So cute! I love the authors writing style and the characters are :chefs kiss: so fun to read about. It is for sure something you should read. Besides the cover is so well done I love the artist.

I really enjoyed this book as much as the author's other books. I think this is my new favorite from them. The plot was well thought out and kept me engaged in it. I liked the characters and their journeys.

Rook and Sun.

I went into this book thinking I was getting just a witchy read, but this book wasn’t just anything. I loved the representation in this book (non- binary and gay) and I adored the found family. This is a slow burn but omg is is so worth it. I loved the exploration of self, family, and friends the author took us on with these characters. And the plot… it was everything. I really can’t say I’ve come across a book quite like this before and oh I was here for every second of it. I could not get enough of this story. So in conclusion go buy this book or at least go read this book.

I absolutely adored this book and had just the best time from start to finish.

Rook and Sun are the apprentices of two competing magicians, and couldn’t be more of a grumpy/sunshine pairing. Rook has no magical powers of and Sun is practically bursting with them. The two form a reluctant friendship which leads into more as they find themselves in increasingly more dramatic predicaments.

This book reminded me a lot of Lukens’s previous book So This is Ever After in the sense that it was fun and whimsical, with so much heart beneath the seams. The dual POV in this book added so much contextually and I loved that so much of this book was just them vibing and getting to know each other, as opposed to fighting off the forces that be.

Highly recommended and, no pressure to F.T. Lukens, but the bar continues to be set by and for themself.

And I, for one, can’t wait.

4.5 stars rounded up

this was such a cute read. i really liked the characters and their dynamic. they are endearing and relatable, each with their own unique quirks and personalities. the worldbuilding was very well done and i loved the magic. the author skillfully create a universe brimming with mystical wonders and enchanting spells. with its well-crafted plot, lovable characters, and an enchanting magical world, "spell bound" is a must-read for fans of the fantasy genre.

This is my first story by this author and I really enjoyed it. It took me a little bit to get into the story because of the world building and trying to understand what was going on, but once we were in it, I really enjoyed myself. I love the friendship and romance between Rook and Sun. I enjoyed the fight against the controlling consortium. This was such a fun, feel good read.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing me with an eARC of this fantastic book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After his magical grandmother dies and he is torn from the world of magic after being determined to not have enough magic himself, Edison Rooker is desperate to find his way back to the magical world. So he builds a machine to detect magic and interns for a grumpy and powerful sorceress who runs a call center for magical emergencies, Antonia Hex. Things explode in Rook’s face and it’s up to him and the apprentice of Antonia’s enemy to save both their bosses or they will all lose their magic forever.

I like the magic system and the way that Lukens writes about questioning gatekeeping of resources to those deemed lesser. Sun and Rook’s dynamic is fun to read about. I also like the budding mentorship Antonia has for Rook. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the pacing though.

4 out of 5 stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC.

This is the story of Rook and Sun, apprentice magicians in a rigidly regulated magical world, who start off as rivals, slowly become friends, and then more than friends.

Rook is trying to regain his place in the magical world and Sun is trying to learn all they can about magic. Things go downhill for them both when their mentors cross some lines with the magical hierarchy and the two end up on the run.

Overall I liked the premise of this book. It felt slow in some parts and rushed in others. Some of the dialogue was a bit lackluster. I wanted more from the characters and the mentors--it didn't feel like anyone was three-dimensional and the stakes didn't feel very compelling.

Potential but didn't hit the mark for me. I had read the author's other book Ever After and that held promise and didn't hit the mark for me either. It may be just the thing for other readers.

Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens was my first title from this author and I enjoyed it immensely. The two main characters are intriguing and have good chemistry, the tutors of both characters also have good chemistry and bicker much like their students, and the worldbuilding is quick but fun. I've seen criticism that this story didn't do enough to flesh out the characters and magic system, but I don't think that's the point of the story. It's a standalone romantasy novel, and I definitely smiled when Rook and Sun were arguing and blushing and totally not falling in love with each other. This is a single sitting, 5 star fantasy romance with low stakes and no loose threads.

