Helen Stringer

When I first read the description of this, I thought 'So...Lydia got her wish?' (Lydia, from Beetlejuice, I sincerely hope you knew that), which was ridiculous of course. Spellbinder is an adventure as well as a magical story with a character who I thought was charming, but it didn't creep me out thankfully. Actually this is more like The Ghost Whisperer (which I love to death-haha).

Belladonna knows something is off lately, the stars are blinking out, there's less ghosts around and the ghosts who are around are making vague references to things she doesn't understand. You see, even though Belladonna has a support network (even before her parents die) that understands and has gone through it all before, they choose not to tell her. For various reasons. And even when she begins to show them that she knows more than they are letting on, they try to keep her in the dark.

And so she does what any normal twelve year old with a heroic urge would do--she seeks out answers. Along for the fun is the class delinquent, Steve, who is really less of a delinquent and more of a disaffected youngster with too much time and energy and too little attention. Elsie, a ghost that is haunting their school (Dullworth Academy), also pops up from time to time in an effort to be both helpful and hindering.

From what I've gathered from other reviewers, this reminds them of what Harry Potter was like in the first few books. I haven't (and will never) read the Harry Potter books, so I can't attest to that one way or the other, but it does have a charm to it that would appeal to most people. Belladonna is a likable character who makes some interesting remarks throughout the book (the 'adventure' angle was considerably dulled for her when it turned out the puzzle was more like an English Test then anything exciting) and she doesn't seem too mature for her age. She's more solemn then her classmates, but then her parents just died in a tragic accident a year ago, disappeared from her life as ghosts a few days ago and she can see just how wrong things are in the world.

Steve supplies much of the comic relief--especially in regards to his various skills in breaking and entering, sneaking around and his complete lack of ability to lie properly--but he also has some of the more creative ideas. Such as where to find the Red Door everyone is looking for. His interactions with Belladonna are part chummy/part why did I ever get involved.

As a mystery this works, sometimes better then others. The cryptic remarks of the Sibyl (oracle) are rather...cryptic and take a little working to fit exactly, but then oracles aren't known for being crystal clear.

In the end, I hope for another adventure from Belladonna. Stringer captures just the right amount of youthful excitement and adult practicality in Belladonna and the ending certainly suggests a new adventure is in the offing.

**I received this as an ARC from the publisher, Feiwel and Friends, through Shelf Awareness**… (mais)

My copy of Spellbinder has the original cover, which gave an impression of a book quite different than this one. The newer, blue cover is far more accurate in illustrating the novel. (That's what I get for judging a book by its cover.)
It is a book of strengths and weaknesses. Stringer is a good writer, and keeps the story moving swiftly, describing events and settings clearly, so one never feels lost, even in the strange worlds she evokes. Belladonna is a likable protagonist, and her cohorts, Steve (living school friend) and Elsie (ghost) provide a nice contrast.
The story is essentially a quest saga. As the novel opens, we learn that Belladonna sees ghosts. Lots of them. Including her dead parents, with whom she still lives. The saga starts pretty quickly as the ghosts begin to rapidly disappear. Belladonna feels she must find out what is going on and stop it. With the help of the almost delinquent Steve and one mysteriously remaining ghost, Elsie.
The problem for me was that the quest sent the characters all over the place, and every time they seemed to be in a really tight bind, rather than a clever plot twist to save them, in most cases something inexplicably magical would occur. Too much magical or supernatural goings on with no explanations - or explanations that felt thrown together after the fact.
Also, with few exceptions, I am not a fan of series books. I like a book to have a beginning and an ending. This story does wrap up most things, but there are a number of smaller loose ends that are clearly left to be resolved in the next book.… (mais)