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The Spell
Handsome and popular, Christopher Simpson knew he'd soon get the break that would make him a hot, new star. Then he met Cora. Charming, beautiful, mystical, she became his all-consuming obsession. He was determined to make the strangely aloof Cora his--even if he had to use The Spell.
- GenresHorror
312 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1990
61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 8, 2023
A fun read, but one that left too many loose ends for my liking. The Spell starts with a prologue where a husband-battered young women is fleeing to her grandma's place to escape. Grandma is a witch, but a 'white' one; nonetheless, she is in the process of casting a spell when the asshole hubby burns the place down, leaving the spell incomplete. The wife gives birth to Cora, who features in the main tale, but shortly dies after giving birth. What is the significance of this? At the end I was still unsure.
Meanwhile, the tale kicks off following several character arcs. Cora growing up, being a holy terror to her step parents and teachers alike; she is a rare beauty but seems to lack any morality. A struggling actor Chris in NYC, who works as a bartender on the side, becomes our main protagonist. Cora comes to the bar one day and Chris is smitten, even though he has a steady. Chris has a BFF named Kyle who knows a witch in NYC who they hope can cast a love spell on Cora for Chris. So, which spell is the title for? Not really sure, but it could be either or both 🤷♂️
That stated, this is an entertaining romp through NYC circa the late 80s, with many cultural references those that survived the 80s will recognize. Chris and his friends are good characters, albeit not terribly original. If The Spell had a good editor, a better ending and fewer plot holes, this could have been knocked up to 3.5 or even 4 stars. As it stands-- 2.5 wishy washy stars, rounding up for nostalgia.
Meanwhile, the tale kicks off following several character arcs. Cora growing up, being a holy terror to her step parents and teachers alike; she is a rare beauty but seems to lack any morality. A struggling actor Chris in NYC, who works as a bartender on the side, becomes our main protagonist. Cora comes to the bar one day and Chris is smitten, even though he has a steady. Chris has a BFF named Kyle who knows a witch in NYC who they hope can cast a love spell on Cora for Chris. So, which spell is the title for? Not really sure, but it could be either or both 🤷♂️
That stated, this is an entertaining romp through NYC circa the late 80s, with many cultural references those that survived the 80s will recognize. Chris and his friends are good characters, albeit not terribly original. If The Spell had a good editor, a better ending and fewer plot holes, this could have been knocked up to 3.5 or even 4 stars. As it stands-- 2.5 wishy washy stars, rounding up for nostalgia.
May 13, 2013
Despite its cheesy cover, tagline and premise, this actually turned out to be a surprisingly decent read. One of those fatal attraction stories with the main moral being beware of what you wish for, but pretty well written and with interesting enough characters. Very quick read and an entertaining way to pass a few hours.
June 9, 2009
I learned absolutely nothing from this book. Something to read to pass the time.
July 6, 2011
An intresting read that was going along fairly well......until the end. The last quarter of the book seemed to be very rushed.
July 16, 2015
That lady was so crazy, but I loved it
April 28, 2017
It wasn't as good (bad) as The School which was a shame. Just bad.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews