a plan—to regain the access to the magical world he lost when his grandmother passed.
Antonia is…intimidating, but she gives him a job and a new name—Rook—both of which he’s happy to accept. Now all Rook has to do is keep his Spell Binder, an illegal magical detection device, hidden from the Magical Consortium. And contend with Sun, the grumpy and annoyingly cute apprentice to Antonia’s rival colleague, Fable. But dealing with competition isn’t so bad; as Sun seems to pop up more and more, and Rook minds less and less.
But when the Consortium gets wind of Rook’s Spell Binder, they come for Antonia. All alone, Rook runs to the only other magical person he knows: Sun. Except Fable has also been attacked, and now Rook and Sun have no choice but to work together to get their mentors back…or face losing their magic forever.
