Spellbound (Spellbound #1) by Cara Lynn Shultz

I just stumbled onto this book when I saw that it's sequel was due out at the end of this month.  I remembered seeing the cover around but hadn't had a chance to look into it yet.  WOW!  I was missing out and so are you if you haven't read Spellbound.  You know that book, the one that you go into reading it thinking that you know what's going to happen, then you read it and at the end, you sit there wondering what you just read?  This is that book.  I went into it expecting another decent book about magic and teen witches.  Spellbound was not that book.  Spellbound is a love story for the ages, a story about myth and legend meeting the here and now.  Oh, there was a witch too but not the witch you might expect.  Here's the Goodreads blurb:

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 Connor, 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.

I really enjoyed this book.  I was so surprised at how realistic it felt even with the paranormal running rampant throughout.  Emma is a pretty cool heroine who, I think, most of us can relate to.  All she wants to do is blend in and get through high school.  When she's first attracted to Brendan, she's not attracted to his wealth or any of the material things that the other girls in school are looking at, she's attracted to the boy who kinda sticks out.  His shirt's untucked a bit, his tie's kinda loose and his hair's a mess.  He's not like the other boys who could be cut with the same cookie cutter.  I like that Emma is attracted to something DIFFERENT.  And that extends to her friends as well.  She befriends the school's resident witch who fits every category of "different from the rest" that there is.  She doesn't have money, she's a bit eccentric, she's Wiccan and she could give a crap what all the others think.  I love Angelique.  She brings some fun, mystery and a lot of spunk to the story.  I really can't come up with anything that detracted from the story.  Overall, this was a wonderful read that really made my weekend.  There are some scenes of violence and some descriptions of events that may be a bit much for young readers or the squeamish but no sex or language that could throw up red flags for sensitive readers.

You can find out more about Cara Lynn Shultz and her books by checking out her blog.  You can also find her author page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.  You can also click here to find the series on Goodreads.  Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz earns 5 Fairies for being a delightful and addictive read!