#Spell Bound

[themelodyofspring]

JOMP Book Photo Challenge

March 29 - Freebie

Update on F.T. Lukens - I finished their book and liked it (a lot)! It was so cute and cosy ✨

[dabookgoblin]

Spell Bound is great bc Antonia is an anti-capitalist wine aunt who is 10 years sober and adopts the office orphan. Send tweet.

[catboy-showdown]

Bracket B Round 1 Matchup 7

Propaganda is allowed and highly encouraged

May the best catboy win!

[vintagerpg]

Good books feed brains! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we’re looking at some cool books that came out in 2023. Perhaps in a novel twist on frequency bias, Stu noticed a bunch of books hitting shelves that, like steak and red wine, seem to pair well with his own Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground in a variety of ways. So here we are, chatting about Adam Rowe’s Worlds Beyond Time, Astral Eyes’ Spell Bound, Aaron A. Reed’s 50 Years of Text Games, the two-volume Talking Miniatures from Shaggy Dog Publishing and the truly astounding Arik Roper retrospective, Vision of the Hawk. Call it a holiday gift guide - if you like our work, we bet you’ll like theirs!

[katy-l-wood]

I haven't done an Art & Review in YEARS. Done a fair amount of fanart, including of Lukens' work, and done a fair amount of reviews, but for whatever reason I haven't combined them in ages.

I just HAD to draw this scene from Lukens' new book, Spell Bound, though, and I started it immediately after I finished the book so I figured it would be a great time to bring back Art & Review! No idea if I'll keep doing them, it'll depend on time, but they are fun.

Anywho. Onto the review.

Spell Bound is a standalone YA fantasy about Sun (left, they/them) and Rook (right, he/him) and, as I usually would for Lukens' main duos, I would die for both of them. Rook, forced to live cut off from the world of magic after the death of his grandmother, makes a desperate gamble to find his way back in by working for the most powerful, and feared, sorcerer of the age. When he meets Sun, the apprentice of another sorcerer in the city (while battling a cursed doll), he finds himself a little smitten with the grouchy, gender-queer apprentice. The two of them keep getting entangled as Rook falls deeper and deeper back into the world of magic, legalities be damned, until suddenly both their mentors vanish, forcing Sun and Rook to work together to find a way to get their mentors back.

If you've ever wanted a modern book full of magic where the magic isn't a secret, this is the one for you. The magic is wonderfully infused throughout the world and everyone knows about it, even if only a few can wield it. It's also for you if you love Golden-Retriever-Energy falls for Grumpy-Cat-Energy duos.

As usual with Lukens' work, the book is just cozy. The characters are comfortable in themselves, even if there are still things they're figuring out. There's multiple queer characters and not a drop of homophobia or questioning of their genders/sexualities. Sun asks Rook to use they/them pronouns and Rook does it without a second thought, and never slips up. When Rook starts to fall for Sun, he never has some crisis about Sun's gender presentation. Sun's siblings tease them, but never about their gender. It's a queer book that isn't about being queer in any way; it just trusts the reader to get it without shoving in some sort of coming out or crisis plot line.

And it's not just queer issues that the book handles incredibly well. Sun is also shown to be touch averse and suffer from anxiety, and again Rook steps up to the plate and just goes with it. He accepts Sun's limits without questioning them and actively asks Sun for consent when he does need to reach out and touch Sun for any reason, and always works to figure out the right way to help when Sun's anxiety flares up for some reason. It's never made into a thing, it just is.

Another thing I always appreciate about Lukens' work is that the teenagers actually feel like teenagers, and the adults feel like adults. Rook and Sun both heavily rely on their adult mentors and reach out to them frequently. In turn, their mentors step up to the plate to take charge when things get serious (doesn't always work, but they at least make the attempt). Their mentors still have flaws and don't always get things right, but they're there. Sun and Rook know they're teenagers and that sometimes you just need an adultier adult.

Spell Bound is one of those books I wish I had when I was a teenager, as cliche as that can sometimes sound. It would have done me a lot of good not only to see queer rep that wasn't part of the plot, just a single facet of multi-faceted characters, but also to see teenagers who had healthy relationships with adults. But I have it now as an adult and it is still oh so delightful. There aren't enough good, cozy queer fantasy books out there, not like this. It's nice to be able to just fall into a comfortable little world for the span of a single book and know that in the end it will be wrapped up and happy.

Also...pretty sure there was a Death Note reference in there. :P

[pinkchaosart]

So I've been absolutely obsessed with F.T. Luken's newest book called Spell Bound. Like, reading and listening to it over and over and over because it's just SO CUTE and I wish we could have had more of Rook and Sun. The two of them are just so sweet and eerily familiar if you know anything at all about my OCs. I really enjoyed the book's magic system, the dynamic between the younger characters and the older ones, and it was so funny and relatable. If you're into magical, character-driven, queer fiction, give this book a read.

If you enjoyed this work, leave a like and reblog 💖

[wordsifelt]

Hi.....If you don't mind me asking (again), who are your favorite romantic relationship's couples in books/ manga/manhwa/ anime/movies/tv series (can be canon or non-canon)? Sorry if you've answered this question before....Thanks.

Hello again! Sorry if the reply is a little late, finals are after my soul.

This is another difficult question. Mainly what attracts me to couples is good consent, realistic speed in the relationship and a good chemistry (both romantic as well as generally good). I love romantic media and I consume quite a lot of it.

I've spent a lot of time trying to shorten it, but still, be prepared for a very very long list. In no particular order:

Neil and Andrew from All for the Game (canon, I love the emphasis on consent, def my fav)

Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang from Shiguang Dailiren/Link Click (not canon)

Cui Buqu and Feng Xiao from Peerless/Wushuang (canon)

All of the Heartstopper couples (canon, i love them)

All the couples from Six of Crows (canon)

Mafuyu and Uenoyama from Given (canon)

Liam and Sherlock from Moriarty the Patriot (not canon)

Reki and Langa from Sk8 the Infinity (not canon)

Sun and Rook from Spell Bound (canon)

Gideon and Harrow from Gideon the Ninth (canon)

Xie Lian and Hua Cheng from Heaven Official's Blessing (canon)

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wanji from Mo Dao Zu Shi (canon)

Ben and Nathan from I Wish You All the Best (canon)

Woo Young Woo and Lee Joon Ho from Extraordinary Attorney Woo (canon)

Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing from Word of Honor (canon)

Sasaki and Miyano from Sasaki and Miyano (canon)

White and Sean from Not Me (canon)

Some Other Mentions

Percy and Annabeth from Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Magnus and Alex from Magnus Chase

Alex and Henry from Red White and Royal Blue

Kim Bok Joo and Jung Joon Hyung from Weightlifting Fairy

There's a lot more I love but these are the first few that came to my mind (few, she said, as if there was less than twenty ;-;). I hope this answers your question! And have a good week!

[starrlikesbooks]

Spell Bound by FT Lukens came out yesterday and it's fluffy, fun, and full of magic that sometimes involves pop rocks and cats! x

[transbookoftheday]

Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens

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.

[eleftherian]

me reading a book with two they/thems: “I’m being so spoiled rn”

[themelodyofspring]

JOMP Book Photo Challenge

March 05 - Latest Purchase

Got this because my Tumblr bestie dared me to read a book by F.T. Lukens and not DNF it. Challenge accepted!

[books-in-a-storm]

JOMP February BPC: Day 25 Ripped My Heart Out

[aurorawest]

Reading update

Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault - DNF

I have to admit I didn't give this one much of a chance. I got it in a Rainbow Crate so I felt compelled to at least try to read it, but it's just not my kind of thing, and I DNFed at page 4. Really didn't like the writing style.

Idol Minds by KT Salvo - 2.75/5 stars

Almost DNFed this when I was about 50 pages from the end because it very abruptly lost my attention. I never really liked either of the main characters so I didn't care about their breakup or HEA. Also the sex scenes were weirdly short but also repetitive, somehow?

Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse - 3.75/5 stars

I will be completely honest and admit that I could remember almost nothing of the first book when I started reading this the other day. I remembered that I really liked it, and that was about it. This one was...good?

Ok, so, let me see if I can put this into words. During the pandemic, authors kept writing, right? Especially if they were under contract to produce a series. And for some authors, that was fine. There is no discernible difference in their work. And then other authors, it's like...the anxiety brain fog got baked into their writing. There's nothing technically wrong with it. Things are happening. The characters are still engaging. And yet...sometimes it just feels like...things are happening. Like the author couldn't really process the emotions of the things happening, and thus couldn't really write feeling into the work? So it becomes just Things Happening. And I know how I should feel about it, but I'm not feeling it. Like when the dose of your antidepressant is too high, and you just have no feelings? It's sort of like that.

On the Rooftop by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton - DNF

There's nothing wrong with this book, tbh—it's well written with an interesting setting, characters with depth, and a theme that should, in theory, interest me. That said, I just wasn't feeling it. I won this book from my local bookstore and it's the sort of literary fiction that I read all the time in my teens and early twenties, even though I never really enjoyed it? I'm a genre fiction kid, as it turns out.

My Dear Henry: A Jekyll and Hyde Remix by Kalynn Bayron - 4/5 stars

I really really liked this, and I probably would have rated it higher, except it fell into the trap that a lot of queer retellings of classics do: in being forced to hew to a plot line from a century or more ago, a lot of story and character depth has to be jettisoned. This book did a much better job than The Henchman of Zenda by KJ Charles, but I still found myself wanting a more modern storytelling style. Overall it was really good, though.

Less is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer - 4.75/5 stars

I hated Less for most of the time I was reading it (but it didn't bore me, so that's something). When I got to the end and realized it was a romance, I ended up loving it, but I had to split the difference in my rating, haha. This is the direct sequel and I loved it. It's laugh out loud funny (which I did not find Less to be most of the time) and melancholy, but at its heart is also a love story.

When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain - 4/5 stars

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske - 5/5 stars (reread)

I loved it even more on the reread. I would die for Edwin and Robin. I'm crazy excited for A Power Unbound.

Hoarfrost by Jordan L Hawk - 4.25/5 stars

Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda - 3.5/5 stars

I never know how to rate thrillers because honestly, they aren't my genre. This was part of the batch of books I won at trivia from my local bookstore. It was good in that it held my attention and was entertaining (and a bit creepy), but like, I don't know that I'll tell people that they simply must read it. But yeah, I read it in a day, so it's a quick read.

Spell Bound by FT Lukens - DNF

Ugh. Reads like my fantasy epic I was writing when I was 14 (see also: TJ Klune's Verania series). When I'm mentally editing the book as I'm reading, you know that's a bad sign. The first chapter could have been like, 2 pages (instead it was 18). Here's how Chapter 3, which introduces the other main character begins: Summer was such a waste of time and effort. Spring was okay. Autumn was the best. Winter wasn't bad.

Okay???? Great??????? Why do I care? I read for another page after that. Lukens is an author I really, really want to like, but the last two books I've read by them are just obnoxious. I could forgive The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths and Magic because it was one of their first books (it might have been their first?), but this...is not their first book, yet that's what it reads like. I suspect this is a manuscript they wrote a while ago, shelved, and brought it back out now that they're having success.

Heart of Dust by HL Moore - 5/5 stars

You know when you read a book that's so good, and you can't figure out why the hell you had to stumble across it by going down some algorithm recommendation rabbit hole? This is one of those books. Gritty and unique sci-fi setting, a backdrop of labor rights, aching gay mutual pining? Please read this.

[the-cheese-slut]

Read it and weep whores

[harmonyhealinghub]

Casting Spells: The Power of Words and Beliefs

Shaina Tranquilino

January 28, 2024

Words are powerful. They have the ability to shape our reality, influence our thoughts, and impact those around us. Just as ancient sorcerers used spells to manifest their desires, we too can harness the same power through the words we speak and the stories we tell. By consciously shifting our narratives from lack to abundance, victimhood to empowerment, and complaint to gratitude, we become alchemists casting beautiful spells that attract positive experiences into our lives.

1. From Lack to Abundance: The first step in casting beautiful spells is transforming our perception of scarcity into one of abundance. Instead of dwelling on what we lack, focusing on abundance opens doors for opportunities and possibilities. By affirming statements like "I always have enough," "The universe provides for me abundantly," or "Opportunities flow effortlessly towards me," we begin to reprogram our subconscious mind and invite prosperity into our lives.

2. From Victim to Empowered: Playing the role of a victim disempowers us and restricts personal growth. However, by embracing a mindset of empowerment, we tap into our inner strength and resilience. Our words hold immense power in this transformational process. Affirmations such as "I am in control of my own destiny," "I possess all the resources I need within me," or "Every challenge is an opportunity for growth" help us shift from victimhood to empowerment. As we believe these statements, they act as spells that empower us with confidence and determination.

3. From Complaint to Gratitude: Complaining breeds negativity while gratitude cultivates positivity and attracts more blessings into our lives. When we complain about circumstances or people, we unknowingly invite more reasons for dissatisfaction. By consciously practicing gratitude in both thought and speech, we transform complaints into appreciation for what is already present. Expressions like "I am grateful for every lesson life offers me," "I appreciate the love and support I receive daily," or "Thank you for this beautiful day filled with endless possibilities" become spells that manifest joy, contentment, and abundance.

4. Casting Beautiful Spells: Once we have shifted our own stories from lack to abundance, victimhood to empowerment, and complaint to gratitude, we can then extend these beautiful spells to others. Our words carry energy and intention that can influence those around us. By consciously speaking positively about others, acknowledging their strengths, and encouraging their growth, we cast spells of inspiration and upliftment. The ripple effect of these beautiful spells can create a harmonious environment where everyone thrives.

The power of words cannot be underestimated; they possess the ability to shape our reality and attract more of what we believe. By shifting our personal narratives from lack to abundance, victimhood to empowerment, and complaint to gratitude, we cast beautiful spells that transform our lives for the better. As we speak positively about ourselves and others, our words become catalysts for change, empowering not only ourselves but also those who come into contact with them. Let us remember the incredible power within our voices and use it wisely as we embark on a journey of intentional living through casting beautiful spells.

[pinkchaosart]

Another piece of fan art for the book Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens! My favourite character, Sun 🩷 I took inspiration from the cover art of the book with the colour palette and I really like how this turned out! I'm also sort of new to drawing animals generally, and I want to get better at it soon. It'll just involve my sitting down and doing it, you know? I'm also planning a companion piece to go with this for the other main character Rook, but I'm not entirely sure what to do for his, so it could be a while.

What's your favourite book? Have you read Spell Bound too? If you have, who was your favourite?

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Constructive feedback welcome!