Spell Bound (Women of the Otherworld, #12)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Spell Bound (Women of the Otherworld #12)

by Kelley Armstrong (Goodreads Author)

4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 · rating details · 6,253 ratings · 566 reviews

At last, in the novel every Kelley Armstrong fan will need to own, all the major heroines and heroes of Otherworld are united.

It's been ten years since Bitten, the first novel in Kelley Armstrong's New York Times bestselling Otherworld series. In that time hundreds of thousands of fans have ravenously devoured the adventures of Armstrong's witches, demons, and werewolves...more

Hardcover, US, 336 pages

Published July 26th 2011 by Dutton Adult

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

2011 Book Releases I Crave

71st out of 248 books — 399 voters

Dart and the Squirrels by Nicole Izmaylov

Most Anticipated books for 2011

53rd out of 239 books — 527 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Mar 29, 2011 Tatiana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, 2011, series-dropped-lost-steam

Just finished this very early ARC of Spell Bound and I truly hope it will be worked on some more. For now my thoughts are: this installment is rather messy and anticlimactic.

The novel starts with Savannah and Adam investigating the loss of Savannah's spell-casting powers and learning more about witch-hunters introduced in Waking The Witch. Eventually however all the trails lead to something huge, something that puts the whole supernatural community in danger.

The thing is, we never actually find...more Just finished this very early ARC of Spell Bound and I truly hope it will be worked on some more. For now my thoughts are: this installment is rather messy and anticlimactic.

The novel starts with Savannah and Adam investigating the loss of Savannah's spell-casting powers and learning more about witch-hunters introduced in Waking The Witch. Eventually however all the trails lead to something huge, something that puts the whole supernatural community in danger.

The thing is, we never actually find out what exactly this danger is. We get to know some villains (there is plenty of them), but we never learn what specifically they are after and how they are planning to achieve this thing they are after. I guess we'll find out in the next book?

What Spell Bound is about is quite a bit of sleuthing performed by Adam and Savannah when they follow numerous leads with the help of their numerous friends in numerous places. Spell Bound is one of those Women of the Otherworld books that take a hectic family reunion route. Meaning almost every character from previous books makes a cameo - Clay, Elena, Paige, Lucas, Hope, Karl, Jaime, Jeremy, Cassandra, etc. - they all show up regardless if they are actually needed or not. I normally like such cameos, but here it felt excessive and often unnecessary.

If you are invested in Adam/Savannah relationship as much as I am, don't hold your breath. The development is minimal, unfortunately. The couple's interactions are hardly swoon-worthy or even realistic, I would go as far as to call them contrived, especially when it comes to fighting about IDK what or making up.

After finishing this 12th book in the series I feel a tad disappointed. There is a lot of running around and gathering of information, but most of the questions remain unanswered, story threads unresolved. Basically, the novel has no solid plot, it is very fragmented and has no real climax.

This series has been a favorite of mine for awhile, but it is gradually becoming something like Sookie Stackhouse series. I still enjoy reading the books, they are still entertaining, but they don't truly excite me any more. I particularly miss the hot romances...

P.S. I recently found out that the 13th book will be the last in the series. More info here: http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/forum/...(less)

23 likes · like · see review

Jul 06, 2011 Jen (Red Hot Books) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, urban-fantasy, otherworld

I loved this book. Loved it so much, in fact, that it may be my very favorite Otherworld book of all time. Yes, I know that's a pretty bold statement. And not everyone will agree. After all, generally the best Otherworld books are Elena books and I'm the first person to say so. But what makes this book so fantastic is that even though Savannah is the narrator, it brings everyone together. Savannah, Adam, Paige, Lucas, Hope, Karl, Elena, Clay, Jeremy, Jamie, Benicio, Troy, Griffin, Sean, Bryce, K...more I loved this book. Loved it so much, in fact, that it may be my very favorite Otherworld book of all time. Yes, I know that's a pretty bold statement. And not everyone will agree. After all, generally the best Otherworld books are Elena books and I'm the first person to say so. But what makes this book so fantastic is that even though Savannah is the narrator, it brings everyone together. Savannah, Adam, Paige, Lucas, Hope, Karl, Elena, Clay, Jeremy, Jamie, Benicio, Troy, Griffin, Sean, Bryce, Kristof, Jaz, Rhys... The only major player missing was Eve (and she did get a mention.) Kelley Armstrong has taken threads from her previous books and woven them together into this awesome creation, like it was some giant master plan all along.

