It's F.T Lukens, no one is at all surprised I'm obsessed with this. I do think I liked So This Is Ever After more, but this one still had Lukens' signature good banter, found family, and cool magic vibes. It was an easy read that made for a good time and I loved the magic in it and the story itself was fun. Lukens does it again! They are officially an auto-buy author for me!

There are two apprentice sorcerers, and they are rivals, but after some unfortunate events, they must put their indifferences aside and team up with one another.

Edison ends up becoming an apprentice sorcerer for Antonia Hex, who is a powerful sorceress and runs a call center for magical emergencies. He kind of does not have any experiences with hexes and curses, but that just may because he kind of does not have magic...He decides he will somehow get access to the magical world that he once had but lost when his grandmother passed away. Edison is taken under Antonia's wing, and she renames him Rook. He just has to keep his Spell Binder hidden from the Magical Consortium and all will be well. Then, he just has to deal with the other apprentice: Sun, who is so grumpy and annoying. He and Sun will team up when the Consortium finds out about the Spell Binder and comes for Antonia.

I have enjoyed So This Is Ever After and In Deep Waters a lot by F.T. Lukens and I actually gave both of those books four stars. I was very excited to see this book on NetGalley and requested it right away.

Spell Bound starts off great. It made me laugh, want to know more about these characters and the magic, then just felt like a fun read.

But things changed...as the story progressed, I found myself getting bored at times and rolling my eyes because of some of the things going on and the dialogue. Then, towards the last chunk of the story, it just felt drawn out.

I feel like when it came to Sun and Rook, I felt like they lacked chemistry and that their attraction for one another was forced. Also, these two characters felt and sounded a lot younger than what they really were.

This story was neither bad nor amazing, but it was an okay read. I think a lot of people will enjoy this book. For me it was just a bit of miss based off the pacing, characters, and how somethings in this story happened.

This was absolutely fantastic! The main characters were extremely likable and well-rounded, and the world-building was perfect. It was so dramatic in the best way possible, and I was hooked immediately. Everything felt to intentional, which made my reading experience extremely enjoyable. For such a suspenseful story, I would also like to point out how comfortable the pacing was. It was so well balanced for a fantasy, so I was very impressed. This was just a such a great time!

I've really enjoyed other books by FT Lukens and you can add "Spell Bound" to the list also! The story revolves around two young sorcerers, Rook & Sun, each striving to prove their worth to their respective mentors who manage rival businesses specializing in breaking curses. Rook is very outgoing, while Sun is an introvert and they initially clash in a big way. However forced collaboration helps them grow individually, as well as friends. This story effortlessly incorporates elements of queerness, gender identity, and mental health, such as grief and panic attacks, with thoughtful consideration.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

All the magical feels I’ve come to know from Lukens. Reminiscent of the rules and regulations for mediating myths and magic but with some rivalry. Spellbound took me out of this world and placed me in a magical one filled with warmth and joy and with a fresh take on sorcery schooling and magical systems. Absolutely loved every minute of my time spent there.

Spell Bound by F. T. Luken is a fun and fast-paced queer fantasy novel with loveable characters and an endearing romance. I loved reading this book, and would definitely read other books by the same author.

The story is set in a world where access to magic and who can wield it is regulated by an all-powerful body called the Consortium. Rook and Sun are apprentices to two rival sorcerers, Antonia Hex and Fable, who have very different perspectives on the Consortium's control over magic. Rook and Sun themselves have different goals in life, even as they keep inconveniently running into each other and develop an inconvenient attraction for one another.

For Sun, their apprenticeship is a step forward in their trajectory of becoming a prodigious sorcerer with a good standing with the Consoritum, under the guidance and care of the rule-abiding Fable. Rook, on the other hand, has no magic, a potentially illegal magic detection device that he designed, and a desire to be a part of the magical world he had been deprived of after his grandmother's demise. And Antonia Hex is the perfect chaotic mentor with disregard for authority to help him realize his goals. However, the Consortium is not one to stand by and allow magical knowledge to exist that they cannot control, and Rook and Sun must work together to save not only their lives and those of their mentors, but also the ability to have a say in who gets to learn and have magic in their world.

