Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz
Spellbound #1
Release Date: September 7, 2012 (UK)
Publisher: MIRA Ink
Source: Publisher
Rating: Bland

What’s a girl to do when meeting The One means she’s cursed to die a horrible death?

Life hasn’t been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Conner, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she’s irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can’t stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma’s been having the oddest dreams. Visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else. - Goodreads

I didn't end up enjoying this one in the slightest. I'm struggling to write a decent review on it, so I'm just going to split this one up into bullet points and hope that it gets my point across. Have any of you read this book? I heard such good things about it, but it turned out to be... not so good.

• Cliché story telling, making it very predictable.

• No likeable characters, including the secondary ones. I didn't feel connected to any one of them, and Emma was one of the most annoying teenage girls I have ever read about. She's a bit of a Bella Swan, unfortunately, in that she's 'plain' and yet everyone loves her, the most mysterious/hottest guy in school falls for her, etc.

• Emma's life revolved around the Brendan - the popular, most good looking guy in school, of course - and when he refused to talk to her she wouldn't stop thinking about him. It was borderline obsessive and I didn't like it at all. At one point he stops talking to her for one reason or another, and she is STILL constantly thinking about him. I would have got a restraining order if I was him. Independent girls/women are so much better than those who worship the ground these guys walk on. Does that really need to be said? It certainly shouldn't have to be.

• I would insert the usual rant about insta-love here, but I think most people know how I feel - and how everyone else feels - about that by now. No thank you. 

• Emma's back-story seemed kind of pointless. We were told that her mum died in a car accident, her step dad was a drunk, yadda yadda yadda, but none of this seemed to have an impact on the present day story.

• I thought the writing was fairly decent, but it was pretty unremarkable. The dialogue was a little boring, though. There were no funny moments, and the way the characters said things just didn't show any emotion.

So. I don't recommend this book at all. I think it's unoriginal, boring and the characters are all idiots. This is like Twilight with witches, and yet it still lacks the draw that Stephenie Meyer managed to accomplish.