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The Buried and the Bound #3
The Spell for Unraveling
Author Rochelle Hassan delivers a pulse-pounding conclusion to her dangerous and alluring trilogy, The Buried and the Bound, inviting readers into the realm of witches that churns beneath the surface of the mundane—just as it threatens to boil over. . .
After the chaos of the summer solstice, elder hedgewitch Anne Sterling steps in to take Coven Blackthorn under her wing—and to enlist their help. There’s damage control to be done as threats of a fairy war loom and the upheaval in Elphame spills into the human realm. Leo, in particular, is uniquely positioned to influence the course of events.
But Aziza's top priority is to rescue her oldest friend and former librarian, Meryl, a selkie whose mysterious captor may have closer ties to Blackthorn—and Aziza herself—than she ever realized. To find him, Aziza will venture into the secretive community of witches hidden beneath the surface of mundane society and confront her deadliest foe yet.
Meanwhile, Tristan delves deep into the study of necromancy, certain it will be their best defense against the danger closing in on all sides. But mastery of the infernal arts is not without its own risks. And there are some things you can’t come back from.
After the chaos of the summer solstice, elder hedgewitch Anne Sterling steps in to take Coven Blackthorn under her wing—and to enlist their help. There’s damage control to be done as threats of a fairy war loom and the upheaval in Elphame spills into the human realm. Leo, in particular, is uniquely positioned to influence the course of events.
But Aziza's top priority is to rescue her oldest friend and former librarian, Meryl, a selkie whose mysterious captor may have closer ties to Blackthorn—and Aziza herself—than she ever realized. To find him, Aziza will venture into the secretive community of witches hidden beneath the surface of mundane society and confront her deadliest foe yet.
Meanwhile, Tristan delves deep into the study of necromancy, certain it will be their best defense against the danger closing in on all sides. But mastery of the infernal arts is not without its own risks. And there are some things you can’t come back from.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published April 28, 2026
17 people are currently reading
750 people want to read
About the author
Rochelle Hassan
7 books255 followersRochelle Hassan is an author of middle grade and young adult fiction, including The Prince of Nowhere, The Buried and the Bound, and Nox Winters and the Midnight Wolf. She lives in New York.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 2, 2026
Been sitting on it for a few hours and the more I unravel (heh) this book the more I love it.
The Spell for Unraveling is quite an ambitious book—over 450 pages and it filled every one of them. The first two books left a lot of threads to tie up, which are all managed with an impressive amount of grace. It does feel a bit fragmented in places, but overall weaves an excellent narrative. Altough I wouldn't have minded a couple more pages.
I'm just so impressed by Rochelle Hassan's storytelling. She expands the world in a way that falls naturally in line with the first two books. Her prose is beautifully descriptive and deftly handed to a teen audience.
I choose not to, but I could go on. This is a really good book. Would recommend this series to anyone.
The Spell for Unraveling is quite an ambitious book—over 450 pages and it filled every one of them. The first two books left a lot of threads to tie up, which are all managed with an impressive amount of grace. It does feel a bit fragmented in places, but overall weaves an excellent narrative. Altough I wouldn't have minded a couple more pages.
I'm just so impressed by Rochelle Hassan's storytelling. She expands the world in a way that falls naturally in line with the first two books. Her prose is beautifully descriptive and deftly handed to a teen audience.
I choose not to, but I could go on. This is a really good book. Would recommend this series to anyone.
Read
April 30, 2026Damn bro, am I really going to be reading this book in less than 24 hours, after waiting for almost two years? It really does drive me crazy how fast the night changes.
2024
This is my most anticipated 2025 book and I’m not even joking.
2026
Correction, this is my most anticipated 2026 book and I’m not even joking.
2024
This is my most anticipated 2025 book and I’m not even joking.
2026
Correction, this is my most anticipated 2026 book and I’m not even joking.
