My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Man, that cover is gorgeous!
Kerick is a master at creating fabulously sassy and unique characters, and Chance, the star of Love Spell, fits the bill. He is “a boy without a box”, and struggling with gender identity. I loved his outrageous personality, his outlandish crazy sense of style, and all the pop culture references. His best friend, Emily, on the other hand, becomes a little too over-the-top about halfway through the story. I could have used less of her silly made up words and self-created drama. For me, they weren’t the best match as bffs, but given Chance’s choices of possible friends, perhaps Emily was his best bet.
Following along with Chance’s plan to capture the fancy of Jasper (who he nicknames Jazz) is at times funny and other times heartbreaking. Taking cues from a magazine article and “love spells”, Chance sets his sights on Jazz, who is delightfully clueless. I so enjoyed Jazz’s personality and go-with-the-flow nature. Chance’s misguided attempts at seduction are endearing.
Chance and Jazz have two completely different home life experiences, and it was interesting to see Chance’s realization of what family means and what’s most important in life by becoming close with Jazz. Honestly, I think Love Spell is a story about family.