4.5 stars!

This was so good 🥺 it took me a few chapters to really get into the story but once I did, I really loved it! I think the 2nd half of the book was especially great!! I absolutely adored So This is Ever After last year so this one was one of my most highly anticipated books this year and it did not disappoint! Rook & Sun’s Frenemies to Lovers journey was so great!!! And if you love a found family trope than definitely pick this one up!! Just overall really enjoyed this one 🥰

I enjoyed this book and I thought it was really sweet but it definitely was on the young side of YA if not even middle grade. Which isn’t a bad thing but I really don’t feel like this book was for me. I really liked Sun and found Rook and their romance very sweet and accurate to being a young teenager. Also I feel like all the representation was all really natural and well done, which is really refreshing. Honestly my biggest issue with this book is that it feels like the plot doesn’t start until halfway through. The synopsis reveals that Antonia gets captured so you expect that to happen way earlier in the book so I was very surprised it doesn’t happen until over 50% through. Overall I think this book would be a fun read for a young teen, especially one who identifies with the characters.

Utterly delightful! F. T. Lukens has yet to disappoint me, but Spell Bound really stuck out. The characters are endearing (and who doesn't love a morally gray but territorial sorcerer?). Sun was especially adorable and possibly autistic coded? Frankly I loved every moment of this book and raced through it in two days.

The "magic" of an F. T. Lukens book feels to me like falling backward onto a trampoline after you have been jumping on it. It both catches you and bouys you back up and it feels lovely. It is what you imagined a cloud would feel like when you were a kid, fluffy and warm and something to sink into and just vibe.
Spell Bound delivers on that once again, but this time it also has:
- Found Family
- Sunshine Character/Grumpy Character relationship
- An extremely badass Sorceress
- Two (2!) non-binary main characters
- There is only one bed! trope
- anti-capitalist vibes
and so much more!

I can't declare this my new favorite F. T. Lukens book because I love all of them so much! But this one definitely doesn't disappoint!

Star Rating: —> 4.5 Stars

Another magical, adventurous & delightful read from F.T. Lukens!

One thing I love so very much about F.T. Lukens is that there’s always a promised HEA. Their novels are always lovely, chaotic (in the best way), & entertaining. I love that I always know I what I am getting into— A WONDERFUL TIME !

I have to say, this may have been my favorite so far ! The character development was fantastic & the MCs were on a long trail of disaster after disaster with even more magical mishaps at every turn…

“…that was as close as they were able to get because I took off running. They weren’t going to catch me. I was the motherfucking Gingerbread Man.”
[Quotes may not be in the published version of this novel, they were copied from the advanced reader’s edition.]

This book was an absolute joy to read and the relationship between our two MCs Rook & Sun was *insert heart eyes emoji here* and queer! (wooo we love the LGBTQIA+ rep! Not to mention Sun is non-binary, and on the neurodiversity spectrum as well, as you will be sure to notice in the book though I don’t recall it ever being mentioned, besides Rook respecting it! Anyway we love all of that beautiful rep!), and charming AF! The relationship between the two “rivals,” as they are each apprentices of a sort to rival witches— Antonia, and Fable (who is also non-binary— thank you for all the NB rep, Lukens ☺️). The rivalry between Antonia (a city sorcerer) & Fable (a cottage sorcerer), I honestly think, was rather entertaining, and obviously a problem to overcome for Rook &
Sun.

“I ignored them. It wasn’t mature in the slightest, but I didn’t know what to say. I’d chosen magic. I’d always choose magic. That wasn’t the question. But it had been nice to have a friend. To have someone who liked me in return. Someone who, despite my prickliness and social ineptitude, had kept trying. Most people gave up. Even my sisters didn’t fully understand.”
[Quotes may not be in the published version of this novel, they were copied from the advanced reader’s edition.]

Magical hijinks ensue (which should be a TM for Lukens 😉), charm, wit, and humor are found at every turn, and Sun is erm, turned into a CAT for a portion of the book, which is the best thing ever oml !

“I sighed, tipping my head back. “I regret everything.”
“Life choices, friend. Come on, like you said, it’s big, and we won’t even have to touch in the night. Unless your inner feline decides it wants to cuddle again.”
“So much regret.”
[Quotes may not be in the published version of this novel, they were copied from the advanced reader’s edition.]

I admire Rook SOMUCH because after having magic ripped away from him, after being surrounded by it his whole life, when his grandmother died, he was left with well, nothing magical. He made his way & is a genius, especially with electronics and technology, and makes a FANTASTIC, erm, very much magically illegal device that maps ley lines & senses magic, called the Spell Binder! He worked SO hard on it, and for someone with no magic, you have to admit that is incredibly impressive.

