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Spellbound
Spellbound is the sequel and the conclusion to The Offline Series, and it picks up where Shadow Dance left off.
PLEASE NOTE that the blurb contains spoilers for Shadow Dance (the first book in the series). Don't read the blurb if you haven't read Shadow Dance yet.
---
The dark whispers become louder until they almost completely drown my thoughts and take over who I am. The words uttered from my tongue and the blood I spill are more and more the actions of the monstrous entity that guides my hand than my own.
Losing Saga meant losing the only path I had to master the magic of the Light. She was the vessel, an uncontrolled font, fatal in nature, and yet untainted. She was the one I had been waiting for. The one I forcefully brought into Theadrath. The key to bring back my lost love.
Saga’s companions are attempting to revive her. The Master told me so. Good. Let them bicker amongst themselves. Perhaps the paladin will sever the head of that three-eyed vampire. That would prevent the slumbering darkness within him from reaching my domain.
Will those fools resurrect Saga and have her Light penetrate the thick veil of death to bring her back to me? I will prepare, I must prepare. I will see my love again, whatever the cost. Saga, the paladin, that three-eyed vampire, the world—they can all burn for one last kiss from my beautiful—
Yes, Master. It will be done.
PLEASE NOTE that the blurb contains spoilers for Shadow Dance (the first book in the series). Don't read the blurb if you haven't read Shadow Dance yet.
---
The dark whispers become louder until they almost completely drown my thoughts and take over who I am. The words uttered from my tongue and the blood I spill are more and more the actions of the monstrous entity that guides my hand than my own.
Losing Saga meant losing the only path I had to master the magic of the Light. She was the vessel, an uncontrolled font, fatal in nature, and yet untainted. She was the one I had been waiting for. The one I forcefully brought into Theadrath. The key to bring back my lost love.
Saga’s companions are attempting to revive her. The Master told me so. Good. Let them bicker amongst themselves. Perhaps the paladin will sever the head of that three-eyed vampire. That would prevent the slumbering darkness within him from reaching my domain.
Will those fools resurrect Saga and have her Light penetrate the thick veil of death to bring her back to me? I will prepare, I must prepare. I will see my love again, whatever the cost. Saga, the paladin, that three-eyed vampire, the world—they can all burn for one last kiss from my beautiful—
Yes, Master. It will be done.
366 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 18, 2025
5 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
C. K. Andersson
3 books60 followersC. K. Andersson writes swoony fantasy and portal fantasy novels inspired by her favourite computer games. They feature characters with strong voices and the individuals who love them fiercely and respectfully. When she's not crafting fantastical worlds, she spends her time watching K-drama together with her rescue cats and rescue dog, and painting miniatures together with her partner. Originally from Sweden, C. K. now lives in the UK.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 11, 2025
I’m a strong man, but she brings out the weakness in me.
I sink to my knees before her as my glowing hands make their way under her blanket, gently grasping her hips. The warmth of her bare skin caresses my fingertips, and I look up into her face as I silently sing dozens of chorales dedicated to her in my heart.
She will be cleansed by the Light— and by my love.
This series holds an incredibly special place in my heart. I have read the first book so many times and Spellbound will be no different. The way I have cried at so many parts of this book from the beauty of how eloquently written this book is to the heartbreak and difficult choices that had to be made. I am totally NOT crying again as I type out these words as I recall the ending of this. The Offline Series deserves so much praise and recognition. It's hands down one of the best series I have had the pleasure of reading and I am thankful for tiktok for putting this book on my reading path.
Book two continues off where book one left and if you know you know because I was immediately sobbing remembering what happened. The emotions of the entire situation were high both in book and off book. Spellbound is a tad darker than book one, but it really helped bring so much to light.
I know I am not supposed to also love the villain, but like for some reason I also love Lysander. I feel like his whole life was simply rooting against him and he is so misunderstood. The twists in this book--oh you are not ready.
Now--I think we all know her heart belongs with Garren if book one wasn't obvious, but let me rave about Kailunn for a moment. The actions and words of Spellbound--I cannot. How do I enter the book? I will happily take him. The earrings. THE EARRINGS. I am not diving into an explanation of that on here because spoilers, but the amount of meaning. I CANNOT. I want this man to be happy and loved. I want his HEA so bad.
