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Spellbound
They found Karen Holly dead in the mountain stream and thought Jason had murdered her in a fit of rage. Now Jason has a new girlfriend, and together with some new kids in town is returning to the place where Karen was killed. Some will die. The others will come face to face with a horror beyond imagining.
224 pages, Paperback
First published March 10, 1988
24 people are currently reading
1175 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Pike
262 books5,477 followersChristopher Pike is the pseudonym of Kevin McFadden. He is a bestselling author of young adult and children's fiction who specializes in the thriller genre.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
February 13, 2017
Pike at his best: cunning and creative. I try to guess what the end will be but I don't find out until he leads me there personally.
It starts a little slow and the mystery doesn't seem that urgent or strong until later in the second half, but meanwhile I had some good writing to keep me focused, an interesting circle of friends whose different personalities sometimes complement, sometimes clash. There isn't a primary main character but head hopping is kept to a minimum. There is a false death scare or two, but it's forgivable since it gave me my happy ending.
I didn't guess what the villain would be, or who, until later. Even when the villain is revealed, the unveiling of how the villain is accomplishing the deaths is unique. Where Pike comes up with this stuff, I have no idea, his imagination seems endless at times.
The ending pages had a neat twist as well to give a nod of the ironic hat. Fans of Pike will probably enjoy this one.
It starts a little slow and the mystery doesn't seem that urgent or strong until later in the second half, but meanwhile I had some good writing to keep me focused, an interesting circle of friends whose different personalities sometimes complement, sometimes clash. There isn't a primary main character but head hopping is kept to a minimum. There is a false death scare or two, but it's forgivable since it gave me my happy ending.
I didn't guess what the villain would be, or who, until later. Even when the villain is revealed, the unveiling of how the villain is accomplishing the deaths is unique. Where Pike comes up with this stuff, I have no idea, his imagination seems endless at times.
The ending pages had a neat twist as well to give a nod of the ironic hat. Fans of Pike will probably enjoy this one.
June 13, 2007
A classic Pike novel, a great fucked-up story that I still love, and the first Pike book I ever came across. I can remember pictures in my head from these books much more clearly than anything I learned in college, which is probably the most unfortunate thing I've ever had to type.
April 10, 2023
This has been one of my favorite Pike books. Not only was this entertaining and thrilling to the end but it included many different horror elements in a very creative story.
Karen was found dead in the mountain stream. The police are investigating the boyfriend as the main suspect. However Jason insists that he is not responsible and that a creature, most likely a bear, attacked and killed Karen.
Jason's new girlfriend Cindy believes in his innocence. That is until more people start to get killed in the same way and Cindy starts to have her suspicions.
This thriller was creative, fun and offers the reader a couple of interesting twists. A quite messed up story with great developed characters that were not just dumb teenagers.
Karen was found dead in the mountain stream. The police are investigating the boyfriend as the main suspect. However Jason insists that he is not responsible and that a creature, most likely a bear, attacked and killed Karen.
Jason's new girlfriend Cindy believes in his innocence. That is until more people start to get killed in the same way and Cindy starts to have her suspicions.
This thriller was creative, fun and offers the reader a couple of interesting twists. A quite messed up story with great developed characters that were not just dumb teenagers.
January 11, 2026
this reminded me of that grady hendrix review of pike's the visitor that jokes pike has a human skull filled with slips of paper with different concepts on them, and for each book he draws a few at random.
his plot points are so bonkers, how else could he come up with them? here we have a
like most of pike's work, this is a fun read, and while i had a few suspicions about the twists, it really kept me guessing until the big climactic exposition dump.
my most recent pike read was last act, and in both books the teenagers have frighteningly easy access to guns. here, one character casually grabs a rifle from her parents' garage before joining a moonlit group hike to the same waterfall where her classmate was mysteriously murdered a few weeks ago. very questionable choices.
this is one of the only pike novels i've come across that has significant character who is a person of color. bala, an exchange student from kenya, is affable, attractive, and well-liked, but unfortunately his character is burdened with a serious case of the magical negro trope. he's descended from a "shaman" who is ultimately responsible for much of he book's fuckery.
bala also becomes the main character's love interest, which i suppose is progressive for the book's era? but at the same time, his blackness is also almost fetishized, with many characters commenting on his impressive physical form. there's also extra casual misogyny here, compared to many of pike's other books. big 1988 vibes, in the worst way.
some fun lines:
&
his plot points are so bonkers, how else could he come up with them? here we have a
like most of pike's work, this is a fun read, and while i had a few suspicions about the twists, it really kept me guessing until the big climactic exposition dump.
my most recent pike read was last act, and in both books the teenagers have frighteningly easy access to guns. here, one character casually grabs a rifle from her parents' garage before joining a moonlit group hike to the same waterfall where her classmate was mysteriously murdered a few weeks ago. very questionable choices.
this is one of the only pike novels i've come across that has significant character who is a person of color. bala, an exchange student from kenya, is affable, attractive, and well-liked, but unfortunately his character is burdened with a serious case of the magical negro trope. he's descended from a "shaman" who is ultimately responsible for much of he book's fuckery.
bala also becomes the main character's love interest, which i suppose is progressive for the book's era? but at the same time, his blackness is also almost fetishized, with many characters commenting on his impressive physical form. there's also extra casual misogyny here, compared to many of pike's other books. big 1988 vibes, in the worst way.
some fun lines:
'Having fun?' Cindy asked, taking a sexy bite out of her hot dog.
&
Pam made a face, which was easy for her to do with the sort of face she had.
April 12, 2023
This is probably one of the better Pike books I've read, but still, I don't quite get the fuss. There was a lot of infodumping via dialogue, and there was some 90s exoticism with the one POC character. While the explanation ended up being pretty creepy, it still felt really random.
June 10, 2024
While I love Pike to bits, this wasn’t a favorite. For one thing, I laughed out loud at the reveal because it just seemed so silly.
And I just have sooo many questions after reading this, like I just don’t feel satisfied. It’s hard to be fully invested in the story when I’m constantly asking very important questions such as “Well if X happened then how the hell did Z go down” Or “Wtf was that all about” 😂😂
Its not truly a Pike book without horny teenagers and you get plenty of those here 🤣 However you get a heavy dose of Pike mysticism which I’m not the biggest fan of and also some cringey handling of the book’s POC character.
And I just have sooo many questions after reading this, like I just don’t feel satisfied. It’s hard to be fully invested in the story when I’m constantly asking very important questions such as “Well if X happened then how the hell did Z go down” Or “Wtf was that all about” 😂😂
Its not truly a Pike book without horny teenagers and you get plenty of those here 🤣 However you get a heavy dose of Pike mysticism which I’m not the biggest fan of and also some cringey handling of the book’s POC character.
November 2, 2019
I am still reading this book. But I can tell that is the most important book for any developer out there. Read it. Watch the videos.
January 20, 2008
OH YES! This is one I definitely remember, and I remembered the "trick" pretty early on while reading it, but it was no less satisfying. Also, Christopher Pike sure does enjoy the "magical black man" character. And for once his main character wasn't a complete idiot AND there weren't awful female friends. Three cheers for girls who don't suck!
April 3, 2022
Now we have this month's Pike book for my quest. I knew nothing going into this one. It's from 1988 and was only two books after Chain Letter. Still early days on this book. I didn't know what to expect, but based on the title I figured it would be mystical one which should be fun.
It ended up being a weird mixed bag for me, but I came out liking it well enough, even if it has room for improvement. The plot is a bit hard to explain. At the start, Karen Holly has been killed, and her boyfriend at the time, Jason Whitfield, is being blamed because he was there. Most swear Karen was killed by a bear but some aren't sure. Now he's with protagonist Cindy Jones. She and her brother Alex are going through typical high school struggles. Alex has falling for English exchange student Joni Harper and wants to get the courage to ask her out before some other guy does.
Things go from there, as they discover how Karen died, and exactly how much they can trust each other, and all that. Let's get this out of the way: Yes, Alex's full name is indeed...Alex Jones. I laughed so hard I cried upon realzing this. I got my giggles in. You can do so yourself. Whew.