F.T Lukens cemented his autobuy author status with this one! This YA fantasy follows Rook as he becomes an apprentice to a powerful sorcerer. I adored this magic system and found myself intrigued all throughout it. This is a very enjoyable novel with many elements everyone will love. Found family, an amazing romance, and a magnificent magic system, make up this gorgeous book! Couldn’t recommend more

I absolutely fell in love with this book and could not put it down at all. The characters were fantastic, Rook was just the absolute funniest and sweetest character that I have read in a while. I loved The way that he respected Sun’s desire not to be touched. I loved his sarcasm. And I love the way that when he cared about someone he was 100% all in.

The book, of course, had a villain, so to speak, the consortium. They were the governing body of the magical world, and made sure to profit off the backs of sorcerers and witches… And forced the most powerful witch in the world, Antonia, to not be allowed to do higher levels of magic. And of course, Brooke decides that she will be the perfect person to teach him magic…we’ll kind of. Antonio comes off as this weird and cold person, but her relationship with rock is pretty sweet when you really look at it. She could get in a lot of trouble for having a non magical person working for her, but she is a rebel and had no problems doing it.

The primary point of the story was rogue, trying to figure out magic at his place in it, but the story turned out to be so much more. It turned into a small bottle with the government, a story about creating your own family, and most importantly, finding the magic within yourself. This book was everything I hoped for and so much more.!

Absolutely delightful!! Casual queerness rep at its finest. The two main characters are so precious (together AND individually). The magical elements are very fun and the hijinks people get themselves into are hilarious. I was laughing out loud several times while reading.

It's F.T Lukens, no one is at all surprised I'm obsessed with this. I do think I liked So This Is Ever After more, but this one still had Lukens' signature good banter, found family, and cool magic vibes. It was an easy read that made for a good time and I loved the magic in it and the story itself was fun. Lukens does it again! They are officially an auto-buy author for me!

There are two apprentice sorcerers, and they are rivals, but after some unfortunate events, they must put their indifferences aside and team up with one another.

Edison ends up becoming an apprentice sorcerer for Antonia Hex, who is a powerful sorceress and runs a call center for magical emergencies. He kind of does not have any experiences with hexes and curses, but that just may because he kind of does not have magic...He decides he will somehow get access to the magical world that he once had but lost when his grandmother passed away. Edison is taken under Antonia's wing, and she renames him Rook. He just has to keep his Spell Binder hidden from the Magical Consortium and all will be well. Then, he just has to deal with the other apprentice: Sun, who is so grumpy and annoying. He and Sun will team up when the Consortium finds out about the Spell Binder and comes for Antonia.

I have enjoyed So This Is Ever After and In Deep Waters a lot by F.T. Lukens and I actually gave both of those books four stars. I was very excited to see this book on NetGalley and requested it right away.

Spell Bound starts off great. It made me laugh, want to know more about these characters and the magic, then just felt like a fun read.

But things changed...as the story progressed, I found myself getting bored at times and rolling my eyes because of some of the things going on and the dialogue. Then, towards the last chunk of the story, it just felt drawn out.

I feel like when it came to Sun and Rook, I felt like they lacked chemistry and that their attraction for one another was forced. Also, these two characters felt and sounded a lot younger than what they really were.

This story was neither bad nor amazing, but it was an okay read. I think a lot of people will enjoy this book. For me it was just a bit of miss based off the pacing, characters, and how somethings in this story happened.

This was absolutely fantastic! The main characters were extremely likable and well-rounded, and the world-building was perfect. It was so dramatic in the best way possible, and I was hooked immediately. Everything felt to intentional, which made my reading experience extremely enjoyable. For such a suspenseful story, I would also like to point out how comfortable the pacing was. It was so well balanced for a fantasy, so I was very impressed. This was just a such a great time!

