Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc

I would like to first clearly state that my reason for reading this book was because of the summary sounding very modern Merlin-esque. And that was all that was needed to make me interested.

This book was everything I wanted. It gave me soooooo many feels and the grumpy-sunshine romance? Pure perfection! I literally read the entire book in the span of 4 hours, mostly because every time I tried to put it down, I picked it back up.

I have decided that this means that I will probably like anything that F.T. Lukens' writes. I mean 3 books out of 3 being highly rated by me has created an auto-buy author.

I highly recommend this book!

When non-magical Rook finds himself entering the humble offices of the most powerful sorcerer in Spire City, he doesn't anticipate that he will be welcomed. After all, he's been thrust out of the world of magic since the passing of his magical grandmother, resorting to building a device that helps him to see magic. But when Antonia Hex agrees to bring him onboard as office staff, Rook finds himself allying with one of the Consortium's biggest pains. Through his work, he meets Sun, the apprentice of Antonia's rival, Fable. Together, Rook and Sun work to uncover the truth about Antonia's past, and discover just how far they're willing to go to be a part of the magical community.

F.T. Luken's "Spell Bound" is a quick read, one that is lighthearted and doesn't spend too long on withholding the action of the plot. While the story is pretty straight foward, the reader doesn't get enough of an immersion into the magical world that Rook and Sun are a part of throughout. Having read Lukens' "In Deeper Waters," I knew what kind of writer they were, and its wonderful to see that playful tone continue in this novel. On the whole, unfortunately, I just didn't connect with the two lead characters in the same way I have with the others; both of them just felt a little too one dimensional, with the constant burgeoning romance between the two as a very one-note throughline. This isn't to say the book isn't good, but it felt like something that has already done before. I will give the book points for being a self-contained or standalone story as too often we find these books as the beginning of series, and because of that, the initial book is nothing more than a 300 page setup for the rest of the books to come. That said, the story is open ended enough that should Lukens ever wish to revisit this cast, I think it would be a welcome read and one that could explore the aftermath of the final portions of the book in an interesting way.

4 stars

This was a cute magical romance. My one problem with this book is that it took almost 150 pages for something to happen. Other than that, it was a quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book!

Spell Bound two rival apprentices having to work together to save their teachers, with going through their own struggles. Rook is a genius who was not allowed into the magic community after his grandmother passed and Sun was a grumpy boy who has been with magic forever .This book was phenomenal and I enjoyed it so much. I loved the relationships between all the characters. Rook and Sun's relationship is so cute and I loved how they had little sayings between them. Their relationship made me happy with Rook having a "sunshine" personality and Sun being the grump. This was such a nice read and I'm glad I was able to read it early. I also loved Antonia's rule breaking self and her love and trust in Rook, which showed him that he belonged in the magic community. I will definitely be recommending this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this advanced copy.

Let's start with a question...
Did I finish this book in one day? Yes, definitely!

Dear reader,
I asked you to pre-order this book now, because It was very VERY GOOD!!!!!

First, Spell Bound had a comedic storyline. I laughed a lot when I read this. Both Rook and Sun were so funny, not to mention the other characters. It didn't miss or hit comedy punchlines, it was all hit!!

Secondly, Their characters and relationships were so adorable and moving. I really liked how FT Lukens made Sun and Rook relationship seem like Antonia and Fable, with a bit of romance of course!!

Third, Representation of what it felt like to be part of a community, even if you didn't have a big thing in common with them.

Fourth, Rook and Sun's sweet and adorable romance. They were perfect. No Debate!! It was slow
burning romance.

Fifth and one of the most important things... A certain character that turned into CAT!!!! IT WAS SO CUTE AND ADORABLE!!!

Overall, It was just so good.... I really wished I could read this book like the first time again.

What I enjoy about all of Lukens' books, this one included, is how seamlessly they bring you into their fantasy worlds. Sci-Fi and fantasy are genres I really enjoy, but like a lot of people I often struggle to get started do to the sometimes overwhelming world-building and info-dumping needed to set the stage. Lukens never has that problem, throwing you straight into the story and giving you pieces of information as you need them. This makes you easily able to delve into the story without having to worry about keeping up.

This story is very warm and cotton-candy sweet. The stakes don't feel high, and I would never say I was at the edge of my seat or unable to put the book down. But, that can be a very good thing. Sometimes you want to relax and just be happily entertained by an easy, happy story, and that's what this is.

The four main characters are all lovely and engaging. You are rooting for Rook and Sun from the start, and instantly like both of them. The main conflict doesn't start until you are halfway through the book, so this isn't the book to read when you are wanting a heavily plot driven page turner. But this is the book to curl up with on a rainy day to make you feel warm and happy and peaceful.

