*ARC provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review*

It took me so long to finish this but it was good! I got this ARC before publication, but I had a really rough schedule so I only had a few minutes to seconds in a day to read this book.

Let me tell you the plot *chef kiss* perfect. The middle got a little dry, but the ending makes up for it by snatching you and running.

I adored the magic system in this world. I loved how they required ley lines, a pool/source of magic in order to perform even the most basic of spells, and the discussion of how some people could see lines stronger than others

The only part I felt iffy on was the whole "the group that governs us is against us and has dumb rules" trope (Consortium [in this case], Clave [Shadowhunters], District 1 [Rightfully so Hunger Games], etc.). It was unique enough to beg pardon, but I also felt like this part got shoved under the cursed rug a lot.

Overall, another spectacular book from Lukens, further solidifying them as one of my favorite authors. ☺️

A cute, easy read. I loved Spell Bound from start to finish.

I was immediately drawn into the story and found the two main characters adorable. I’m a fan of a grumpy x sunshine romance so that was a plus for me! The plot was fairly straightforward but enjoyable, and allowed the characters to be the stars of the show.

Very much what I expect from F.T. Lukens having read a few of their books now, and I will continue to read them as they release! An author I look forward to reading more from.

I really enjoyed this twist on magic users. This book was really good and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the novel.

Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens is a great exploration of found family, community, belonging, and teenage romance. It is lighthearted and fun and a very enjoyable read. However, I felt that while I was able to enjoy this book, it also felt like the surface was barely scratched with some of the systems that were put in place.

The worldbuilding introduces us to the Constortium who feels like a threat with dull teeth. The themes of surveillance and control felt like they could have explored further and perhaps would have been with an adult fiction story.

While I wished there was more exploration of some areas of the story I found myself enjoying more of the action sequences than anything else. Lukens writes great plot-driven action scenes that I ate up like candy.

Recommend this book for when you are looking for a lighthearted but hopeful read.

FT Lukes is an auto-buy author for me and Spell Bound was just as great as their previous titles! A quick summary...

The lovable Rook is non-magical but wants nothing more than to be a part of that community. He invents a device that can detect magical ley lines and energies which the Consortium (or the magical government) sees as quite the problem. Rook pairs up with an adorable counterpart, Sun, who is conflicted about their feelings for Rook, and vice versa. Both their magical mentors are attacked by the Consortium bc of this device so Rook and Sun have no choice but to work together to get their found family back together again.

I absolutely loved this story! It was jam-packed with found family, witty banter, and a really cool magic system. Rook and Sun have a fantastic frenemies-to-lovers arc with just the right amount of grumpy sunshine mixed throughout. I highly recommend this story for anyone looking for a light, fluffy, fully of adventure read that will leave you spell bound!

Thank you Negalley and Simon Teen for generously providing me an arc!

5 stars!

This was an adorable queer YA urban fantasy novel!! I loved the main characters - Sun and Rook were an adorable grumpy x sunshine and each had so much depth! The dual POV was a lot of fun, and their connections to their mentors, Fable and Antonia, were really sweet and charming!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the eARC to read and review.

I LOVED this book. I can't say enough how much I enjoyed this book. It had great LGBTQIAP representation and a character who is non-binary; the characters were all so wonderful. Rook and Sun were adorable as they grew from enemies to lovers. And I loved the dynamic between them.

Antonia Hex, the very powerful sorceress who is very intimidating, gives Edison Rooker (aka Rook) a job, and you get to see a great mentor-mentee bond between them. It really grows into a found family trope that I really enjoyed. Antonia Hex, as a character, is so strong that you truly fall in love with her as you see how she cares for Rook by the end of the story.

Rook is a strong and humorous character who lost his grandmother a year ago. He's just trying to find a place in the magical world as someone with no magical abilities himself. But he has an illegal device that helps him find the magic. Throughout the entire story, you watch him grow and care for others so wholly, and toward the end, you're rooting for him to get what he wants.

Really, you fall in love with all of the characters throughout the story. Sun is another character who's p.o.v it switches between and they're non-binary who, at first, is distrustful of Rook. But as the novel progresses, it goes from enemies to lovers, and you see a great turn to Sun's personality toward the end. I can't tell who I love more, Rook or Sun.