“Your soul has left an imprint on mine, and no one else can take your place. The Hand of the Sun guided us to each other, and because of my stubborn arrogance, you gave your heart to another man.”
The final chapter was the nail in my coffin so to speak. It was what I didn't know I needed. It was the closure. The everything. I can imagine how she sat there reading the words from Saga and the relief and the wonder. The connection between all these characters hits me so deeply. Truly such a great series. And there I go. I'm crying again.
What a spectacular book CK.
I sink to my knees before her as my glowing hands make their way under her blanket, gently grasping her hips. The warmth of her bare skin caresses my fingertips, and I look up into her face as I silently sing dozens of chorales dedicated to her in my heart.
She will be cleansed by the Light— and by my love.
This series holds an incredibly special place in my heart. I have read the first book so many times and Spellbound will be no different. The way I have cried at so many parts of this book from the beauty of how eloquently written this book is to the heartbreak and difficult choices that had to be made. I am totally NOT crying again as I type out these words as I recall the ending of this. The Offline Series deserves so much praise and recognition. It's hands down one of the best series I have had the pleasure of reading and I am thankful for tiktok for putting this book on my reading path.
Book two continues off where book one left and if you know you know because I was immediately sobbing remembering what happened. The emotions of the entire situation were high both in book and off book. Spellbound is a tad darker than book one, but it really helped bring so much to light.
I know I am not supposed to also love the villain, but like for some reason I also love Lysander. I feel like his whole life was simply rooting against him and he is so misunderstood. The twists in this book--oh you are not ready.
Now--I think we all know her heart belongs with Garren if book one wasn't obvious, but let me rave about Kailunn for a moment. The actions and words of Spellbound--I cannot. How do I enter the book? I will happily take him. The earrings. THE EARRINGS. I am not diving into an explanation of that on here because spoilers, but the amount of meaning. I CANNOT. I want this man to be happy and loved. I want his HEA so bad.
“Your soul has left an imprint on mine, and no one else can take your place. The Hand of the Sun guided us to each other, and because of my stubborn arrogance, you gave your heart to another man.”
The final chapter was the nail in my coffin so to speak. It was what I didn't know I needed. It was the closure. The everything. I can imagine how she sat there reading the words from Saga and the relief and the wonder. The connection between all these characters hits me so deeply. Truly such a great series. And there I go. I'm crying again.
What a spectacular book CK.
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December 22, 2024Hi, I’m the author of Shadow Dance and Spellbound.
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has taken a chance on my novels. It really means the world to me and I hope that my characters will speak to your heart.
Please make sure to check out the story notes with CW, themes and tropes on my website if you haven’t already:
https://www.ckandersson.com/storynotes
Spellbound, the sequel to Shadow Dance, is set to be published in June 2025. It picks up where Shadow Dance left off, and will resolve the plot threads from the first book. It’s the last book in the series, and after that I’ll be focusing on standalone books set in the same universe.
Thank you again for taking a chance on an unknown, small indie author and I hope you enjoy your time spent in Theadrath.
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has taken a chance on my novels. It really means the world to me and I hope that my characters will speak to your heart.
Please make sure to check out the story notes with CW, themes and tropes on my website if you haven’t already:
https://www.ckandersson.com/storynotes
Spellbound, the sequel to Shadow Dance, is set to be published in June 2025. It picks up where Shadow Dance left off, and will resolve the plot threads from the first book. It’s the last book in the series, and after that I’ll be focusing on standalone books set in the same universe.
Thank you again for taking a chance on an unknown, small indie author and I hope you enjoy your time spent in Theadrath.
May 20, 2025
What can I say ..... an amazing end to this duology.
After reading the first book , Shadow Dance last year I couldn't wait to see what would happen next in spellbound.
I loved all the other pov of the other characters especially kailunn (im a sucker for a silver haired elf) was great to view the story from their eyes and learn more about them and their thoughts as part of the story.
The world and character building is excellent, the pace of the book was easy to follow and I found the darker turns quite exciting. The ending was very unexpected but finished the story really nicely.
I can't recommend this series enough, it's not anything like I've read before and can't wait to see what other stories C.K. Andersson comes up with.
After reading the first book , Shadow Dance last year I couldn't wait to see what would happen next in spellbound.
