TL;DR: Spell Bound was an incredibly wholesome and magical urban fantasy. This has everything from moments of coming-of-age, self-acceptance and finding your place, to adorably cursed singing mice, cataloguing cursed items in extremely haunted houses, and being tried in court for “small acts of rebellion”. With a quirkily charming but no less loveable cast of characters that will have you giggling at their adorable awkwardness, laughing at their antics, and cheering for them to defeat the baddies, this book proves that the found family trope is superior. Obviously, I loved it!

Without a doubt, this book shines because of the characters. Rook, Sun, Antonia and Fable made this such a treat to read and I mean, I could probably read a whole book about all the curse-breaking jobs they do. As a notorious scaredy, I never thought I’d say that about stories featuring haunted houses, creepy cursed dolls and other cursed objects but if it’s written by Lukens, I’d read it! There’s something about their writing that’s playful but relatable, entertaining and so easy to devour. The stars of the story are Rook and Sun but I have to give a shoutout to Antonia Hex who was incredible! She’s got this standoffish, slightly pompous, mean-girl exterior and exudes this “badass-witch-who-won’t-hesitate-to-curse-you” energy but of course, deep down, she’s got a solid heart of gold and cares deeply for her people. I loved what she ended up becoming to Rook and how their relationship evolved from mentor/mentee to family because they both deserved it!

Rook and Sun were the perfect eager sunshine x prickly grump combination who were so adorkably awkward it was sickeningly cute and rude. Like, who gave them permission?! Their romance was a sweet slow-burn but getting both their povs also added layers to their personalities that only made me love them more. Rook is such a kind soul! He’s got boundless energy and an eagerness to learn anything about magic but more than anything he’s lonely after losing his grandmother. He’s charming, witty and confident but he’s desperate to find a place where he belongs as a non-magical person who misses being surrounded by magic. Sun is Rook’s complete opposite—he’s prickly and anti-social, loves magic and is a strict rule follower. He has a big caring family but he’s also riddled with insecurities and doubts as he struggles to fit in. Through the found family that’s formed between the mentors/mentees, Rook and Sun find their place to belong and the people to accept them just as they are. I loved watching both of them grow individually and together. It was so incredibly heartwarming and my chest felt so full with all the feelings that it made me happy cry! 🥹

The only aspect that I wished had been stronger was the world-building. It was enough to get an idea about this world where magic exists and is strictly controlled by the Consortium. The Consortium felt like your typical money-hungry, power-tripping corporation that cares less about the people and more about the control over said people. However, because this book was so wholesome even the evilness of this entity didn’t feel that bad and even as Rook and Sun were running for their lives, the stakes felt pretty low. I never understood just how much power the Consortium really had and whether the magical community as a whole felt oppressed by them too. I have to admit that the resolution of the conflict felt a bit anti-climactic and much too easy but I also admit that I didn’t mind too much as I enjoyed the rest of it more!

To end, I wanted to share a quote that suffused me with so much warmth and satisfaction:

“Sometimes a family was a mischievous magical boss, her magical rival turned friend, a magical girl who used to be a babysitter and now was like an older sister, and the person you didn’t understand in the beginning but liked so much now. And sometimes it was arguments and sometimes it was hugs and sometimes it was banding together to fight a morally corrupt government body and sometimes it was just existing in the same space together as friends.
But whatever this family was right now, whatever it was going to be, and however it would turn out, it was mine.
And I knew that I belonged.”

Have you read Spell Bound or is it on your TBR?

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