Tag Archives: apprentice

Review: Sorceline Book 2 by Sylvia Douyé and Paola Antista

Sorceline 2 by Sylvia Douye, Paola Antista, and Tanya Gold

Sorceline Book 2 (Sorceline #2)
Sylvia Douyé
Illustrated by Paola Antista
Andrews McNeel Publishing
Published August 22, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Sorceline Book 2

Return to the Island of Vorn, where mythical creatures roam free and only the brightest students are invited to study them! Follow along as the kids (and creatures) of Professor Balzar’s famous school of cryptozoology unearth the long-hidden secret at the heart of their story.

Sorceline has proven herself a star student at Balzar’s prestigious academy—but her gifts might have gotten the best of her. As Sorceline fights for her life, her classmates must work to uncover her origin story, revealing details of her past that may offer a key to their present.

At the back of the book, enjoy an illustrated bestiary along with behind-the-scenes bonus material!

My Review

This graphic novel begins right where the first book in the series left off: Sorceline is in a deep sleep, and the professor and her friends must figure out how to wake her. As they pursue a cure, they run into pieces of other mysteries and dangers.

I felt like I got to know the characters better in this book, even though much of the story is about the quest to find and stop a bad guy from the past. I liked the way the relationship between Sorceline and Merode developed– he’s one of my favorite characters.

Though it’s a pretty short book at just over 100 pages, a lot happens in those few chapters. The panels are gorgeous, showcasing lots of mythical creatures and beautiful forest scenes. I’m super glad I read this one. It’s definitely a series I want on my library shelves!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
The main character is white-passing. Other characters are POC.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
A boy has a crush on one of the girls.

Spiritual Content
Characters have the ability to perform magic and encounter magical creatures.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. A vampire tries to bite Sorceline so she’ll never grow up. She faces a deadly enemy.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of SORCELINE BOOK 2 in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Spell Bound by F. T. Lukens

Spell Bound
F. T. Lukens
Simon & Schuster
Published April 4, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Spell Bound

Two rival apprentice sorcerers must team up to save their teachers and protect their own magic in this lively young adult romantic adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of In Deeper Waters and So This Is Ever After.

Edison Rooker isn’t sure what to expect when he enters the office of Antonia Hex, the powerful sorceress who runs a call center for magical emergencies. He doesn’t have much experience with hexes or curses. Heck, he doesn’t even have magic. But he does have a plan—to regain the access to the magical world he lost when his grandmother passed.

Antonia is…intimidating, but she gives him a job and a new name—Rook—both of which he’s happy to accept. Now all Rook has to do is keep his Spell Binder, an illegal magical detection device, hidden from the Magical Consortium. And contend with Sun, the grumpy and annoyingly cute apprentice to Antonia’s rival colleague, Fable. But dealing with competition isn’t so bad; as Sun seems to pop up more and more, and Rook minds less and less.

But when the Consortium gets wind of Rook’s Spell Binder, they come for Antonia. All alone, Rook runs to the only other magical person he knows: Sun. Except Fable has also been attacked, and now Rook and Sun have no choice but to work together to get their mentors back…or face losing their magic forever.

My Review

SPELL BOUND is the first book I’ve ever read by F. T. Lukens, and after this, I definitely want to read more. (Their other books look super fun, by the way!) I really liked the sunshine vs. grumpy rivals to romance between Rook and Sun. The story is told from both their points of view, and I thought both were really compelling and individual. I loved the other characters, too, especially Herb (the coatrack with an attitude) and Antonia, Rook’s employer and mentor who will gladly kick butt and take names when it’s required, thank you.

The only hiccup I encountered was in my expectations. So the cover copy references Antonia and Fable getting attacked, so I expected that to be an early event in the book. It actually happens just after the middle, I think? So I felt like I spent a lot of time looking for that rather than enjoying the earlier scenes for what they were and recognizing how those played into the larger story.

Aside from that, though, I had a lot of fun reading this book. It’s set in the real world, but add magic, and I loved the way that was set up. The powerful Consortium charges magic users taxes for spells and business services, and has gotten perhaps too comfortable with their power.

It’s kind of just a fun romp through a magic world led by two characters who are grieving in different ways, and searching for their place and validation for who they are. I felt like those emotional parts read so real and genuine, and the rest of the story– the adventure and antics– was so much fun to read.

I think this is perfect for fans of Caleb Roehrig or fans of the storylines in Ethan Aldridge’s graphic novels.

Content Notes for Spell Bound

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Rook is white and maybe pansexual? He doesn’t specifically self-identify. Sun is nonbinary and Asian, maybe Korean?

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Rook and Sun fall asleep together while on the run.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to do magic by pulling power from ley lines, a sort of grid of magic power that exists on earth.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Rook and Sun encounter cursed objects that try to harm them. For example, a rug repeatedly trips anyone who steps on it. A some scenes show a group attacking and trying to subdue an individual or smaller group.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of SPELL BOUND in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.