I also loved, so much, that none of the rep was ever really mentioned by name, either, the author shows, rather than tells, with ease & grace.

This was just such a joy to read and the road, the whole way through seems to be filled with obstacles for each MC alone, the MCs together, and the side characters to not only endure, but overcome! And that they do!

It was a truly marvelous magical comedic romp of a romantasy!

I enjoyed this from start to finish, and I recommend 100%! Another great one by F.T. Lukens!

A HUGE thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing via Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars

An extraordinarily fun fantasy adventure featuring queer love, found family, and a little speaking truth to power. This book will wrap the rebellious but cozy part of you up in a blanket and shower you with sparkly golden butterflies.

F.T. Lukens just keeps getting better. This book was so sweet. I don't reread many books but I will go back to this one when I need a cozy hug. The characters are strong and the world is well-fleshed out. The romance part is light and has a fairly realistic progression, which is hard to find especially in YA. If you like Lukens' other books you'll also love this one and their writing style has gotten even stronger. I will be recommending this to everyone!

If you're looking for magic, adventure and romance, Spell Bound is the book for you!

Rook is non-magical, but was raised by his magical grandmother. When she passed away, a sorcerer looked at his palm and declared him non magical. He had to move out of her magical neighborhood and into an apartment in the city. He is a genius, but is very alone (and very lonely). When the book begins, he goes to inquire about a job at Hex-a-Gone, run by the famous sorcerer Antonia Hex. She shouldn't hire him, but she does, telling him she can't teach him magic and he can only be an office worker. But he doesn't care. He's just happy to be around magic again. He also has an ulterior motive - he wants to test his device, the Spell Binder, which identifies let lines, which sorcerers access for magic.

On his first day, Sun walks into the office with a handful of cursed objects. They are an apprentice of Fable, who Antonia is working with on a cursed piano. The box is full of other things from the same house. When the doormat trips Sun, and they fall, Rook saves the day and helps to capture the creepy cursed doll. But Sun leaves before Rook can learn their name.

After a couple of weeks, Antonia finds out about the Spell Finder. She is a rule breaker, and outcast of the Consortium which makes all of the rules, so she decides helping him is just a tiny act of defiance. But when she sends him to a haunted house without her (thinking Fable was going to be there), and he gets caught up in a cursed curtain, and is only saved because Sun was there and uses a sword to cut him out, Antonia decides to teach him magic. And Sun defies Fable to help as well. But if a non magical person can learn magic, then the Consortium doesn't have the stranglehold on magic they claim to have.

This book is full of awkward teenage love, with a non-binary character who doesn't like being touched. It is a sweet romance, which stays solidly in G/PG territory. The magical elements feels completely natural in the story, and it makes for a fun adventure story.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

It was my birthday on the 30th and I was pretty sure that I would absolutely love this book after I read the blurb, so I decided to read this book for my birthday and I did a perfect choice, because this was just everything I wanted to be reading about.

This book was just perfect for me. I don’t even know how to describe how much I loved this book because this was just everything I enjoy reading about. The sorcerers setting in this book was so fantastic and add in a trival to lovers trope and I was in heaven.

This book was just everything I ever could have asked for, so thank you for providing me with such a wonderful reading experience.

The absolute LOVE I feel for everything F.T. Lukens writes is out of this world.
I adored this story with my whole heart! Cozy queer fantasy is my safe place, my happy space, and this book is like a warm hug of belonging. All the stars!

Super duper cute and fun! I greatly enjoyed getting to know Rook and Sun, Antonia and Fable. I loved the magical world building and the competition between Antonia and Fable's businesses - some of the jobs they take are so bizarre, I love it. While there's lots of cozy moments and places - like Fable's idyllic cottage by the magic forest and the whimsical cafe in the city - there's an underlying unease and inequality, which is the result of the controlling and always watching magical enforcement, Consortium. As Rook becomes more comfortable participating the magical world that he was barred from, the more he's in peril of being discovered by the Consortium. And then there's his forbidden friendship with Sun, who is apprenticed to Fable, Antonia's rival. Their relationship - from "frenemies" to friends to more - is well paced and gave me all the feels! While there aren't as many Sun POV chapters, I did enjoy getting their side of the story (especially after a certain magical event occurs). I was especially delighted that both Sun and Fable are nonbinary! Sweet, earnest, and full of longing and magic, Spell Bound is must read!

“you” i said.
“me” they said.

