Review: Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Spell Bound
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #12
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: July 26, 2011
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Edition: Hardcover
Source: NetGalley
Blurb:

It's been ten years since Bitten, the first novel in Kelley Armstrong's New York Times bestselling Otherworld series. In that time hundreds of thousands of fans have ravenously devoured the adventures of Armstrong's witches, demons, and werewolves. Now, in Spell Bound, she brings them all together for her most sweeping tale yet.

Savannah Levine is in terrible danger, and for once she's powerless to help herself. At the heartbreaking conclusion of Waking the Witch, Savannah swore that she would give up her powers if it would prevent further pain for a young orphan. Little did she know that someone would take her up on that promise.

And now, witch-hunting assassins, necromancers, half-demons, and rogue witches all seem to be after her. The threat is not just for Savannah; every member of the Otherworld might be at risk. While most of her fellow supernaturals are circling the wagons at a gathering of the council in Miami, Savannah is caught on the road, isolated from those who can protect her and unable to use her vast spell-casting talent, the thing she counts on most. In a story that will change the shape of the Otherworld forever, Armstrong gathers Elena, Clay, Paige, Lucas, Jamie, Hope, and other beloved characters, who soon learn that the greatest threat to supernaturals just may come from within.

We were left with a huge cliffhanger at the end of the previous book, Waking the Witch. Spell Bound starts just were it left of. Savanah tries really hard to function without her powers but she doesn't succeed. You can see traces of the teenage Savanah at the beginning but once she confronts her fears, she becomes a much more mature person, and in my opinion, you can finally see that she's an adult.

The relationship between Adam and Savanah is not going that well either and there were times I wanted to hit them both upside the head. They had so many issues that could have been avoided if they had just talked to each other that it got a little tiring. Fortunately, there was some progress on that front.

The main plot Arc, that started in Waking the Witch and finishes in book 13 - which, by the way, is the last book in the series - develops nicely in this one. There were plenty of bad guys and I liked the idea of a new generation of supernaturals that were stronger than ever and had abilities unseen before or extinct.

One of the things I liked the most is that all the previous characters from the other books appear in this one and you get updates on their lives, but at the same time they don't eclipse Savannah's story. You also get to see plenty of Savannah's brothers, who have always interested me.

All in all, this was a great book with a lot of action, character development (especially in Savannah's case), a very interesting plot and the appearence of plenty of loved past characters of the series.
I will admit that I was expecting more on the romance front, but I hope the final book delivers on this front.


Previous Books:
1. Bitten
2. Stolen
3. Dime Store Magic
4. Industrial Magic
5. Haunted
6. Broken
7. No Humans Involved
8. Personal Demon
9. Living with the Dead
10. Frost Bitten
11. Waking the Witch - Review

Next Book:
13. Untitled (Summer 2012)

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