The magic system throughout the book was very well thought-out, and the writing style was easy to follow. It had great world-building throughout the story as well.

I read Lukens In Deeper Waters and fell in love with that book. It was the first book I read by the author, and I absolutely adored it. I'm really struggling to know which book I love more now. If you haven't read this book yet, you need to. It's highly recommended, and I'll be talking about it for a while!

This book was another well written adventure by Lukens. Their work never fails to keep me entertained the entire time. Spell Bound kept me up well into the early morning with its fun and interesting characters and immersive, attention-drawing storyline. Rook and Sun had amazing chemistry that immediately makes you want to cheer on the relationship. I would love to see more of these characters in the future. One of my more major criticisms would be the development of the world. It could’ve gone more in depth about the workings of this world and how The Consortium fit in the dynamic of the world. We know how everything operates in Spire City and it’s surrounding areas, but it would’ve been nice to know how much of the norm this was in relation to other countries, cities, etc. Was The Consortium a global operation, for example.

This is now my favorite FTLukens book (which is a normal reaction every this author releases a new book!)

I want this to be turned into a TV series 😭

This book was excellent it checks off all the boxes I look for when reading an FT Lukens book
✅ comedy
✅wholesome romance
✅a book that feels like a warm hug
✅a fire book cover🔥
Not only are the covers on FT Lukens book’s gorgeous, but the stories they tell as well.
This is a fairly quick read should be able to get through it in one sitting. The cast of characters interact well with each other and the way The author writes really immerses you in these conversations like you are there. Thats another thing I love about their books they create real characters with diverse representation. Another fabulous read in my book. 5 stars

FT Lukens continues to hold a place as one of my favorite authors. They have a fantastic way of writing characters you cant help but love with stories that aren't too incredibly stressful but remain entertaining from start to finish!

Rook and Sun are fantastic narrator's for this story. From two very different walks of life in this magical world they are the embodiments of golden retriever and black cat which is a dynamic I ADORE. Sun reminds me so much of myself but I also saw a lot of myself in Rook as well. It had me easily rooting for both of them in every way.

Antonia and Fable are just as fun and unique as characters and I really enjoyed the different dynamics all four of them brought when they came together to deal with curses/jinx/evil power hunger government entities (lol).

I wish there was a book two as I would love to see how their paths continue and how both Sun and Rook continue to grow individually as well as together.

I adored this novel! Spell Bound is snarky and sweet in turns, and is all about found family and rebelling against corrupt government agencies. Rook is a non-magical teen looking to get a job with the most powerful sorcerer in the world. But is she as dangerous as everyone says she is? While taking on his new role in Antonia Hex’s office answering phone calls from people who have been cursed, Rook meets the mysterious apprentice of Antonia’s rival. And sparks fly - maybe a little rivalry of their own, or maybe a little something else.

The writing is witty and funny. It alternates nicely between Rook and Sun (the apprentice), giving insight into each of their worlds. I appreciated how well the characters interacted and felt like they naturally developed their relationships. And I liked the queer and neurodivergent rep as well!

*Disclaimer: I have received a free digital copy of this title and it will not affect my thoughts of feelings towards it*

OMG this book was such a great emotional ride! All the feels! THE CHARACTERS were just so FUNNY!!! This book strives in amazing banter and a ton of heart! Rook and Sun were amazing and were super cute! Antonia was by far my favorite character with her amazing banter and chemistry with anyone. The pacing was great and never seemed to moving too fast or too slow. My only complaint was a lack luster ending but it was still a satisfying ending so I wasn't bothered by it too much. Overall if your a fan of any magic by witches or The Owl House this book is just for you!

5/5 stars!

“What had they done to Fable? To Antonia? How had they been able to capture the most powerful sorcerer in an age? What would happen to us if we were caught? How were we going to resolve any of this?”

