Spellcaster by Claudia Gray | Website | Twitter
Read by Khristine Hvam
Publisher/Year: HarperTeen | March 5, 2013
Pages: 400
Audiobook Publisher: Harper Audio
Time: 11 hours 9 min
Series: Spellcaster Book 1
Genre: YA Paranormal
Format: Audiobook
Source: Borrowed from Overdrive
Summary (From Goodreads)
When Nadia’s family moves to Captive’s Sound, she instantly realizes there’s more to it than meets the eye. Descended from witches, Nadia senses a dark and powerful magic at work in her new town. Mateo has lived in Captive’s Sound his entire life, trying to dodge the local legend that his family is cursed – and that curse will cause him to believe he’s seeing the future … until it drives him mad. When the strange dreams Mateo has been having of rescuing a beautiful girl—Nadia—from a car accident come true, he knows he’s doomed.
Shannan’s Summary
Nadia has just moved to Captive Sound, a small town in the New England area. When Nadia moved there, she thought any future as a witch was over, but little did she know the web of magic that existed in the town. The first person she meets is Mateo, who’s been dreaming about Nadia and whose family has a curse on them. She is soon befriended by girl named Verlaine who figures out Nadia’s a Witch. The three unlikely friends soon discover there is more going on than some of them can see, and more that needs changed than they can probably do.
First Off…
I needed a new audio book on my phone and this was on my watch list. Plus it had the added bonus of being available immediately.
Thoughts:
Spellcaster had a great story line. From the first chapter there was plenty of build up to make you want to continue reading. A mysterious barrier, dreaming of people you’ve never met, curses and mysterious powers. I love the speed of the story, it kept my attention and kept the story line going.
I thought it was refreshing there wasn’t a love triangle going on through this book. The story was truly unique compared to a lot of the best sellers right now, and exactly the deviation I wanted from what I’ve been reading. The way spells are made was especially inventive: through emotions. Instead of having ingredients or a wand, to cast a spell, Nadia has to use emotions she’s had and relieve those moments. Which means, you have to have a lot of life experience to be able to be a good witch, and I find that intriguing. It also made it an unusual way for you to get to know Nadia, instead of her telling about her past, she relieved it for you as she cast a spell.
I thought the characters were well thought out. Nadia was struggling with her mom suddenly leaving after being not just a mom, but also the only person that could teach her about magic. You get to see Nadia work through that situation and settle into a new life. Mateo also lost his mother, but a different way than Nadia, which also affects him and his Identity. Add Verlaine to the mix who is also missing a mom and they form an unlikely trio that is out to save the town. I thought the villain of the group was also well written. Slowly you discover who they are and what they want, but the mystery lasts to the very end, which I always love when I can’t completely figure out what’s going on.
I also thought Khristine did a great job reading for the book, always a big deal in an audio book. Her voices were distinct and not annoying. She was able to make her voice meld into the reading rather than distract, so this is a good one to do as an audio book.
Overall
This is my first Caludia Gray book and it definitely made me want to read more of her books. After finishing this one, not only did I immediately start the next book of the series, but I also added her other books to my list. It was exactly the kind of story I was looking for to get away from all the dystopians I’ve been reading. I would recommend this to anyone that liked watching “Charmed.”
10 Second Summery:
- A new take on magic: This isn’t a typical take on magic, but very emotionally based, which also makes an interesting way for you to get to know the characters.
- A standout story line: In a world of dystopian love triangles, this was a great story that walks it’s own path. It was a breath of fresh air to have something different and unexpected to read.
- Works well as an audio book: I think it’s a good pace that will keep your interest, but not so fast that you get lost. The reader does well with the voices and makes them part o the characters, but I think I would have liked reading it myself too.
I would say paperback. Love the story, just not quite to my favorites list.