Want to Read
November 15, 2025holy-- that cover
JANUARY 2026???? MY HEART CANNOT TAKE THAT
edit: I'm realizing now that it's been about a year since this was announced and now I only have a few months to wait 😭😭
JANUARY 2026???? MY HEART CANNOT TAKE THAT
edit: I'm realizing now that it's been about a year since this was announced and now I only have a few months to wait 😭😭
May 6, 2026
“He couldn’t say he was lonely. If he’d lost a lung, lonely wasn’t the word he’d use to describe the experience. He just knew he couldn’t breathe.”
☆ RATING: 5/5
☆ PLOT: Despite not having read the previous two books in this series for at least a year, the plot flowed so seamlessly that I had no questions other than who a few minor characters were (which was easy to look up; I likely should have done a bit more catching up before starting!). As always, the plot blends fluffy/happy/funny moments with ones that will unabashedly raise your blood pressure, and I would not have it any other way! I think this was my favorite plot of the three books, because it brought together everything that has happened throughout the series to a satisfying end. Every major plot point and subplot was brought full circle without it seeming self-indulgent. Loved loved loved!!!
☆ CHARACTERS: All the characters are so different but it is so so easy to fall in love with all of them! My personal favorite was Tristan, mainly because I loved the blend of him being an anxious little necromancer (same, minus the necromancer part) and a shamelessly self-confident silly when it came to stuff he was sure about. With all three main characters; Aziza, Leo, and Tristan; there was a lot of really lovely character development. They each made (or didn't make) decisions that made it very obvious they've grown throughout the series, in ways both good and bad. Despite the fact that this is a fantasy series, the characters were very realistic!
☆ RELATIONSHIPS: I literally cannot express any other sentiment to Treo than "UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH (complimentary)".
☆ OTHER THOUGHTS: Immediately going to the favorites list, don't even WORRY. If she has other series, I need to try some other Rochelle Hassan books!
"It was only a brush of their lips together, almost a peck, like a hello or goodbye--casual, absent-minded, familiar."
☆ RATING: 5/5
☆ PLOT: Despite not having read the previous two books in this series for at least a year, the plot flowed so seamlessly that I had no questions other than who a few minor characters were (which was easy to look up; I likely should have done a bit more catching up before starting!). As always, the plot blends fluffy/happy/funny moments with ones that will unabashedly raise your blood pressure, and I would not have it any other way! I think this was my favorite plot of the three books, because it brought together everything that has happened throughout the series to a satisfying end. Every major plot point and subplot was brought full circle without it seeming self-indulgent. Loved loved loved!!!
☆ CHARACTERS: All the characters are so different but it is so so easy to fall in love with all of them! My personal favorite was Tristan, mainly because I loved the blend of him being an anxious little necromancer (same, minus the necromancer part) and a shamelessly self-confident silly when it came to stuff he was sure about. With all three main characters; Aziza, Leo, and Tristan; there was a lot of really lovely character development. They each made (or didn't make) decisions that made it very obvious they've grown throughout the series, in ways both good and bad. Despite the fact that this is a fantasy series, the characters were very realistic!
☆ RELATIONSHIPS: I literally cannot express any other sentiment to Treo than "UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH (complimentary)".
☆ OTHER THOUGHTS: Immediately going to the favorites list, don't even WORRY. If she has other series, I need to try some other Rochelle Hassan books!
"It was only a brush of their lips together, almost a peck, like a hello or goodbye--casual, absent-minded, familiar."
May 4, 2026
This was a fine end to this series, though I still can’t tell if I liked the series as a whole or not. On the plus side, the characters, world-building, and magic system were all unique, and the author took big risks in the storytelling that made the plot itself unique. This was all very refreshing given the cookie-cutter trope-fest that is most YA fantasy these days.
That said, the pacing was off in all three books, and might actually have gotten worse in the final installment. So much of the fairy subplot took place off-page, and I never really understood how or why it was tied to the main story. And the Big Thing the series has been building toward since the beginning of book one *also* took place off-page, which was an absolutely bonkers choice. The uneven pacing and weird emphasis on plot points that didn’t end up mattering at all really detracted from the story and kept me from enjoying an otherwise interesting series as much as I could have.
Also, this was the first book I listened to as an audiobook and the male narrators—especially Tristan’s narrator—were terrible. There’s a good chance I would have liked book three a bit more if I’d skipped the audiobook.
