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My Boyfriend Is a Monster #4
Under His Spell
Bethany Farmer cares more about soccer than romance until transfer student Allein shows up, but after joining him in his battle to maintain control of the throne of Faerie, she must decide to give up the mortal world for him, or ask him to give up his immortality.
123 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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397 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
August 6, 2016
Okay, so the cover art for these are really good. Now, this one is a 3.5 for me mostly because of the art work. It wasn't bad but it wasn't very good. I don't like saying anything bad, especially when it comes to the art work. I did like it some parts and others it was a little weird.
I also noticed that other reviews seemed to feel the same what with giving this a 3. Mostly for the artwork.
I was going to give this a 4 but now I'm thinking, no this will be 4, I won't let the art work stop me. Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the characters. Especially Bethany.
With this one, we have soccer tomboy (Bethany) and hot prince (Allein) and his cousins seem to be looking for him.
I will say this, the more I read this, the more I kind of, well, I liked this one. Bethany was actually a good heroine. I liked that she was focused on other things and didn't fall for the hottie so easily. That made me smile. Actually the scenes with Bethy made me smile.
These two actually got to know each other, they spend time together, she actually helped her bf and fought back. Also they actually called the cops instead of the heroine being all like, wha? like with most YA books.
I'll give the author kudo points for all of that.
Also couldn't believe it took me a while to notice the titles are well, puns or whatever. I was like, are you kidding me? How could I have not noticed?! Anyway, with this series, its a hit or miss but you still like some aspects of said volume.
I also noticed that other reviews seemed to feel the same what with giving this a 3. Mostly for the artwork.
I was going to give this a 4 but now I'm thinking, no this will be 4, I won't let the art work stop me. Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the characters. Especially Bethany.
With this one, we have soccer tomboy (Bethany) and hot prince (Allein) and his cousins seem to be looking for him.
I will say this, the more I read this, the more I kind of, well, I liked this one. Bethany was actually a good heroine. I liked that she was focused on other things and didn't fall for the hottie so easily. That made me smile. Actually the scenes with Bethy made me smile.
These two actually got to know each other, they spend time together, she actually helped her bf and fought back. Also they actually called the cops instead of the heroine being all like, wha? like with most YA books.
I'll give the author kudo points for all of that.
Also couldn't believe it took me a while to notice the titles are well, puns or whatever. I was like, are you kidding me? How could I have not noticed?! Anyway, with this series, its a hit or miss but you still like some aspects of said volume.
June 6, 2023
His dad is hotter than him...
July 14, 2018
I loved this book! I absolutely love anything to do with High Fae or Faeries, and this story was so, so entertaining and awesome! I loved the humor and friendship, and the romance! These books just keep getting better!
April 27, 2018
low 2.5
Weak storyline.
Insta-love.
Weak storyline.
Insta-love.
January 4, 2019
This series is very cheesy but I am enjoying it.
Read
May 4, 2023A fast pace fun quick read!
October 27, 2011
Completely Lacking...
The fourth graphic novel in the MY BOYFRIEND IS A MONSTER series, UNDER HIS SPELL, movies from true monsters into faery territory. Yeah, you read that right. Faery. This could have been workable if it was done with a true flair for fae folklore but instead it feels like a weak mash-up of the previous installments in the series.
Bethany's life is boring—the idea being that the fae boyfriend makes it exciting—and it really bleeds through into the plot. There's nothing fresh or original here. Allein's fae cousins come to hunt him down. Fighting. Injury. Blah. Blah. *snore*
The art was the only thing that saved this. I loved that in a manner suiting to the story the pages went from black and white to color. It's gimmicky but was the lone saving grace keeping this from earning a single star review.
If you liked the previous installments I'd say skip this one. I think, based on a pre-order link I stumbled upon while writing this review, that there will be further installments to the series coming out in Spring of 2012 so look for what will hopefully be something better from the MY BOYFRIEND IS A MONSTER series next year!
***ARC received via NetGalley.
The fourth graphic novel in the MY BOYFRIEND IS A MONSTER series, UNDER HIS SPELL, movies from true monsters into faery territory. Yeah, you read that right. Faery. This could have been workable if it was done with a true flair for fae folklore but instead it feels like a weak mash-up of the previous installments in the series.
