Review: Spell Bound (The Warlock Brothers of Havenbridge #1) by Jacob Z. Flores

Mason Blackmoor just can’t compete with his brothers, much less his father. They represent the epitome of black magic, strong, dark, and wicked, and though Mason tries to live up to his respected lineage, most of the spells he casts go awry. To make matters worse, his active power has yet to kick in. While his brothers wield lightning and harness the cold, Mason sits on the sidelines, waiting for the moment when he can finally enter the magical game.

When a dead body is discovered on the football field of his high school, Mason meets Drake Carpenter, the new kid in town. Drake’s confident demeanor and quick wit rub Mason the wrong way. Drake is far too self-assured for someone without an ounce of magical blood in his body, and Mason aims to teach him a lesson—like turn him into a roach. And if he’s lucky, maybe this time Mason won’t be the one turned into an insect.

Not surprisingly, the dislike is mutual, and Drake does nothing to dispel Mason’s suspicion that the sexy boy with a southern drawl is somehow connected to the murder.

If only Mason didn’t find himself inexplicably spellbound whenever they are together, they might actually find out what danger hides in the shadows

This is only the second book I've read by this author - but it certainly won't be the last. Here Jacob Z Flores has created a world which I already love...anyone who likes YA stories that have a fantasy/paranormal twist will like these. I love that whole it's our world but with elements much of society doesn't know about theme of books and TV and this embraces that genre so well.

Mason is a character who is hiding a secret and this affects how the world at large views him. Even his closest friends don't truly know him, this seemed very metaphorical to me of teenagers the world over. He has an image to uphold, but truly he only has that image as a way to shield himself. I love that Drake was able to work his way through the shield and into Mason's life, intended or not.

At times this book was laugh-out-loud funny. My particular favourite was 'park whoring'. I'm a park whore fan myself - could watch it for hours. Even if I do call it free running... The whole book managed to find a great balance between humour and action.

I'm eager to find out more about this world, though this story wrapped up I'm not done with these characters. t feels to me like there is a whole lot more to find out about the Blackmoors and the world they inhabit. I also feel like there is more to Aunt Millie than we learnt about here...I often have a feeling in these kinds of tales that the general public in the worlds know more than they are letting on. More than the supernatural characters realise...Danny from Teen Wolf anyone?? I like this because it feels like the simple story we're shown in the first book is just the first layer - I can't wait to read more of this series to see where it goes.

A really enjoyable read, and as I said, an author I'll be looking out for more of.

For more info check out Goodreads.
A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.