Sunday, March 31, 2013

[ARC Review] Spellbinding by Mara Gold



Spellbinding
Maya Gold
April 1, 2013
Scholastic, Inc.                                                         


 








There's more than one way to be powerful . . .
It is during a routine school project that Abby Silva--sixteen and nearly friendless--makes a startling discovery: She is descended from women who were accused of witchcraft back in 1600s Salem. And when Abby visits nearby Salem, strange, inexplicable events start to unfold. Objects move when she wills them to. Candles burst into sudden flame. And an ancient spellbook somehow winds up in her possession.
Trying to harness her newfound power, Abby concocts a love potion to win over her longtime crush--and exact revenge upon his cruel, bullying girlfriend. But old magic is not to be trifled with. Soon, Abby is thrust headlong into a world of hexes, secrets, and danger. And then there's Rem Anders, the beautiful, mysterious Salem boy who seems to know more about Abby than he first lets on.
A reckoning is coming, and Abby will have to make sense of her history--and her heart--before she can face the powerful truth.


Have you ever read a book and you are thinking this isn't a bad book? This book was pretty decent actually, but then you realize you spoke too soon because the book takes a turn for the silly and you are like, really? That is how I felt after I finished Spellbinding. Really, really, that is how the plot is going to twist and the book end?

Spellbinding is about a girl, Abigail, who has always felt different and lately she has been having these vivid dreams where she, or someone that feels like her, is drowning. When she is assigned a school project to look into her family tree as far back as she can trace it. She realizes that her family ancestors were part of the Salem witch trials. Abigail finds a spell book and things start happening from there. Abigail realizes she has magical powers. She makes the mean girl's boyfriend like her and she accidentally sets her dad's girlfriend's blouse on fire. There is the mysterious boy at the cafe by the bookstore where she works whom she is attracted to.

I know all of this sounds like something out of The Craft or something, and up until this point it was, but things get silly. The mysterious boy is actually a witch and he can't be with Abigail because of something called a witches' kiss. I won't give spoilers but I will say it's silly. I feel bad because I really wanted to like this book. In the end I felt the ending was rushed and a little to like, really that is kind of silly. I liked how Abigail chooses love over revenge. That she starts to mature and doesn't want to mess with people's free will because it is wrong. That is what moves spellbinding from two laser pistols to two point five. I like to round up, so Spellbinding for me just barely scrapes up to three laser pistols. I didn't feel like I wasted my time but I recommend reading this book with caution.






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