Y’ALL this book. this mother f-ing book. it was exactly what i needed right now. after a few recent flops, i needed something quick, something fun, something that would tug at the heartstrings. and this did all that and more.

now it’s no secret that i’ve adored f.t. lukens’ two predecessors to spell bound. and of course, when you have an author that is quickly and easily becoming an all time favorite, you always worry that their next release will live up to hype. all that worry was truly for nothing. something, some specific way f.t. lukens has with their books, it just grabs me by the collar and immerses me deeply into their worlds. from the first page, i was hooked. rook’s opening interactions with antonia, it felt so real to me, so raw, and it only got better from there.

we followed rook through their beginning stages working their way (back) into the magical world. trying to prove himself, doing whatever it took. we saw him bond with sun (sun, my sweet summer child we’ll get back to you soon, i promise). we saw him grow his skills as an “office staff”. we saw this little found family fight for each other and for what’s right. i cannot say how much i loved being mostly in rook’s footsteps. seeing his determination first hand. the sunshine to sun’s grump. i just, i have no words for how truly deeply i felt for rook.

on to sun, the grump with a heart full of love, buried deep down. sun, my short enby royalty who wears all black and hates to be touched by others without specific consent and only by certain people. are you me?? like truly, i cannot believe how much i saw them and was like, holy shit, that’s me. am i bit more outgoing, maybe? but only as a survival mechanism (haha kidding… sort of). i just, i love sun so deeply. they see things no others can, literally and figuratively, and they deserve all the love from those around them.

i loved this queernormative, urban fantastical world. i loved these characters and how they interacted. their humor. and i especially loved rook and sun, they own a special little place in my heart, tucked neatly alongside f.t. lukens’ other pairings. and i wish i had more of this world. more of this little group, doing the mundane magical things.

i didn’t know much about what this book was about going into it, just that there was magic. and beyond that i didn’t need to. i trust this author with my time. i know that i can open a door into their worlds and get lost in it. and with spell bound, i can easily push f.t. lukens into an all time favorite authors list. i wholeheartedly (and very impatiently) cannot wait to see what’s next. next for their books and for them.

F.T. Lukens always delivers. I can honestly say I’ve deeply enjoyed every book I’ve read of theirs; and Spell Bound is no exception. 



Spell Bound is about a magical world, much like ours, hello coffee shops and crappy apartments. Rook and Sun give the reader a duel perspective of the world and their respective apprenticeships with their powerful mentor sorceress/ers. There was a cute grumpy/sunshine, frenemies-to-lovers romance. They were never truly *enemies* exactly, just apprentices of rival sorcerers; who weren’t actually enemies either. But you get what I mean. The reader goes on this journey where every character is kind of looking for where they belong and acceptance. Mix in a corrupt magical government, a kind of kidnapping and a trial for show; and you’ve got a busy book you won’t want to put down until the last page.



I would recommend this book to those that enjoy a good magical apprentice book such as, but not limited to: Harry Potter, Howl’s Moving Castle, Uprooted, Shadow and Bone, and The Ancient Magus Bride. This one is good for those looking for some Nonbinary representation done right; as well as those willing to go searching for what they want, no matter where the road takes them.

This is the third book I’ve read by F.T. Lukens, and their books are a guaranteed delight.

This book is fast paced, some light fantasy (I’d say light fantasy? It’s not like super intense world building, and I’m totally okay with that because light fantasy is more my speed), there’s witty and humorous dialogue.

All the characters are so great, Antonia and Fable, Rook and Sun (my heart 🥹) Mavis is sort of randomly thrown in near the end but it’s okay she’s part of the team. If you love found family novels, this for SURE for you.

F.T. Lukens has easily become a must read author for me. Anything they write, I’ll read it. This book is such a fun time, I laughed out loud quite a bit, if you love cats 🐱 I’m excited for you to get about 60% in because what a wonderful surprise for you 😂.

A full review will be published on Instagram on April 5th at 6:00pm on @abookwormsgarden.

I was a big fan of So This Is Ever After, so I was excited to read Spell Bound. I adored Spell Bound. Rook and Sun were both fantastic characters. Their relationship development was phenomenal. I loved this world. I loved the ending. If you are looking for a fast paced read check out Spell Bound!

Thank You to Netgalley, Simon&Schuster and Margaret K. McElderry Books for allowing me to read this book!!

Plot: 6/10
Something about the pacing in this book felt off to me, but I think it's because the summary of this book kind of gives away the whole plot. The pitch of this book places a late, major plot development as the sort of initiating event, which isn't even slightly the case. A good half of this book is build-up to that moment, and it works just fine on its own! The tension between Antonia and Fable (and subsequent issues for Rook and Sun) is perfectly good at developing the plot on its own.