Anyway, So this is the most slow burn mundane one so far. It's mostly about their real life stuff with the Karen death being on the backburner. This is also the same setup that would be used for Fall Into Darkness, it even goes to court eventually. Except here, the person killed isn't important. We know exactly nothing about her and really it's just to jump start things. Even we find out what is going on, Karen's death is a footnote, even to the villain. It's weird, the mystery element isn't quite as compelling as fleshed out as it was in that one.
The thing is, this approach generally works. Cindy and Alex aren't the most deep characters ever, but we do get to see their struggles. The writing here is pretty good and especially with them, we get these little moments that work. The highlights come from there. I have issues with where this goes, but the reveal did catch me off guard. It gets into magic and it's pretty interesting, with the villain being wild in how they came to be. There's good setup and payoff and somewhat of a good twist ending too.
But it's got problems. The little things work better than the overall plot. It's too long and the side characters generally aren't as interesting. It's not as exciting as it could be in places. The deeper stuff we get in on early on is mostly ditches, we have stuff with Cindy and Alex but by the end they don't go far with it. Like, I imagine doing similar stuff to Chain Letter here in regards to character stuff, that seemed to be where it was going.
Then we have the character Bala, an African exchange student. Our 2nd minority alter in these Pikes and here it's...not great. We supplies the magical element eventually, so we have African mysticism in spades. It's not for this story given where it goes, but ya know, given the overall trend it's not the most ideal. We have to be reminded he is black a few times which was just awkward. He gets mild fleshing out, but feels just a bit more like a plot device to give us that stuff. It's not the worst example of this sorta stuff but yeah, it's there.
It's a weird one in smaller ways, check my twitter for some golden excerpts. Overall, it's a mixed early effort. I'd rate it as a light good as a whole. It has solid writing and character bits early on, and goes into some wild directions that were mostly fun. It just needed to cut down the filler, have some stronger side characters, and be just more exciting/engaging. There are some writing elements that work better than Fall into Darkness but I was more satisfied with that one.
It has mild stuff in common with Lost Mind, and this was better in the least. Still, for all its fault, it has some interesting stuff within. Not the best Pike, but above average in some respects. Not his biggest must read, but it has its moments.
Next time, the randomizer takes us even earlier, for something I put in as a joke, thinking it wouldn't get picked. That should be fun. See ya then.
SIDE NOTES:
Our first instance of a Spooksville name appearing...no wait 2nd, Fall into Darkness had an Ann, this has a Cindy. Both Cindys are blondes, and infact some of the Alex stuff near the end is like Invasion of the No Ones, so there's that.
There's a reporter we are told is "fanatically liberal". Yes.
It ended up being a weird mixed bag for me, but I came out liking it well enough, even if it has room for improvement. The plot is a bit hard to explain. At the start, Karen Holly has been killed, and her boyfriend at the time, Jason Whitfield, is being blamed because he was there. Most swear Karen was killed by a bear but some aren't sure. Now he's with protagonist Cindy Jones. She and her brother Alex are going through typical high school struggles. Alex has falling for English exchange student Joni Harper and wants to get the courage to ask her out before some other guy does.
Things go from there, as they discover how Karen died, and exactly how much they can trust each other, and all that. Let's get this out of the way: Yes, Alex's full name is indeed...Alex Jones. I laughed so hard I cried upon realzing this. I got my giggles in. You can do so yourself. Whew.
Anyway, So this is the most slow burn mundane one so far. It's mostly about their real life stuff with the Karen death being on the backburner. This is also the same setup that would be used for Fall Into Darkness, it even goes to court eventually. Except here, the person killed isn't important. We know exactly nothing about her and really it's just to jump start things. Even we find out what is going on, Karen's death is a footnote, even to the villain. It's weird, the mystery element isn't quite as compelling as fleshed out as it was in that one.
The thing is, this approach generally works. Cindy and Alex aren't the most deep characters ever, but we do get to see their struggles. The writing here is pretty good and especially with them, we get these little moments that work. The highlights come from there. I have issues with where this goes, but the reveal did catch me off guard. It gets into magic and it's pretty interesting, with the villain being wild in how they came to be. There's good setup and payoff and somewhat of a good twist ending too.
But it's got problems. The little things work better than the overall plot. It's too long and the side characters generally aren't as interesting. It's not as exciting as it could be in places. The deeper stuff we get in on early on is mostly ditches, we have stuff with Cindy and Alex but by the end they don't go far with it. Like, I imagine doing similar stuff to Chain Letter here in regards to character stuff, that seemed to be where it was going.
Then we have the character Bala, an African exchange student. Our 2nd minority alter in these Pikes and here it's...not great. We supplies the magical element eventually, so we have African mysticism in spades. It's not for this story given where it goes, but ya know, given the overall trend it's not the most ideal. We have to be reminded he is black a few times which was just awkward. He gets mild fleshing out, but feels just a bit more like a plot device to give us that stuff. It's not the worst example of this sorta stuff but yeah, it's there.
It's a weird one in smaller ways, check my twitter for some golden excerpts. Overall, it's a mixed early effort. I'd rate it as a light good as a whole. It has solid writing and character bits early on, and goes into some wild directions that were mostly fun. It just needed to cut down the filler, have some stronger side characters, and be just more exciting/engaging. There are some writing elements that work better than Fall into Darkness but I was more satisfied with that one.
It has mild stuff in common with Lost Mind, and this was better in the least. Still, for all its fault, it has some interesting stuff within. Not the best Pike, but above average in some respects. Not his biggest must read, but it has its moments.
Next time, the randomizer takes us even earlier, for something I put in as a joke, thinking it wouldn't get picked. That should be fun. See ya then.
SIDE NOTES:
Our first instance of a Spooksville name appearing...no wait 2nd, Fall into Darkness had an Ann, this has a Cindy. Both Cindys are blondes, and infact some of the Alex stuff near the end is like Invasion of the No Ones, so there's that.
There's a reporter we are told is "fanatically liberal". Yes.
March 25, 2017
Last year I read Christopher Pike's Weekend. It was my first Pike and I swore up and down it would be my last.
And then I stumbled upon Teen Creeps, which is such a cool podcast, and they made me want to give Pike a second chance.
I am so glad I did.
How are these books written by the same person?? Weekend was confusing, unnecessarily convoluted and just all round unenjoyable. Spellbound however, was fantastic. African shamans, people being torn apart by a mysterious creature, the most terribly written 'newspaper articles' you have ever encountered.. this book deserves every one of those four stars.
I managed to pick up about 8 Pike books from my local bookfair and I am excited to jump into the next one.
And then I stumbled upon Teen Creeps, which is such a cool podcast, and they made me want to give Pike a second chance.
I am so glad I did.
How are these books written by the same person?? Weekend was confusing, unnecessarily convoluted and just all round unenjoyable. Spellbound however, was fantastic. African shamans, people being torn apart by a mysterious creature, the most terribly written 'newspaper articles' you have ever encountered.. this book deserves every one of those four stars.
I managed to pick up about 8 Pike books from my local bookfair and I am excited to jump into the next one.
April 8, 2013
I first read this book back in the day, and when I saw it at the used book store the other day I decided to revisit a bit of my childhood. It's funny to go back and read a book that you vaguely remember enjoying as a kid. Now that I'm grown, with a master's degree in creative writing and a couple of published stories under my belt, I can still say that I enjoyed this book, found myself kid of remembering the "oh wow!" parts, and being intrigued by the little twists. Spellbound was one of Pike's better books, at least for my younger tastes back in the day. The cover pictured on here is definitely better than the original cheesy teens scared by the river cover. It was definitely worth going back down memory lane :)
August 15, 2012
I first read this book back in middle school when I was big into Pike and R.L. Stine books. Along with The Fear Street Saga by Stine and Road to Nowhere by Pike, this one is my favorite stories from that time.
I recently purchased this book used to re-read for the first time. Even all these years later, a lot of images from this book stuck with me and inspired me to pursue creepy, weird, supernatural stories--reading, writing, and everything else to do with them!