Bethany's life is boring—the idea being that the fae boyfriend makes it exciting—and it really bleeds through into the plot. There's nothing fresh or original here. Allein's fae cousins come to hunt him down. Fighting. Injury. Blah. Blah. *snore*
The art was the only thing that saved this. I loved that in a manner suiting to the story the pages went from black and white to color. It's gimmicky but was the lone saving grace keeping this from earning a single star review.
If you liked the previous installments I'd say skip this one. I think, based on a pre-order link I stumbled upon while writing this review, that there will be further installments to the series coming out in Spring of 2012 so look for what will hopefully be something better from the MY BOYFRIEND IS A MONSTER series next year!
***ARC received via NetGalley.
May 20, 2012
Bethany is a star soccer player – athletic, focused, smart – and a secret romantic at heart. When she kicks a practice ball into Allein’s head (a new transfer student), they start talking and suddenly it’s crush-time! He keeps telling her that things are really different where he’s from, but she really has no clue until he’s forced to take her there after they are attacked. It turns out that he’s a Faery prince and he’s in direct line to ascend to the throne. There are plenty of Fae who don’t want him on that throne, though, so even knowing him is dangerous. Bethany and Allein make a good team as they take on Allein’s enemies, and Allein pledges to be Bethany’s forever. Reasonable girl that she is, however, Bethany responds: “Okay…I am a sixteen-year-old girl. And I have to be honest – I don’t know if I want the same shoes forever, much less the same guy…” Smart girl.
I read #2-#5 in this series in one sitting, and found them mostly entertaining (despite flaws that others have pointed out in their reviews). Sometimes you just enjoy reading light, trashy stuff. I stand before you, convicted of this crime. :)
I read #2-#5 in this series in one sitting, and found them mostly entertaining (despite flaws that others have pointed out in their reviews). Sometimes you just enjoy reading light, trashy stuff. I stand before you, convicted of this crime. :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2020
Okay Story, But The Art Feels Unfinished
The story isn't a masterpiece, but it isn't bad. Girl meets fae, gets caught up in the attempts on his life, and falls in love. I liked that she was an overall strong character, not putting up with all the nonsense, kicking at the baddies rather than cowering, and overall getting things done. I was less impressed by Mr. Fae, but he wasn't awful.
What I didn't enjoy overall was the art. I thought it felt sketchy at the beginning, but when I got to the middle, where there are some beautifully colored pages, I realized that it had been more like line art, waiting for color. And it's great when there is color, but when it's just black and white, it looks incomplete.
Overall, I didn't hate this, but I don't know if I'd go as far as to recommend it. There's a beautiful section around the middle, but the rest of the time the art is various shades of blah. Pick it up if you're curious, but don't go out of your way for it.
The story isn't a masterpiece, but it isn't bad. Girl meets fae, gets caught up in the attempts on his life, and falls in love. I liked that she was an overall strong character, not putting up with all the nonsense, kicking at the baddies rather than cowering, and overall getting things done. I was less impressed by Mr. Fae, but he wasn't awful.
What I didn't enjoy overall was the art. I thought it felt sketchy at the beginning, but when I got to the middle, where there are some beautifully colored pages, I realized that it had been more like line art, waiting for color. And it's great when there is color, but when it's just black and white, it looks incomplete.
Overall, I didn't hate this, but I don't know if I'd go as far as to recommend it. There's a beautiful section around the middle, but the rest of the time the art is various shades of blah. Pick it up if you're curious, but don't go out of your way for it.
September 4, 2017
I honestly was not expecting them to do fae, so few people touch on the faerie folk when doing supernatural things. It was a pleasant surprise. From the art on the cover I was expecting like wizard or mage or something magic-y. For some reason I didn't realize the art was too different between the first 3 books, and while that's good in that - they feel all concise and go together kinda way, they were all drawn by 3 different people and now I just feel bad, on the upside this artists style is easily identifiable with the thinner lines and breaking of borders.
What I am annoyed with is something that was done well and I can't really fault it, but I find it annoying for personal aesthetic reasons. The comic is in black and white until we get to Allein's world, and everything is in full color and it's bright and beautiful and I never want to leave. It's the perfect juxtaposition between the 2 worlds. The world of faerie is bright and magical and connected to nature on a spiritual level and the world of humans is cold and grey and full of machines and blah. Except when I'm seeing it I want the whole comic to be colored that nicely, it just looks so GOOD. It's so well done! And the entire series has wonderful paper quality, we could have had all of these in COLOR. UGH!