I've read Lukens' books before, namely So This Is Ever After, and they basically write romcoms that happen to benefit from the fantasy world they're set in. However, in Spell Bound, there is involvement with a bigger, more world-impacting plot, and I don't really like it that much. The conclusion feels very rushed, and Lukens' short-form and standalone style doesn't really have the space to properly address what this book is trying to do. Personally, I think this book should've been maybe a duology, even trilogy, that looks into the Consortium, its corruption, and more carefully deals with how Rook and the people around him would reform it. The ending is basically just Rook and Sun saying, "and now things are changing" which ultimately feels unsatisfying.

Characters: 8/10
I think the characters are the strong point of this book, especially when it comes to the romance. Rook and Sun, our two protagonists, don't have a ton of development, but they're fun characters from the beginning, and their growing relationship with each other is adorable to watch. Like I said, Lukens' books are rom-coms set in fantasy worlds, and Rook and Sun have it all. A meet-cute, a coffee shop date, only one bed, on the run together after breaking tons of magical laws—ok, maybe that last one isn't a trope, but it creates a lot of great situations for them to work through together.

The most interesting character, point-blank, is Antonia. Antonia Hex is the city's premier curse breaker, but she's known for more than that. Her magical power is so extreme that she could easily take down the Consortium and even rule the world. She's also banned from taking an apprentice, for reasons Rook is set on figuring out. She's just so interesting and has this crazy backstory; I'd be content with reading a book just about her!

The other major side characters, mostly Fable and Mavis, are a little underdeveloped. They seem to have a couple personality traits and really nothing else, but there is one other thing I liked about the characters. Queerness is treated as just utterly normal in this book; Rook and Sun's relationship is only an issue because Antonia and Fable hate each other, and Sun mentions they prefer they/them pronouns in their first meeting with Rook and their gender is never brought up again.

Writing Style: 7/10
I appreciate that Lukens decided to place this story in a modern equivalent fantasy world. One issue I had with So This Is Ever After was the extremely anachronistic language, and the modern setting pretty much solved that. It still wasn't amazing writing, but it kept that lighthearted tone going through the whole book. Rook and Sun are both very casual in their speech, which feels realistic, and this book successfully avoided the overused, annoying pop culture references that often inundate contemporary novels.

Overall: 7/10
Overall, I just found this book good. It was a quick, light, easy read, and it's definitely a welcome reprieve from the intense fantasy I normally read. The magic is pretty fun, and I really liked the romance. The plot was a little too much for so quick a book, and some of the side characters aren't as fleshed out as I'd like, but this is definitely a great book to just relax and blow off some steam while reading. It isn't a masterpiece, but I'd still recommend it, especially if you're just looking for a little fun.

This book was PURE MAGIC. I love the way the found family was woven through this story of taking down a corrupt government agency. As expected with Lukens, the queer representation was perfection. Charming, funny, and heartwarming.

Almost a 5 star for me! I found this story to be medium-fast paced and the characters to be quite enjoyable. However, I do think it was a little slow at the get go. It seemed to pick up at roughly 30% for me. I feel like this is the perfect summer read. I cant wait to read more from this author.

Not me over here thinking I'm Fable because I can't remember to water plants.

F.T. Lukens is back with yet another incredible fantasy romance! And personally, I think this one might be my favourite yet! SPELL BOUND takes two rival apprentice sorcerer's set in a contemporary magical society and forces them to work together to save their mentors. maybe they'll become friends...or even more along the way!!

This was such a joyful and interesting read, while still feeling genuine. It takes some of the classic tenets of a magic society and puts a new spin on them. I never felt like I was reading parts of some other book, although it did definitely make me want to work on an idea I've had on the back burner.

While the story didn't quite develop with the pacing or in the ways I expected, I still greatly enjoyed what it ended up doing. It ended up being pretty hard to put down despite the looming threat of my unfortunately non-magical life.

Another thrilling, fantastical read by F.T. Lukens! SPELLBOUND was everything I’ve come to expect from Lukens’ writing and so much more! I certainly found myself feeling spellbound as I tore through this thrilling story of magic, found family, morally gray badass sorcerers, and cursed objects. The rivals-to-frenemies dynamic between Rook and Sun was so much fun to watch blossom, and their adventure against their magical, oppressive government was something I didn’t foresee happening the way it ended up playing out. Overall, this was an exciting, heartwarming read that I can’t gush over enough!