Posted on  08/02/2024 21:16:10

My rating: 5 spellbinding stars

for a unique and thoroughly entertaining read that put a huge smile on my face and made me dive straight into the sequel.


'Are you ready?' Leon asked...
Vanessa looked at him witn a smile that split her face in two. 'I was born ready,' she said.
Bobo cleared his throat into his massive paw and leaned over to the Spellweaver as he spoke in a hushed tone, 'You should stay close to that one. If that girl was born ready, I was born an incubus.'

Meet Leon, Vanessa and Bobo (or Botobolbilian to be exact). A Spellweaver, a third year Hunter itching to become a Spellweaver and her pet, a high class demon of the Underworld. These three will sweep you in a magic adventure full of sass, fun and dangerous dark magic. One that wouldn't be complete without Lyx, a sexy succubus that belongs to Leon.

Vanessa is an orphan who had somehow been accepted in the lowest ranks of the prestigious Coven of Aeristria. A place overflowing with magic and creatures that were once only heard of in fairy-tales.
She wanted to fly under the radar and become a highly respected Spellweaver, yet she constantly got into trouble and was regularly issued clean up jobs by the Council as punishment. And trust me when I say, this little witch is tough to like in the beginning of the tale. She's 'rude and with a lot of sass, horrible table manners and one nasty temper,' as her own familiar, or pet - Bobo, would openly state. And yet, as the pages flew by, she kind of slowly grew on me and by the end I realized she's not that bad at all.

Now Bobo on the other hand... 'That's a demon you wanna take home to momma.' And a certain succubus is trying her damnedest to do just that. Botobolbilian was supposed to be a ruthless killing machine that excelled at his job better than all other classes of demons. His huge size, combined with a little snarl, would be enough to make anyone flee in horror. And when he wields his battle axe, not even hellhounds have a chance to best him. And yet, you'll find Bobo spending every single free minute with his nose in a book. The perfect gentleman, devoted protector and loyal to a fault. Bobo is hands down one of the best familiars ever written! And I absolutely adore him!!

The dynamic between the incorrigible duo of witch master and demon pet is downright fabulous. Full of sass and witty comebacks, it will make your lips curl in a smile more often than you can count. But back to the plot, because I digress. :D

When the duo is sent to investigate an explosion at the academy and bring the culprit responsible in, Vanessa and Bobo suddenly find themselves neck deep in black magic sprinkled with feral demon summonings. And the rotten cherry on the trouble cake is that the Council decides to punish them even more, by partnering them to Leon and his succubus pet Lyx, who are supposed to keep them out of trouble. More out of snooping that is because the Council seems to sweep the whole incident under the carpet. Since Vanessa is know for her stubborn streak which will obviously drive her to find out what the hushed secret is, Leon is set as her warden to make sure the little witch keeps her nose out of the Council business. Of course that's just NOT going to happen, because Vanessa always does what Vanessa wants to do. And this is how their adventure begins.

One that will set countless lives on the line and will drive even brave Bobo to his knees. Danger, corruption, dark magic and hellish creatures, these are but a part of what the duo will have to face. And all the while Vanessa will not only need to brave harsh judgement and mocking laughter, but also struggle with self-doubt and even crippling depression.

Fast paced and entertaining, Spellbound & Hellhounds is one of those reads that you simply cannot set down. It is not perfect and could do with a few editing tweaks, but that diminishes in no way the enchantment of the tale. I read it all in one sitting and already grabbed the sequel because I want more.

Great characters, flawed and absolutely relatable with; from the main protagonists down to the secondary cast; they are all bound to grab the reader's attention and make anyone smile. Combine that with a fascinating setting and a great mix of all sorts of supernatural creatures of varying degrees of good or evil as well as superb magical constructs... Add in a full measure of sass and witty humor and a pinch of laugh out loud moments and there you go! The perfect recipe for a fascinating read.

And if a badass demon trying his best to escape the amorous advances of an infatuated incubus won't make you crack up at times... double dip a candlestick - the imps needing a clipboard to the face will definitely do the trick.

If you're in a mood for a fun magical read within the pages of which you can easily get lost, Spellbound & Hellhounds would be the perfect choice.

It is downright spellbinding! :)

Check out this book and more of Nia Rose over at  https://www.poisonedapplepublishing.com/