Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Release Date: April 2013
Pages: 272
*An ARC was provided by Netgalley for review*
What It's About!
Salem is the bewitching backdrop to this lush, fast-paced tale of one girl discovering the source of her powers.
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.
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.
Review
Spellbinding was a fast, enjoyable read. I really liked Abby, the main character. Right away when I started reading, I was so pulled into the story that I almost read it in one sitting. I had first thought that the book started out too fast-paced, and too rushed, but once I got to about the middle, I could see why the author wrote it the way she did. Yes, the story starts out a bit rushed, but the book wouldn't have been the same if it wasn't. I really liked the build up from the beginning to the climax near the end.
The more I kept reading, the more I wanted to look up and google more of the Salem witch stuff. The whole book is heavily focused and based on actual facts that happened in Salem in the time when people were accused of being witches. I found it very fascinating and interesting. One of the things that made this book really good was because it's based on real facts, with some fiction thrown in.
Overall, I really liked Spellbinding, but one of the few things that made me like Abby a little less, was how she treated her bff, Rachel. After they have a falling out, Abby goes on with her witch stuff, which is fine, but it seemed like she didn't care the way she should have that she was losing a friend. It was too brushed off and I felt like the author brushed it under the rug instead of adding to the story. Another thing I had trouble with was the ending. It was a good conclusion and tying up of loose ends, but it was so short. The big event near the end happens, then it's like someone ripped out the last few pages of the book and are left wondering if it's really the end, or what. Since it IS an ARC and not a finished copy I hope the author can add a bit more to the end, smooth it out so it's not so suddenly over.
Since I enjoyed Spellbinding so much, I decided to go ahead and give it 5/5 hearts even though it was a little rough around the edges.
