Entangled (Spellbound, #1) in Shut Up & Read

Aug 13, 2014 C.J. Anaya rated it it was amazing

This teen witch story surprised me. While there was plenty of magic involved, I enjoyed the emphasis on Gray's power struggle with her sister, and the developing relationship between her and Raj. The dialogue is witty, and the magical elements explored in the book were intriguing. The end was predictable...not in a bad way, but in a, I-really-hope-this-is-where-the-plot-is-headed kind of way. I think I would have enjoyed a little more world building in the witch department, but I think the confl ...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Christyn (The Book Cafe) rated it liked it

Originally posted @ The Book Cafe

Copy provided by the publisher for an honest review via NetGalley

The first book in the Spellbound series caught my attention right away. I loved the premise: a set of twins, Grey and Charlene, stuck in the consequences of a spell gone wrong, trying to unravel what happened to make this spell occur in the first place. It had a little bit of mystery, a little bit of romance, some fun paranormal twists- all in all the makings of a great book. And it was. If you over Originally posted @ The Book Cafe

Copy provided by the publisher for an honest review via NetGalley

The first book in the Spellbound series caught my attention right away. I loved the premise: a set of twins, Grey and Charlene, stuck in the consequences of a spell gone wrong, trying to unravel what happened to make this spell occur in the first place. It had a little bit of mystery, a little bit of romance, some fun paranormal twists- all in all the makings of a great book. And it was. If you overlooked the evil, soul less, sociopathic monster of a twin- aka Charlene. I've never wanted to go through my Kindle and punch a fictional character in the face quite as much as I did her. I just can't fathom how anyone could accept someone so wretched without at least attempting to either a) cuss them out, b) slap them upside their heads or c) have them locked up somewhere. Grey just accepted everything Charlene did and put her through. I understand trying to be the bigger person and all that nonsense, but seriously the girl blocked her magic for most of their lives because she was jealous. She put Grey thru hell on the days Charlene had use of her body and dictated exactly how Grey was to live her life on the days she didn't (having people stalk her and writing nasty letters via notebooks). And that's not even counting the fact that their own MOTHER saw fit to put a protection spell on a fellow student who stole Charlene's boyfriend, because they were afraid she would act out her homicidal tendencies. Now I get the whole Cain and Abel concept, and I'm sure that's what the author was playing into, but it was taken to the absolute extreme and turned somewhat unfeasible.

That being said, if you try and look past all of the far-fetched things Charlene pulled (with no ramifications mind you) this story was intriguing and kept you captivated and reading well past when you promised yourself you would put it down. Raj- once you got into his POV- was a great love interest/partner in crime. He was presented as a bad boy, but once you got to the heart of him you saw that wasn't the case at all. He had his own set of demons he needed to work through. He had depth and he proved to be the only person in Grey's life who was solely and irrevocably on her side, which she desperately needed. They suffered from a small case of insta-love, but it developed into a strong bond that both characters didn't realize they were in search of. There was a tiny bit of a love triangle but (thankfully) that didn't last long as Nolan never really stood a chance. Together they uncovered everything from what caused Grey's untimely death to what happened to Stacy. They even took on powerful coven members to help defunct warlock Adrian out. The one definite thing we found out was that Charlene may have been a big ole B with an itch, but she was not without her co-conspirators.

I am very interested to read the next installment, although it wasn't a cliffhanger there were A LOT of questions left unanswered and issues that need resolving (Charlene still really, REALLY needs her comeuppance)! There are quite a few different avenues Jefford could go with this and I definitely look forward to seeing what direction it heads in. ...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Jen McConnel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya, young-adult-fantasy, paranormal, magic

I had a chance to read this YA paranormal by Nikki Jefford over the holidays, and I loved it!

Teen witch Graylee isn't having a good year. Her twin sister, Charlene, is snarky and powerful, while Gray's magic seems to have vanished. Add to that a mysterious death, a botched resurrection, and a couple of dreamy guys and it's pretty obvious that Gray is in way over her head.

The first in a series, this book will leave you begging for more. Graylee is a flawed heroine worth rooting for, and the twist ...more

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May 23, 2012 Yzabel Ginsberg rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, paranormal-supernatural, witchcraft, magic

Although I had to spread the reading of this book over two days, it went fast and smoothly, and turned to be highly addictive. The first chapters may have been a little slow—what was needed, I suppose, to set the backdrop for Gray and Charlene's 'ordinary' life, and thus contrast Gray's sudden death against it. But past that point, I was hooked. Firstly because of the themes tackled throughout the story: revenge, deception, resentment, grief, death, how do people cope with it and to what lengths Although I had to spread the reading of this book over two days, it went fast and smoothly, and turned to be highly addictive. The first chapters may have been a little slow—what was needed, I suppose, to set the backdrop for Gray and Charlene's 'ordinary' life, and thus contrast Gray's sudden death against it. But past that point, I was hooked. Firstly because of the themes tackled throughout the story: revenge, deception, resentment, grief, death, how do people cope with it and to what lengths would they be ready to go if they had a chance to have a beloved one back... Secondly, while those themes are of the dark kind, the narrative itself doesn't feel desperate nor gloomy, therefore making for a lighter reading moment no matter what. Last but not least, because I wanted to know how things would unfold, all that simply (already suspecting the kind of outcome the author would come up with didn't detract from my reading pleasure: it's the kind of predictable I appreciate).

