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its_vendetta's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Cute book! The plot was interesting but I didn't really connect with the characters a whole ton. But the romance was very sweet!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Confinement and Violence
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Injury/Injury detail
silence_underrated's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement and Violence
junzoin's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Violence
arturo_luzen's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Violence, Cursing, Confinement, and Death
Minor: Blood, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Deadnaming, and Injury/Injury detail
joisaddler's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Classism, and Violence
bookedandbusy's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I absolutely loved this book! It was a fun, fast paced cute fantasy and I loved the characters!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Police brutality
mnerd63's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death of parent
twistykris's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This was a super sweet, queer fantasy novel that was just a wonderful read for this time of year (September). I loved both Rook and Sun's journeys of self-discovery as they both struggle with finding their place in the world and eventually discover that they are enough. And Antonia and Fable were just wonderful (and I know she's not the same, but for some reason Antonia gave me Eda vibes from The Owl House). Not really enemies-to-lovers, but more a sort of academic rivals vibe with some grumpy-sunshine and found family tropes sprinkled in.
The whole section of
Sun being a cat and chasing leaves and meowing and cuddling and purring just made me so smiley 🥹
The only reason I'm removing a .25 star (and may just change to a 5-star in the future) is because of a couple things. One being that it repeated itself a few times, like almost word -for-word sentences (namely when Rook thinks/ talks about the butterflies his grandmother made with magic that he'd catch in the summer). And then the ending felt.. a little less than satisfactory. There's this whole "fight the system" arc that turns into "appealing to the better nature of the oppressors and things change." I wasn't wishing for violence or a full-blown revolution, but it kinda took the wind out of my sails.
Overall, a really fun, inclusive late-summer-turning-to-fall read, and I'm looking forward to reading more from F.T. Lukens!
Oh, and a quote that had me laughing like an idiot:
The whole section of
The only reason I'm removing a .25 star (and may just change to a 5-star in the future) is because of a couple things. One being that it repeated itself a few times, like almost word -for-word sentences (namely when Rook thinks/ talks about the butterflies his grandmother made with magic that he'd catch in the summer). And then the ending felt.. a little less than satisfactory. There's this whole "fight the system" arc that turns into "appealing to the better nature of the oppressors and things change." I wasn't wishing for violence or a full-blown revolution, but it kinda took the wind out of my sails.
Overall, a really fun, inclusive late-summer-turning-to-fall read, and I'm looking forward to reading more from F.T. Lukens!
Oh, and a quote that had me laughing like an idiot:
They weren't going to catch me. I was the motherfucking Gingerbread Man.
-Rook
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Deadnaming
flamingho's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was an amazing book for many reasons. I loved the character growth, the queer representation, the blossoming romance, magical realism, the world building, and the respect of boundaries. To name a few! A fun read about a lovely tale of finding your chosen family during your loneliest time. I listened along with the audio book and found it very well narrated so kudos to y’all for killing that performance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, and Violence
percys_panda_pillow_pet's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
F.T. Lukens has done it again! After falling in love with the author's previous works, I knew I would love Spell Bound and I was right. The characters were great, the humor was on point, and the setting was so much fun. Lukens is really a master of creating these almost silly plots and set-ups, with interweaving seriousness that creates this lovely balance of tones.
The beginning was a little rough, but I find that's a bit of a habit for Lukens. They like to establish most of the lore and setting within the first couple of pages, which can get overwhelming and be a bit awkward to read, but once you're past that it's smooth sailing from there into a fantastic story. I will say, this is partially why this isn't a 5-star for me. The other half is that I think had I not picked up the book knowing I would enjoy it and ignored the summary for the most part, I would've found the inside flap misleading. Most of the book consists of building the characters' relationships, which I really enjoyed. But that means that the main conflict isn't addressed until about the last 4th of the novel, which is not how I understood it from the summary. So to anyone interested, I would just keep that in mind.
As for the relationships, they were FANTASTIC. I really loved exploring not just the dynamic between the two apprentices, Rook and Sun, but also Rook and his mentor Antonia, Sun and their mentor Fable, and even the strange rivalry/camaraderie between Antonia and Fable. The interactions were interesting and funny, and really are the shining gem of this book.
To end this, while So This is Ever After is still my favorite, Spell Bound and In Deeper Waters get to fight for second place. And if you like one of Lukens' books, I guarantee you will like the others.
The beginning was a little rough, but I find that's a bit of a habit for Lukens. They like to establish most of the lore and setting within the first couple of pages, which can get overwhelming and be a bit awkward to read, but once you're past that it's smooth sailing from there into a fantastic story. I will say, this is partially why this isn't a 5-star for me. The other half is that I think had I not picked up the book knowing I would enjoy it and ignored the summary for the most part, I would've found the inside flap misleading. Most of the book consists of building the characters' relationships, which I really enjoyed. But that means that the main conflict isn't addressed until about the last 4th of the novel, which is not how I understood it from the summary. So to anyone interested, I would just keep that in mind.
As for the relationships, they were FANTASTIC. I really loved exploring not just the dynamic between the two apprentices, Rook and Sun, but also Rook and his mentor Antonia, Sun and their mentor Fable, and even the strange rivalry/camaraderie between Antonia and Fable. The interactions were interesting and funny, and really are the shining gem of this book.
To end this, while So This is Ever After is still my favorite, Spell Bound and In Deeper Waters get to fight for second place. And if you like one of Lukens' books, I guarantee you will like the others.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Death and Suicide