When his grandmother passes away, taking with her his only connection to the magical world, sixteen-year-old non-magical Edison Rooker isn’t sure where to turn. The only way he can figure out how to regain that connection is to go to Antonia Hex, a powerful sorceress who runs a magical emergency call center. When Antonia gives him a job and a new name—Rook—he’s thrilled. And when she finds out about his illegal magical detection device, the Spell Binder, and is actually interested in helping him make it work—as long as he can keep it hidden from the Magical Consortium—he’s even more excited. But when the Consortium finds out about Rook and the Spell Binder, they capture Antonia and her rival colleague, Fable, and almost get their hands on Rook too. Desperate, Rook runs to Fable’s annoyingly cute apprentice, Sun—his maybe-almost-friend. Together, the two must figure out how to evade the Consortium and get their mentors back—or they could lose their magic forever.

Reading SPELL BOUND was my first foray into F.T. Lukens’ work, and let me tell you, I now absolutely can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of their other books! SPELL BOUND is an action-packed YA romantic adventure that makes it almost impossible for you to put down. Y’all know I’m a huge fan of dual-narration, and Lukens handled it brilliantly in this book. My favorite element, though, was the voice. Both Rook and Sun have distinct, fantastic voices that distinguish their narration and give us great glimpses into their characters, and I just wanted to spend hours in their world. With a sweet romance, heart-pounding moments, and one very adorable cat, SPELL BOUND is perfect for anyone who wants to add some magic and adventure to their life.

Content Warnings: Strong language, death of a loved one, anxiety, violence, claustrophobia, action, blood

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

Thanks to NetGalley & Margaret K. McElderry Books for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not going to lie, I was hoping for more urban fantasy than romance, but it was heavily focused on romance. Which is fine, though. It was an upbeat romance book with some fantasy in the background and the characters were pretty modern in their language. So much so that I had a hard time keeping up with the current terminology, lol.

It was still a sweet read, though the characters acted like they were all 15-17 years old, even the adults. Weird, but still fun to read.

This was a hard audiobook to listen to. Sun is one of the mains and prefers they/them pronouns. I started out listening to this book and had to switch to the ebook copy where it would never have been an issue at all. "Come along, Sun" and other variations said by their mentor always sounded like masculine pronouns and I was like, no, that's not right. Every single time.

That aside, these characters felt younger than the other FT Lukens books I've read which may be untrue but they felt younger maturity wise as well. I was certain that Rook's grandmother bound his magical abilities (based on the title of the book) when Sun mentioned that they could see the magic lines flowing through him. That ended up being a red herring and a missed opportunity.

I didn't feel much chemistry between Rook and Sun but we were nudged at it by all of the other adults in the book and I just didn't see it. I desperately wanted to. Sun was shy and standoffish and Rook was like this one is mine based on literally nothing. They were ghosting Rook when the bulk of the drama unfolded and only broke that based on necessity.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Audio for a copy of the audiobook and Netgalley for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

Spell Bound, a fascinating take on magic and family by F. T. Luken, is a truly delightful read. The world built in this story presses against the problems bureaucracy has in our own world while pushing at and past some of the definitions of magic fantasy currently has. I really enjoyed the characters, they were well developed and felt realistic. Motivations and conflicts felt clear and well thought out. My only fuss with this book is simply the pacing. At times I didn't feel like pacing matched up and at the end it felt the climax/main conflict had been a bit rushed through. Overall, a fun and exciting read that I look forward to purchasing for my physical bookshelves!

The first book was so great, but this one was really a mess for me. I just couldn’t get behind it, and I had such high hopes that I would.

So I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as 'So This Is Ever After' but it was still a great book! This one focuses more heavily on the queer romance and found family aspects. There is some "bring down the evil government" plot line but it's very much just a side plot to add in some tension. Honestly if that had been fleshed out some more this book probably could have been 5 stars. While the stakes were objectively high, when there's only two or three chapters left in the book at that point, you know it's not going to be too deep.

I really loved Rook and Sun. They were fantastic characters and I loved seeing them grow from frenemies to friends to lovers. It was very cute and I enjoyed their journey. That being said I do feel like some of our side characters could have been fleshed out more as well. Antonia and Fable were great but with just a little more flourish they could have been even better and added more to the story.

The worldbuilding was decent, the world was interesting but again, I wish there had been more of it.

Overall, while I did want more from this book, I had a fantastic time reading it and I am always a sucker for a found family and a cute romance.

I loved so this is ever after but this one missed it for me. I was hoping for something similar. I found is boring and slow instead. I don’t think this was bad but it just didn’t grab my attention or give me anything.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!