Though this book felt rather dated, it was still really enjoyable.
Cindy and Alex are siblings caught up in a twisted tale that spans the continents. Their friendships, relationships, and even their personal beliefs are challenged, changed, destroyed, and grown throughout this book.
The stand-out characters for me are new students Joni (a devastatingly pretty but reserved girl from England ) and Bala (a confident and extroverted exchange student from Africa ) and my favorite moments are formed from these two .
A few plot lines seem swept under the rug at the end. I would love to see this book rewritten and expanded upon, so we can see a lot more interactions (especially Bala and Joni, and reporter Kent Cooke would have been a fun person to see more of, especially if he was mid-20s and not early 40s).
I was also pleasantly surprised by the solution to the main problem... but I won't spoil that here.
I'm generally impressed to see a novel from 1988 (?) that has More YA should have followed in this book's tiny footsteps. Though some of the more mystical elements seem alternately stereotypical and racist. So take them with a grain of late-80s salt I suppose?
If you look at it as an 80's period piece, you can probably get past the out of fashion names and ancient technology (to show one character is rich, for example, we see he has his own personal desktop computer, a TV with VCR, and he drives a motorcycle!) A LOT of the plot could be solved with a simple phone call or text if it was current day.
A short quick read, with a few really memorable characters, twists that stuck with me over the years, and an ending scene that made me go "That is way creepier than I remember it!"
Oh, ps: If you've read this book,
I recently purchased this book used to re-read for the first time. Even all these years later, a lot of images from this book stuck with me and inspired me to pursue creepy, weird, supernatural stories--reading, writing, and everything else to do with them!
Though this book felt rather dated, it was still really enjoyable.
Cindy and Alex are siblings caught up in a twisted tale that spans the continents. Their friendships, relationships, and even their personal beliefs are challenged, changed, destroyed, and grown throughout this book.
The stand-out characters for me are new students Joni (a devastatingly pretty but reserved girl from England ) and Bala (a confident and extroverted exchange student from Africa ) and my favorite moments are formed from these two .
A few plot lines seem swept under the rug at the end. I would love to see this book rewritten and expanded upon, so we can see a lot more interactions (especially Bala and Joni, and reporter Kent Cooke would have been a fun person to see more of, especially if he was mid-20s and not early 40s).
I was also pleasantly surprised by the solution to the main problem... but I won't spoil that here.
I'm generally impressed to see a novel from 1988 (?) that has More YA should have followed in this book's tiny footsteps. Though some of the more mystical elements seem alternately stereotypical and racist. So take them with a grain of late-80s salt I suppose?
If you look at it as an 80's period piece, you can probably get past the out of fashion names and ancient technology (to show one character is rich, for example, we see he has his own personal desktop computer, a TV with VCR, and he drives a motorcycle!) A LOT of the plot could be solved with a simple phone call or text if it was current day.
A short quick read, with a few really memorable characters, twists that stuck with me over the years, and an ending scene that made me go "That is way creepier than I remember it!"
Oh, ps: If you've read this book,
October 1, 2018
I forgot how Scary this book really is! Like OMG! I love it but damn! (granted it scared me a lot worse when I was 11)
June 12, 2023
This book fucking goes places. Especially reading something about 40 years old and meant for a teen audience, I can say I could not have predicted how this turns out.
There's several parts that have aged badly- notable, when I read the back cover(after buying this knowing nothing about the plot other than I wanted to read some old Christopher Pike) and saw the African exchange student with a shaman grandfather- I had very pause. And the trope of a mystical foreigner is something that we are all glad to see dying. However, on the page, Bala comes across as a well-rounded character. Or as well rounded as we can hope for this kind of shallow horror-fantasy. That being said, there are some pretty not okay things said towards his character, by definitely-not-racist white people of the 80s.
Also, there's a scene where our main character is very nearly raped by her boyfriend, Jason. This happens right after she is put directly in danger by said boyfriend. She is scared and vulnerable, and he waits until she falls asleep to paw at her, flying into a rage when she denies him. Previously, her inner monologue told us it was easier to go ahead and make out with Jason than to put up a fight. This is so sadly gross and weird and swept under the rug.
But it is not addressed as problematic. In fact, a chapter later, when she is having thought on why her feelings for Jason changed, she seems confused. She thinks, is it her newfound attraction to Bala? No dude, Jason just very nearly drowned you so he could play hero, then assaults you, then threaten to beat you when you reject him. Like, why have these scenes portraying him as a piece of shit if it's never addressed again? He completely gets away with it in the end. Should this ever be adapted into anything else, I hope an excuse is made to kill his character.
In the end, if you are taking a nostalgic trip down 80s YA Horror like me, this is a fun read. I would never, EVER recommend it to an actual adolescent unless expressly made clear there's a lot of not okay shit in here.
Like, seriously, girl was possessed by a vulture and ate peoples souls like that shit was wild.
There's several parts that have aged badly- notable, when I read the back cover(after buying this knowing nothing about the plot other than I wanted to read some old Christopher Pike) and saw the African exchange student with a shaman grandfather- I had very pause. And the trope of a mystical foreigner is something that we are all glad to see dying. However, on the page, Bala comes across as a well-rounded character. Or as well rounded as we can hope for this kind of shallow horror-fantasy. That being said, there are some pretty not okay things said towards his character, by definitely-not-racist white people of the 80s.
Also, there's a scene where our main character is very nearly raped by her boyfriend, Jason. This happens right after she is put directly in danger by said boyfriend. She is scared and vulnerable, and he waits until she falls asleep to paw at her, flying into a rage when she denies him. Previously, her inner monologue told us it was easier to go ahead and make out with Jason than to put up a fight. This is so sadly gross and weird and swept under the rug.
But it is not addressed as problematic. In fact, a chapter later, when she is having thought on why her feelings for Jason changed, she seems confused. She thinks, is it her newfound attraction to Bala? No dude, Jason just very nearly drowned you so he could play hero, then assaults you, then threaten to beat you when you reject him. Like, why have these scenes portraying him as a piece of shit if it's never addressed again? He completely gets away with it in the end. Should this ever be adapted into anything else, I hope an excuse is made to kill his character.
In the end, if you are taking a nostalgic trip down 80s YA Horror like me, this is a fun read. I would never, EVER recommend it to an actual adolescent unless expressly made clear there's a lot of not okay shit in here.
Like, seriously, girl was possessed by a vulture and ate peoples souls like that shit was wild.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2025
We decided to add more Pike to our re-readathon this year, and Marian suggested this book, which I actually didn't read as a kid. I've enjoyed our sojourn through The Last Vampire series (at least mostly) and Pike can write a great read, so I was 100% on board. Unfortunately, this book shows just how early it was written in his career, and while the actual whodunit is pretty cool, the execution was pretty sloppy, IMO.
As suggested by the back blurb, the main characters in this book are Cindy and Alex Jones, who are a senior and a sophomore in high school. Cindy is pretty and popular and belongs to the song team (whatever that is, though per context something akin to a cheerleader), while Alex is a very intense cross-country runner. Their parents own the local hardware store and work all hours of the day, making them conveniently absent for most of this book.
Cindy has just started dating Jason Whitfield, the handsome quarterback of the football team and the suspected killer of his previous girlfriend, Karen Holly. The two went up to Crystal Falls in nearby Castle Park, but only one returned: Jason, who ran for the police when he discovered the mutilated body of his girlfriend. Jason swears he didn't have anything to do with killing her, but there is a lot of gossip going around Timber, Wyoming, led by a muckraking reporter called Kent Cooke, who writes absurd newspaper articles that are somehow taken seriously (and serve to info-dump A LOT into this story). Cindy doesn't believe Jason killed Karen, but she's one of the only ones on his side.
Karen's cousin Pam is Cindy's best friend; Pam couldn't stand Karen. Pam's ex-boyfriend Ray is a track teammate of Alex's. Ray and Alex are in competition for the hand of the fair Joni Harper, recently arrived in Timber to live with an aunt after losing both of her parents. And Balathe magical negro is the houseguest of Pam, a foreign exchange student from Nigeria who speaks perfect English and is so strikingly handsome that both Pam and Cindy are interested in him.
