Bound by Spells (Bound, #2)

by Stormy Smith

[cornerfolds]

Last summer I was lucky enough to participate in the Bound by Duty blog tour. Here was a book I had never heard of and really went into blindly, but came out totally in love! But... you know how it is when you read a book right when it comes out and then have to wait seemingly forever for the next one? Well, thank goodness book two didn't take a full year! I was so psyched when I found out Bound by Spells was being released that I absolutely had to get in on the pre-release events! And this one was totally worth the wait.

Bound by Spells picks up right where Bound by Duty left off - with Amelia amongst her enemies and Aidan unsure of how to help her. Not only that, but Aidan's also fighting an internal battle with himself since discovering his animage powers... and his inner wolf. Amelia is also learning to control the torrent of power that has been released within her and trying desperately not to give in to it completely. But the very best part is that the location shifts for book two, to the magnificent home of Micah's mother. While I definitely liked the college setting of book one and felt like it was a perfect way to get to know all of the characters, I loved getting to explore this new place with Amelia and Micah! Especially the library...

I fell in love with the characters of Bound by Duty and they continued to wow me throughout book number two. I so loved watching as Aidan discovered things about himself and came to terms with them. He definitely became my favorite character in the series for so many reasons, not least of which was his stepping up to the plate when he could have said no. Amelia too made some amazing choices in Bound by Spells - some that I wanted to beat her over the head for, but still... And, well, Micah was still Micah. I liked him for sure, but he definitely isn't the main man!

The action in this book, while a little scarce, was still exciting and moved the story ahead at a good pace, never dragging like some middle books do. My only complaint is that Amelia and Aidan are not together (well, not really) for most of the book. It's a little bit of a pet peeve of mine when characters spend an entire book trying to get back together (see my review for World After). Luckily though, Bound by Spells made up for it in another way, so it wasn't as bad as it could've been without that small, spoilery detail.

Overall, I really liked where this book took the series. Stormy Smith has written a fantastic story with amazing, strong characters who have held my attention from book one, page one. She has been on several of my top ten lists over the last year and, after finishing book two, I can confidently say she'll be in a lot more of them. I can't wait to see where book three goes (and I'm really hoping for a lot more Aidan/Amelia moments)!