The story picks up right where Waking the Witch left off. Savannah is without her powers and she believes it's because she offered to exchange them to right one of the wrongs in the last book. She and Adam investigate and, sure enough, little Kayla and her grandmother have been reunited. But now what? There are witch-hunters still after Savannah and despite her feelings in a moment of weakness, she needs her powers. She and Adam work to figure out how to restore them while sniffing out the witch-hunters and foiling their murderous plans.

As if that weren't enough to deal with, there is a group of supernaturals that are pushing to out themselves to the human world. They believe now is the time, because of a prophecy that foretold key events: Savannah's birth, the werewolf twins, Jaz's powers, and the birth of Rhys' clairvoyant grandchild, among others. The group's leaders also have ties to the immortality questers we learned about in Broken. It's all very complicated and conspiracy-theorist and there is still a lot we don't know about them, even as the story ends. --That's right. This story won't reach it's conclusion until the next book... which will also be (**sniff**) the last book in the series. I'm sure that's going to turn a lot of people off, and I'm no fan of cliffhangers, myself. But I like that Armstrong is making this final story epic... to go out with a bang. I'd rather that than some lame rush job, trying to make it all fit in one book.

If you're wondering about the romance we were missing in Waking the Witch, (view spoiler)

I will miss this series when it's over. Armstrong has created such a rich world for these characters with the wealth of novels and short stories she has written. But I am so impressed that she is pulling them all together for a ending that is fitting and worthy of the characters and stories she has given us. I can't wait to see what happens. 5 stars.

*ARC Provided by Dutton

(less)

9 likes · like · see review

Oct 05, 2012 Mel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I LOVED this book. A perfect mix of action, great characterization, lots of humor and some on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments.
Savannah had some lessons to learn in this book and she learned them the hard way. Death and destruction, lots of angst and a telling off by Clayton Danvers... the girl doesn't have it easy.

Spell Bound has a great plot which ties the last book to the overal series' arch, has great cameos of pretty much all of the Otherworld characters who each have a significant role to p...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 26, 2011 Bookwormgirl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I hate Cliff Hangers.

That said, I did like this book. The pacing was good and action packed. Savannah as the narrator is sometimes annoying, but that is a major character trait of hers. The dialog between characters was snappy and engaging. While the story is intense, the sarcastic humor keeps it from becoming too dark.

I would have to classify this as more YA urban fantasy, unlike the other additions to Women of the Otherworld. This book and the previous book have been about Savannah coming of a...more

6 likes · like · see review

Sep 04, 2011 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love Kelley Armstrong and I love the Women of the Otherworld series.

This book was so good. It had me all teary by the end!

I have really grown to love Savannah (the narrator for this book). And I really really enjoyed Spell Bound.

My only small complaint is that I wish there had been more of Elena (probably my favorite Otherworld character).

But I loved how most of our favorite characters got to be in this book (Elena included). And I love love love Savannah and Adam's relationship. It is so swee...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 16, 2011 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-releases, witches, otherworld-series, library-book

*Rating* 3.0
*Genre* Urban Fantasy

*Review*

Kelley Armstrong’s Spell Bound is the Twelfth installment in the Women of the Otherworld series. It picks up right where Waking the Witch left off with Savannah Levine somehow having lost her powers after wishing she could do something to help a little girl named Kayla. Obviously, you need to read Waking the Witch to understand what I’m referring to.