I've really enjoyed other books by FT Lukens and you can add "Spell Bound" to the list also! The story revolves around two young sorcerers, Rook & Sun, each striving to prove their worth to their respective mentors who manage rival businesses specializing in breaking curses. Rook is very outgoing, while Sun is an introvert and they initially clash in a big way. However forced collaboration helps them grow individually, as well as friends. This story effortlessly incorporates elements of queerness, gender identity, and mental health, such as grief and panic attacks, with thoughtful consideration.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

All the magical feels I’ve come to know from Lukens. Reminiscent of the rules and regulations for mediating myths and magic but with some rivalry. Spellbound took me out of this world and placed me in a magical one filled with warmth and joy and with a fresh take on sorcery schooling and magical systems. Absolutely loved every minute of my time spent there.

Spell Bound by F. T. Luken is a fun and fast-paced queer fantasy novel with loveable characters and an endearing romance. I loved reading this book, and would definitely read other books by the same author.

The story is set in a world where access to magic and who can wield it is regulated by an all-powerful body called the Consortium. Rook and Sun are apprentices to two rival sorcerers, Antonia Hex and Fable, who have very different perspectives on the Consortium's control over magic. Rook and Sun themselves have different goals in life, even as they keep inconveniently running into each other and develop an inconvenient attraction for one another.

For Sun, their apprenticeship is a step forward in their trajectory of becoming a prodigious sorcerer with a good standing with the Consoritum, under the guidance and care of the rule-abiding Fable. Rook, on the other hand, has no magic, a potentially illegal magic detection device that he designed, and a desire to be a part of the magical world he had been deprived of after his grandmother's demise. And Antonia Hex is the perfect chaotic mentor with disregard for authority to help him realize his goals. However, the Consortium is not one to stand by and allow magical knowledge to exist that they cannot control, and Rook and Sun must work together to save not only their lives and those of their mentors, but also the ability to have a say in who gets to learn and have magic in their world.

One of my favourite aspects of this book was its world-building. The magical world and the magic system in it were complex and interesting with layers of intrigue and history that the reader gets to explore with the progress of the novel. The different characters and their motivations also become clearer the more one understands and explores the world that the author has created. Through the world-building, there is a fairly nuanced exploration of themes of belonging and othering, power and disenfranchisement, and loneliness and homecoming.

The characters, though initially appear to be simple in their motives and behaviour, are revealed to be complex and interesting in their own right. The prominent depiction of non-binary characters like Sun and Fable and their normativity in society, added to the richness of the understanding of the world. The relationship between the different characters was endearing and a delight to read, not only the growing friendship and more between Rook and Sun, but also the changing dynamics between Antonia and Fable. The plot was dramatic and full of surprises and twists and turns, keeping the reader engaged throughout the story.

This is a captivating story about those who have magic and those who don't. You have 2 sourcerers who are frenemies, and two apprentices who start off as enemies and become something else. Together they fight the Consotium for their rights and others rights, go on adventures and generally break the rules.

A young adult adventure featuring two rival apprentice sorcerers who team up to protect their magic and the ones they love. The characters in this book are so enduring and easily loveable that you want to route for them during the entire book.

Rook is a nonmagic person who grew up in a magical home but was forced to leave it once his grandmother died. Now he is searching for magic in any way that he can get it, he knows that if he is just given a chance he can learn magic. Even though his blood says he has no magic in his body. He makes his way into working at Antonia Hex's office, by charming her with his nonmagic abilities to fix everything she breaks. Now Rook needs to fight the consortium who wants to strip his mentor of her magic and the magical doormat that attacks him every time he crosses the doorway at Antonia's office. (Honestly, the doormat is one of my favorite characters from this book).

Highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for an action-packed, and heartfelt, fantasy book. A great book to pick up for new fantasy readers.