Spellbound by Jacqueline West {Review}

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers

Publish Date: July 11, 2011

Source: Library

With no way into the house's magical paintings, and its three guard cats reluctant to help, Olive's friend Morton is still trapped inside Elsewhere. So when Rutherford, the new oddball kid next door, mentions a grimoire -- a spellbook -- Olive feels a breathless tug of excitement. If she can find the McMartins' spellbook, maybe she can help Morton escape Elsewhere for good. Unless, that is, the book finds Olive first.
The house isn't the only one keeping secrets anymore. Mystery, magic, corruption, and betrayal abound (plus just enough laughs to take the edge off).

Spellbound is a fantastic continuation of The Books of Elsewhere series. There’s more talking cats, of course, but this time an unpleasant book and some new friends (as well as some old) make an appearance as well.

I rather liked Rutheford. He was just slightly odd which made him a bit like Olive, in that sense, but just strange enough that it added to his quirkiness and made me like him all the more.

Olive was still the tough, plucky heroine of our first book, but this time stubbornness also gets added to the mix. The trait might have been annoying in an older character, but somehow, it totally works for 11-year-old Olive.

Final Thoughts: Spellbound was a fantastic sequel to a series that is quickly becoming one of my favorites. It has the perfect mixture of magic and emotion which manages to completely suck you in and make you wish you had talking cats as friends as well. As I said with the first in the series, if you’re afraid of middle grade, start here. I think you might like what you find.

Pages: 160

Series: The Books of Elsewhere #2

Rating: 4 stars