While I miss the questions to the characters in the back of the book I enjoy the little textbook exert about the fae.
What I am annoyed with is something that was done well and I can't really fault it, but I find it annoying for personal aesthetic reasons. The comic is in black and white until we get to Allein's world, and everything is in full color and it's bright and beautiful and I never want to leave. It's the perfect juxtaposition between the 2 worlds. The world of faerie is bright and magical and connected to nature on a spiritual level and the world of humans is cold and grey and full of machines and blah. Except when I'm seeing it I want the whole comic to be colored that nicely, it just looks so GOOD. It's so well done! And the entire series has wonderful paper quality, we could have had all of these in COLOR. UGH!
While I miss the questions to the characters in the back of the book I enjoy the little textbook exert about the fae.
December 31, 2025
Under His Spell was the first book in the My Boyfriend Is a Monster series that I saw and added to my list right away and it might have taken me almost six months to do it, but I’m glad I finally read it! While I think the first book in the series remains my favorite, I did generally have a good time reading this. There were a few instances where I felt my interest waning, but it wasn’t for long and I feel like I was fully clocked in for the second half of the book. I liked Bethany more, but I liked Allein too and I also did enjoy them as a romantic pairing — they were so sweet together! Under His Spell was a great addition to this series and I’m looking forward to continuing on!
~ Sonja, 4 Stars
~ Sonja, 4 Stars
August 4, 2019
2.5 Really.
Honestly, I wanted to read another book in this series so I decided to read all the books in this series in order.
After Zombies (booooo), Frankenstein, Werebats, we now encounter the Fae. The story’s plot was thin, the characters did little to appeal to me, totally did not understand the attraction between the two, and honestly I did NOT like the animation style. I understand why they sketched black and white for the beginning/middle of this book, but it annoyed me.
I do like changing up the authors and artists for each new book.
I must admit I’m loving the “monster of the week” vibes of this series. It’s very early season 1-2 of Supernatural and I’m living for it!
Honestly, I wanted to read another book in this series so I decided to read all the books in this series in order.
After Zombies (booooo), Frankenstein, Werebats, we now encounter the Fae. The story’s plot was thin, the characters did little to appeal to me, totally did not understand the attraction between the two, and honestly I did NOT like the animation style. I understand why they sketched black and white for the beginning/middle of this book, but it annoyed me.
I do like changing up the authors and artists for each new book.
I must admit I’m loving the “monster of the week” vibes of this series. It’s very early season 1-2 of Supernatural and I’m living for it!
October 7, 2020
***DNF (Did Not Finish)
This is only the second book in the My Boyfriend is a Monster Series that I have read. Although I did not finish it. The art style was different but it was just so weird and totally not my cup of tea. And no matter what the story just could not hook me nor did the characters grab my attention. I maybe got a third or even halfway through but by that point I was just really skimming. I don't think I'm going to try and finish this one. However, I'm still going to read the others in this series. This story/volume just wasn't my cup of tea.
This is only the second book in the My Boyfriend is a Monster Series that I have read. Although I did not finish it. The art style was different but it was just so weird and totally not my cup of tea. And no matter what the story just could not hook me nor did the characters grab my attention. I maybe got a third or even halfway through but by that point I was just really skimming. I don't think I'm going to try and finish this one. However, I'm still going to read the others in this series. This story/volume just wasn't my cup of tea.
September 15, 2017
This series is really popular with my students so, as I begin teaching a new group of kids, I get to introduce the students to it. I was glad to see that our library has added this book to our shelves, especially since I love stories of the Fae.
I'm not particularly fond of graphic novels. The characters didn't have much depth. But it's a kids' book. I'm not the target audience.
I know my students will love this one.
I'm not particularly fond of graphic novels. The characters didn't have much depth. But it's a kids' book. I'm not the target audience.
I know my students will love this one.
November 10, 2019
This one was so bad. The story jumped around and didn’t make sense and for some bizarre reason they decided not to tone most of the book? Making it look very unfinished. The small section with color did a lot to hide the mediocre art. I had been looking forward to the Elf Boyfriend book and was disappointed in this.