Spell Bound is a warm and sweet story about Rook and Sun, the apprentices of two rival sorcerers in Spire City. Our two protagonists embark on a journey of self-discovery, romance, and finding where (and with whom) they belong.

I really liked both characters from the beginning.and felt that they had distinct narrative voices. The sorcerers that they work for and other side characters were interesting to me as well. The budding romance between Rook and Sun is sweet and did not feel forced. I appreciated how accepting everyone was of Sun's non-binary identity and pronouns as well.

I would have preferred for the fantasy conflict of the book to begin. a bit earlier; it felt a little underdeveloped and rushed to me, but I did enjoy what we were given for the conflict, I just would have liked it to be a bit more fleshed out.

Overall, this is a sweet and fun YA fantasy with a strong emphasis on found family and believing in yourself.

Now this is a world I wouldn't mind returning to and getting lost in.

Overall, a good, solid read. I loved the world building and how it expanded throughout the story, rather than just being a big ole info dump right at the start. I adored the characters and found myself rooting for them as the story progressed. And the magic world itself that we are pulled into was a great approach.

Plus, I am such a sucker for the grumpy sunshine trope. Rook was a great lead character and his developement overall was strong and consistant. If I had to pick one gripe, it'd be that the switching POVs didn't really feel different from one another. Inside the dialogue, you could see how Rook and Sun differ, but outside, the sarcasm and humor was pretty similar. Perhaps that just goes to show how Rook and Sun connect, and it wasn't enough to really deter me from the story, so I'm not holding it against the book.

Though the book did wrap up nicely, I - selfishly - want more. I want to know what happens later on down the road; both with the characters and the resolution of the main conflict.

This was my first read by FT Lukens and it was a delightful welcome. Spell Bound's world building pulled me in. I really liked the magic system and how magic worked for each character. I loved the characters and was drawn in by their relationships with one another. I loved the black cat/golden retriever energy between our main characters.

I'f I had any complaints I would have liked to learn even more about the characters past. We got brief glimpses into their lives before the novel. This left me with some questions that I would have loved to see play out farther.

Still, 5/5. Quick, fun, and joyful read. I truly enjoyed it.

Wow. This book. I had read In Deeper Waters and loved it. I was extremely happy to be approved to read Spell Bound early.

A nonmagical teen boy seeks an apprenticeship with the most powerful sorceress.

The absolute perfection of this story and the representation within its pages. The pronouns, the crushes, and the magic!! I loved Rook. I loved Sun. Grumpy/Sunshine is my favorite trope and these two deliver. Antonia and Fable also have a frenemies type relationship and I loved that for them.

Rook started this story alone and by the end he had a family and a partner. It was an emotional roller coaster to get there but I enjoyed every second.

An adorable romance and a great fantasy as well, I absolutely adored this book. The dual-perspective made the romance really fun to read, and all of the characters felt like they could be real people, and real people that I would very much want to be friends with,. It's also a very quick read, as not only is it a rather short book, but it moves quickly (without it feeling like the plot was being sped through).

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.

Magical/dystopian books are not my favorite or usual genre, but sometimes the world-building is so natural that I forget that I’m reading such a story. Spell Bound belongs to this category, and F.T. Lukens has become an auto-read author for me.

Even though this fantastic cover fits the covers of In Deeper Waters and This is Ever After so well, the story is way different. F.T. Lukens goes back to the world-building of one of their older books, Rules, and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic, and Spell Bound is perfectly comparable to that one. So, no princes and castles, but the present world full of spells and curses.

I fell in love with this magical story from the first page. F.T. Lukens humor is so witty. To name a bubbly and open boy Rook, after a European crow, and an always wearing black, grumpy, and antisocial teen Sun. It’s simply brilliant. The frenemies-to-lovers trope is one of my favorite, and Rook and Sun were fantastic and cute frenemies! The corners of my mouth turned up every time they interacted with each other, and the smile on my face only grew bigger and bigger when they became friends and realized they had feelings for each other.

There’s so much more to love in this book. The rep was excellent and it’s found family trope all over. And the discussion about keeping people out of the community and gatekeepers was so good. That there’s no right way to be magic, just like there’s no right way to be neurodivergent or queer.

I believe that Spell Bound is F.T. Lukens's best novel so far. So put it on your TBR and get a copy as soon as it’s out!

I was given an Arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my first book by this author and now I want to go read everything else by them. I read this book in 24 hours because I just couldn’t put it down.

In this book Rook is non magical (or so he thinks) and wants to apprentice for Antonia because she is the most powerful sorceress. She takes him on and when her and her rival go missing it’s up to Rook and the rivals apprentice Sun to find them!