The characters were both archetypal for that kind of novel (the popular bitchy sister, the nice and hard-working one, the boy with a bad reputation but a heart of gold, the sidekick ready to do everything for the one he has his eyes on...), yet at the same time convincing enough. They behaved with the kind of intensity in feelings and actions that tend to seem fitting for teenage characters, and there were often some darker, secret areas to their personalities. After all, when the girl intent on snagging her boyfriend back is also a witch, can things really go as normally as they would if she wasn't? When she's jealous of someone, and want to hamper that someone's efforts, why stop at just feeling frustrated? And yet, some of those traits may also become understandable: I can understand how suddenly having her dead sister snatch her body one day out or two, putting a regular dent in her life, may feel extremely hard to bear for Charlene. (Alright, this said, she was still an absolute bitch who deserved to be slapped around with a trout full of long, pointy nails. Seriously. Borderline psychopathic much?)

I also liked that the story followed not only Gray, but Raj as well. He was by far my favourite character, being an actual good guy, respectful of others, even though he kept entertaining a facade that in the end hurt himself the most. (And Adrian. Why, Adrian, always full of smiles: I hope you do realize that you're so creepy, man! And that I love it.)

What I was less satisfied with in "Entangled" was some unanswered questions. The reason to Gray's death wasn't so clear (not to mention that it was pretty stupid, to the point of little old me wondering if the 'culprit' didn't act so dumb on purpose, knowing that of course it was just but an accident waiting to happen). And I admit I didn't really understand what happened with Raj and his mother at the end—well, I *think* I understood, only that part went too fast for me to be certain I really did; more details about that (and the role of the Zippo lighter) would have been appreciated.

Nevertheless, I liked this book, and definitely want to read the next installment. ...more

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Sep 01, 2012 a_tiffyfit rated it liked it

Two months after she dies, Graylee Perez awakens in the body of her twin sister, Charlene. Until she finds a way back into a body of her own, they're both stuck in a weird half-life, taking turns every 24 hours. Graylee has to deal with Charlene's vapid friends, different classes, and aggressive boyfriend while maintaining Charlene's supercilious nature, all without alerting the Coven to this resurrection spell gone wrong! Raj McKenna notices something is different about Charlene and even calls Two months after she dies, Graylee Perez awakens in the body of her twin sister, Charlene. Until she finds a way back into a body of her own, they're both stuck in a weird half-life, taking turns every 24 hours. Graylee has to deal with Charlene's vapid friends, different classes, and aggressive boyfriend while maintaining Charlene's supercilious nature, all without alerting the Coven to this resurrection spell gone wrong! Raj McKenna notices something is different about Charlene and even calls her Graylee!

Graylee needs to solve the mystery of how she died and how the heck to get into her own body!
I, again, received this from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. This book is geared towards older teens, but is just as enjoyable from a 30 something! I didn't know the synopsis really as I began to read and was enjoying the interaction between the twins and the introduction of a love interest. I was already beginning to hate Charlene, recognizing the traits of a vapid, selfish, self-centered, manipulative bitch. A true psychopath, which becomes even more evident as the book develops.

It was a shock for me to read that Graylee awakens in her sister's room, wearing her sister's slip, etc. She has no idea that she is actually in Charlene's body. She goes to school to her old classes and everyone flips out because ...Charlene has obviously lost it since her sister's death two months prior!

The book unfolds at a very good pace and was hard to put down. There could have been a bit more development, in my opinion, of a relationship between Raj and Gray other than just physical, but I was happy with the speed of the plot. A more in-depth story of the three warlocks who locked down Adrian's powers and the Coven (which sounds like a corrupt, over-inflated group much like any people with power).

The ending..oh the ending. I won't ruin it for you. It's satisfying but at the same time, not. Perhaps I am more vengeful-minded than the author. Or perhaps it's because I don't know what she has planned for the series!

All in all, a fun, quick read with the potential for so much more to come in the series. ...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Lauren rated it really liked it

Shelves: witches, romance, young-adult

As if being a teenager isn't hard enough being a witch on top of that tends to make things more complicated, at least for Graylee Perez. If that isn't enough now Graylee has been trapped in her twin sister, Charlene's, body and has to share it with her 50/50.

This was quite an interesting storyline in the first place and on top of it the characters were also really enjoyable. Everyone had a distinct personality and I found myself relating to Graylee a lot. Not to metion Raj's bad boy attitude re ...more

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