Three weeks after Karen's death, Jason suggests that he, Cindy, Alex, Joni, Bala, and Pam return to the falls so he can prove his case. They all agree (mistake #1), but while they are up there, Cindy falls into the raging river and is almost thrown over the falls. Bala saves her, even though Jason wanted the honors and grumbles all the way home. Jason takes Cindy to his place and tries to paw at her even though she has a sore ankle; when Cindy rejects him, he blows up at her for being a tease. Seeing Jason's temper in this light has started planting seeds of doubt in Cindy about his ability to kill someone in a fit of rage.
Alex, meanwhile, is spending a lot of time with Joni, who very clearly is Not Like Other Girls. She always sounds sick, hikes up the falls barefoot, and is out of school for a week after the incident, even though she was little more than a bystander. Alex fancies himself in love, especially after Joni gives him some tips to improve his race times.
Bala, meanwhile, learns of Karen's death from one of Kent Cooke's ridiculous articles and presses Cindy for information about the details. Cooke himself shows up at Cindy's door the day before the first hearing for Jason, wanting information on the little incident up at the falls. This stokes Cindy's doubts, so she returns to the scene of the accident and realizes that it was no accident at all - it really looks like Jason tried to kill her! She's set to be a character witness at the preliminary hearing and basically blows EVERYBODY out of the water when she explains what happened to her. Jason admits that he set her up, but only because he wanted to make the heroic rescue that may wipe suspicion from everyone's minds about Karen's death. Cindy basically tells him to kick rocks at this point, which - good for her! She is definitely pretty damn kickass for a late 80s YA heroine.
After Ray turns up dead in a similar fashion to Karen, Bala believes he knows what's really going on and goes after it, barely surviving his own encounter with the deadly force. While he is in the hospital, he info-dumps the truth to Cindy: his grandfather the shaman had switched the spirits of Joni Harper and a vulture, but wasn't able to switch them back. The vulture (with Joni's soul) was immediately killed, but the body (with the vulture's soul) survived, until mysterious deaths very similar to Karen's started happening all around it. Joni's brother firmly believes that Joni is the one who killed all these people - including her parents - and Bala now believes it, too, when he pieces together the timeline of when Joni arrived in Timber and when the mysterious teen deaths started to occur.
So now Cindy is super worried about Alex, whom she can't get hold of, and whom Bala assures her is in certain danger because of his attachment to Joni. She decides she has to go after Joni herself to save her brother, and gathers up some very handy things (including her pet wolf-dog and a rifle) and returns to the falls, which are apparently Joni's hunting grounds. She confronts Joni after finding Alex's jacket floating in the nearby river and ultimately defeats her by forcing the vulture's soul into the body of Alex's ancient, blind parrot. Joni's body drops over, not a mark on it, and Alex reappears, having survived going over the falls, albeit with a broken leg.
There is a short epilogue where we learn that the survivors are attending the funerals of Ray and Joni, and that Bala is returning to Nigeria to repair his relationship with his grandfather. The end.
Now, as I said, the actual idea of souls getting trapped in bodies and going on rampages is pretty cool, but the more you think about it, the more things don't make sense. If killing a person to basically suck in their life force is only really effective when Joni kills someone who is attached to her, why did she originally attack Karen, of all people? Why did she go down for a week after Cindy's incident in the river? How in THE HELL did Joni and Bala end up in nowheresville Wyoming? The fact that they originally met at all was incredulous enough, but Bala tracking her down as he did is just beyond my suspension of disbelief. And then there's all the threads that are left hanging. What happened to Jason? What about Kent Cooke's ridiculous tirade against Jason's father the mayor? What about Joni's brother, stuck in the mental asylum in England? It's like now that Cindy and Alex know the truth, nothing else matters.
As Pike gains more experience in his writing, he is more careful to wrap up all of his storylines, or to just not introduce superfluous characters at all. The whole Kent Cooke thing could've been dropped entirely, IMO, and nothing of value would've been lost.
Still, Cindy is pretty kickass, which counts for a lot considering this was originally published in 1988.
As suggested by the back blurb, the main characters in this book are Cindy and Alex Jones, who are a senior and a sophomore in high school. Cindy is pretty and popular and belongs to the song team (whatever that is, though per context something akin to a cheerleader), while Alex is a very intense cross-country runner. Their parents own the local hardware store and work all hours of the day, making them conveniently absent for most of this book.
Cindy has just started dating Jason Whitfield, the handsome quarterback of the football team and the suspected killer of his previous girlfriend, Karen Holly. The two went up to Crystal Falls in nearby Castle Park, but only one returned: Jason, who ran for the police when he discovered the mutilated body of his girlfriend. Jason swears he didn't have anything to do with killing her, but there is a lot of gossip going around Timber, Wyoming, led by a muckraking reporter called Kent Cooke, who writes absurd newspaper articles that are somehow taken seriously (and serve to info-dump A LOT into this story). Cindy doesn't believe Jason killed Karen, but she's one of the only ones on his side.
Karen's cousin Pam is Cindy's best friend; Pam couldn't stand Karen. Pam's ex-boyfriend Ray is a track teammate of Alex's. Ray and Alex are in competition for the hand of the fair Joni Harper, recently arrived in Timber to live with an aunt after losing both of her parents. And Bala
Three weeks after Karen's death, Jason suggests that he, Cindy, Alex, Joni, Bala, and Pam return to the falls so he can prove his case. They all agree (mistake #1), but while they are up there, Cindy falls into the raging river and is almost thrown over the falls. Bala saves her, even though Jason wanted the honors and grumbles all the way home. Jason takes Cindy to his place and tries to paw at her even though she has a sore ankle; when Cindy rejects him, he blows up at her for being a tease. Seeing Jason's temper in this light has started planting seeds of doubt in Cindy about his ability to kill someone in a fit of rage.
Alex, meanwhile, is spending a lot of time with Joni, who very clearly is Not Like Other Girls. She always sounds sick, hikes up the falls barefoot, and is out of school for a week after the incident, even though she was little more than a bystander. Alex fancies himself in love, especially after Joni gives him some tips to improve his race times.
Bala, meanwhile, learns of Karen's death from one of Kent Cooke's ridiculous articles and presses Cindy for information about the details. Cooke himself shows up at Cindy's door the day before the first hearing for Jason, wanting information on the little incident up at the falls. This stokes Cindy's doubts, so she returns to the scene of the accident and realizes that it was no accident at all - it really looks like Jason tried to kill her! She's set to be a character witness at the preliminary hearing and basically blows EVERYBODY out of the water when she explains what happened to her. Jason admits that he set her up, but only because he wanted to make the heroic rescue that may wipe suspicion from everyone's minds about Karen's death. Cindy basically tells him to kick rocks at this point, which - good for her! She is definitely pretty damn kickass for a late 80s YA heroine.
After Ray turns up dead in a similar fashion to Karen, Bala believes he knows what's really going on and goes after it, barely surviving his own encounter with the deadly force. While he is in the hospital, he info-dumps the truth to Cindy: his grandfather the shaman had switched the spirits of Joni Harper and a vulture, but wasn't able to switch them back. The vulture (with Joni's soul) was immediately killed, but the body (with the vulture's soul) survived, until mysterious deaths very similar to Karen's started happening all around it. Joni's brother firmly believes that Joni is the one who killed all these people - including her parents - and Bala now believes it, too, when he pieces together the timeline of when Joni arrived in Timber and when the mysterious teen deaths started to occur.
So now Cindy is super worried about Alex, whom she can't get hold of, and whom Bala assures her is in certain danger because of his attachment to Joni. She decides she has to go after Joni herself to save her brother, and gathers up some very handy things (including her pet wolf-dog and a rifle) and returns to the falls, which are apparently Joni's hunting grounds. She confronts Joni after finding Alex's jacket floating in the nearby river and ultimately defeats her by forcing the vulture's soul into the body of Alex's ancient, blind parrot. Joni's body drops over, not a mark on it, and Alex reappears, having survived going over the falls, albeit with a broken leg.