5/5 stars and I will be ordering a physical copy for my shelf!

3.5/5

I came here because I absolutely loved In Deeper Waters, and this book definitely didn't disappoint! The cover was absolutely beautiful in such a magical way, and the whole story just oozed with so much magic I couldn't get enough of it. The characters were a delight to read, each with such unique personalities. Rook, charming and extroverted who fears that he'll never have a place to belong; Sun, my autistic beloved, who's scared of being unlovable but lets Rook in anyway, and Antonia who is an absolute badass and one of the best written anti-heroes I've seen in a while. The magic system, while not unique, feels well thought out anyway, and I didn't struggle with understanding it at all. That said, I did feel like at times, especially in the beginning, some characters felt one-dimensional and unrealistic, like a caricature of a certain trait they possessed, and their motivations didn't necessarily make sense to me at times. The plot is a bit slow at first so I struggled with getting into it initially, but it certainly picks up and I found myself enjoying the latter half. I would definitely recommend this book if you like queer stories, F.T. Lukens' writing, loveable characters, and YA fantasy with a sprinkle of humor.

In Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens, Edison Rooker yearns to experience the magic that was lost when his grandmother died. He applies as office staff at Hex-A-Gone but desperately wants to learn magic. Everyone assures him that he’s not magic and the tests agree. Not one to go along with the rules, his boss, Antonia, names him Rook, her new apprentice. Her colleague, Fable, and Fable’s apprentice, Sun, soon get entangled in their schemes. Rook is eager to use his Spell Binder to harness the power of the ley lines along with some downloaded spells. The Consortium, the head office of Magic, decrees a non-magician can not do magic. While Antonia and Fable are captured, Sun is turned into a cat and escapes with Rook and more hijinks occur. You might find this sweet story uses some familiar tropes of friends to lovers, grumpy and sunshine, and found family to get its’ message to you. You belong. “ You.” “Me.” Thanks to NetGalley and Margaret K. McElderry/Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for the ARC.

I was a big fan of FT Luken’s last two books, but this one was honestly a disappointment. I didn’t really get a feel for either Rook’s or Sun’s characterizations, and neither Antonia nor Fable were all that likable to me. The plot had the potential to be interesting and make a stance about magic and belonging, but instead mostly dragged. The part where Sun turns into a cat felt a little creepy, and the romance between them only had legs in the third quarter (but it was good enough to redeem this book from a 2 star rating). I found myself resistant to putting this book down, but only because I wanted to finish it so badly so that it would be over.

A lovely found-family novel, and a sweet YA romance. I love Lukens's creations of worlds that automatically and with no fuss include diversity in race, gender identity, and sexual orientation. As with In Deeper Waters, treatment of magic stands in for other types of social policing and control. I’ve urged my school's library to purchase Spell Bound, as well as Lukens's other novels.

I have come to expect a certain level of joyful chaos in FT Lukens work and Spell Bound delivered exactly that!

I have been a fan and follower of Lukens work since the beginning and the premise of this story had me excited as it didn’t fit the fantasy mold I have come to expect from them. This modern urban magic take was refreshing and world building felt more concrete and real than I even hoped for! This gave me a The Devil Wears Prada vibe (I genuinely could not tell you why, maybe it’s Antonia’s office downtown and her eccentric ways … or maybe it was just all the coffee running Rook does lol.)

The writing gave what I’ve come to expect of Lukens, which is witty and lighthearted - even when the situations become a little dire! The characters are all chaotic and lovely and full of so much heart that I just want to hug all of them ( I’d ask permission from Sun first, of course). What this story does really well is ease us as readers into the characters - Usually I’m not a fan of slower beginnings but it was necessary here for us to become attached to Rook and Sun individually before they are thrown into an intense situation together.

Also, the grumpy/sunshine trope here? Fantastic. Show stopping. Round of applause. Sun had just the perfect level of general annoyance at the world around them and Rook was just so happy to be along for the ride - their dynamic was funny but also made sense in a way that played to both of their strengths.

In the end this is a wonderful story about finding one’s own self worth and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who can see it too. Found family is something I know I will always get out of an F.T. Lukens book and what is more found family than a non-magical magic guy and his grumpy little partner and their wary of breaking the rules magical teacher and their scary all powerful frenemy that has taken up the non-magical magic guy as her apprentice?

And finally, can we have a round of applause for the cover?! Sam Schechter never fails to amaze me with their work. Holy cow. I want wall posters of every cover they have done.
Special thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was another good book by the author and further confirms that they are an auto-buy author. I enjoyed the story and the characters and would read more adventures set in this world. My only complaint is I feel like the book should’ve been longer and somethings could’ve been more fleshed out so some things didn’t feel rushed.