In Spell Bound, there's a group of supernaturals called Immortality questers, who feel it is time for them...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 15, 2011 Paris marked it as dnf · review of another edition

I was very disappointed when I started reading this book. I love the Otherworld series and I absolutely loved Waking the Witch and was excited to see that Spellbound started right where that book left off. Unfortunately, after 100 pages in, I just couldn't get excited about what was going on. So I skipped ahead to the last 30 pages...and even then I was disappointed. I had a difficult time finding those pages to be the exciting conclusion that I wanted. The end was abrupt and choppy and didn't l...more

1 like · like · see review

May 01, 2013 Levian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

the twelfth book of the Women of the Otherworld series (2001-2012) continued to follow the story of Savannah, the witch. she was on the run with Adam, the fire half-demon and her best friend since childhood, where the witch-hunters were sent after her. to make matter worst, Savannah had lost her power. they proceed with their investigation stealthily, and to their horror, discovered that the threat was directed at everyone in the supernatural world. the werewolves, necromancer and sorcerers were...more

like · see review

Feb 28, 2013 Dck133 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really wanted to like this book, but so many things are just off for me. The story itself is good - it is very exciting and I could hardly put it down. Once you read the ending and realize that it is a huge cliffhanger I was so glad that i already had the next book so I could see what happens next. It is a whirlwind plot that takes you everywhere and you pretty much revisit every character from previous books.

So why did I rate it 3 stars? Because after you put the book down and start thinking...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 20, 2012 Wendy Hines rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Savannah believes her spells define her. Could she have gotten it wrong?

Savannah Levine absently wishes she could give up her powers to re-do what happened with a little girl. However, someone hears her and her wish comes true. Not sure how to survive without her powers, Savannah tries to put up a strong front.

But, there is a witch-hunter stalking her and she knows without her powers, she could be an easy target. Thankfully, she has her best friend Adam with her. She’s been in love with Adam sin...more

like · see review

Jul 19, 2012 Lucille rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, canlit

There's just something about Savannah as a narrator that I'm not crazy about. She frustrates me a lot of the time, and this book just felt all over the place. It jumped from one mystery to the next and ended on a total cliffhanger. Overall, it felt like a gateway book, just leading up to something epic and crazy in the 13th installment of the series. Whereas all of the previous books in this series coul potentially stand alone, this one relied heavily on cameos, reflecting on past events, and bu...more There's just something about Savannah as a narrator that I'm not crazy about. She frustrates me a lot of the time, and this book just felt all over the place. It jumped from one mystery to the next and ended on a total cliffhanger. Overall, it felt like a gateway book, just leading up to something epic and crazy in the 13th installment of the series. Whereas all of the previous books in this series coul potentially stand alone, this one relied heavily on cameos, reflecting on past events, and building up suspense for what more things there are to come.
That being said, I'm intrigued by the new information that we get about Vampires and immortality seekers. I've felt like the vampires in Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series have been a little neglected. Every other major species has had at least one book with the narrator being a part of that species. So it was good to see Cassandra again and learn a little more about old lore. There's so much potential in these books, and I enjoy the way that Armstrong writes. I love the world that she has built, and her stories are always intricate and well paced. This one just wasn't one of my favourites. Maybe it's just because Elena will always be my favourite and I'm always looking to see more of her, Clay and the twins.
Anyways, as for the actualy plot of this book, Savannah lost her powers when she made a wish to undo some damage done to a little girls life. She didn't realize that someone would take her up on her offer and is now feeling lost without her magic. She regrets all of the times that she didn't listen to the lessons and advice of others because she always thought that she would have her magic to do the hard work for her. In essence, she has taken advantage of her powers and is finding herself almost useless without them. There is also a witch hunter on her trail, so her life is in danger. She is investigating both the loss of her powers and the witch hunter with Adam, who grows more and more frustrated by Savannah's reaction to the lack of magic. He is trying to protect her while also trying to make her realize that she can survive without magic if she actually just tries instrad of sulking.
They go to visit Jaime to see if she has heard anything, and a member of the audience of one of her shows pulls off a magic stunt in the middle of the human crowd. THere is a group of supernaturals who want exposure. They don't like hiding their existence anymore and are trying ot build up support and come out to the human population. For obvious reasons, the council doesn't want that to happen. Supernaturals are vastly outnumbered, and they can see that exposure would be a very bad idea. Around the middle, the plot gets sort of convoluted and confusing. You can't tell who actually wants what, or what the purpose of some of the actions are. And as I said earlier, this book is more of a stepping stone than anything else. The silver lining is that Savannah gets a nice talking to by Clayton, who tells her to grow the hell up. As the story progresses, she shows signs of maturing and becoming less frustrating, which is good, since the 13th book is going to be narrated by her as well. (less)

like · see review

Jun 19, 2012 Krystal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ready for the twelfth book in this wonderful series!? Savannah's unforgettable character returns and the reader will be thrown into a world where danger is around every corner and the reader meets more than a few paranormal creatures. The reader should read the first few books in the series in order to fully understand the current plot.

