The Books of Elsewhere Vol. 2
Spellbound (The Books of Elsewhere, Vol. 2)by Jacqueline West
With no way into the house's magical paintings, and its three guardian 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). You'll never guess what happens next in this thrilling, chilling second volume in the critically acclaimed series. (goodreads.com)
Release date: July 12, 2011When I feel head-over-heels in love with the first Books of Elsewhere in January, I knew I needed to get this second book as soon as it came out regardless of whatever was going on in my life. Out of the blue I received an email from Penguin Canada letting me know they had some review copies of books available and would I be interested in any of them. As soon as I saw the cover of Spellbound I hit reply without reading any more and wrote very professionally,
OMG!OMG!OMG!! The second Book of Elsewhere!!!!!!! YES! YES! PLEASE!!! OMGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!
Thankfully, I think my contact at Penguin is used to my outrageous replies to her emails, so I didn't get blocked. heh.I should have waited a little while to read this book since it doesn't publish until July, but I figure it's a month away (huh, exactly as of today!) and I'm close enough. Really, I could not wait to get my reading on with this book!As is often the case with sequels, I did not love this book as much as I did the first. I did enjoy it a lot - though it didn't have the same whimsical feel that the first book had with the discovery of the magical paintings. This book is a little darker as Olive searches for and then becomes a little too obsessed by the grimoire. I didn't like the person Olive had become and I know that was exactly what I was supposed to feel. My problem is that I don't like stories like that. I don't like stories where someone becomes totally out of character because of magic. I like lighter, happier magical stories. Ok, yes, so there are evil witches in the first book, but Olive herself was constant!There is much more Harvey the cat in book two, a less of Horatio and Leonard. I do love Harvey and his many different personalities, but I missed the other cats a bunch. I did like the new character, Rutherford from next door. I like when the mystery can be shared between people and it's not all secreted away by the main character.You know who I don't really like? Morton. Ok, so he's an 8-year old boy who has been trapped in a painting for many, many years, but he's annoying. No matter what Olive does to help him he's bratty and unthankful. I guess he's bored and whatever, but really. Get over it. Shut up. Just.. ahhh! I don't like him. =PWill I be just as OMG!OMG!OMG!!!!! for the third book (if there is one)? YES I WILL! I would have devoured these books when I was 10-13 years old. I would have loved every second of them (and disliked the same things I dislike now, I haven't changed all that much since I was 12). These are a little beyond Nancy Drew and The Babysitter's Club, but they are still sort of in the same realm. They take you away, like the earlier more whimsical Harry Potter books (not the later dark-angsty-actiony ones). This is a great series and I am so happy I discovered it this year!The Books of Elsewhere