Review: Spellbinding by Maya Gold

Spellbinding by Maya Gold
Release Date: April 1, 2013
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Source: Scholastic Point through NetGalley
Reviewer: Jenn
Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads / IndieBound

My rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Summary:
There's more than one way to be powerful...

It is during a routine school project that Abby Silva - sixteen and nearly friendless - makes a startling discovery: She is descended from women who were accused of witchcraft back in the 1600s Salem. And when Abby visits nearby Salem, inexplicable events start to unfold. Objects move when she wills them to. Candles burst into sudden flame. And an ancient spellbook somehow winds up in her possession.

Trying to harness her newfound power, Abby concocts a love potion to win over her longtime crush - and exact revenge upon his cruel, bullying girlfriend. But old magic is not to be trifled with. Soon, Abby is thrust headlong into a world of hexes, secrets, and dangers. And then there's Rem Anders, the beautiful, mysterious Salem boy who seems to know about Abby than he first lets on.

A reckoning is coming, and Abby will have to make sense of her history - and her heart - before she can face the powerful truth.

After reading the summary of Spellbinding, I was really excited about starting this book. It sounds like it would be full of adventures with some romance thrown in; I love those kind of books. However, after a slow beginning, I realize that this may not be the book for me. This book really dragged for me. I tried to get in the right mindset for it but I just couldn't get there.

My biggest issue is with Abby, the protagonist. At first, I thought that she was way too dense. She could not or would not see things that were happening right in front of her until the last moment. She would have these “aha!” moments but I believe that the reader had already seen what was happening. Also, Abby kept giving a whiplash with how fast she would change her mind. With both boys and with her dad’s new girlfriend, she couldn't make up her mind and honestly, it drove me insane.

Another issue I had was with the storyline and that I felt that it moved much too quickly. Yes, I was bored and I had been reading this galley forever and I couldn't wait to be finished, but the storyline moved much too quickly for it to be believable. When she found out she was a witch and couldn't believe it then a couple of paragraphs later she was decided that it made sense since she was always a little bit strange. Also, how quickly she started doing magic on her own. With one little book of spells and she was set. And the whole insta-love with Rem just didn't work for me. I know they had their “history” but it just wasn't believable.

Thankfully, I’m glad that I didn't waste my money on this book but I am frustrated that I spent time reading this book.