In this novel, Savannah's powers are taken. She is resentful and sullen over this change and the reader will want to shake her more than once. Without any powers,...more

like · see review

May 11, 2012 W. Tinkanesh rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the twelfth novel from ‘The Women of the Otherworld’, and the second novel featuring Savannah Levine, the young spellcaster and private detective. Her best friend and faithful sidekick, Adam Vasik (exsustio half-demon) is there, too.
‘Spellbound’ picks up where ‘Waking the Witch’ left off, with a twist. Spending the night in a motel room, Savannah is dwelling on the previous events, on deaths she feels responsible for. She even wishes to give up her spellcasting power if some recent event...more

like · see review

Apr 25, 2012 Annie Fyfe rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, witches, werewolves, demons, young-adult

I had listened to the previous book, Waking the Witch, without realizing that that book was part of a much longer series of books. I’ve since looked into this series of her books and realized you don’t really need to read all of them in order, but it might help with some things. I figured since I knew the ending of and most of the characters from Waking the Witch that I would move forward in the series from there.

The story starts with a young witch who seems to have just lost all her powers in o...more I had listened to the previous book, Waking the Witch, without realizing that that book was part of a much longer series of books. I’ve since looked into this series of her books and realized you don’t really need to read all of them in order, but it might help with some things. I figured since I knew the ending of and most of the characters from Waking the Witch that I would move forward in the series from there.

The story starts with a young witch who seems to have just lost all her powers in order to save a young girl from losing her only living family. That’s the way the previous book ended but that is where the story picks up. She realizes she is being targeted by what she thinks to be a witch hunter or possibly another supernatural. Many supernatural characters come to light as they all try to get together to figure out what is going on in their world.

I really liked Waking the Witch, but this one left me uninspired. Part of it might be because I don’t know all the characters from the previous books and therefore don’t care about them very much. I also tend to like fantasy books that also involve reality. Waking the Witch dealt with a lot of non-supernaturals (aka humans) but this book only dealt with those in the “Otherworld” and it got a little too out there for me. I also felt like plot lines went in circles and not much was resolved or even happened. I guess this will be resolved in her next book, but none of the plot lines were compelling enough to make me want to read any more about these characters. I’m sad this book left me disappointed because I do think Armstrong is a good author but she just didn’t hit the mark with this one.

I think I could only recommend this book to hardcore Kelley Armstrong fans that have read many of her ‘Otherworld’ books and feel very connected to many of the characters. The only other way I would recommend this is if the next book in the series turns out to be great and the information in this book is necessary to things that happen in that book. But I won’t be able to make my judgment on that, yet (I guess I just set myself up to read it)!

For a more extensive review check out my blog:

http://explanniefyfed.blogspot.com/20...
(less)

like · see review

Mar 23, 2012 Christine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads

We meet up with Savannah once again in this continuation of waking the Witch. Savannah has still not regained her powers, the witch hunters are moving closer and a plot is underway to expose the “Otherworld”.

This is the second book of the trilogy within the series. Ms. Armstrong has made public that the next Savannah book would be the last of the Otherworld books, and followers of the series can see it revving up to wind down with this book. All of the characters from the 11 other books are bein...more

like · see review

Feb 17, 2012 Dark Faerie Tales rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-by-macie

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick and Dirty: The second to last book in the Otherworld series, Spell Bound provides essential character and plot development, but drags a bit and leaves the reader wanting more.

Opening Sentence: He watched the girl stumble from the motel office, room key glinting under the harsh lights of the parking lot.