July 10, 2017
Not nearly as thrilled with the artwork in this one as I have been with the others. The story held up really well, but the artwork almost took away from it. I'm still going to read the others. The characters in this one kept me interested in the story more than anything.
April 28, 2020
Cute quick read.
April 13, 2022
2/5 stars
DNF at 10%
The font was odd while the artwork and story was not that great. This one was an easy DNF.
DNF at 10%
The font was odd while the artwork and story was not that great. This one was an easy DNF.
December 30, 2023
Rating : pg - cartoon violence, black and white removes some drama
Recommend: romance, gn readers jh and up
Ridiculous and highly entertaining and predictable. Just fun. Some (GN) kissing.
Recommend: romance, gn readers jh and up
Ridiculous and highly entertaining and predictable. Just fun. Some (GN) kissing.
April 16, 2024
good art work and i looooovveeeee him hes so goth but weird, this is weird
February 14, 2025
4th book of the series & this one's at the bottom of the list so far in terms of ranking it with the other books. This was basically a watered down comic vrs of ACOTAR in its own sense.
August 21, 2025
cute graphic novel and do enjoy the series.
February 16, 2026
2.5 stars
I enjoyed the art, but the story was held together by shoestring and duck tape
I enjoyed the art, but the story was held together by shoestring and duck tape
January 29, 2020
I love the kickass MC. She’s awesome and independent 👍❤️
August 25, 2011
My Boyfriend Is a Monster: Under His Spell (#4) by Marie P. Croall, illustrated by Hyeondo Park
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Graphic Universe/Lerner Publishing, Inc.
Tentative Release Date: October 1, 2011
This book was fun. I feel it was geared towards a younger reading set. If I had a younger cousin, sister, child of a friend who was around 10-13 give or take a few years in either direction, this book would be a complete slam dunk (i.e. fantastic Halloween present (does anyone do that?), birthday present, and "aren't you awesome?, have a book" days. And for those of us that don't fall into that age bracket (ahem, I'm slightly older than that…not that I act it), there were enough funnies to keep us entertained.
Genre: Graphic Novel YA Paranormal Romance. Because, wouldn't it just be fun to see the dark and brooding handsome MMC (main male character), or at least what someone else thinks of when they write about that kind of character? I was thoroughly entertained by how they depicted him, and the character's responses to him at that (but I'll get to that).
The Cover: I like the coloration of the cover more than some of the content of the cover. Park and Croall do interesting things with color (or rather without color), and I would have liked to see them how they are depicted in the non-actions scenes. BUT, I completely understand their choice to go with the action-y version of Allein and Bethany. How great is his name btw? Can I just pause to say, big lols? Okay, I did.
The Plot: The plot seemed pretty straight forward, and I was worried it would even be predictable, but the choices in the characterization of Bethany kept that from happening. The graphic novel manages to make fun of itself and the genre that it's in (YA paranormal romance), and that entertains me (ahem, see my note about the funnies for the older peoples). It has an awareness of itself as being a part of that genre, and Croall has Bethany react to things differently then one may expect.
The Illustration (a necessary review element for a graphic novel): I liked how it was drawn. The color choices, the lack of color choices, really enhanced the book, and frankly, I just dig the way that comics/graphic narratives can convey things with less--less words, less pages, less time, less frames, than most writers really can. Croall and Park handled that well, and I like how they didn't stick to the strict "box frame" style.
The Romantic Element: It's absolutely swoon-worthy for the younger set. No doubt about it.
Carry-on Factor: This was an easy breezy kind of read, but it left a girl power-ish sentiment that would be a positive one for young female readers.
Overall: This wasn't a deep read, and it wasn't supposed to be, but what it does do is entertain. I laughed a bit; I admired the crafting of it; and I liked the against the grain choices they made in the characterization of Bethany. I would call it really perfect for a beginner YA paranormal romancer---feel free to buy it for your youngin's lol.
Now, I know I've played this song on here before, and it's a different kind of paranormal, but it's kind of perfect for the title of this book, "Zombie" by Natalia Kills. "I'm in love with a zombie…does he want me for my body or does he want me for my brain?" Come on. It's freakin' hilariously perfect.
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Graphic Universe/Lerner Publishing, Inc.
