Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong

A Spoiler Free Reread Review

Originally Posted on GoodReads: May 23, 2022

This is a re-read review. My original is below this one, if you're interested. Apparently I “Loved, loved, loved it!” My enthusiasm has gone down a little bit, but Spell Bound was definitely enjoyable.

The pacing was quick, but not so quick that there wasn’t time for important introspection. And there’s a lot of introspection. Savannah is growing up mentally and it’s definitely the main feature of the book next to the storyline. I thought it was pretty well handled, honestly. I’m glad this also happened “on stage” as it were, rather than between books. Savannah definitely deserves “on stage” character growth.

Adam’s turnaround from being mad at her was less jarring this time around, to the point I didn’t even realize it had thrown me the first time… apparently. I remembered so little of this book, and this series, really. Nice for rereads, but I’m not sure what that says about the series as a whole.

I did still enjoy the “Avengers Assemble” of it all. Getting the full ensemble of main characters, even if most of them are little more than cameos, is fun. I wish Hope had managed to kill Jaz, but that’s apparently the Savannah in me talking. Also not that big of a thing, if you’re worried about spoilers.

Also, I think I only referred to Cassandra in my original review as one of Savannah’s “babysitters”… of which she is the only one and not even a babysitter, so I don’t know what my deal was with that. I really enjoy Cassandra and she’s one of those influences on Savannah’s life that doesn’t get explored except for this, pretty much.

Anyway, Spell Bound is really a lot of running around and setting up for Thirteen, but it doesn’t really feel like the middle of a trilogy until the end

 

 

Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong

A Spoiler Free First Read Review

Originally Posted on GoodReads: Jun 10, 2013

Loved it, loved it, loved it!

Spell Bound picks up the morning after Waking The Witch ends, skipping nary a beat getting into the action. Spell Bound continues to follow Savannah Levine as she works a case that turns out to be much bigger than she'd started out believing. Largely, Spell Bound takes all the loose ends from Waking The Witch, expands upon them, and then ties them up fairly well while at the same time creating something to carry readers into the next, and last, book in the series.

I really enjoyed Savannah's journey through both cases and her life. It was a lot of fun seeing her get things done without her powers, even if she usually had a "babysitter" alongside. Savannah is fully fleshed out here as she unknowingly gets ready for the apparent war to come.

I also enjoyed the cameo appearances of Elena, Clay, Hope, Jaime, Jeremy, and Cassandra. Getting all the Council characters working together in one place was awesome. Seeing them through the lens of Savannah was also quite fun. Usually we're seeing her through their eyes. Of course, rounding out the very fun cast were Karl, Adam, Paige, Lucas, and Sean to lesser extents.

Adam acted and reacted pretty consistently through the book. However, he did do a ridiculously quick turnaround from being pissed at Savannah. That bit threw me and didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the goings on, even if he thought he'd found a way to get Savannah's powers back. It was so weird I didn't even think that was actually Adam.

I thought the various "villains" of Spell Bound worked well together and apart. They transitioned quite smoothly from one to the other, at least. While they gave Savannah some trouble, they were mostly ancillary to what was going on in Savannah's head while they were around.

The questions asked, but not really answered were actually quite welcome. It was like watching a TV show and coming toward the end of a season. I do wonder who this Giles person really is, or rather, what he is. I wonder who "took" Savannah's powers and is pulling her toward becoming a Champion.

Overall, Spell Bound kept me engaged every step of the way. I found it very hard to put down. While Spell Bound is definitely not as stand-alone as previous Women of the Otherworld books have been, I'm really happy with how it was presented and how it ended. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book.