A review by camryndaytona
Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

“Summer was such a waste of time and effort. Spring was okay. Autumn was the best. Winter wasn’t bad.”
“It was not conducive to my aesthetic of long sleeves and jeans and dark fabric, which I was not about to abandon despite the fact that I felt positively smothered.”
“It was clear though that I was not built for heat or the city. Because aside from the dense warmth, the city had . . . people.”

Sun might be my favorite literary character of all time. All three of the above quotes are from them, and literally all from one page of the novel. 

I did not know going into the novel that Sun was non-binary, but I loved the way the novel handled them: “They,” I said softly. “When you refer to me later, use ‘they.’”

That was it. Sun gave their pronouns, stated an expectation, and it was never once challenged. I don’t know if homophobia or transphobia exist in the novel’s world, but it never enters the plot and for that I am GRATEFUL. Of course it’s important to address such things, but queer people also deserve to simply have happy books in which none of the things that go wrong have anything to do with queerness. 

There are two characters, Fable (they/them) and Antonia(she/her), who absolutely hate each other, and while they do everything they can to offend one another, no one ever gets misgendered. I adore this. 10/10

This hasn’t been confirmed, but personally I’m claiming Sun as both Ace and Autistic. (Sun is, per the author, half-Korean). 

Rook (he/him), the other main character, is okay. I liked him well enough and found him compelling. There’s a whole interesting backstory that gets explored (unlike Sun, who gets very little backstory). But I just didn’t connect with Rook the way I did with Sun.