Tentative Release Date: October 1, 2011
This book was fun. I feel it was geared towards a younger reading set. If I had a younger cousin, sister, child of a friend who was around 10-13 give or take a few years in either direction, this book would be a complete slam dunk (i.e. fantastic Halloween present (does anyone do that?), birthday present, and "aren't you awesome?, have a book" days. And for those of us that don't fall into that age bracket (ahem, I'm slightly older than that…not that I act it), there were enough funnies to keep us entertained.
Genre: Graphic Novel YA Paranormal Romance. Because, wouldn't it just be fun to see the dark and brooding handsome MMC (main male character), or at least what someone else thinks of when they write about that kind of character? I was thoroughly entertained by how they depicted him, and the character's responses to him at that (but I'll get to that).
The Cover: I like the coloration of the cover more than some of the content of the cover. Park and Croall do interesting things with color (or rather without color), and I would have liked to see them how they are depicted in the non-actions scenes. BUT, I completely understand their choice to go with the action-y version of Allein and Bethany. How great is his name btw? Can I just pause to say, big lols? Okay, I did.
The Plot: The plot seemed pretty straight forward, and I was worried it would even be predictable, but the choices in the characterization of Bethany kept that from happening. The graphic novel manages to make fun of itself and the genre that it's in (YA paranormal romance), and that entertains me (ahem, see my note about the funnies for the older peoples). It has an awareness of itself as being a part of that genre, and Croall has Bethany react to things differently then one may expect.
The Illustration (a necessary review element for a graphic novel): I liked how it was drawn. The color choices, the lack of color choices, really enhanced the book, and frankly, I just dig the way that comics/graphic narratives can convey things with less--less words, less pages, less time, less frames, than most writers really can. Croall and Park handled that well, and I like how they didn't stick to the strict "box frame" style.
The Romantic Element: It's absolutely swoon-worthy for the younger set. No doubt about it.
Carry-on Factor: This was an easy breezy kind of read, but it left a girl power-ish sentiment that would be a positive one for young female readers.
Overall: This wasn't a deep read, and it wasn't supposed to be, but what it does do is entertain. I laughed a bit; I admired the crafting of it; and I liked the against the grain choices they made in the characterization of Bethany. I would call it really perfect for a beginner YA paranormal romancer---feel free to buy it for your youngin's lol.
Now, I know I've played this song on here before, and it's a different kind of paranormal, but it's kind of perfect for the title of this book, "Zombie" by Natalia Kills. "I'm in love with a zombie…does he want me for my body or does he want me for my brain?" Come on. It's freakin' hilariously perfect.
March 3, 2017
Content Rating and Review
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May 14, 2015
Soccer Chick is super focussed and straight laced and thus everyone thinks she's a stick in the mud spinster of boredom and all adults think she's perfect. She is secretly into romance novels but FOR THE SHAME OF IT, hides them from everyone.
Elf dude shows up and for SOME REASON decides to date her.... she's not impressed at his one liners, but then seems to suddenly be into him? Literally the romance in this story is kind of short. Then EvilElf Hunks decide to attack him and then he beats them with a bit of rebar because omg iron. Then Soccer chick hits him in the head with a soccer ball and their romance is high ho on its way. Her 180 seems really weird to me.
She asks why he likes her and its because SHE ISN'T LIKE OTHER GIRLS!!! She's not 'cloying, demanding, or exhausting" so clearly she's perfect and he could tell the moment he met her peeping through her window like a creep. Seriously the romance makes no sense. She is apparently impressed by this.
Soccer chick almost gets kidnapped by EvilElf Hunks but her Soccering gives her good kicks and she runs. Elf dude uses magick to control her dad and then they talk on the patio. This is a good scene since Soccer chick stands up to ye old "I can't tell you because its too dangerous!!!" bullshit and says "fine, fuck you". To which Elf dude is like well okay you can know things. Also... Soccer chick is "SO DIFFERENT"
Then they have a date and get attacked by EvilElf Hulks again. Soccer chick saves his life, her leg gets broken and then end up in Fairy land. In fairyland her leg is healed and they both decide they have to come back to fight EvilElf hunk.
Cool style choice - all of Fairyland is in full color.
So back in the real world the school has been trashed to fuck. All the highschoolers have been taken hostage but for some reason think Bethany will save them? She, like any modern teenager, wiki's the water system in her town and learns that the water has a HUGE AMOUNT OF ELF KILLING IRON in it.
This is my favorite moment of the book and the only reason I would recommend reading it.
She literally melts an elf to death with the gym showers. I am so down.
The rest is a bunch of fighting and then ElfDude goes home and then comes back and is like "I WANT YOU FOREVER" and SoccerChick goes "wait what?"" and he gets emo until she's like well see I'm a teenager and I cant know that I want forever but I want right now, so lets do that. Which is y'know,...better than FOREVER since FOREVER at 17 is unrealistic as hell.
I didn't really like the artist of this book, anatomy and faces were weird.
Elf dude shows up and for SOME REASON decides to date her.... she's not impressed at his one liners, but then seems to suddenly be into him? Literally the romance in this story is kind of short. Then EvilElf Hunks decide to attack him and then he beats them with a bit of rebar because omg iron. Then Soccer chick hits him in the head with a soccer ball and their romance is high ho on its way. Her 180 seems really weird to me.
She asks why he likes her and its because SHE ISN'T LIKE OTHER GIRLS!!! She's not 'cloying, demanding, or exhausting" so clearly she's perfect and he could tell the moment he met her peeping through her window like a creep. Seriously the romance makes no sense. She is apparently impressed by this.
Soccer chick almost gets kidnapped by EvilElf Hunks but her Soccering gives her good kicks and she runs. Elf dude uses magick to control her dad and then they talk on the patio. This is a good scene since Soccer chick stands up to ye old "I can't tell you because its too dangerous!!!" bullshit and says "fine, fuck you". To which Elf dude is like well okay you can know things. Also... Soccer chick is "SO DIFFERENT"
Then they have a date and get attacked by EvilElf Hulks again. Soccer chick saves his life, her leg gets broken and then end up in Fairy land. In fairyland her leg is healed and they both decide they have to come back to fight EvilElf hunk.
Cool style choice - all of Fairyland is in full color.
So back in the real world the school has been trashed to fuck. All the highschoolers have been taken hostage but for some reason think Bethany will save them? She, like any modern teenager, wiki's the water system in her town and learns that the water has a HUGE AMOUNT OF ELF KILLING IRON in it.
This is my favorite moment of the book and the only reason I would recommend reading it.
She literally melts an elf to death with the gym showers. I am so down.
The rest is a bunch of fighting and then ElfDude goes home and then comes back and is like "I WANT YOU FOREVER" and SoccerChick goes "wait what?"" and he gets emo until she's like well see I'm a teenager and I cant know that I want forever but I want right now, so lets do that. Which is y'know,...better than FOREVER since FOREVER at 17 is unrealistic as hell.
I didn't really like the artist of this book, anatomy and faces were weird.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2011
Featured at An Abundance of Books
Under His Spell is a return to the humor and light heartedness of I Love Him to Pieces. Bethany is a hardworking student athlete and she has her head on straight. But because she's so focused she sometimes misses out on the fun of being young. She takes a chance with Allein. He's cute and nice, but also a little strange. After strange men (who aren't human) try to kidnap her because she sits next to him in chemistry class, Bethany demands some information.
"Look, I'm not one of those girls who's going to hang around and wait for you to tell me when everything's ok."
Allein explains that his father is a king and that his cousin Bynal is trying to kill him so he'll become crown prince. He never mentions that he's Fae and hundreds of years old. He simply allows Bethany to assume he's still just a foreign exchange student. Their rather awkward date ends with another attack from his murderous cousin. In the course of the fight Bethany kicks some butt, which is good because Allein isn't much of a fighter. Unforunatley she's injured and Allein takes her to Fae realm to heal. Not only do they have to deal with the king's disapproval of a mortal love, but the two must figure out how to defeat Bynal who's holding their school hostage.
Allein is sweet but bumbling so he's lucky that his girlfriend has got her act together. I also liked that Bethany promises to work on a relationship with Allein, but she's not going to put her mortal life on hold. She wants to go to college and isn't quite sure she's going to love Allein forever, so they take their time. Her parents were cute if a little overprotective and her friends were a hoot. This is definitely a fun read for tween girls.
Park's black and white illustrations were nice, but the lack of background in a lot of panels made things a little dull. I really liked that the Fae realm was in full color and she added some wonderful details there.
Verdict:
A funny adventure where the heroine saves the day and has realistic expectations for a future with an almost immortal Fae prince. I think tween girls would enjoy Under His Spell and should pick it up at their local library.
Read full review HERE
Under His Spell is a return to the humor and light heartedness of I Love Him to Pieces. Bethany is a hardworking student athlete and she has her head on straight. But because she's so focused she sometimes misses out on the fun of being young. She takes a chance with Allein. He's cute and nice, but also a little strange. After strange men (who aren't human) try to kidnap her because she sits next to him in chemistry class, Bethany demands some information.
"Look, I'm not one of those girls who's going to hang around and wait for you to tell me when everything's ok."
Allein explains that his father is a king and that his cousin Bynal is trying to kill him so he'll become crown prince. He never mentions that he's Fae and hundreds of years old. He simply allows Bethany to assume he's still just a foreign exchange student. Their rather awkward date ends with another attack from his murderous cousin. In the course of the fight Bethany kicks some butt, which is good because Allein isn't much of a fighter. Unforunatley she's injured and Allein takes her to Fae realm to heal. Not only do they have to deal with the king's disapproval of a mortal love, but the two must figure out how to defeat Bynal who's holding their school hostage.
Allein is sweet but bumbling so he's lucky that his girlfriend has got her act together. I also liked that Bethany promises to work on a relationship with Allein, but she's not going to put her mortal life on hold. She wants to go to college and isn't quite sure she's going to love Allein forever, so they take their time. Her parents were cute if a little overprotective and her friends were a hoot. This is definitely a fun read for tween girls.
Park's black and white illustrations were nice, but the lack of background in a lot of panels made things a little dull. I really liked that the Fae realm was in full color and she added some wonderful details there.
Verdict:
A funny adventure where the heroine saves the day and has realistic expectations for a future with an almost immortal Fae prince. I think tween girls would enjoy Under His Spell and should pick it up at their local library.
Read full review HERE
August 24, 2011
ARC provided by netGalley
Bethany is your normal, average teenage girl and unlike what the back cover says...she isn’t boring. She plays soccer, studies hard, and enjoys hanging out with her friends. And everything is normal...until a fae prince in hiding appears. And troubles arises. Bethany and her friends must quickly figure out how to survive and “like” might be on the horizon.
This is the 4th book in the “My Boyfriend is a Monster” series and the books in this series seem to be a bit hit or miss in the story/artwork. The first one for example was great, the third one--”Love Bites”...not so much. This one is kinda in between. Admittedly I’m not the target audience, but I’ll give any graphic novel a read at least once. The writing in this volume is....decent. I still have problems with the transitions between events (its a problem that’s plagued all of the series.) There just often aren’t any. One page you’re on the soccer field and the next one you’re at her house. Just nothing in between, no real sense of time frame, etc. I also fault whoever came up with the back marketing ploy in which they call Bethany “boring.” Not because she doesn’t do anything, but because she isn’t interested in dating. I mean seriously? Bethany comes across as a strong female when introduced who follows her own path, studies, plays soccer, etc. but you call her boring, because she doesn’t fit into a cliche? I think they had a chance to really make a strong female character and just decided that they had to make her like everyone else which is disappointing.
I do like the artwork in this series, its a bit different and a bit more fluid to it. Not all of the characters are “pretty” which is something that I haven’t seen in the series since the first volume. The pencil drawings will give you a sense of the way the characters and objects move and help the characters feel...alive. The style isn’t as refined as it could be, but the characters look a bit more realistic than they did in the third volume.
It would really be nice if the series continued with the same characters so that there would be more time to build them up and see how they evolve and grow. I think it would solve a lot of the problems of the series as they try to cram so much into such a short amount of space. It would also help if they didn’t treat all of the characters as one dimensional beings and let them grow a bit.
Bethany is your normal, average teenage girl and unlike what the back cover says...she isn’t boring. She plays soccer, studies hard, and enjoys hanging out with her friends. And everything is normal...until a fae prince in hiding appears. And troubles arises. Bethany and her friends must quickly figure out how to survive and “like” might be on the horizon.