There is a short epilogue where we learn that the survivors are attending the funerals of Ray and Joni, and that Bala is returning to Nigeria to repair his relationship with his grandfather. The end.
Now, as I said, the actual idea of souls getting trapped in bodies and going on rampages is pretty cool, but the more you think about it, the more things don't make sense. If killing a person to basically suck in their life force is only really effective when Joni kills someone who is attached to her, why did she originally attack Karen, of all people? Why did she go down for a week after Cindy's incident in the river? How in THE HELL did Joni and Bala end up in nowheresville Wyoming? The fact that they originally met at all was incredulous enough, but Bala tracking her down as he did is just beyond my suspension of disbelief. And then there's all the threads that are left hanging. What happened to Jason? What about Kent Cooke's ridiculous tirade against Jason's father the mayor? What about Joni's brother, stuck in the mental asylum in England? It's like now that Cindy and Alex know the truth, nothing else matters.
As Pike gains more experience in his writing, he is more careful to wrap up all of his storylines, or to just not introduce superfluous characters at all. The whole Kent Cooke thing could've been dropped entirely, IMO, and nothing of value would've been lost.
Still, Cindy is pretty kickass, which counts for a lot considering this was originally published in 1988.
November 21, 2022
L’ho recuperato in biblioteca dopo aver letto The Midnight Club (della sua versione serie tv ho parlato nel podcast Attraverso Lo Schermo https://anchor.fm/sara-mazzoni9/episo...). Volevo capire come mai mi ricordassi di una lettura davvero terrificante di Pike fatta in seconda o terza media, ormai quasi 30 anni fa. Il libro era quasi certamente questo, anche se avevo il dubbio che potesse essere anche Monster (prossimo in lista). Oggi l’ho finito e un’ombra di dubbio mi rimane: come mai lo trovavo così spaventoso? Perché effettivamente, letto oggi da quarantenne fan dell’horror, no, non è per nulla terrificante. Ma procediamo a ritroso, scendiamo nei panni di una versione di me con altre caratteristiche.
Per una persona giovanissima, che non consuma letteratura e cinema del terrore, qual è l’elemento più spaventoso contenuto dentro a questo romanzo Young Adult? Io penso che sia l’attesa del terrore, l’incombere di una sciagura promessa dal modo in cui è narrata la storia. A questo, si aggiunge ovviamente anche l’aura di Christopher Pike stesso, che è uno scrittore notoriamente specializzato in thriller e horror, e una copertina dell’edizione italiana che oltre a essere bellissima, è davvero minacciosa.
SPOILER ALERT
Ecco, la copertina e il titolo italiani sono un po’ uno spoiler, perché contengono la soluzione del mistero attorno a cui gira tutto il romanzo. Però alla fine questo spoiler è già presente proprio in questa maniera che ha Pike di raccontare la vicenda. C’è una figura femminile vampirica, Joni, descritta fin dalla sua prima entrata in scena come inequivocabilmente oscura, misteriosa, magnetica e pericolosa. Non sappiamo perché, ma sentiamo che è così per come Pike ci parla di lei e dei suoi profondi occhi ipnotici.
La parte folkloristica del racconto nasce da una mitologia esotizzante e da un uso invecchiato malissimo del trope del “nero magico”. Questo accade col personaggio di Bala, uno studente kenyota che è una figura benevola, ma comunque portatrice di forze sovrannaturali proprio in quanto nero e proveniente dall’Africa. È un aspetto marcatissimo anche nella descrizione fisica del personaggio.
Al di là delle evidenti implicazioni di razzismo benevolo, il folklore in sé funziona bene nella storia per come è progettata. C’è uno scenario classicamente americano, da vero e proprio stereotipo, la mitologia opposta a quel folklore africano: la cittadina bianca e borghese, in cui accadono fatti inspiegabili e sanguinosi; il liceo, con i giocatori di football e le cheerleader; gli adolescenti in amore, le automobili, i fucili, non manca niente. Sembra una stagione di Riverdale. Dietro a tutto questo si annida l'elemento perturbante, distruttore di questo mondo rassicurante e drammaticamente finto come Happy Days.
Il libro è uno slow burn, il botto arriva solo alla fine con lo scioglimento del mistero. Forse era proprio questo a spaventarmi a suo tempo: avere la certezza data da ciò che sapevo sul romanzo (cioè che era nella collana degli horror Junior Mondadori) che a un certo punto sarebbe successo qualcosa di terribile, potenzialmente traumatico. Quindi tutto quello slow burn, la combustione lenta, la vivevo con sofferenza aspettando questo evento atroce che forse però alla fine non arriva mai. Il romanzo non ha parti gore o descrizioni di violenza, ci sono un paio di morti ma sono cose che accadono fuori dal punto di vista da cui ci è raccontata la storia.
Nel complesso mi è piaciuto, anche se ovviamente non ha l’intensità di un libro per adulti, letto adesso. Ho apprezzato l’invenzione della creatura, dello spirito nato dalla magia, che non è davvero né ragazza né avvoltoio, ma una terza cosa indescrivibile, né umana né animale.
Per una persona giovanissima, che non consuma letteratura e cinema del terrore, qual è l’elemento più spaventoso contenuto dentro a questo romanzo Young Adult? Io penso che sia l’attesa del terrore, l’incombere di una sciagura promessa dal modo in cui è narrata la storia. A questo, si aggiunge ovviamente anche l’aura di Christopher Pike stesso, che è uno scrittore notoriamente specializzato in thriller e horror, e una copertina dell’edizione italiana che oltre a essere bellissima, è davvero minacciosa.
SPOILER ALERT
Ecco, la copertina e il titolo italiani sono un po’ uno spoiler, perché contengono la soluzione del mistero attorno a cui gira tutto il romanzo. Però alla fine questo spoiler è già presente proprio in questa maniera che ha Pike di raccontare la vicenda. C’è una figura femminile vampirica, Joni, descritta fin dalla sua prima entrata in scena come inequivocabilmente oscura, misteriosa, magnetica e pericolosa. Non sappiamo perché, ma sentiamo che è così per come Pike ci parla di lei e dei suoi profondi occhi ipnotici.
La parte folkloristica del racconto nasce da una mitologia esotizzante e da un uso invecchiato malissimo del trope del “nero magico”. Questo accade col personaggio di Bala, uno studente kenyota che è una figura benevola, ma comunque portatrice di forze sovrannaturali proprio in quanto nero e proveniente dall’Africa. È un aspetto marcatissimo anche nella descrizione fisica del personaggio.
Al di là delle evidenti implicazioni di razzismo benevolo, il folklore in sé funziona bene nella storia per come è progettata. C’è uno scenario classicamente americano, da vero e proprio stereotipo, la mitologia opposta a quel folklore africano: la cittadina bianca e borghese, in cui accadono fatti inspiegabili e sanguinosi; il liceo, con i giocatori di football e le cheerleader; gli adolescenti in amore, le automobili, i fucili, non manca niente. Sembra una stagione di Riverdale. Dietro a tutto questo si annida l'elemento perturbante, distruttore di questo mondo rassicurante e drammaticamente finto come Happy Days.
Il libro è uno slow burn, il botto arriva solo alla fine con lo scioglimento del mistero. Forse era proprio questo a spaventarmi a suo tempo: avere la certezza data da ciò che sapevo sul romanzo (cioè che era nella collana degli horror Junior Mondadori) che a un certo punto sarebbe successo qualcosa di terribile, potenzialmente traumatico. Quindi tutto quello slow burn, la combustione lenta, la vivevo con sofferenza aspettando questo evento atroce che forse però alla fine non arriva mai. Il romanzo non ha parti gore o descrizioni di violenza, ci sono un paio di morti ma sono cose che accadono fuori dal punto di vista da cui ci è raccontata la storia.
