I think I've found a new author to add to my 'instant buy' list. You know? That list where the second you see the familiar name you don't even bother to read the synopsis, you just grab the book and take it to check out? After reading three of F.T. Lukens' novels I am happy to add them to that list.

Spell Bound was absolutely perfect in every way! Fantastic world-building and magical system. An utterly adorable grumpy/sunshine relationship between Sun and Rook. Found family at its best. F.T. Lukens has created a wonderful world with Spell Bound, and I for one did not want to leave it and would love to read a sequel, a prequel, really just about anything set in this same world.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

SPELL BOUND is another charming fantasy romance from F.T. Lukens. As with their previous books, this one is full of comedy, sweet moments, an inventive universe, and a diverse array of identities. The characters are endearing and complicated, while the plot is simple fun. A breezy and entertaining read!

I just finished Spell Bound and I have such a large grin on my face.

If you've seen all the advance reader praise around this book and wondered if the hype is worth it, take my word, it is. This book was full of magic, banter, laughter and love and (pun intended) I was totally spell bound.

This book starts off slow. The main storyline follows Rook, a boy who loves magic and wishes to be a part of the world his grandmother introduced him to. He joins Antonia Hex, the most powerful sorcerer in the world at her company where they break jinxes, hexes and curses for all sorts of folk. However, Antonia has competition in her rival, Fable, another notable curse breaker and their cute but grumpy apprentice, Sun. When Fable and Antonia get into hot water with the Consortium, a government body overlooking the regulation of magic in Spire City, Sun and Rook need to get past their differences to work together to find their mentors and free them.

The book benefits a lot from the slow build up of characterisation and backstory. For plot focused readers who like to go straight into the action, this book probably won't be for you then, but for me, a reader who thinks characters and character building is the most important element in a book and everything else comes second, I absolutely devoured this layering, character development and subtle pining. No scenes felt too quick and the romance in the book felt utterly natural, focusing on the small little moments like small, shared smiles and holding hands for the first time. For readers who love magical realism with a bit of romance, this one is definitely for you.

I loved the dynamic between Rook and Sun. Their relationship was a frenemies to lovers sort with flirtatious banter sprinkled in. Rook was like the sunshine in the relationship whereas Sun was the grumpy one. The way the grumpy x sunshine trope played out was fun and added a playful element to the book. I loved every single interaction between these two and the chemistry was almost palpable on the page. Easily one of my favourite fictional pairings I've read this year, and maybe in general.

This book seemingly was more tailored to the younger end of the YA spectrum but nevertheless, that shouldn't put you off. This was fun, playful, witty and such an enjoyable read. I highly recommend this book to any fans of magical realism, romance and fantasy.

ACTUAL RATING: 4.4 STARS

Spell Bound is the newest book by F.T. Lukens about magical and non-magical teenagers set in an altered contemporary world. I'm a huge fan of the author and loved their other books, both set in fantasy worlds, so was very excited to read this one set in modern times! I also just love a good contemporary magic story, particularly with good characters and an engaging plot.

This book did not disappoint! I really enjoyed the characters, story, world, and romance. I liked the way that magic works in this universe and the representation with multiple non-binary characters. The romance between Rook and Sun was very cute and progressed in what felt like a natural way. I was waiting for a big "liar reveal" that didn't happen, thankfully, and I enjoyed that the characters actually talked to each other about the issues that they were having. Woohoo!!

Overall, I had a great time reading this book and was sad when I reached the end with no more to read! I recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy, magic, and/or are just looking for a fun read. 4.5 stars from me rounded down to 4. Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this!

This was super fun! It gave me some A Marvellous Light vibes - with the non-magical magic worker, queer romance subplot, and danger from the magical government. I devoured it in one day.

So this book was fine. There were parts I found endearing, but for the most part it felt really unmemorable. The world building had some fun elements, but could have been delved into much more. There were a few things in the book, including the ending, that felt way too easy, which made it all feel so low stakes. Both MCs were cute, but neither had a lot of depth. I just didn't feel much about them or about the relationship between them. Some of the banter was enjoyable, but the vibe I got was more friends than romance. It's definitely aimed at a younger YA audience, which is fine, but I've read plenty of middle grade and even elementary books with more intricate relationships than this one. It all just felt very surface level here. And there's nothing wrong with a book being just fluffy and fun, I actually did enjoy So This Is Ever After by this author, because even thought it was silly and light, I still found it charming. It was a nice low stress read. This was also low stress, but it just didn't hold my interest in the same way. It's certainly possible younger readers might find this one more lovable than I did. I did love that one of the MCs and another main character are enby and it's just a completely normal thing and not a plot element in the story. The casual queerness throughout the book was great. The story itself just didn't do much for me.

I love F.T. Lukens, they have been an instant-buy for me since I read In Deeper Waters and Spell Bound definitely did not disappoint!

F.T. Lukens always writes such wonderful, unique, and different characters. Sun's voice is very different from Rook's. Sun is more reserved, they don't trust easily and they're a bit prickly, over the course of the story they figure out what their feelings are towards Rook and learn to open up. Rook is a bit more stream-of-consciousness style, which I usually don't like but the author does it so well and it's easy to get into his head and really feel what he's feeling. Then you have Fable and Antonia who are on opposite sides of the spectrum, Fable follows the rules and Antonia hates the rules. Antonia is such a badass, I'd love a whole book just about her past, especially if Fable also makes an appearance.

This book deals with one of my favorite tropes: found family! You can really feel how the bonds between Sun and Rook, Rook and Antonia, grow and change over the course of the novel and I just love it.

Spell Bound is an entertaining and quick read perfect for fans of The Owl House.

I was looking for a cozy and light-hearted fantasy book and Spell Bound delivered. This book follows a standard formula–an ordinary teen enters a magical world and finds himself at odds with the powers that be. With the help of a headstrong, unconventional mentor, a rule-following but loyal friend, and some handy gadgets, our hero vies to carve out a space to belong.

Full disclosure: I detest reading books told in an alternating POV style, especially in the first person. So yes, I audibly groaned when I opened up my copy to the first page and saw a character’s name next to the chapter heading. To my like-minded reader friends - you’ve been warned. In fairness, the characters’ narration patterns were distinct enough that I usually didn’t get them confused. I don’t think this format would have prevented me from reading the book if I had known going in (it’s so ubiquitous in YA, for reasons beyond my comprehension), but I think the storytelling could have been more engaging without the second POV.

That said, I was impressed with the world-building and the coherence of the magic system and rules, especially given the relatively short length of the book. I would definitely read follow-up books set in this world. Maybe I’m just a sucker for ley lines or magical machinery, though. Something about the heirloom spellbooks, ordinary office spaces, intuitive spellcasting, and infuriating bureaucracy felt very nostalgic to me, in the best way.

Still, a few aspects of the story could have been fleshed out more. For example, much was made of the fact that the probably-main character (one of them, anyway) was a genius. I may have missed something, but I still don’t know if that was meant to be literal. I did read his internal monologue for a solid half of the book, and he didn’t seem like a genius to me. But what would I know, I guess? There’s also the occasional preachy monologue powerful enough to sway public opinion, which seemed a bit improbable to me. This book is definitely heavier on youthful romance than adventure, and is more earnest than humorous. There’s plenty of banter and maybe too many callbacks, but don’t expect to be cracking up throughout.

Overall, I found Spell Bound to be a sweet and enchanting read with compelling characters and an intriguing magical backdrop.

This was my first F.T. Lukens, and it definitely won't be my last!

This was a super adorable story about magic, found family, and wanting to fit into a society that doesn't know if you belong.

I really enjoyed the characters. They all had distinct personalities and were quite humorous in their interactions. I also really liked the romance that developed. It felt very natural, especially with the age of the characters.

My only complaint is that it takes over 60% to get past the events outlined in the summary. I kept waiting for the actual action to happen, but it took too long to get there. I did enjoy my time, but I wish it had picked up the pace in parts.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a sucker for grumpyxsunshine, and this book delivered!

Spell Bound follows teenager Rook, an orphan who is left on his own after his grandmother passes away and he ends up being deemed unmagical and cast out of the magical community. Desperate to return to the world he knows and loves, Rook seeks out a job with Antonia Hex at a magical Hex-Be-Gone agency. There he also meets Sun, the grumpy apprentice to Antonia's rival Fable. After the Magical Consortium comes after both Antonia and Fable, it is up to Rook and Sun to band together and save their mentors - for better or for worse.