This is the 4th book in the “My Boyfriend is a Monster” series and the books in this series seem to be a bit hit or miss in the story/artwork. The first one for example was great, the third one--”Love Bites”...not so much. This one is kinda in between. Admittedly I’m not the target audience, but I’ll give any graphic novel a read at least once. The writing in this volume is....decent. I still have problems with the transitions between events (its a problem that’s plagued all of the series.) There just often aren’t any. One page you’re on the soccer field and the next one you’re at her house. Just nothing in between, no real sense of time frame, etc. I also fault whoever came up with the back marketing ploy in which they call Bethany “boring.” Not because she doesn’t do anything, but because she isn’t interested in dating. I mean seriously? Bethany comes across as a strong female when introduced who follows her own path, studies, plays soccer, etc. but you call her boring, because she doesn’t fit into a cliche? I think they had a chance to really make a strong female character and just decided that they had to make her like everyone else which is disappointing.
I do like the artwork in this series, its a bit different and a bit more fluid to it. Not all of the characters are “pretty” which is something that I haven’t seen in the series since the first volume. The pencil drawings will give you a sense of the way the characters and objects move and help the characters feel...alive. The style isn’t as refined as it could be, but the characters look a bit more realistic than they did in the third volume.
It would really be nice if the series continued with the same characters so that there would be more time to build them up and see how they evolve and grow. I think it would solve a lot of the problems of the series as they try to cram so much into such a short amount of space. It would also help if they didn’t treat all of the characters as one dimensional beings and let them grow a bit.
August 11, 2011
So far I've found that this series is sort of hit or miss. For every volume that's absolutely great (My Boyfriend Bites), there's a volume that's somewhat mediocre. This volume falls under the mediocre category.
One of the most distracting aspects of this story really had to be the artwork. The quality of it just wasn't very consistent. On one page it would be very well done and on the next you'd see proportions that just weren't very realistic or feasible. There was one panel where our heroine Bethany was giving a solid kick to one of our villains and her leg and foot seemed to be unnaturally twisted. It made it look a little malformed, as if she'd broken it. The only thing about the artwork that seemed to stick to the same level of quality was the backgrounds, which were generally very well illustrated. This was just really disappointing to see since one thing the previous volumes did have in common was some decent artwork. I just couldn't help but think that the artist's work detracted from the story.
I can't blame everything on the artist, however. The basic gist of the storyline is decent. Girl meets fae boy. (I'd consider this a spoiler except the cover pretty much shows that he's a faerie.) Despite this being a pretty common story element, there's a lot you can do with this and I can't help but think that the delivery felt a little flat. I never really felt like the characters came to life for me and to be honest, neither did the chemistry between our lead characters.
There are some nice things about this volume, such as the section of the book that was in full color. It was a smart move and it did pay off well. It was one of the better sections of the book story and art wise. Parts of this book showed me that this really wanted to be a better story than what it was and I wish that it could have been.
If you're looking to read this, I'd recommend getting it from the library. This just wasn't one of the strongest offerings in the MBIAM series. Read it first via the library and then decide if you want to buy it for further re-readings or save up and wait on the next book in the series.
(ARC provided by Netgalley)
One of the most distracting aspects of this story really had to be the artwork. The quality of it just wasn't very consistent. On one page it would be very well done and on the next you'd see proportions that just weren't very realistic or feasible. There was one panel where our heroine Bethany was giving a solid kick to one of our villains and her leg and foot seemed to be unnaturally twisted. It made it look a little malformed, as if she'd broken it. The only thing about the artwork that seemed to stick to the same level of quality was the backgrounds, which were generally very well illustrated. This was just really disappointing to see since one thing the previous volumes did have in common was some decent artwork. I just couldn't help but think that the artist's work detracted from the story.
I can't blame everything on the artist, however. The basic gist of the storyline is decent. Girl meets fae boy. (I'd consider this a spoiler except the cover pretty much shows that he's a faerie.) Despite this being a pretty common story element, there's a lot you can do with this and I can't help but think that the delivery felt a little flat. I never really felt like the characters came to life for me and to be honest, neither did the chemistry between our lead characters.
There are some nice things about this volume, such as the section of the book that was in full color. It was a smart move and it did pay off well. It was one of the better sections of the book story and art wise. Parts of this book showed me that this really wanted to be a better story than what it was and I wish that it could have been.
If you're looking to read this, I'd recommend getting it from the library. This just wasn't one of the strongest offerings in the MBIAM series. Read it first via the library and then decide if you want to buy it for further re-readings or save up and wait on the next book in the series.
(ARC provided by Netgalley)
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