Spelled by Camille Peters Book Review

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book, but the thoughts, opinions, etc. are entirely my own.

Note: Hi, when I review books, or anything really, I’m big on discussing what works and what doesn’t work. That often involves spoilers, and seriously I do mean SPOILERS. If you’re not cool with that, that’s totally fine. I have a spoiler-free review that you can read here on Goodreads. But if you’re cool with spoilers, then let’s sit back and chat about this book.

Note: Because I read an advanced copy, what I read is slightly different from the final copy. So my thoughts and opinions come from that early copy and might not match what is in the final edition.

A Brief Summary

Rosie is fairly certain that there’s nothing wrong with putting a love spell on a foreign prince. At least she hopes there’s not, because such a drastic measure is necessary in order for her to ensure that the perfect fairy tale romance she’s dreamt about her entire life includes her own prince charming. As the heroine in her story, she won’t be deterred by well-meaning friends, royal betrothals, hungry dragons, or the intriguing guard who stands in her way. Luckily, Rosie has access to an enchanted bakery and a recipe book of spells, one of which will ensure she’ll win the royal heart she desires. Unfortunately, no story is complete without a few obstacles, and Rosie’s comes in the form of a most formidable foe—a stoic guard whom Rosie may or may not be developing feelings for, one who is committed to thwarting her at every turn. But nothing will stand in the way of Rosie’s happily ever after. After all, what harm can a simple love spell do? Inspired by “The Frog Prince”

What works

• I like how the author used the Frog Prince as inspiration, with Spelled being a loose retelling rather than a literal retelling. It probably would have been fine as a literal retelling, but I liked that the author used the original story as a foundation and then used it to create something of her own.
• There was one scene in particular, an interaction between Rosie and Alastair, that I really loved because probably for that moment and that moment alone I really connected with Rosie. At one point, she says”Do not make me the villain in my own story” and the way that the scene was worded, I could see it going down this beautifully tragic bittersweet path (which I knew was not going to be how it actually played out in the book but I loved the idea). I don’t know why that particular scene stuck out to me so much, but for Rosie’s character, it was one of the best scenes that she was in.
• The dialogue for Spelled had a lot of what I would call “story role-play” moments. Mainly because Rosie had a specific type of dialogue in mind for her ‘perfect story’ and Alistair was willing to play along. It was quirky but entertaining because as they grew closer together, the quickness of Alastair’s responses increased and the dialogue flowed much better.
• The Plot Twist. I knew it was coming, but I didn’t know exactly what the plot twist would be. Starring Prince Liam, Alistair and the “love-spelled” chocolates that Rosie made, I was pleasantly surprised. Having Alistair then rush to explain everything about his masterminded plan with the aid of Liam, was great.
  • I’m now invested in the idea that the two of them should be secret agents, partners in fact for when the royal families and/or countries need extra assistance.
• Prince Liam was a minor side character in Pathways, and plays a much bigger role in Spelled as Rosie’s “spelled” prince. As far as I know, he is the subject of the author’s next book and his role in this book read as a set up for his own story, leaving me very much excited to read the next book.

What may or may not work

• As Spelled’s main character, Rosie, had made an appearance in the 1st book (Pathways), I realized while reading this that, for me, she is a better character in small doses. I kept trying to be sympathetic to her, and even with her having a love for stories and with a very vivid imagination (which could easily rival, I just could not easily read through the book with her as the main character. Her personality was so strong and she definitely had her own voice, but while other readers might enjoy reading about her mishaps and adventures, she had just the right quirks that drive me nuts as a reader.

Honorable Mentions

• I will add that the golden ball/pond scene from the original story was a quirky but nice addition here. There was the golden ball (I think it was just a paperweight from Rosie’s room), a shallow-ish pond and a frog. Thankfully the frog wasn’t enchanted and didn’t try to get the golden ball for Rosie. While that might have added another twist to the story, instead it was Alistair who saved the day. I think it was also mentioned that ‘The Frog Prince’ was one of the stories Rosie had read, maybe not mentioned by name but implied, so I think she was subconsciously trying to reenact that pivotal scene.

Side Questions

• I know I asked this in my Pathways review but did NO ONE think to send a message to Eileen’s mom during the competition in Pathways. The lack of knowledge of Eileen’s whereabouts does help get the story started, and provide a decent segue between the two books. That being said, 2 weeks?! TWO WEEKS without telling her mom that “Yes, I’m alive” when her mom was terrified that her daughter had disappeared just like her father.

Would I Read This Book Again?

• I might read it again for the sake of reading all of the books in this series so that I can binge-read them all together. On its own, I probably wouldn’t choose to read it again just because I wasn’t a fan of Rosie.