This book kept me reading all day, I found myself counting the minutes until my break at work so I could read during my lunch. I previously really enjoyed In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens, and I was not disappointed. The world is simultaneously barren when it needs to be and lush when it's magical, and is fluidly written to be so.

One big theme of this book is found family, which is one of my favorite tropes ever. The connections between characters were so precious that I just wanted more! More interactions and reasons to learn about their pasts and relationships, I just wanted to do nothing but root for them. I especially loved the connection between Sun and Rook and how that grew through the book. I am a sucker for pining, and there is one section in this book that had me on the edge of my seat just screaming at them to get together it was so good.

I had so much fun reading this book that I immediately preordered my copy and I can't wait for it to arrive.

I received this arc from NetGalley and McElderry Books in exchange for an honest review.

This was a highly anticipated YA read for this year and I am here to say that I adored this book.

This may be one of my most favorite found family books ever. EVER!

In this fast paced frenemies to lovers we get, magic, mayhem, queerness, crazy magical government, teens saving everyone and great banter wrapped up in this wonderful YA Novel.

I’ve been recommending this to everyone I know that reads YA! I’m off to read more from Lukens!

I think I would've loved Spell Bound when I was a kid, but I would probably put it more in the middle grade category than YA which is what it's being sold as.

The book has lovely characters and a decent plot once it gets started but everything just felt very youthful and flat to me. Luken's previous books also fell into the younger end of the YA range but Spell Bound seemed to straddle the line betwen YA and middle grade much more. Which is perfectly fine if I was going in expecting to read a MG book but I wasn't.

The actual plot didn't really begin until well past halfway into the book, the worldbuilding didn't grab me, and the humour was very juvenile. I actually fell asleep a couple of times reading this book and struggled a bit to finish it.

I think kids might love this but I sadly did not. My favourite part of this book is probably the gorgeous cover.

Giggling and kicking my feet- I ADORED this book! A cozy urban fantasy that features a queer romance between rival apprentices to sorcerers who run curse-breaking businesses? Sign me up!

'Spell Bound' is a wonderful story about fighting for your place in the world and toppling idiotic bureaucracies- all while delivering feel-good vibes.

The world-building was natural, seemless, and as a bonus, cute. Hexes and jinxes show up in the silliest ways- singing mice, doormats that purposely trip you, video games that won't let you stop playing them, and so on.

The plot and story-telling had me feeling warm and fuzzy the whole time, but I was still engaged and excited. The twists and turns were unexpected, but welcome all the same.

And the best part? Rook and Sun were so loveable and endearing. They both had me laughing and 'awwwe'-ing the whole way through. I will protect them with my life!!!

(Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!)

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Spell Bound follows non-magical teen Edison Rooker as he attempts to land a job with renowned sorceress Antonia Hex in the wake of his sorceress grandmother's death.

One of my favorite thing about FT Lukens' books is that they manage to craft these tiny worlds that have just the right amount of detail that you can sink comfortably into them for the story. They are not complex, and they often leave more questions than answers, but for the story, it is enough. Lukens isn't just adept at just-enough-worldbuilding, though; they are also immensely talented at crafting beautifully round characters you can root for. I am so deeply fond of Rook and Sun, and going on their whirlwind journey through this quirky magical world was a wonderful time. FT Lukens never misses for me, but this book might have even earned its place as my favorite of their books.

💖💚🖤🪄 Spell Bound ARC Review 🪄🖤💚💖

Thank you so much to FT Lukens and netGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Spell Bound is a fantasy LGBTQIA+ romance set in a world where magic, hexes and curses exist. Rook has just graduated from high school and he is determined to get a job working for the best sorcerer in the city, but he doesn’t possess any magic himself. However, he’s hired on when he is able to fix the office technology, which doesn’t always play nicely with magic. When a cute delivery person comes by the office to drop off some cursed items, Rook is immediately taken with the grumpy yet adorable Sun

This was such a fun read! The grumpy sunshine dynamics between Rook and Sun are absolutely fantastic!! I loved their evolution from rivals to frenemies to friends to more! The Magic system was super unique and really interesting. I loved all the little magical touches, like self-cleaning floors (which I need in my house BTW!) 🤪

Overall this was a wonderful 4 star read for me - a super cute story of outcasts finding where they fit in! I would have loved to see more of Rook and Sun’s relationship after, but that’s a “me” issue because I’m greedy and I loved them so much…definitely not a book issue. Though there’s lots of tension and some on page kissing, there’s no smut - so one flame for spice!

