Reviews

The Forbidden Spell by Kaely Rose

hunnykurls's review against another edition

Maybe I’ll try again another time. 

sara11_reads's review

2.0

Such a cute cover and concept (cat and wolf romance) but ultimately disappointing. Lots of telling and very little showing. I wanted to know about the characters instead of pages and pages describing the magic system.

spinach69888's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

bronwyn's review against another edition

lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

emilyrod811's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

oldandnewbooksmell's review

adventurous relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Due to a curse put on him at birth, Senrind’s been forced to live stuck as a werewolf, unable to change into a human. With the help of his friend, Quinn, they go to a fortune teller who introduces them to a shapeshifting cat named Carithway.

Carithway can help him break the curse, but Senrind in return, must help Carithway out at his shop. Sentrind agrees and is thus thrown into a world of witches, spells, potions, and magic. As Sentrind tries to find answers to his past, he undercovers secrets from his father as well as something Carithway is hiding too. Was Senrind safer in his wolf form and now that he’s human - what can he do to help?

I’m not sure what it is with me stumbling upon cozy fantasies with found family tropes but I’m here for it and absolutely love it. The characters of this book are all so lovely and I’m a sucker for cats with magic, so Carithway could always make me smile.

With a lot of books, the main character gets everything bad thrown at them. But with this book, though there are trials and learning paths, Senrind seems to be doing well and it wasn’t filled with suspense and danger around every corner - hence why I’m calling it cozy fantasy. Sometimes that’s just what you need though.

There is a little romance in this book - but it’s just beginning, which I love because it seems very much more authentic and not rushed into in a few pages. This novel is marked as being #1 in the series, so I’m excited to see this relationship grow as well as the rest of the storyline continue.

This is a cozy read that would be perfect to snuggle up with in the fall - or honestly, you can be like me and read it right at the beginning of Summer and dream about the fall weather that’s mentioned in the book!

*Thank you Kaely Rose and The StoryGraph for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

lanid's review against another edition

lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25

Received in a StoryGraph giveaway

The characters were likable, though not overly compelling. The writing style was very clear but unnecessarily wordy and descriptive at times, and there are a few times where the POV switches characters mid-chapter that made it difficult to follow. It’s a pretty low-stakes story which made the slow pacing in the beginning hard to get through, but overall it was very sweet and has potential.

bookish_bry's review against another edition

relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I received this book in a giveaway on Storygraph. This was an enjoyable book overall. The pacing wasn't always perfect. The beginning sometimes seemed too slow and the end seemed far too fast. I enjoyed the characters and thought they were sweet. I think the world was interesting, but could have been developed a little bit more. It was a pretty low stakes book overall which isn't necessarily a criticism, but it is not an action packed fantasy book. I'd be interested in seeing what Kaely Rose does in the future.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt

There is a bit of fantasy racism.

kellyoneill's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

mmarques's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

I won this book in a StoryGraph giveaway. 

This book is a cosy fantasy with a hint of romance. I found both main characters interesting and lovable. However, as a “cosy” book, the conflicts are too easily overcome for my tastes. For example,  near the beginning of the book, we learn that Carithway significantly dislikes wolves, and Senrind is a wolf. Yet, they quickly get along well. 

The opening of this book was a bit rough, as the POV switches rapidly between characters, but after the first chapter, the style improves.