F.T. Lukens is a New York Times bestselling author of YA speculative fiction including the novels Otherworldly, Spell Bound, So This Is Ever After (2022 Goodreads Choice Awards nominee), In Deeper Waters, and the forthcoming Love at Second Sight. F.T. resides in North Carolina with their spouse, three kids, three dogs, and three cats.
Edison Rooker isn’t sure what to expect when he enters the office of Antonia Hex, the powerful sorceress who runs a call center for magical emergencies. He doesn’t have much experience with hexes or curses. Heck, he doesn’t even have magic. But he does have a plan—to regain the access to the magical world he lost when his grandmother passed.
Antonia is…intimidating, but she gives him a job and a new name—Rook—both of which he’s happy to accept. Now all Rook has to do is keep his Spell Binder, an illegal magical detection device, hidden from the Magical Consortium. And contend with Sun, the grumpy and annoyingly cute apprentice to Antonia’s rival colleague, Fable. But dealing with competition isn’t so bad; as Sun seems to pop up more and more, Rook minds less and less.
But when the Consortium gets wind of Rook’s Spell Binder, they come for Antonia. All alone, Rook runs to the only other magical person he knows: Sun. Except Fable has also been attacked, and now Rook and Sun have no choice but to work together to get their mentors back…or face losing their magic forever.
Spell Bound is a heartwarming, whimsical YA urban sorcery fantasy book that is sure to please fans of FT Lukens previous books. The book is set in a world similar to our own, except where magic and sorcery are commonplace. The story features several popular romance tropes, including enemies to lovers, rivals to lovers, forced proximity, and found family. The book also features diverse LGBTQ+ representation, including queer and non-binary characters of different races and age groups.
Spell Bound may have a similarly attractive cover as Lukens’ other recent books, but don’t expect the story to have the same type of world-building. Instead, the world-building in Spell Bound is reminiscent of Lukens’ older book, Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic, with an abundance of magic spells and sorcery. The magic system in the story is highly original but slightly underdeveloped, consistent with typical YA fantasy reads of this calibre. Even so, there are many unique nuances to the magic world, including magical ley lines, a magical governing body called The Consortium, and quirky “sorcery services for hire” that make this book quite interesting and amusing!
The characters and their relationships are the real heart of this story. The majority of the story involves characters Rook and Sun and their magical mentors, the fiery Antonia Hex, and the non-binary, even-tempered Fable. The characters are all well developed, incredibly distinct, and mostly likeable. There is an abundance of funny banter and heartwarming dialogue between the characters that makes the reading experience especially enjoyable. Initially, Rook and Son are rival enemies, wanting nothing to do with one another. Lukens paces their evolving relationship well by introducing intersecting obstacles and a feud between their mentors to bring them closer together. They also compliment each other very well in many respects: Sun is self-assured, Korean, and nonbinary, while Rook is an insecure man on a journey of self-discovery. Antonia and Fable are the perfect supporting characters, badass mages that add a lot of additional drama and humour to the story. Fable was a nonbinary, chill, cottagecore kind of mage, and Antonia was a fiery, destructive force of nature.
Narrators Kevin R. Free and Neo Cihi do a great job narrating this book together. Kevin R. Free has wonderfully narrated several of FT Lukens’ other books, and his performance in this audiobook is just as impressive. He uses his smooth and youthful voice to portray Rook with an air of swagger, hilarious sarcasm, and emotional intelligence. Kevin also uses a good range of emotion and very distinct character voices. His performance of the fiery Antonia Hex is especially entertaining, as he uses a lot of dramatic flair and a commanding voice perfectly suited for the character.
Neo’s portrayal of Sun and Fable is a perfect compliment to Kevin‘s narration. His performance is more even-toned and introspective, and he accurately increases the emotional intensity of the characters when the stakes are high. The delivery from both narrators is very clear, easy to listen to, and well paced. With such great narration, the audiobook is the perfect format for enjoying this whimsical story!
Overall, spellbound is a cozy YA queer fantasy. If you enjoy whimsical stories with sorcery, unique magical systems, haunted houses, and heartwarming moments, then this is a book you should highly consider! The audiobook is wonderfully narrated and is an excellent format for fully enjoying this story. Whatever format you choose, you’re likely to have a smile on your face throughout this one and be eager to read more of Lukens’ books!