One of my favourite aspects of this book was its world-building. The magical world and the magic system in it were complex and interesting with layers of intrigue and history that the reader gets to explore with the progress of the novel. The different characters and their motivations also become clearer the more one understands and explores the world that the author has created. Through the world-building, there is a fairly nuanced exploration of themes of belonging and othering, power and disenfranchisement, and loneliness and homecoming.

The characters, though initially appear to be simple in their motives and behaviour, are revealed to be complex and interesting in their own right. The prominent depiction of non-binary characters like Sun and Fable and their normativity in society, added to the richness of the understanding of the world. The relationship between the different characters was endearing and a delight to read, not only the growing friendship and more between Rook and Sun, but also the changing dynamics between Antonia and Fable. The plot was dramatic and full of surprises and twists and turns, keeping the reader engaged throughout the story.

This is a captivating story about those who have magic and those who don't. You have 2 sourcerers who are frenemies, and two apprentices who start off as enemies and become something else. Together they fight the Consotium for their rights and others rights, go on adventures and generally break the rules.

A young adult adventure featuring two rival apprentice sorcerers who team up to protect their magic and the ones they love. The characters in this book are so enduring and easily loveable that you want to route for them during the entire book.

Rook is a nonmagic person who grew up in a magical home but was forced to leave it once his grandmother died. Now he is searching for magic in any way that he can get it, he knows that if he is just given a chance he can learn magic. Even though his blood says he has no magic in his body. He makes his way into working at Antonia Hex's office, by charming her with his nonmagic abilities to fix everything she breaks. Now Rook needs to fight the consortium who wants to strip his mentor of her magic and the magical doormat that attacks him every time he crosses the doorway at Antonia's office. (Honestly, the doormat is one of my favorite characters from this book).

Highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for an action-packed, and heartfelt, fantasy book. A great book to pick up for new fantasy readers.

I really loved this book. It's just so incredibly precious. I really loved our two main characters, and their personal journeys throughout this book. Their friendship, and later romance, was absolutely adorable. I also just loved the banter between them. They were just so cute together. I also really liked the cast of side characters. They were all big personalities and really brought the story to life. I also really loved the magic system, as well as the storyline. I thought it was quite a lot of fun. The second half also got quite high stakes, and I literally gasped at some points because of the twists and turns. It isn't something absolutely wild, but still quite a journey to go on. So yeah, overall this book made me incredibly happy. I definitely highly recommend it, and I really am excited to read more by F.T. Lukens.

Rook has a plan. Even though he has no magic in a world full of it, he wants to be able to at least map out the ley lines in hopes of staying in the magic community after his grandmother's death. Antonia Hex sizes the teenager up and says it's against the rules but I don't like the rules so let's do it. She takes him on as an illegal apprentice.

Sun, a young enby works for their magical master, another non-binary, Fable, who is a sometimes work partner with Antonia. This brings them into contact with Rook who is everything Sun isn't, outgoing, extroverted people person. Sun prefers their own company but also they're very strong with magic. They're also easily overwhelmed by Rook's enthusiasm.

As the two young people get to know each other slowly, their bosses get caught up in Antonia's trouble with rocking the boat as far as the magical community is concerned. They have to work together not only to save their mentors but also their own lives.

I really liked Sun, Rook and Antonia (Fable doesn't have enough independent page-time to make an impact). I do feel like the actual threat took a little long to arrive so we have way more build up than we have actual threat but overall it was an enjoyable read.

This story follows two young sorcerers
trying to prove themselves to their respective mentors who run rival curse-breaking shops. The outgoing Rook and the introverted Sun start off on the wrong foot, but often have to work side by side. Queerness and gender identity are stated matter-of-fact, and mental health elements such as grief and panic attacks are handled with care. The main plot line is a fun, high-stakes adventure with a will-they-won't-they potential friendship or romance between the lead characters.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

When Edison Rooker is called to meet Antonia Hex, a powerful sorceress who runs a call center for magical emergencies, he doesn't know what to expect. He doesn't have experiences with hexes or curses, even though he's planning to regain access to the magical world, access he lost when his grandmother died. But then Antonia gives him a new job and name, Rook and all he has to do is to keep his Spell Binder, a device, illegal, who detect magic, hidden from the Magical Consortium and to contend with the other apprentice to Antonia's rival collegue's, Sun. Dealing with Sun, though, isn't that bad, anyway. When the Consortium discovers Rook's Spell Binder, though, they come for Antonia. Running to Antonia's rival is Rook's only solution, except Fable was also attacked and he and Sun have to work together to save their mentors and their magic, or losing it forever.

