Review: Spellbinding by Maya Gold

Title: Spellbinding

Author: Maya Gold

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: April 2013

Published by: Scholastic Point

Source: ARC from the publishers via Netgalley

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

There's more than one way to be powerful...

It is during a routine school project that Abby Silva--sixteen and nearly friendless--makes a startling discovery: She is descended from women who were accused of witchcraft back in 1600s Salem. And when Abby visits nearby Salem, strange, inexplicable events start to unfold. Objects move when she wills them to. Candles burst into sudden flame. And an ancient spellbook somehow winds up in her possession.

Trying to harness her newfound power, Abby concocts a love potion to win over her longtime crush--and exact revenge upon his cruel, bullying girlfriend. But old magic is not to be trifled with. Soon, Abby is thrust headlong into a world of hexes, secrets, and danger. And then there's Rem Anders, the beautiful, mysterious Salem boy who seems to know more about Abby than he first lets on.

A reckoning is coming, and Abby will have to make sense of her history--and her heart--before she can face the powerful truth.

My rating: ★★★☆☆
Okay, so I absolutely LOVE witches (they are my fave supernatural creatures) and magic, but honestly, I wasn't really feeling this book.

The main character, Abby, I couldn't really sympathize/connect with her. I mean, sure I felt sorry for her sometimes, but that's pretty much it. Some of her actions, I thought, were a bit extreme and somewhat frustrating.

Abby's crush on Travis and attraction for Rem was just ugh! I was like, "One or the other, chica. Make up your mind!" And this leads me right on to the relationship between Abby and Rem...can you say insta-love alert? I don't get the phenomena of this whole insta-love thing and, truthfully, it's not very realistic! You don't even know each other, how can there be love already?? But I gotta admit, Rem is a pretty sweet guy with his gorgeous dimples that are totally adorbs and making me swoon! But the insta-love just kills it. I mean, if it were a reincarnation case, TOTALLY understandable, but in this book? Not so much, really.

As for the story itself, well, it wasn't very action-y and kind of slow, unfortunately :( I like my stories to have action from the start, and in Spellbinding the real action really didn't start until almost the very end...and even then, it didn't last very long. But the ending itself I liked--It wrapped things up nicely.

Another thing I really loved was the history about the Salem Witch Trials that was incorporated in the story! A little non-fiction mixed with fiction...it just made things that much more interesting! And these witches and how they got their magic...SO creative! It's great, I'm telling you.

The magic use in the book, however, wasn't too outstanding. It wasn't really something I hadn't already seen/read. But, you know, it was there, and I love magic (as I said already)!

Overall, I liked the book, it was a pretty okay read, but it could've been better.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a comment! :)