Guest Review: Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong

Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong

Book Stats:

Publisher: Dutton
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publication Date: July 26, 2011

Series: Women of the Otherworld #12

Source: Borrowed from Tynga for guest review/ Random House Canada

Reviewed by: Lucy

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

At last, in the novel every Kelley Armstrong fan will need to own, all the major heroines and heroes of Otherworld are united.

It's been ten years since Bitten, the first novel in Kelley Armstrong's New York Times bestselling Otherworld series. In that time hundreds of thousands of fans have ravenously devoured the adventures of Armstrong's witches, demons, and werewolves. Now, in Spell Bound, she brings them all together for her most sweeping tale yet.

Savannah Levine is in terrible danger, and for once she's powerless to help herself. At the heartbreaking conclusion of Waking the Witch, Savannah swore that she would give up her powers if it would prevent further pain for a young orphan. Little did she know that someone would take her up on that promise.

And now, witch-hunting assassins, necromancers, half-demons, and rogue witches all seem to be after her. The threat is not just for Savannah; every member of the Otherworld might be at risk. While most of her fellow supernaturals are circling the wagons at a gathering of the council in Miami, Savannah is caught on the road, isolated from those who can protect her and unable to use her vast spell-casting talent, the thing she counts on most. In a story that will change the shape of the Otherworld forever, Armstrong gathers Elena, Clay, Paige, Lucas, Jamie, Hope, and other beloved characters, who soon learn that the greatest threat to supernaturals just may come from within.

Before I begin, I would like to thank Tynga at Tynga’s reviews for giving me this wonderful opportunity to read and guest review Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong. Kelley Armstrong’s “Women of the Otherworld Series” is at the top of my favorites and I definitely had a *SQUEE!!* Moment when I was asked! I cannot thank Tynga enough!! THANK YOU!!!! <3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For those of you who are not familiar with the series, Women of the Otherworld is a collection of several adult novels that have alternating female narrators throughout the series. Each female narrator possesses paranormal abilities such as, being a werewolf, witches, half-demon, and necromancer. The storyline continues with each additional novel in the series, bringing back the characters that were present in the previous installments.

Spell Bound follows Savannah Levine, daughter of half-demon/witch Eve Levine and sorcerer Kristof Nast. Savannah is a very powerful teenage witch whose abilities can be used for evil, given that her mother Eve practiced dark magic many years ago when she was still alive, handing down the curiosity to try out dangerous magic spells to her daughter. The prologue begins with Savannah being followed, her stalker hearing her inner wishes to take back the death of another by giving up her powers. The demon grants that wish and Savannah is left defenseless throughout the rest of the novel.

In the previous installment, Waking the Witch, Savannah solved a case she was on in Columbus, which lead her to be poisoned by a witch hunter. The story leads to Spell Bound, where the witch hunter sets their target on Savannah. Although losing her powers, Savannah soon realizes that this is only the beginning of much bigger problems that unravel, one that not only affects Savannah, but one that affects the entire supernatural world.

Savannah is torn between the loss of her powers and the emotions she possesses for her best friend (and crush) half-demon Adam Vasic. She desperately wants to stop the witch hunter and uncover the group of supernaturals that want to expose their world. Is Savannah willing to keep putting herself in harms way at the cost of losing the man she loves?

Savannah is such a great character, stubborn, strong-willed, reckless, witty, fun-loving, and loyal. She is definitely one of the most relatable characters in the series. Spell Bound really gives readers the full picture of what her weaknesses are behind the invisible defense wall she puts up in front of the others. Adam sees right through it, confronting Savannah. Readers will feel sympathetic towards both Savannah and Adam at different points in this novel. I cannot help but root for the two in the following installment of the series which stars both characters once again.

My favorite element of Spell Bound is how Savannah is left without any of her magic, and forced to rely on her human senses and skills. Before having lost her powers, Savannah struggled to control her emotions as well as the great power she possessed. Knowing that at any moment she could cause a catastrophe, and perhaps unintentionally killing those she cares about. I also enjoyed getting a better glance at the relationship between Adam and Savannah, now that they’ve grown throughout the series. Spell Bound is definitely one of the most emotional novels in the series.

My favorite element of the series in general, would have to be how Kelley Armstrong presents the narration by supernaturals from the female perspective. There are so many fantastic novels that have female characters who narrate the novels, but none compare to the uniqueness of Women of the Otherworld. My favorite narrator is Elena Michaels, the only female werewolf in existence. In each novel, readers are exposed to the problems encountered in the day to day lives of these supernaturals, however, as mentioned from the female perspective. Kelley Armstrong alternates the narrators to keep the series refreshing yet still keep all the wonderful characters from the other novels in the series to keep the story flowing smoothly from one novel to the next.

I could not have imagined a greater turnout to this series! From the very first novel Bitten to the twelfth in the series Spell Bound, readers will be captivated by Kelley Armstrong’s wonderful story-telling ability. Kelley Armstrong has created a steamy, sizzling, action packed, paranormal romance, adult series that will have you clutching your seat throughout each novel, and definitely lead you to jaw dropping closing scenes! I was lucky enough to buy the first ten novels in the series at once to read back to back, just read books eleven and twelve, and now I am left wanting more! Not only is the Otherworld series a must read, the Otherworld anthologies (Men of the Otherworld and Tales of the Otherworld) and other short stories and novellas make wonderful additions to the Otherworld experience that include the characters you love most!

I am so sad to see this series come to an end, as it is mentioned that book thirteen, entitled 13, which is said to release in 2012, once again starring Savannah Levine and Adam Vasic, will be the final installment in the Otherworld novels *sniff sniff, heavy sigh*.

I believe that Kelley Armstrong should be commended for her remarkable character development skills. What a truly great example of a talented Canadian author who has a passion for writing and the paranormal! I recommend this series to those who enjoy Adult Fiction, and to all the Paranormal Romance lovers! You MUST read this series as soon as possible!

Posted by Tynga at 08:49

 Guest Review, Kelley Armstrong, Random House, Review  3 People left their mark

Tynga is a 32 years old mom of two, from Montreal, working as a lab technician in an hospital specialized in heart disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading all things Paranormal and photography.

Follow Tynga on: Facebook | Twitter