Book Review: Bound

Bound

Book #1 in the Arelia LaRue series

Author: Kira Saito

Release Date:  October 28, 2011

Published By: Kira Saito through Amazon Digital Services

Buy it at Amazon

Source: Provided By Author

Audience: Young Adult

My Thoughts:

Arelia LaRue is one of the mature, level-headed heroines that we have come to prize in today's literary world. In a world were Kardashians and Paris Hilton rule the tv and internet, I'm relieved and grateful for these strong, thoughtful and generously clothed females in the YA genre.

Arelia is 16, and desperately trying to help her grandmere Bea toward their living expenses. She's also unique. She can hear and (if she chose to) communicate with the spirits or loas. Like any other teenage girl, Arelia has no desire to stick out more than she already does, so she has spent her life ignoring the spirits. She and her best friend, the atypical rich witch with a B, take off the creeptastic LaPlante plantation to work for the summer where Arelia's aims are making enough money for rent and the occasional pizza while Sabrina's are to find a husband as rich or richer than her daddy. 

I liked this novel very much. At first I was hesitant, because when it comes to New Orleans, voodoo and the like. Being a native,  I get a little squirmy and a bit snotty. However, I thought the author did very well with describing the swamps, decor and food realistically, as well as giving the whole New Orleans/magic/paranormal plot a fresh spin. It was also obvious to me that she spent time actually research voodoo and hoodoo, and really captured the heart of it. (Meaning it isn't all voodoo dolls and hexes) And while there were some stops and starts with the flow of the story, it was very compelling and ended on a masterful cliff hanger.

All in all, I liked it - not head over heels in love with it just yet, but the potential is there. I will continue to read the series (and please see our teaser post for Book 2 Punished), because Miz LaRue could be epic.

Synopsis:

Sixteen year old Arelia LaRue lives in New Orleans where the music is loud, voodoo queens inhabit every street corner, and the ghosts are alive and well. Despite her surroundings, all she wants is to help her Grand-mere Bea pay the rent and save up for college. 

When her best friend Sabrina convinces her to take a well-paying summer job at the infamous Darkwood plantation, owned by the wealthy LaPlante family, Arelia agrees. 

However, at Darkwood strange things start to happen, and gorgeous Lucus LaPlante insists that he needs her help. Soon, the powers that Arelia has been denying all her life, come out to play and she discovers mysteries about herself that she could have never imagined.