Nadia and her family have moved to Captive's Sound after her mother abruptly left them. The move was meant to be a fresh start, but it turns out to be a mess involving dark magic. Nadia's witch training hadn't been completed before her mother left, so now she's up against some serious darkness and also must save her new friend, Mateo, from his own family curse. Together they will work to save Captive's Sound.

There's evil magic, spells, spooky birds, and a ripped up and fragile family, to name a few. With all of these ingredients there's bound to be conflicts and consequences, and there are. At times the story hints of reused material, but it keeps enough originality to stave off the feeling of déjà vu.

Nadia is nice and Mateo is dark and broodingly hot. Sound familiar? The real star of the show is the author, Claudia Gray. She is a wordsmith to be sure. Her prose is memorable and beautiful. In fact, her strength in this area is what has earned her many of her fans, and deservedly so. The writing, along with some spectacular twists and a great ending, is strong enough to overpower a weaker plot and at times, superficial characters. SPELLCASTER is a fun and entertaining read overall a promising start to a new series.