F.T. Lukens never disappoints. This book is magnificent, brilliant and I loved every single thing in it. It's a young adult romantic adventure, with two rival apprentice sorcerers fighting to save their own mentors and protect their own magic against an all powerful Magical Consortium. It's funny, original and brilliant and I was hooked from the very start. The relationship between Rook and Sun is pure gold and I loved following its development and how they rely on, trust and love each other, in this book filled with adventures and twists.
The story is captivating, the writing style, the worldbuilding, the magical world, the call center, I loved absolutely eveything. How couldn't I not? It's so fresh and original and I was captured since the beginning. Absolutely AMAZING.
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This is definitely my favorite of F.T. Lukens' books. I love the spooky atmosphere and the compelling characters, and the cozy magic vibes were everything I wanted. Will definitely be purchasing for my library and recommending to students.

I have been eyeing Lukens's books for a while because their covers are STUNNING, and thanks to the absolute fun I had reading Spellbound, I will definitely pick up their others.

Our two main characters, Rook (sunshine) and Sun (grump), are so endearing and I just want to have a big ol' group hug with both of them. They both learn a lot throughout the course of the story and I loved how they both fought with, and for, each other. Throughout the book, Rook is almost solely guided on just wanting to belong somewhere, and that definitely tugged on my heartstrings.

The magical world that Lukens has created here is so interesting and the magical mishaps people found themselves in were often hilarious. Plus! The banter! With everyone! I adored Antonia (Rook's boss) and honestly, I would love to see another book with these characters.

F.T. Lukens weaves another heartwarming spell through the magic of found family in Spell Bound. Along with a stunning cover, fast-paced plot, quality representation, and best of all: found family, Rook and Sun are pure magic!

Lukens is an auto-buy author for me and will be for you, too!

This was fun and well thought out! I loved Sun a LOT and would die for the proliferation of mama bears in this story 🥺 i will say it was a little heavy handed at times and the final confrontation was a bit cringe, but all in all i had a good time!

representation: queer white male MC, queer Asian nonbinary love interest, queer nonbinary mentor character

spice level: none

Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens is a book that I absolutely loved. It captivated me from the beginning and took me on a journey that reminded me of what it is like to be both in love and growing but unsure of how the world works. The author beautifully weaves together a tale of magic, romance, and self-discovery that left me feeling nostalgic and hopeful.

What I loved most about Spell Bound was its remarkable ability to be a short, quick read that not only maintained its depth and emotional impact but also had me laughing out loud. Lukens' writing style is engaging, effortlessly pulling you into the story and keeping you hooked from start to finish. The relatable and endearing characters added an extra layer of enjoyment, and their experiences resonated with me personally. As a queer reader, it filled my heart with joy to witness the diverse representation and authentic portrayals of relationships that were both heartwarming and hilarious.

This book is a delightful blend of fantasy and contemporary themes, creating a unique and compelling narrative. Spell Bound will transport you to a world where magic exists alongside the challenges of adolescence and love. F.T. Lukens has crafted a story that balances lighthearted moments with deeper introspection, making it a must-read for anyone who enjoys a heartfelt and enchanting tale. I highly recommend Spell Bound to those seeking a touching and affirming read that will give you a renewed sense of wonder and warmth.

This book was really fun and magical. I loved the characters and was actually also rooting for Antonia and Fable a little bit. The. Found family trope was so cute.

My only complaints are that it needs to be longer or a series. And that the beginning was very slow. There’s so much world building and story set up that you don’t really get to the action of the plot until over 50% of the way through. But that’s ok because it’s still incredibly good!

I'll be honest, I only requested this book because one of the cover models looks like Xiao Zhan and I'm in love with that man. This book was fun, but I didn't really love it a lot. I'm not sure if I'll read anything else written by the author either. It was just an okay one time read for me.

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- i always seem to find this authors work to be lackluster, and this was another one of their books that didn’t hit the landing for me. i hate that i can’t enjoy their stories, as the plots sound amazing, but i can never get into their writing style or the development of their characters, which, more often than not, are underdeveloped, especially with the main pairing/ship. i hate to hate on this book, like i have with the other books the author has wrote, but I’m here doing it. hopefully this author succeeds with their target audience, and that people can enjoy this book at their leisure.