Rate this book

Spellcaster (2012)

by Cara Lynn Shultz(Favorite Author)

4.05 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0373210507 (ISBN13: 9780373210503)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Harlequin Teen

series

Spellbound

review 1: This is a sequel to "Spellbound" and while it is a complete story by itself, I wouldn't say it's a standalone, because you really need to read the first book to understand the second. I thought that the story was pretty much wrapped up in the first, but this one brings in a new evil that is trying to destroy the hero and heroine from the first book. Parts of this book I thought were even better than the first, but there were others that were worse, so in the end I liked it about the same as the first book.Usually, I'm not a fan of a sequel like this: the hero and heroine have been through enough, conquered their demons and won and deserve to enjoy it, not be thrown back into the fray. It's one of the reasons that "The Immortals" series by Alyson Noel started bugging me by ... morethe end. One thing after another is pulling the couple apart and it gets a little old after a while. But I thought this was a good idea. Basically, it's Brendan's past coming to bite them in the butt. This book talks a lot about him and I felt like it really dealt with some of the issues I had with him. By the end of the first book, I liked him okay, but I wasn't convinced that he was good enough for Emma. I hate the womanizing heroes, because I just don't respect or like them. I love Angelique in the book, because there were several scenes where she actually confronts him about it and says a lot of the things I would have liked to have said to him and then those issues were resolved. By the end of this book, I loved Brendan and thought they were good together. I thought it was cool to show him having to deal with his past mistakes--especially since the whole curse thing was his fault in the first place.The story was interesting, but there was one major issue I had with it. After it is clear that a witch from Brandon's past is coming after them, they never ask for help from people stronger and more capable than themselves. At first, when they think it's just a small thing, they don't want to get the Angelique's mom involved because she'll bind their powers or some such thing. That makes sense that teenagers would keep that. However, it quickly becomes clear that not only is it not a small thing, but the witch is powerful and out to kill them, they don't turn to people will more powers. If they had gone to the witches they knew (and not just Angelique's slightly older sister), they could have gotten more help and probably cleaned it up faster. While Brendan's going to his parents for non-magical help, they never once consider talking to someone with the magic power they need to help them and that seemed stupid. Incredibly stupid.There was a strange POV shift, where we get scenes from Angelique's perspective. It didn't happen enough to be consistent (it happened only twice) and really didn't feel necessary. Most of what was shown during those scenes could have easily been summed up later. It did give us more info on Brendan, which I liked, but I have to think there was another way of doing it, without the POV shift. Or it should have happened more, so that it wasn't quite so random when we suddenly get thrown into another character's head.I also thought it was strange how the school was described. This is a bit nit-picky, but it's described as one of the most exclusive and prestigious private schools in New York, yet the school itself feels like a rather crappy public school, with lazy teachers, bad cafeteria food, dirty bathrooms, and the like. I just thought it strange, since if it were that expensive and prestigious, it seems like it would have been maintained better and had better staff. It's just a small thing, but it bugged me in the first book and seemed almost worst in the second book.I enjoyed the books and liked the love story (especially in this book). Worth a read!
review 2: Spellcaster concludes Cara Lynn Shultz's Spellbound duology and it was a fascinating read! I totally fell in love with Emma's humor in Spellbound, and it only continues with Spellcaster! Emma is just such a fun character. I know it seems like we see the unpopular teen being a main character a lot, but Emma truly stands out as being different. Her snarkiness is just so relatable and she never lets the bullies get her down.Four months have gone by since the events of Spellbound. Anthony is pretty much AWOL and life at Vince A is just moving on. Until it becomes apparent that Emma's got a new enemy to contend with. One she didn't even see coming. I felt like I knew who this enemy was though before we even really knew it. There were hints pointing us in the right direction and I was able to pinpoint the new threat. Of course, there was still so much to learn about this person and why they felt the need to reign unholy hell all over the place.It was quite the exciting read! Cara doesn't do anything half baked here. There is real danger threatening Emma and Brendan. Not just the "do what I say or else!" kind of threats, but some seriously bad mojo! Like Emma getting attacked by a knife-wielding maniac or Brendan getting possessed by a demon! There are no bounds to what Cara will put her characters--and readers!--through!I truly enjoyed reading this duology! I loved Emma and Brendan! Their romance was so sweet. I liked how it was intense between them but on a different level from what we sometimes see in YA. Cara definitely surprised me by the outcome but I have to say that I absolutely loved it! I loved that it went in another direction from what we expected! I am sad to see this series end so soon, because I will definitely miss Emma and Brendan!The characters in this series were just awesome! Emma and Brendan were of course, phenomenal! Kristin remained the ever uber-beatch that you just loved to hate and I was quite happy with more than one little "event" that happened regarding her! Angelique remained the ever dutiful friend who was faithful and there for Emma in the chaos that occurred! And Cisco was another delight! He took up a different role that had me smiling at the end! And not to mention Liam and Ashley! While there were hints to what was happening, we never got to actually see much other than what Emma saw, but I liked what I was seeing! It was simply sweet!Another surprise was seeing Angelique taking over the story for a chapter or two! I loved it though! Some pretty serious stuff happened in those two chapters and I liked seeing it from her point of view! I liked getting inside her head! She's quite the character and I loved her personality as well!Spellcaster was just an amazing end to the duology. You simply couldn't have asked for better! I liked that the ending while final, does seem a bit open-ended! Who knows if there will ever be more adventures in Emma and Brendan's future, but I like knowing that they are definitely in their happily ever after...but with room for more chaos should fate decree it! (Like a novella maybe since Cara has started a new series!) A fantabulous read that I highly recommend for all fans of Paranormal YA!Overall Rating 5/5 stars less

Download links for: Spellcaster

Advertising