Nel complesso mi è piaciuto, anche se ovviamente non ha l’intensità di un libro per adulti, letto adesso. Ho apprezzato l’invenzione della creatura, dello spirito nato dalla magia, che non è davvero né ragazza né avvoltoio, ma una terza cosa indescrivibile, né umana né animale.
November 5, 2022
*2.5 rounded up to 3*
Spellbound is a book I recently bought on impulse during a used book shopping spree. I've read a few of Pike's book as a kid and have been wanting to try a few more. Unbeknownst to me, at first, this was actually one of the few I read as a kid. It wasn't until I was a few chapters in that certain details struck me as strangely familiar, and the further I got into the story it came rushing back.
One thing I would like to note about Pike's writing, both with this book and the previous one of his that I read, is that his writing and portrayal of characters is smooth and believable. His brand of YA fiction is much edgier and raunchier than others, such as Stine's, but it doesn't feel shocking in any way. Teenagers really can be potty-mouthed, extremely horny, and major jerks. There was also a surprisingly touching and wholesome relationship between the two main characters, Cindy and Alex (siblings) - that really helped balance out these various character dynamics.
The plot itself was a bit convoluted and the pacing a bit off. I won't even try to go into an explanation of it. I did find it to be a bit predictable, although that could just be because I read it over a decade ago. There was also a really long-winded and exhausting dialogue scene before the final act of the story that basically serves as an info-dump for the reader. I'm never a fan of this now cliched method of explaining away the mystery.
I did like some of the craziness of the story, though, which, without getting too much into it, involves shaman magic, possession, seduction, and pseudo-vampirism (kinda).
Overall this one was okay/decent. Pike has some fun and crazy ideas, but never fully fleshes them out and the execution of the plot is shoddy in places. The pacing is weird, there's some missing logic, but overall this was a fine YA suspense/horror.
I can see myself trying out other Pike books in the future on occasion, but I can't ever see myself becoming much of a fan. For me, Lois Duncan and R.L. Stine reign supreme in the territory of Y.A. lit.
Spellbound is a book I recently bought on impulse during a used book shopping spree. I've read a few of Pike's book as a kid and have been wanting to try a few more. Unbeknownst to me, at first, this was actually one of the few I read as a kid. It wasn't until I was a few chapters in that certain details struck me as strangely familiar, and the further I got into the story it came rushing back.
One thing I would like to note about Pike's writing, both with this book and the previous one of his that I read, is that his writing and portrayal of characters is smooth and believable. His brand of YA fiction is much edgier and raunchier than others, such as Stine's, but it doesn't feel shocking in any way. Teenagers really can be potty-mouthed, extremely horny, and major jerks. There was also a surprisingly touching and wholesome relationship between the two main characters, Cindy and Alex (siblings) - that really helped balance out these various character dynamics.
The plot itself was a bit convoluted and the pacing a bit off. I won't even try to go into an explanation of it. I did find it to be a bit predictable, although that could just be because I read it over a decade ago. There was also a really long-winded and exhausting dialogue scene before the final act of the story that basically serves as an info-dump for the reader. I'm never a fan of this now cliched method of explaining away the mystery.
I did like some of the craziness of the story, though, which, without getting too much into it, involves shaman magic, possession, seduction, and pseudo-vampirism (kinda).
Overall this one was okay/decent. Pike has some fun and crazy ideas, but never fully fleshes them out and the execution of the plot is shoddy in places. The pacing is weird, there's some missing logic, but overall this was a fine YA suspense/horror.
I can see myself trying out other Pike books in the future on occasion, but I can't ever see myself becoming much of a fan. For me, Lois Duncan and R.L. Stine reign supreme in the territory of Y.A. lit.
July 11, 2023
This must be the first YA novel Pike wrote that had a little bit of that future dive into topics dealing with religion and mysticism and the unknown. Everything else at this point was more thriller/mystery type plots so I'll have to give him praise for exploring outside of the box.
It was this that saved me from being bored and giving anything less than three stars.
Cindy Jones being with Jason Whitfield couldn't come at the worst time. If fate were different, being with the handsome and rich football player would be a dream come true but right now life is a waking nightmare.
Jason's last girlfriend Karen Holly was recently killed. It was said to be a grizzly bear attack up in the Wyoming mountains of their town, Timber, where Karen's skull was crushed and then her body dragged to the river by the animal.
Jason was with her and he got knocked unconscious by the swipe of the bear's huge paw and hit his head, not seeing the attack but hearing Karen's screams before he blacked out.
Sounds plausible given the setting but the police and coroner are still not 100% buying the story and neither is Kent Cooke of the local paper. They found no bear tracks and it's much easier to assume that Jason murdered Karen and planned to bury her out in the woods.
Cindy's compassion toward how Jason must have been feeling to lose his girlfriend in such a gruesome way and flowers sent have had them dating ever since then.
Cindy's best friend Pam Alta was Karen's cousin so she knew the other girl and didn't really like her too much but Cindy is the kind of person who would never wish a person to be mangled the way Karen was. She's also seen Jason have a little bit of temper but despite all the gossip, Cindy doesn't believe Jason could be such a cold-blooded, psycho killer.
Cindy is standing by Jason but she can't help but be drawn to another young man at school. He is an exchange student from Kenya named Bala who is staying with Pam's family and he is polite, intelligent and very fit and very tall. There is something about Bala that is different and Cindy learns that Bala's grandfather is a shaman, the closer term in our country would be sorcerer and not magician.
Whatever it is, Cindy isn't the only one charmed by Bala as Pam has a thing for him as well. Bala is a step up from Pam's old boyfriend Ray Bower with his immaturity, short physique and sometimes brash personality. Cindy knows Ray pretty well since he is on the track team with her brother Alex and thinks he is a funny guy when he isn't being a jerk.
Alex and Ray are best buddies but there is that competitive streak between them being on track together even though Alex is the junior and Ray the senior...Alex is the opposite of Ray. He is handsome and athletic, soft spoken and much more of a gentleman but still a red-blooded American teenage boy.
Besides getting first place in the upcoming meets, Alex and Ray have another obstacle. Her name is Joni Harper, the other exchange student at their high school. Dramatic looking with her dark hair and her calm, graceful English ways it has both boys lusting to ask her out. Alex gets encouragement from Cindy to ask Joni out on a double date with her and Jason after the football game in which Jason is playing.
Alex asks Joni out first before Ray can have that honor but Alex only knows it is just to really try to get in Joni's pants since Ray has been saying he wants to get back together with Pam. It's pretty clear that Pam may still have some feelings for Ray in their snarky back and forth banter but also pretty evident that she is jealous in Bala showing so much attention to Cindy.
Jason notices the same thing between Bala and Cindy as well and trying to hide his own jealousy almost has him trying to take Ray's head off at some not so nice remarks implying Jason killed Karen.
That night after the game, Jason tells Cindy he wants to go back up to the falls where Karen was attacked to try and find anything to help prove his innocence before a preliminary hearing about the investigation into Karen's death. Cindy decides to go with Jason but she asks Alex to come along with them, a small feeling of unease in her. Alex has never really cared for Jason but he loves his sister and accompanies them with Joni...what a way to have a double date with your big sis and the girl of your dreams.
It ends up being a sort of "triple date" as Pam and Bala come along as Bala has never seen a waterfall and Pam goes where Bala goes, obviously. Cindy and Alex are the bright ones because they bring along one of their father's rifles as well as Cindy's dog, Wolf by name and wolf by half his breed. The animal is trained to attack and only listens to Cindy for the command to sic and to stop.
The trip up the mountain soon takes almost another fatal turn and Cindy is almost close to losing her life, drowning in the river and going over the falls after a bad slip. Jason, Alex and Bala race to save her but it is Bala who is the big hero. His climbing and swimming skills rescue Cindy to leave her brother relieved and devoted in paying Bala back but also leave Jason a little stung in a more petty emotion than anything.
None of them know that this one night is going to be just the beginning of even more misery to come in the town of Timber. Relationships and friendships are going to be tested, changed and lives will be ruined...
I don't want to give away too much of the plot because as I said...the shift in the plot saved this from being just some melodramatic teen soap opera or court drama. That's not necessarily a bad thing but it has been done to death and to be early in one's writing career at this point, Pike was going to be just another face in that crowd.