If you love books with grumpy sunshine, rivals to lovers, unique magic systems and strong found family vibes - then definitely pick this one up!

This review will also be posted to Amazon upon publication.

Edison Rooker — Rook — seems to be your normal average teenager looking for a job until the real reason why he singled out Antonia’s shop is revealed. He doesn’t have any magic, and the closest he’s ever been to the magical community was when his grandmother was alive. After his grandmother’s passing, he created the Spell Binder, a device for detecting magic, to be able to regain access to the magical world. The problem: technically, the device is illegal; and the fact he has it, a non-magical person, makes it worse.

On the other hand, Sun is magical through and through. We meet them as Fable’s (Antonia’s rival) apprentice on their way to deliver a box of cursed items to Antonia’s shop to be “fixed”. If Rook needs the help of the Spell Binder to see the ley lines, Sun’s special ability allows him to see magic (in addition to being able to use / wield it).

In Spell Bound, the chapters switches between Rook’s and Sun’s point of view. Sometimes it’s of the same scene (like Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen), but most of the time the scene continues on.

One of the things I enjoyed while reading Spell Bound was how magic was incorporated in the story. Since one of the main characters isn’t magical, we got explanations on the differences between a jinx, a hex and a curse. We are also somewhat enlightened on what ley lines are and how they work. (I’m sure some of you are already familiar with what they are, I however am grateful for the quick lesson on the terms.) We were also shown on just how destructive magic can be in the hands of the wrong people.

Although the main thing I enjoyed about this book is the wholesome slow burn between Rook and Sun. I liked the banter, the mutual respect on each other’s boundaries, and the chemistry between these two characters to a point I couldn’t wait to see if they will ever get together.

"Sun. Sun. Sun, who made me giddy, quite frankly. Who stopped me in my tracks with their quick wit and wry smile and who was genuinely funny once you were able to get past their wall of defensive sourness. Sun, who had a cute nose and pretty eyes and sometimes wore earrings and other times a ball cap and other times huge hoodies and other times loose shirts, but always wore jeans. Sun who was prickly and vulnerable at the same time, who wanted to follow the rules because they were comforting, who took a chance and became my friend.

And despite Antonia’s intense gaze, the lump in my throat, and the fear pooling in my veins, the thought of Sun still made butterflies dance in my stomach, sparklers set off in my chest, and candy dance on my tongue."

If there was one thing I needed more of, it would be more information on why the Magical Consortium decided to keep non-magical folks from accessing magic. What could’ve happened? Was there some sort of argument in the olden days? Did a non-magical person break a magical law or treaty? Or could it simply be a case of they just don’t want to, period?

Overall, I liked this book and would definitely read it again. This is my first F.T. Lukens book and I’m looking forward to reading more of their work. I also would love to see of a possibility of a Spell Bound sequel because I need to see the Consortium (and their rules) taken down. Ha!

Imagine growing up in the magical community, only to be kicked out the day your grandma dies because you don’t have any magical ability.

For Edison Rooker, he doesn’t have to imagine. But that’s okay, because he has a plan: he’s gonna get an internship with Antonia Hex and secretly work on a device that lets him see magic until he can force himself into the magical world.

One of the very first things I enjoyed about this book was the characters and how quickly I could come to care for them. Rook immediately falling on his face at the beginning of the story had me intrigued about his character and really sucked me into wanting to learn more, while Antonia’s ability to break every single piece of technology she comes across made her seem more like a person and less like the intimidating boss Rook should probably be afraid of. Fable and Sun, a sorcerer and apprentice duo that gets introduced early on as well, were an interesting foil to Antonia and Rook, as the assumption that they are a more “experienced” pair gets immediately shattered when Sun drops a box and unleashes a bunch of cursed items from their containment.

I also liked the relationship between Rook and Sun, who are immediately interested in each other but have to put that to the side to focus on their “rivalry.” Their grumpy and sunshine dynamic was really fun to see throughout the book, and I really enjoyed seeing how much they supported each other despite being “rivals.”

It’s easy to tell through some of the examples I’ve already wrote that this book isn’t afraid to be silly at times, but one of my favorite parts of the writing was the running gags. The first few times a running gag pops up (such as “You.” “Me.” or “Hex-A-Gone is a terrible name”), the humor is there, of course, but closer to the end of the book, these running gags feel much more comforting and help build a sense that everything is going to be okay despite the conflict going on.

I will say, however, that I was not a fan of just how far I had to get into the story before I felt like I had gotten past the basics. I’ve found that 25% of the way through a book is generally when the details that have been talked about in the description have been laid out and we begin getting into the main meat of the story, but in Spell Bound, I didn’t feel like we were getting into the “main part” of the story until 57%! This makes the beginning drag on and feel a little worthless, like the details don’t matter because we “haven’t actually started the plot yet”, and definitely left me wondering when we were going to get to the good part!

Still, I really enjoyed seeing Rook and Sun’s adventure throughout this book, and I definitely recommend picking this up!

Spell Bound was pure joy to read. F. T. Lukens knows exactly how to capture the feeling of having a crush, that sparkly, magical, butterfly-inducing first stage of a relationship, so vividly it jumps off the pages. Rook & Sun are perfectly matched and have such a great dynamic, and I loved the care and thought that the author put into all of the small details that make them perfect for each other.

I do think that this novel is an improvement from the author's last release, So This is Ever After, in several significant ways. But it also has some of the same pitfalls. The worldbuilding is very thin and easy to poke holes in if the reader starts asking questions. The plot is paced a bit oddly (if not necessarily badly.) The primary conflict wraps up way too quickly and conveniently in the end. There's also a major reveal around the 80% mark that I didn't care for at all, as I felt like it really undermined the message and made the worldbuilding even more confusing. (Seriously, what IS magical aptitude in this world? Like what does it actually mean? What is the test... testing?)

I don't say this often, but I actually think this book could have been longer. I would have been glad of a little more of a deep dive into the world, the magical community, and some themes the author presents that I felt they didn't get a chance to fully flesh out.

All things considered, I would still highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something cozy, funny, & romantic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Edison Rooker is feeling adrift after his grandmother dies and he is cut off from the magical community. He seeks out the most notorious curse-breaker in the city to ask for a job, but he doesn’t know how much his life is about to change.

I loved this sweet novel! I have read two other books by this author, and I think this one is my favorite. I found these characters and this story so endearing. The world-building and magic system were presented seamlessly, kind of magical realism woven into a recognizable world. The romance was a really cute grumpy-sunshine situation, and shout out for the non-binary main character representation. Pick this up if you like magic, found family, and first love!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I feel conflicted about my rating for this book, as I know that I’m not truly the demographic for this story (and yet I asked for the ARC, I know I know…) and my reservations come from the story and plot style just not being the right fit for me rather than it being poorly done.

This feels skewed to the younger end of YA, and the magic system is just not robust enough as I typically like in my fantasy. Spells are “thrown” out and the correlation between seeing ley lines and actually casting magic feels shaky. The magical government is VERY focused on the fact that you must be able to see the lines in order to use them, despite having secret evidence that this isn’t necessary, and not ever going into details about why they feel the need to restrict access to spell casters whose only shortcoming is not being able to see the lines but I suppose that’s governmental oppression for you. The “buck systems of oppression” message is actually great and gives you a cause to root for. But the magic is described as sparkly butterflies and popping candy and while sweet, many of the details can start to feel a bit twee.

BUT. Sweet, gentle stories featuring LGBTQIAP+ characters and multiple trans characters are so necessary and this story deserves to be read by so many people who yearn for magic that accepts instead of excludes people and audiences. While I like my magic a bit darker and more complex, this is a lovely story that young and older readers alike can enjoy and celebrate.