Spellbound (Harlequin Teen) by Cara Lynn Schultz

Spellbound (Harlequin Teen) by Cara Lynn Schultz

 Spellbound (Harlequin Teen) is the tale of a doomed loved. Present day teen Emma has led a rough life. Her twin brother died when she was fourteen, her mother died almost a year later, and she was almost killed in an accident with her drunken stepfather. Having no one else to turn to, Emma goes to live with her wealthy Aunt Christine. At her new private school, Vince Academy, she learns having money doesn't make you a better person. At VA she meets a whole host of new friends and those not so friendly. There is the resident "freaky witch girl", the cool-in-the-closet-gay friend, the friend that's always hung over, the mean girl, and the jock who isn't quite right, and then there is Brendan. For some reason she finds herself mysteriously drawn to him and him to her. He seems to like her and find her interesting and then he won’t talk to her for weeks on end. On top of dealing with the new social pressures of high school, some very strange things start to happen. The pendant her brother gave her matches the one Brendan has in his locker. What does this mean? What’s with the talk about a doomed love? Why does she keep having flashes of other people's lives? The big question could is, “Could this be flashes of her life?

 In Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz there was good make-believe romance in this book. It was just a little clichéd for my taste. The whole curse on a doomed love has been done a lot. The relationship progression between Emma and Brendan was just “off” somehow. I didn't find that there was anything new brought to the plot. If you are looking for a sweet but sappy destined to be true love story this is your book. Now comes the tough part…the rating. This wasn’t a horrible book, but it wasn’t one that I kept either. I think I tend to rate my books on my blog harder than the ones on LibraryThing and Goodreads. I struggled between giving this one a 2 ½ star and a 3 star rating. I normally don’t try to compare books. However, compared to my other 3 star books this one isn’t quite up to their standard. I give this book a 2 1/2 STAR rating.

***Spellbound (Harlequin Teen) Extras***
Spellbound (Harlequin Teen by Cara Lynn Schultz has approximately 352 pages and was published on June 21, 2011 by Harlequin. The next book in the series is called Spellcaster and will be release March 27, 2012.

Almost to Die For: A Vampire Princess Novel by Tate Hallaway

Almost to Die For: A Vampire Princess Novel by Tate Hallaway

Ana Parker has always been the loner, the loser, the freak. She has long dark hair, pale skin, and mismatched eyes. Ana can count her friends on one hand. It’s easy she has exactly two. High school is rough, being labeled the freakish witch girl.  On her sixteenth birthday she is to be initiated into the local coven. This would normally be an exciting time in a young witch’s life, too bad she can’t do magic. On her way to the initiation with her mother, a man appears outside of her house and tells her that he is her father. The problem is he tells her that he is the prince of the vampires and she is Princess Anastasija Ramses Parker. Since the beginning witches and vampires have been mortal enemies. The time has come for Ana to choose her place. Is she a witch like her mother or a bloodsucking vamp like her dad? Being a sixteen year old freak in high school is enough to drive any girl crazy. Try being a witch/vampire princess, having to choose between worlds and parents while a hot vamp and witch all vie for your attention. What ever happened to sweet sixteen? Welcome to Ana’s world.

Almost to Die For: A Vampire Princess Novel by Tate Hallaway was too cute. I loved Ana’s sarcastic comments through the book and her geeky awkwardness. This was a short book (I read it in one sitting) and it gave just enough detail without being too vague. The premise was an interesting and original take on vampire/witch lore that I hadn’t encountered before. The only thing I wanted different is I would have liked some more scenes with Taylor. She is Ana’s only human friend and seems very unique, but really clueless as to everything that is going on (along with all of the other humans). If two girls at my school were going around “hexing” people I would be questioning some things. All in all I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to get the next one. I give this book a 3 1/2 STAR rating.

***Almost to Die For Extras***
Alomst to Die For: A Vampire Princess Novel by Tate Hallaway has appoximately 256 pages and was published on August 3, 2010 by NAL Trade. This is the first book in the series. Tate Hallaway also writes an adult series calle the Garnet Lacey series. I recommend this also.