When the more supernatural element was introduced, it added more intrigue to see where the plot was going. At a certain point, it was fairly easy to deduce how certain characters fit into their place as either heroes or villains...or body count fodder.
The twist was revealing and the reveal was for sure quite twisty to say the least but the climax was just a little flat.
Our epilogue ending was sad and sweet and strangely creepy.
There are maybe just a few cringey moments of being a product of its time so if you are kind of easily offended, tread lightly but remember that it is just fiction.
Spellbound isn't the greatest of Pike's works compared to his later output but it is a good place to start if you have yet to read any of his works and your next good read.
It was this that saved me from being bored and giving anything less than three stars.
Cindy Jones being with Jason Whitfield couldn't come at the worst time. If fate were different, being with the handsome and rich football player would be a dream come true but right now life is a waking nightmare.
Jason's last girlfriend Karen Holly was recently killed. It was said to be a grizzly bear attack up in the Wyoming mountains of their town, Timber, where Karen's skull was crushed and then her body dragged to the river by the animal.
Jason was with her and he got knocked unconscious by the swipe of the bear's huge paw and hit his head, not seeing the attack but hearing Karen's screams before he blacked out.
Sounds plausible given the setting but the police and coroner are still not 100% buying the story and neither is Kent Cooke of the local paper. They found no bear tracks and it's much easier to assume that Jason murdered Karen and planned to bury her out in the woods.
Cindy's compassion toward how Jason must have been feeling to lose his girlfriend in such a gruesome way and flowers sent have had them dating ever since then.
Cindy's best friend Pam Alta was Karen's cousin so she knew the other girl and didn't really like her too much but Cindy is the kind of person who would never wish a person to be mangled the way Karen was. She's also seen Jason have a little bit of temper but despite all the gossip, Cindy doesn't believe Jason could be such a cold-blooded, psycho killer.
Cindy is standing by Jason but she can't help but be drawn to another young man at school. He is an exchange student from Kenya named Bala who is staying with Pam's family and he is polite, intelligent and very fit and very tall. There is something about Bala that is different and Cindy learns that Bala's grandfather is a shaman, the closer term in our country would be sorcerer and not magician.
Whatever it is, Cindy isn't the only one charmed by Bala as Pam has a thing for him as well. Bala is a step up from Pam's old boyfriend Ray Bower with his immaturity, short physique and sometimes brash personality. Cindy knows Ray pretty well since he is on the track team with her brother Alex and thinks he is a funny guy when he isn't being a jerk.
Alex and Ray are best buddies but there is that competitive streak between them being on track together even though Alex is the junior and Ray the senior...Alex is the opposite of Ray. He is handsome and athletic, soft spoken and much more of a gentleman but still a red-blooded American teenage boy.
Besides getting first place in the upcoming meets, Alex and Ray have another obstacle. Her name is Joni Harper, the other exchange student at their high school. Dramatic looking with her dark hair and her calm, graceful English ways it has both boys lusting to ask her out. Alex gets encouragement from Cindy to ask Joni out on a double date with her and Jason after the football game in which Jason is playing.
Alex asks Joni out first before Ray can have that honor but Alex only knows it is just to really try to get in Joni's pants since Ray has been saying he wants to get back together with Pam. It's pretty clear that Pam may still have some feelings for Ray in their snarky back and forth banter but also pretty evident that she is jealous in Bala showing so much attention to Cindy.
Jason notices the same thing between Bala and Cindy as well and trying to hide his own jealousy almost has him trying to take Ray's head off at some not so nice remarks implying Jason killed Karen.
That night after the game, Jason tells Cindy he wants to go back up to the falls where Karen was attacked to try and find anything to help prove his innocence before a preliminary hearing about the investigation into Karen's death. Cindy decides to go with Jason but she asks Alex to come along with them, a small feeling of unease in her. Alex has never really cared for Jason but he loves his sister and accompanies them with Joni...what a way to have a double date with your big sis and the girl of your dreams.
It ends up being a sort of "triple date" as Pam and Bala come along as Bala has never seen a waterfall and Pam goes where Bala goes, obviously. Cindy and Alex are the bright ones because they bring along one of their father's rifles as well as Cindy's dog, Wolf by name and wolf by half his breed. The animal is trained to attack and only listens to Cindy for the command to sic and to stop.
The trip up the mountain soon takes almost another fatal turn and Cindy is almost close to losing her life, drowning in the river and going over the falls after a bad slip. Jason, Alex and Bala race to save her but it is Bala who is the big hero. His climbing and swimming skills rescue Cindy to leave her brother relieved and devoted in paying Bala back but also leave Jason a little stung in a more petty emotion than anything.
None of them know that this one night is going to be just the beginning of even more misery to come in the town of Timber. Relationships and friendships are going to be tested, changed and lives will be ruined...
I don't want to give away too much of the plot because as I said...the shift in the plot saved this from being just some melodramatic teen soap opera or court drama. That's not necessarily a bad thing but it has been done to death and to be early in one's writing career at this point, Pike was going to be just another face in that crowd.
When the more supernatural element was introduced, it added more intrigue to see where the plot was going. At a certain point, it was fairly easy to deduce how certain characters fit into their place as either heroes or villains...or body count fodder.
The twist was revealing and the reveal was for sure quite twisty to say the least but the climax was just a little flat.
Our epilogue ending was sad and sweet and strangely creepy.
There are maybe just a few cringey moments of being a product of its time so if you are kind of easily offended, tread lightly but remember that it is just fiction.
Spellbound isn't the greatest of Pike's works compared to his later output but it is a good place to start if you have yet to read any of his works and your next good read.
November 30, 2022
3.75 stars. A better story than the last Pike I read and some genuinely funny lines. However, the fetishization of Bala being an African "prince" and shaman were unsettling. I didn't like how his character played into racist archetypes and the blonde heroine is so obsessed with him. I appreciate Pike writing Black characters in YA when a time where his editors wanted to get rid of those characters, but this felt yucky. However, the vulture plot was superb. This will now be referred to as a the vulture book from now on.
August 9, 2017
I thought I read all of Christopher Pike's books when I was younger but I missed this one somehow. It was kind of a dud. Flat characters who had weird inner voices for teenagers. A few questions/points:
1. How does one take a "sexy bite" of a hot dog?
2. Why do none of the parents in this story act like actual parents?
3. What is this song squad Cindy is on? It sounds like she is a cheerleader, but i've never heard that term before.
1. How does one take a "sexy bite" of a hot dog?
2. Why do none of the parents in this story act like actual parents?
3. What is this song squad Cindy is on? It sounds like she is a cheerleader, but i've never heard that term before.
June 9, 2017
This was the first Christopher Pike book I've ever read and it blow me away. It was fantastic it kept me on my toes and I definitely was not expecting the ending! Can't wait to read more of his books!
January 12, 2011
Oh Christopher Pike, I love you.
August 16, 2021
I wanted to find out what happened with Jason's case and the guy writing the mystery articles. I simply can't think of an explanation that would have settled down the cops.
August 30, 2019
So I didn’t really know what to expect going into my first Christopher Pike book...and it was just OK. I did enjoy the supernatural aspects of this and it was definitely more gorey and gritty than what I was expecting, but aside from that it wasn’t my cup of tea.
I want to preface this by saying I know it was written a while ago so it’s a bit dated but this book does not hold up very well. The writing isn’t very great, I noticed the author using the word “had” in A LOT of sentences almost as fillers and that really annoyed me. But it also kind of felt like he didn’t really put a lot of thought into some of these characters. Pam for example was not only super one dimensional but I reeeeeeeally hated how the characters in the book were constantly describing her body image. It wasn’t flattering. I also HATED how we’re constantly being reminded of Bala’s race when we were first introduced to him. Example: “a strong arm wrapped around her side and a large black head popped up a few inches from her gasping mouth” it’s not a huge deal and it was never anything offensive, but if it doesn’t drive the story it isn’t necessary! This happened a few times in the book and eventually it stopped but I feel like it dragged on for too long.