I loved all the other pov of the other characters especially kailunn (im a sucker for a silver haired elf) was great to view the story from their eyes and learn more about them and their thoughts as part of the story.
The world and character building is excellent, the pace of the book was easy to follow and I found the darker turns quite exciting. The ending was very unexpected but finished the story really nicely.
I can't recommend this series enough, it's not anything like I've read before and can't wait to see what other stories C.K. Andersson comes up with.
June 10, 2025
I was absolutely honoured to get hold of an ARC of Spellbound (thank you!!). I dropped my current read at the time to read this and it was absolutely amazing!
I loved it, it had me going through all the emotions. There were some amazing moments including one Saga moment that gave me goosebumps it was so good! It wrapped up the duology so well and the ending was so perfect. It was well paced and had me hooked. All the characters are so complex with their own stories and backgrounds that you feel connected to them. I will miss Theadrath and the characters and will absolutely be doing rereads of this series 🤩 I am so excited to see what CK Andersson does next, I would love love love a Sandro book because he’s my favourite 😆
I loved it, it had me going through all the emotions. There were some amazing moments including one Saga moment that gave me goosebumps it was so good! It wrapped up the duology so well and the ending was so perfect. It was well paced and had me hooked. All the characters are so complex with their own stories and backgrounds that you feel connected to them. I will miss Theadrath and the characters and will absolutely be doing rereads of this series 🤩 I am so excited to see what CK Andersson does next, I would love love love a Sandro book because he’s my favourite 😆
June 11, 2025
I honestly don’t think I have enough words to describe how I felt about this book. The characters are all so near to my heart and it was lovely to be with them again. Saga continues to be one of my favorite FMCs!
The story is very strong and compelling. It had great pacing and the multiple POVs kept things fresh and made me want to keep turning the page.
The romance is EVERYTHING and the love triangle causes me physical pain lol.
Another amazing book by CK. I loved this one just as much if not more than the first.
The story is very strong and compelling. It had great pacing and the multiple POVs kept things fresh and made me want to keep turning the page.
The romance is EVERYTHING and the love triangle causes me physical pain lol.
Another amazing book by CK. I loved this one just as much if not more than the first.
June 9, 2025
An off world adventure continuing with Saga and her. I suppose game mates which are now life friends, well most of them.
Garren obviously the hero we all need, most of the time.
Kailunn, hmmmm but ok yeah. He’s definitely up there too.
This follows on straight from Shadow Dance and it’s so right. The end the catch up.
Such a great read.
Should be read more, fantasy with soul.
Garren obviously the hero we all need, most of the time.
Kailunn, hmmmm but ok yeah. He’s definitely up there too.
This follows on straight from Shadow Dance and it’s so right. The end the catch up.
Such a great read.
Should be read more, fantasy with soul.
September 10, 2025
A rather enjoyable read. Was better than the first book and had a more fulfilling story. Had a nice ending as well. The story and pacing was good and by the end of the book I wanted to know how it ended.
May 21, 2025
Having loved Shadow Dance, I eagerly awaited the completion of Spellbound, and it did not disappoint.
Spellbound continues where Shadow Dance left off (to my relief as that was quite a cliffhanger!), although the story does take a turn I wasn't really expecting - that's not a bad thing at all, I was happy to cuddle up on the sofa and be taken for a ride with Saga and co!
Spellbound is darker in places than Shadow Dance, but given the dark magic and gods that go with it, it's fittingly so.
I really enjoyed exploring the story through the different POVs and thought the ending a great end to a wonderful duology.
C.K.Andersson is a wonderful writer and I can't wait to read her future work - whether that's a spin off from Spellbound (Sandro surely deserves one?!) or another story entirely.
5 stars.
Spellbound continues where Shadow Dance left off (to my relief as that was quite a cliffhanger!), although the story does take a turn I wasn't really expecting - that's not a bad thing at all, I was happy to cuddle up on the sofa and be taken for a ride with Saga and co!
Spellbound is darker in places than Shadow Dance, but given the dark magic and gods that go with it, it's fittingly so.
I really enjoyed exploring the story through the different POVs and thought the ending a great end to a wonderful duology.
C.K.Andersson is a wonderful writer and I can't wait to read her future work - whether that's a spin off from Spellbound (Sandro surely deserves one?!) or another story entirely.
5 stars.
May 28, 2025
A fitting sequel to Shadow Dance, and we get an ending that didn't shatter our souls.
I loved the character growth in this sequel, and the story being told with multiple POV's made it a page turner.
Look, I'm terrible with reviews, so let me just rant. kailunn!
Listen...I didn't get his hype in the first book, but let's be honest, I was blinded by the light...aka...Garren. But I really enjoyed his character in Spellbound and I'm not going to lie ...sometimes I was rooting for him. This book gave us the HEA we all wanted, but my heart aches for him, and I get the authors obsession with him now.
Garren is still #1 though...
I loved the character growth in this sequel, and the story being told with multiple POV's made it a page turner.
Look, I'm terrible with reviews, so let me just rant. kailunn!
Listen...I didn't get his hype in the first book, but let's be honest, I was blinded by the light...aka...Garren. But I really enjoyed his character in Spellbound and I'm not going to lie ...sometimes I was rooting for him. This book gave us the HEA we all wanted, but my heart aches for him, and I get the authors obsession with him now.
Garren is still #1 though...
June 23, 2025
Christine has woven such a beautiful world filled with danger, intrigue and swoony romance.
This book picks right up where the first book, Shadow Dance, left off and it did not disappoint.
From page one I was pulled back into the world of Theadrath and was never transported back out, in my mind i'm still right there alongside the characters.
The plot progression had many twists that i did not see coming, and what a wild ride it was!
The ending of the story was wrapped up so beautifully and answered all of my questions.
I loved every second of the first and this second book and they will forever be in my top favorite books of all time!
This book picks right up where the first book, Shadow Dance, left off and it did not disappoint.
From page one I was pulled back into the world of Theadrath and was never transported back out, in my mind i'm still right there alongside the characters.
The plot progression had many twists that i did not see coming, and what a wild ride it was!
The ending of the story was wrapped up so beautifully and answered all of my questions.
I loved every second of the first and this second book and they will forever be in my top favorite books of all time!
June 16, 2025
Great closure to the series, it picked up where the previous book left off and went straight into the action.
The pacing of this book is fantastic and builds on the characters and relationships introduced in the first book.
The story is fantasy first with a romantic sub plot and is expertly told.
The stakes are high, the characters are deep and have their own motivations and the relationships are expertly crafted. Also genuinely made me laugh at loud at points.
I’d recommend this series to everyone!
The pacing of this book is fantastic and builds on the characters and relationships introduced in the first book.
The story is fantasy first with a romantic sub plot and is expertly told.
The stakes are high, the characters are deep and have their own motivations and the relationships are expertly crafted. Also genuinely made me laugh at loud at points.
I’d recommend this series to everyone!
June 16, 2025
This was the perfect ending to Shadow Dance.
The plot had me on my toes, the adventure was grand and I am seeing my fav characters with new light. The emotional roller coaster I never knew I needed and what a perfect way to end the book!
I highly recommend that you read the Offline-series and allow yourself to go on an unexpected journey with the best crew one can have.
The plot had me on my toes, the adventure was grand and I am seeing my fav characters with new light. The emotional roller coaster I never knew I needed and what a perfect way to end the book!
I highly recommend that you read the Offline-series and allow yourself to go on an unexpected journey with the best crew one can have.
June 22, 2025
The ending to Saga's story did NOT disappoint. Was it incredibly dark? Of course, but we all knew that was coming.
A certain baddies end was so very fitting, though I couldn't help but feel one teeny tiny bit sorry for him.
Watching Saga grow so much through her struggles was incredible and heartbreaking.
I'll miss this series for a long time.
A certain baddies end was so very fitting, though I couldn't help but feel one teeny tiny bit sorry for him.
Watching Saga grow so much through her struggles was incredible and heartbreaking.
I'll miss this series for a long time.
September 26, 2025
This book. It's spectacular. Truly, these characters are my absolute favorite and the prose is gorgeous! I don't often reread books but I can't wait for the audiobook so I can enjoy it all over again.
December 5, 2024
I need this like NOW. Already know it's going to be another masterpiece
*Waits patiently*
*Waits patiently*
June 23, 2025
old gods, evil vampires, glowing paladins....what more could you ask for?