The Review:

Spell Bound picks up right where Waking the Witch, the previous book in the series, ends. An unknown figure, outside Savannah’s room, conspires...more

like · see review

Feb 09, 2012 Sarah Jordan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Whew! What a great book. Fans of Armstrong's novels will not be disappointed, as Spell Bound is churning with deadly plots, a possible deity, a swiftly approaching war and a gathering of characters from Books 1-11.
The story begins when Savannah's spells are taken from her by a mysterious entity, forcing her to rethink who she is if she has no power, how her powers have defined her relationships, and her new feelings of vulnerability. At the same time she and Adam are being hunted by witch-hunte...more Whew! What a great book. Fans of Armstrong's novels will not be disappointed, as Spell Bound is churning with deadly plots, a possible deity, a swiftly approaching war and a gathering of characters from Books 1-11.
The story begins when Savannah's spells are taken from her by a mysterious entity, forcing her to rethink who she is if she has no power, how her powers have defined her relationships, and her new feelings of vulnerability. At the same time she and Adam are being hunted by witch-hunters, and soon learn of a paranormal uprising in the making. Turns out the other side is interested in these events, too, as no less than two lord demons contact Savannah. And the paranormal leaders of the uprising want Savannah on their side, kidnapping her in an attempt to convert her. As Adam and Savannah gather information from strange and often questionable sources, work with a demon trying to gain political influence, and start to unravel the clues, they don't know who to trust. Trying to stay alive, figure out what the uprising has planned, and determine who is involved keeps Adam and Savannah running and confused. As their friends begin to gather in Miami under the safety net of the Cortez Cabal, they race to discover the goal of the uprising and the ulterior goals of the legendary man behind it.
Savannah has grown over several years and books into a great character - strong, brave and smart, yet reckless and immature. She is realistic, and fascinating, and I feel like I know her. The insecure little girl who lost both her parents has blossomed into a fierce but still scared woman who has incomparable power. The constant underlying tension that is caused by her unspoken love for Adam, her partner and friend, is steadily humming throughout this book as well, and their relationship reaches a breaking point.
Armstrong's writing is fast-paced, full of action, humor, danger, fascinating characters, and a beautifully layered plot that is slowly revealed as Adam and Savannah race for answers. One of Armstrong's many strengths in this series is the consistency of her characters. Even though they naturally grow and change, they stay true to their personalities, and this continuity in turn creates a believability for the reader. The characters are the focus of these books. As the world building and incredible action send the reader on fantastic adventures, the characters always bring us home. And I think that's why these books still feel fresh and exciting to read, even though Spell Bound is the twelfth in the series. I can't wait for #13!
Readers new to the Otherworld will enjoy this novel as a standalone, but reading the entire series is well worth it, as previous characters, actions and stories all culminate in the war that begins in this book(less)

like · see review

Oct 03, 2011 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

c2011: Nice, quick read. The story does not seem quite so YA as the previous one although the "love story" is still saccharine and unlikely. The plotting is quite good although somewhere in the middle - it seems to have got a bit confused or I got confused as characters were mentioned in a way that seemed I should already know all about them and how they fitted into the story - which I clearly didn't. This could certainly be classified as a beach read or airport read and should appeal to the mul...more

like · see review

Sep 10, 2011 Margay rated it 3 of 5 stars

"Sexy, smart, and action-packed! Kelley Armstrong is truly one of the greats in this genre."
-Richelle Mead, author of the bestselling Vampire Academy series

"Kelley Armstrong's bewitching ability to entertain remains as strong as ever."
-www.alternativeworlds.com

"Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld goes beyond standard paranormal fiction . . . moving from one set of characters to another through the books, yet intertwining their stories to provide a rich background for the readers."
-San Franc...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 07, 2011 Kristin (MyBookishWays Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2011/09/...

Spell Bound starts off pretty much immediately where Waking the Witch left off. Savannah realizes that the wish she made to trade her powers for a little girl’s wellbeing actually came true,and is horrified to find that her magic is gone. Soon,Savannah and Adam realize that a group desperate for the secret to immortality is after supernaturals,and will stop at nothing to use them for their own means. People from their inne...more

like · see review

Sep 04, 2011 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action-adventure, contemporary, paranormal, non-erotic

Originally posted at: http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...

What’s a witch to do when she’s lost her powers? That’s the question Savannah Levine is asking herself at this very moment. When you’re one of the most dangerous and powerful witches alive, being without your spells is a very dangerous position to be in. Especially when someone’s trying to kill you.

Savannah has really grown up over the course of the series. Back when we first met her, she was angry and afraid and arrogant. Despite th...more

like · see review

Aug 30, 2011 Kathy Davie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, urban, young-adult

Twelfth of the Women of the Otherworld urban fantasy, young adult series starring Savannah Levine that starts in Columbus, Washington and ends in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Story
Savannah is still suffering from the poison injected into her by Leah O'Donnell in Waking the Witch and it seems the witch hunter is still after her. Then something goes wrong when Savannah expresses the wish that she could offer up her powers so Kayla can go back to her grandmother and her grandmother would not be in ja...more

like · see review

Aug 27, 2011 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Spellbound continues on from Waking The Witch - literally the same night - so reading this straight after is actually pretty cool. I think both books could have been combined into one single volume without any loss (making the book longer, of course) and there are some nice scenes where you find out a bit more about the characters from other books - Elena and Clay, Jeremy, Jaime, and Cassandra to name but a few. The story moves smoothly along and it was hard to take breaks away from it.

The relat...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 20, 2011 Natalie (Mindful Musings) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, adult, demons, magic-wielders, own-arc

In a Sentence: Spell Bound was a fast-paced, fun-to-read book, though I was a little disappointed by the number of loose ends that remained unresolved.

My Thoughts

As I said in my review of Waking the Witch, the book that precedes Spell Bound, I really like that you can pick up a book in The Otherworld series without necessarily having to have read all of the books in the series. The first book I read in this series WAS Waking the Witch, which technically is book number eleven. I never felt lost...more In a Sentence: Spell Bound was a fast-paced, fun-to-read book, though I was a little disappointed by the number of loose ends that remained unresolved.

My Thoughts

As I said in my review of Waking the Witch, the book that precedes Spell Bound, I really like that you can pick up a book in The Otherworld series without necessarily having to have read all of the books in the series. The first book I read in this series WAS Waking the Witch, which technically is book number eleven. I never felt lost at all while reading either Waking the Witch or Spell Bound, but I could also tell that characters present in both of these books had other stories to tell.

I also really liked that the main character, Savannah, was twenty-one. Okay, so I might be a little biased because I'm twenty-one, but hear me out. I feel like there are tons of books focusing on teens and tons focusing on adults. However, I also feel that there seems to be this giant gap in books that are being published today. It's like you either write about characters in their late teens, or you jump to characters in their mid to late twenties. Maybe I'm missing some of what's out there, but I've found only a few books that focus on characters who are somewhere in between. I'd like for that age demographic to get a little more representation in literature, so kudos to Armstrong for that.

It was nice to get to see a little more of Savannah's vulnerable side in Spell Bound. Savannah sans power is a Savannah that is not at all sure of her place in the world. She spends a lot of the book coping with self worth issues and wondering just how much her powers affect the way other people view her. This event results in Savannah doing quite a bit of growing up because she has to learn to accept herself as she is...with or without her powers.

While I enjoyed Spell Bound and got through the book rather quickly, I felt that it landed strongly in the category of brain candy. While there's nothing wrong with brain candy, and I tend to enjoy it on a semi-regular basis, I felt that if there was alittle more development and a little more depth, I would have given Spell Boundfour stars instead of three. I also thought that a few things could have been better resolved by the end of the novel. Instead, I felt like the ending was a bit rushed and way too many questions were left unanswered...probably on purpose as a marketing strategy to draw the readers into the next book. It's not that I don't understand why this is done in the publishing world, and I don't expect everything to be tied up with a neat little bow when there's still a book left in the series, but there could have, and I would have liked there to have been, more closure.

Overall, I think most fans of Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series will be happy with Spell Bound. If nothing else, there have been a lot of hints in both Waking the Witch and Spell Bound that the next book in the series will be pretty epic. Something big is coming, and I have to admit, I'm excited to see what it is! (less)

like · see review

Aug 18, 2011 Lindsey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have been so out of touch with reading for the past year that it has been a struggle as of late to find a book that has captured my attention enough to read it. Kelley Armstrong has been a favorite author of mine for years and after reading Waking the Witch in August of 2010, I fell in love with the protagonist Savannah Levine. As a character I enjoy her feisty spirit and tenacity, which is balanced by a vulnerability instilled in her due to her chaotic past. I first became intrigued in her ch...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 14, 2011 Ellie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Spell Bound picks up from the cliff hanger ending of Waking the Witch and is the 12th and penultimate novel in Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. This review may spoil your enjoyment of the earlier books if you're not up to date...and if not, why not?

Savannah has made her accidental bargain with a demon and lost her powers but she is determined that no one will find out and she'll get them back before anyone notices. In the meantime she still has to stop that witch hunter and wor...more

like · see review

Aug 11, 2011 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

OMG. Kelley Armstrong writes yet another amazing book to add to the Otherworld series! Finding myself not use to this new route with her on the last three with the same protagonist following the same events that just keep expanding, which isn't a bad thing, just saying from her past books, it's sort of different. Yet I still LOVE it! Spell Bound is winding up the series in an awesome way!

First off, just about everyone is back! And I mean everyone! If they were a narrator for one book, they are h...more
OMG. Kelley Armstrong writes yet another amazing book to add to the Otherworld series! Finding myself not use to this new route with her on the last three with the same protagonist following the same events that just keep expanding, which isn't a bad thing, just saying from her past books, it's sort of different. Yet I still LOVE it! Spell Bound is winding up the series in an awesome way!

First off, just about everyone is back! And I mean everyone! If they were a narrator for one book, they are here. Eve though, not so much. Kristoff is there, but we don't get to see or hear him really. He's speaking through Jamie. But ooh, I just loved it that everyone was there! I missed Elena and Clay and they finally return! Paige and Lucas are there obviously and so are Jamie and Jeremy, as well as my gal pal Cassandra with her beau, Aaron! And Hope and Karl return as well. It was like a reunion!

What I found to be really interesting was that some small, loose plot threads that got hung off in previous books were brought up again. Nothing was overtly resolved since we still have 1 more book left in the series. One thing I'm mostly referring to was in Hope's book, the psycho Jaz. He comes back. Much to Karl's disappointment. I've been looking forward to this just because he was a sickeningly interesting villain. Creepy, and I really hope Karl gets 5 minutes alone with him soon!

The cusp of this book is that Savannah has lost her powers when she gave them up, unknowingly, to fix the problems she caused when putting an old woman in jail. Problem resolved, yet now Savannah has her own problem. We get a glimpse of how she lost them in the beginning, but the answers aren't clear. There was more reason behind Savannah losing her powers and she will do whatever it takes to get them back.

She and Adam's relationship grows more as well, but it's not without its problems. They have a lot of learning and growing to do themselves.

It all comes down to a really action packed ending, just when things start to look dark and bleak...the end. Okay, not quite literally, there is still a lot left unresolved and the major problems are still active. We're going to have to wait for 13 for the final conclusion with the final showdown before saying goodbye to this fabulous series!

Overall rating 5/5 stars(less)

like · see review

Aug 02, 2011 Jennifer Rayment rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Good Stuff

I am constantly amazed on how fabulous a storyteller Armstrong is. I have only read the short stories in this series and still enjoyed this book. She gives you the perfect synopsis of what has happened in previous books for newbies to the series without irritating hard core fans who have read everything in the series - that is a gift that so few authors do well
Strong female characters (tho Savannah was not up to her usual kick ass self in this)
Fabulous humor
Storyline is excitin...more

like · see review

Jul 28, 2011 Stacey rated it 4 of 5 stars

So sad that this series is coming to an end but I understand Kelley's reasoning for it. I'm not sure there would be many people who would read this as a standalone book but I do believe that you need to have read the series to fully appreciate this book. There is a huge cast in this book (most of them only referred to rather than part of the action) but even an avid fan like me had to stop and try to think about who was who on occasion. People who haven't been mentioned for several books pop up...more

like · see review

Jul 26, 2011 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Urban Fantasy Fans

Shelves: contemporary, crime, fantasy, fiction, horror, mystery, novels, romance, suspense

I love Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series. This is the twelfth entry into the series, almost all of which are the linked first person stories of various women of different supernatural "races," including a werewolf, witch, angel, necromancer, and half-demon. Almost all of these books stand alone, and though you might learn some plot spoilers for earlier ones in the bunch, they're all pretty self-contained, with you not needing to read earlier ones to get what's happening and with a satisfying...more I love Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series. This is the twelfth entry into the series, almost all of which are the linked first person stories of various women of different supernatural "races," including a werewolf, witch, angel, necromancer, and half-demon. Almost all of these books stand alone, and though you might learn some plot spoilers for earlier ones in the bunch, they're all pretty self-contained, with you not needing to read earlier ones to get what's happening and with a satisfying resolution.

That wasn't the case with the last book in the series, Waking the Witch featuring witch Savannah Levine and it isn't the case with this sequel. That aspect made Waking the Witch my least favorite outing in the series to date, all the more because it left me with a cliffhanger in the very last sentence with the loss of Savannah's magic that left me wanting to hurl the book against the wall. This one, the second in the trilogy, didn't similarly leave on a cliffhanger, and I liked watching Savannah grow (and grow up) when forced not to use magic as a crutch, but it notably left major plot-lines unresolved for the next book. This book reads more like the build-up to a supernatural war, than a novel complete in itself.

I wouldn't call this a standout among the series. I fell in love with Paige Winterbourne and Lucas Cortes of the third and fourth books, and some of the other novels even evoked tears from me (and five star ratings). This latest novel is engrossing however. Armstrong writes in a clean style, features strong world-building, and writes characters that after a dozen books feel like old friends to me. I really loved seeing not just Paige and Lucas but Hope, Clay, Jaimie, Jeremy, Elena, Cassandra... This is fast-paced with lots of action, and I read this in a few hours in almost one sitting. And I certainly will be picking up the next book. Given I feel LK Hamilton has long become unreadable, and Charlene Harris lost the spark of her early Sookie books, and other current urban fantasy series have left me underwhelmed, I'd name Armstrong's Otherworld series as my favorite still-currently-publishing fantasy series. (Though from what I just read in other reviews--the next book in the series will be the end of the series. *sob* I hope it goes out with a bang! From where this left off, it sure has the potential to.)(less)

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (15)

More editions...

Genres

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

286 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

195 users

Fantasy

152 users

Paranormal > Witches

79 users

Paranormal > Vampires

70 users

Fantasy > Magic

53 users

Fantasy > Supernatural

52 users

Shapeshifters > Werewolves

51 users

Romance > Paranormal Romance

49 users

Paranormal > Demons

45 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Kitty's Big Trouble
by Carrie Vaughn
Blood Challenge
by Eileen Wilks
Magic on the Hunt
by Devon Monk
Blood Lite II: Overbite
by Kevin J. Anderson (Editor)
Blood Wyne
by Yasmine Galenorn

About Kelley Armstrong

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked a...more

More about Kelley Armstrong...

Books by Kelley Armstrong

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Spell Bound

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Spell Bound

“‎"If you want that kind of thing, call Nick. His advice is shit, but he really likes to give it.” — 32 people liked it

“God, I loved him. I could insist I was okay with just being friends, that I'd find someone else and get over him, but I was fooling myself. There was no getting past this. I loved him, and fifty years from now we could be married to other people, never exchanged so much as a kiss, and I'd still looking into his eyes and know he was the one. He'd always be the one.” — 24 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Spell Bound
avg rating	preview: Spell Bound Goodreads rating: 4.19 (6253 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9549267-spell-bound?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311704962l/9549267.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9549267-spell-bound?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong[/url]

Spell Bound (Women of the Otherworld #12)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website