Overall, the plot was interesting enough for me to keep reading (although it took a while for us to get there) but the problematic writing was enough for me to only give this 2 stars.
I want to preface this by saying I know it was written a while ago so it’s a bit dated but this book does not hold up very well. The writing isn’t very great, I noticed the author using the word “had” in A LOT of sentences almost as fillers and that really annoyed me. But it also kind of felt like he didn’t really put a lot of thought into some of these characters. Pam for example was not only super one dimensional but I reeeeeeeally hated how the characters in the book were constantly describing her body image. It wasn’t flattering. I also HATED how we’re constantly being reminded of Bala’s race when we were first introduced to him. Example: “a strong arm wrapped around her side and a large black head popped up a few inches from her gasping mouth” it’s not a huge deal and it was never anything offensive, but if it doesn’t drive the story it isn’t necessary! This happened a few times in the book and eventually it stopped but I feel like it dragged on for too long.
Overall, the plot was interesting enough for me to keep reading (although it took a while for us to get there) but the problematic writing was enough for me to only give this 2 stars.
February 6, 2021
My first Christopher Pike book and it was meh. The writing was mediocre, the characters flat. I hated how the African guy Bala was viewed by everyone. The plot twist was actually good but by that time I just couldn't care.
May 5, 2023
The book was boring for the first 150 pages or so, but once it got to explaining what was really going on it became alot more enjoyable. It’s a decent book. Not his best, but a cute short story to pass the time. I think it could have been shorter.
Read
August 31, 2019DNF @ page 85
Really struggled with getting into this one unfortunately. Also there are things in this book, mainly featuring the character Bala, that are just awkwardly problematic.
Really struggled with getting into this one unfortunately. Also there are things in this book, mainly featuring the character Bala, that are just awkwardly problematic.
November 17, 2023
Still love this author, but it's lost a little something since I've first read it when I was young. A few more plot holes than I remember, but still, he has a way with words that just brings you into the story.
May 9, 2025
Voodoo-like ritual results in a vulture soul living in a girl’s body that slaughters people who love her and ends up inside a cute parrot.
September 23, 2025
It's funny the things you remember about a book you haven't picked up in awhile. I was going to say decades, but there's a very faded receipt from work that proves that at some point in the last twenty years, probably the last fifteen since the cashier names on it are from much closer to the start of me working there, I brought this to work to read.
But I remember Cindy's shoot for the moon well before it's EVER brought up, I remembered a chunk of the deal with Joni, though I didn't remember the exact... thing (we'll get there) until I was choosing my book edition cover for GR and saw it spoiled on one of the other cover options (the fuck, publishing? also, the fuck, GR, that is not the cover/edition I chose), and regrettably I remembered the bunny with a pitchfork comment after I'd already happily agreed to put this on the re-read-along. :P Sorry little fictional hamster. :(
I also remembered there was a nod to another Pike book, but wasn't sure which one, until the opening info dump brought up Blind Mirror, which is wild since that wouldn't come out for another *checks* fifteen years after this was published. It's not the first, nor will it be the last time Pike gives himself a nod in one of his books for something that won't actually come out for eons. Consistency, dude.
So, the Jones siblings do NOT have a good time of it in this book, which is to be expected when you're the stars of a Pike book. I'm not gonna go too deep into this as a recap/review because this is one I absolutely cannot separate from my nostalgia goggles and I'm aware of that fact. There are things I know now, and knew then, were uh, problematic to say the least. (Ahoy, Bala.) There are things that you kind of can't unsee (Pike's female best friends were usually spared from the fate of being considered ugly because they tended to like sex, and everyone knows teenage boys will add extra hot points to your ranking if you're up for a good time), but there's also the very simple story being told, and I'll be damned if kid!me isn't seated and ready to jump back in EVERY time for this book.
Some of it is being reminded of chatting with friends who also read this one and while I don't remember a specific thing about those conversations, I do remember lying in the dark, staring at the ceiling or out the window of my childhood bedroom, and listening to my friends discuss the mystical what if of it all.
For some reason, Joni struck him as the last person in the world who would get sick.
Absolutely cackling at this because every time we've come across Joni on page til now, she's been described as sounding like she's just getting over or coming down with something and Alex himself describes her lips as feverish. But sure, buddy, she's the absolute picture of health.
"I'm more than okay. I'm Cindy Jones."
I will always have a soft spot for Pike's heroines, as they tend to just have a little extra kick over his heroes, and Cindy isn't an exception to that rule, and it's pretty easy to compare that given that her brother, Alex, is the other character follow for a good chunk of the book. Alex might get through to the 'villain', but there's never a chance of him saving the day. Meanwhile, Cindy makes her jerk of an ex-boyfriend do the dirty work of gathering all the stuff she's gonna need to take care of business, and then the girl gets shit DONE.
While I might not remember the specifics of our childhood talks about this specific book, I do remember the ending did divide us. Some wanted a sequel, some were just fine with the door being left open a crack to ponder what if. I couldn't tell you which side I was on, but I do wish we'd gotten this in the Midnight Club adaptation, and I'm now very much on the side of it being better left up to the imagination what, if anything, came next.
Finally, it's wild how dated the name Cindy now seems.
But I remember Cindy's shoot for the moon well before it's EVER brought up, I remembered a chunk of the deal with Joni, though I didn't remember the exact... thing (we'll get there) until I was choosing my book edition cover for GR and saw it spoiled on one of the other cover options (the fuck, publishing? also, the fuck, GR, that is not the cover/edition I chose), and regrettably I remembered the bunny with a pitchfork comment after I'd already happily agreed to put this on the re-read-along. :P Sorry little fictional hamster. :(
I also remembered there was a nod to another Pike book, but wasn't sure which one, until the opening info dump brought up Blind Mirror, which is wild since that wouldn't come out for another *checks* fifteen years after this was published. It's not the first, nor will it be the last time Pike gives himself a nod in one of his books for something that won't actually come out for eons. Consistency, dude.
So, the Jones siblings do NOT have a good time of it in this book, which is to be expected when you're the stars of a Pike book. I'm not gonna go too deep into this as a recap/review because this is one I absolutely cannot separate from my nostalgia goggles and I'm aware of that fact. There are things I know now, and knew then, were uh, problematic to say the least. (Ahoy, Bala.) There are things that you kind of can't unsee (Pike's female best friends were usually spared from the fate of being considered ugly because they tended to like sex, and everyone knows teenage boys will add extra hot points to your ranking if you're up for a good time), but there's also the very simple story being told, and I'll be damned if kid!me isn't seated and ready to jump back in EVERY time for this book.
Some of it is being reminded of chatting with friends who also read this one and while I don't remember a specific thing about those conversations, I do remember lying in the dark, staring at the ceiling or out the window of my childhood bedroom, and listening to my friends discuss the mystical what if of it all.
For some reason, Joni struck him as the last person in the world who would get sick.
Absolutely cackling at this because every time we've come across Joni on page til now, she's been described as sounding like she's just getting over or coming down with something and Alex himself describes her lips as feverish. But sure, buddy, she's the absolute picture of health.
"I'm more than okay. I'm Cindy Jones."
I will always have a soft spot for Pike's heroines, as they tend to just have a little extra kick over his heroes, and Cindy isn't an exception to that rule, and it's pretty easy to compare that given that her brother, Alex, is the other character follow for a good chunk of the book. Alex might get through to the 'villain', but there's never a chance of him saving the day. Meanwhile, Cindy makes her jerk of an ex-boyfriend do the dirty work of gathering all the stuff she's gonna need to take care of business, and then the girl gets shit DONE.
While I might not remember the specifics of our childhood talks about this specific book, I do remember the ending did divide us. Some wanted a sequel, some were just fine with the door being left open a crack to ponder what if. I couldn't tell you which side I was on, but I do wish we'd gotten this in the Midnight Club adaptation, and I'm now very much on the side of it being better left up to the imagination what, if anything, came next.
Finally, it's wild how dated the name Cindy now seems.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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