August 27, 2025
Wow what a great conclusion to this epic portal fantasy. I just finished and I think I’m still in shock. I don’t want to feel bad for Kai but also he’s my precious boi and I feel bad for hims 😭😭😭😭
June 5, 2025
🌶️ Rating: 4 on RCRS (fade to black)
I had the absolute privilege to read Spellbound, as an ARC & I dropped my TBR (just as I did with Shadow Dance) to jump on this; I was beyond ready to see how Saga, Garren, Sandro & co. were going to fare after the huge cliffhanger at the end of book 1.
I'm delighted to report that this concluding volume in the duology was everything one could want in a book: a well paced story, a few surprises, & a wonderful conclusion that both feels absolutely right for the story, but with the opportunity for spin-offs & revisits to Theadrath (personally I would love to see Sandro get his HEA with a certain half-orc we meet in this book!)
CK Andersson describes herself as an author that focuses on character-driven stories, & I find this to be absolutely true. Every decision - even the ones I was shouting at the characters for - felt right for their personalities & experiences. Added to that, none of the cast felt stagnant; each of them went on their own journey & were not the same individuals they were at the beginning of the series.
Thank you to CK Andersson for the wonderful opportunity to read and honestly review Spellbound prior to its release.
I had the absolute privilege to read Spellbound, as an ARC & I dropped my TBR (just as I did with Shadow Dance) to jump on this; I was beyond ready to see how Saga, Garren, Sandro & co. were going to fare after the huge cliffhanger at the end of book 1.
I'm delighted to report that this concluding volume in the duology was everything one could want in a book: a well paced story, a few surprises, & a wonderful conclusion that both feels absolutely right for the story, but with the opportunity for spin-offs & revisits to Theadrath (personally I would love to see Sandro get his HEA with a certain half-orc we meet in this book!)
CK Andersson describes herself as an author that focuses on character-driven stories, & I find this to be absolutely true. Every decision - even the ones I was shouting at the characters for - felt right for their personalities & experiences. Added to that, none of the cast felt stagnant; each of them went on their own journey & were not the same individuals they were at the beginning of the series.
Thank you to CK Andersson for the wonderful opportunity to read and honestly review Spellbound prior to its release.
June 15, 2025
As soon as I could, I grabbed a copy of this book having adored the world created in Shadow Dance 2 years ago.
I found the greater focus on Kaillun interesting and watching him evolve as his affection for Saga grew was warming. Although I still think he's a bit of a creep.
At times, I had to remind myself whose POV I was reading as it shifts almost every chapter. But this gives you a much wider view of Theadrath and the people within it and is a very effective way of doing so.
While the ending was not as I expected it to be, it was extremely satisfying. The duology definitely felt complete. I look forward to exploring the future stand alone tales in this wonderfully extravagant and excellently written world.
4.5 stars!
I found the greater focus on Kaillun interesting and watching him evolve as his affection for Saga grew was warming. Although I still think he's a bit of a creep.
At times, I had to remind myself whose POV I was reading as it shifts almost every chapter. But this gives you a much wider view of Theadrath and the people within it and is a very effective way of doing so.
While the ending was not as I expected it to be, it was extremely satisfying. The duology definitely felt complete. I look forward to exploring the future stand alone tales in this wonderfully extravagant and excellently written world.
4.5 stars!
August 27, 2025
The second book of this amazing series. I absolutely loooved Shadow Dance and if you loved Garren you will die in this one.
I loved Spellbound so much!! In this book the characters evolve and the story closes in a series of plot twist that will make your head explode. You will feel all the emotions, specialy with Kailunn, omg that man.
I can't tell about the plot with the big bad guy but you will find a lot of drama from him, as for the clousure of the story i will only said that i loved it (maybe a little rushed) but it gets to the point.
I will miss the world of Theadrath so much, but i saw a little crossover that makes me have hope that we will have more of this world.
My husband and me will forever love Garren and his sweetnes <3
5 stars!!!
I loved Spellbound so much!! In this book the characters evolve and the story closes in a series of plot twist that will make your head explode. You will feel all the emotions, specialy with Kailunn, omg that man.
I can't tell about the plot with the big bad guy but you will find a lot of drama from him, as for the clousure of the story i will only said that i loved it (maybe a little rushed) but it gets to the point.
I will miss the world of Theadrath so much, but i saw a little crossover that makes me have hope that we will have more of this world.
My husband and me will forever love Garren and his sweetnes <3
5 stars!!!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews