Spell Bound follows Rook, a young, non magical person who grew up with his magical grandmother. After her death he was taken away from the magical community he knew, and after a year away, he began to search for his way back in, eventually finding an office job under Antonia, a powerful sorcerer with a disregard for rules, which has landed her with stipulations on her freedom. The two quickly run into Fable, Antonia’s rival, and their apprentice Sun and Antonia illegally names Rook her apprentice. While working together, Sun and Rook slowly form a friendship, learn each other's secrets, and become a team. Until the Consortium catches wind of what is going on, Sun and Rook have to work together to save their respective teachers. 

Spell Bound is an incredibly fun read with a ton of heart along with it. Rook and Sun are both incredibly interesting, with unique perspectives, and a joy to follow throughout the story. Antonia and Fable’s rivalry/friendship relationship is entertaining and complex that made both of their characters feel so real and relatable. The backstories of the characters are so full of heart, and do a wonderful job of showing the reader how they came to be the person they are. While the concepts and amounts we are given of the characters’ backstories are wonderful, I do wish a bit more time was spent, specifically on Antonia and her previous apprentice as I was left at the end of the story wishing I knew more. 

The one other notable problem I found with this novel is the pacing, while I enjoyed the slow paced start to the novel, at times I was left wondering when the main conflict would come, if at all. I also wish Mavis, a character we meet toward the end of the novel, after the main conflict had begun, ⅔ of my way through the novel, had been introduced, or at least mentioned earlier on so she felt more like a character and less like a plot device. 

That being said, I did enjoy the slow pacing at the beginning of the novel, and the central conflict was engaging and enjoyable. I had a great time reading Spell Bound, the characters and found family elements of the novel were a standout, and the closing monologue was one that made it into my personal favorites. Lukens is an author I have enjoyed for years and I cannot wait to see what they bring to the table next.