That said, the pacing was off in all three books, and might actually have gotten worse in the final installment. So much of the fairy subplot took place off-page, and I never really understood how or why it was tied to the main story. And the Big Thing the series has been building toward since the beginning of book one *also* took place off-page, which was an absolutely bonkers choice. The uneven pacing and weird emphasis on plot points that didn’t end up mattering at all really detracted from the story and kept me from enjoying an otherwise interesting series as much as I could have.
Also, this was the first book I listened to as an audiobook and the male narrators—especially Tristan’s narrator—were terrible. There’s a good chance I would have liked book three a bit more if I’d skipped the audiobook.
May 2, 2026
I love how many character moments we get in such an action-packed book.
I love the main trio and all their friends and family so, so much.
I cried so hard several times while reading this book because of how emotionally attached I am to these characters and their story. The emotional damage is real.
The plot is a little all over the place this time. But in the end we get to tie all loose ends in a satisfying way. (Only the moment I was waiting for for 3 books felt very anticlimactic. Bold choice to do it like this... on the other hand, I love the conclusion a lot, so I won't complain too much. But I do feel robbed.) A part of me is sad that trilogies need to expand their world and plot with every book because I loved the intimate and isolated vibes of book one. But it's still so cool how Rochelle Hassan managed to create such a rich, fantastical world with so many wonderful and diverse characters. It would be a shame to waste the potential for more stories in this world.
I love the main trio and all their friends and family so, so much.
I cried so hard several times while reading this book because of how emotionally attached I am to these characters and their story. The emotional damage is real.
The plot is a little all over the place this time. But in the end we get to tie all loose ends in a satisfying way. (Only the moment I was waiting for for 3 books felt very anticlimactic. Bold choice to do it like this... on the other hand, I love the conclusion a lot, so I won't complain too much. But I do feel robbed.) A part of me is sad that trilogies need to expand their world and plot with every book because I loved the intimate and isolated vibes of book one. But it's still so cool how Rochelle Hassan managed to create such a rich, fantastical world with so many wonderful and diverse characters. It would be a shame to waste the potential for more stories in this world.
May 1, 2026
THIS WAS SO GOOD!!!!
Oh my god. I loved this. I know the series ended, but I want more.
Why did I like it so much?
Well. Here’s an (incomplete, not in order) list.
1) The trio being awesome
2) Nelle
3) Open flirting between Tristan and Leo
4) Tied up loose ends
5) A whole freaking resurrection
6) Snark. From everyone
7) Fairy courts
8) Leo being awesome
9) Do I ship Aziza and Dion? You know it.
10) Aziza really learning her craft. (She tames freaking KELPIES. Come on. Tell me that’s not awesome.)
11) Secret magic meetings
And…
12) 🎉 🥳 WE FINALLY GOT RID OF THAT DANG CURSE!!!!🎉🥳
I would also like to say; the current song that I feel is appropriate for Leo and Tristan is “Would You Fall In Love With Me Again” from EPIC: The Musical. Tristan is Odysseus, Leo is Penelope
Oh my god. I loved this. I know the series ended, but I want more.
Why did I like it so much?
Well. Here’s an (incomplete, not in order) list.
1) The trio being awesome
2) Nelle
3) Open flirting between Tristan and Leo
4) Tied up loose ends
5) A whole freaking resurrection
6) Snark. From everyone
7) Fairy courts
8) Leo being awesome
9) Do I ship Aziza and Dion? You know it.
10) Aziza really learning her craft. (She tames freaking KELPIES. Come on. Tell me that’s not awesome.)
11) Secret magic meetings
And…
12) 🎉 🥳 WE FINALLY GOT RID OF THAT DANG CURSE!!!!🎉🥳
I would also like to say; the current song that I feel is appropriate for Leo and Tristan is “Would You Fall In Love With Me Again” from EPIC: The Musical. Tristan is Odysseus, Leo is Penelope
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2026
I FEEL LIKE I WAITED TEN MILLION YEARS TO SEE THAT FUCKASS CURSE BROKEN BUT IT WAS ACTUALLY ONLY THREE????????????
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews