review: Bound by Erica O'Rourke

Bound by Erica O'Rourke
June 26, 2012
K Teen
Torn #3
Young Adult | Urban Fantasy
Pages: 350
Source/Format: Publisher/ARC
Rating: ★★★1/2
Author's Website | Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound


This review isn't spoilerish for the first two books in the series, but the summary is, so maybe skip over it unless you like spoilers?

“I beat you. Twice. No magic, and I still beat you. And that was when I didn’t know what I was doing.” I smiled, cold as the winter sky outside. “Imagine what I’m capable of now.”

Mo Fitzgerald has made her choice: A life in Chicago. A future with Colin. To leave behind the enigmatic Luc and the world of the Arcs. But every decision she’s made, from avenging her best friend’s death to protecting the people she loves, has come at a terrible price.

As her father returns from prison and the Seraphim regroup, war breaks out in both her worlds. And Mo isn’t the only one with secrets to hide and choices to make. The more she struggles to keep her magic and mortal lives separate, the deadlier the consequences. In the end, Mo must risk everything—her life, her heart, her future—or lose it all.

IN A SENTENCE:

There's something about the third book in a series. Choices characters make can either break or make the book for you, and sadly, choices Mo made in Bound broke the book for me. While I loved the first two, Bound wasn't what I was expecting at all. A slightly disappointing ending to a fantastic series.

REVIEW:

You know, it really freaking sucks when you dislike a book and you've gotten to know the author. Or the book belongs to one of your favorite series. Which happens to me with Bound by Erica O'Rourke. I'm sorry, Erica, but I didn't like this one as much as the others. 

I love this series—Erica O’Rourke knows how to write a damn good story and she keeps me hooked throughout the entire book; however, a choice a character makes in Bound makes me not like this one as much as the others. And that makes me really, really sad.

Bound has HUGE consequences, and you know things won’t turn out how you want them to be. It’s a great conclusion to an even better series; I just wish Mo didn’t make the choice she did in the middle of the book. It ruined the second half and ending for me. Like it makes sense to me why she did make those choices, but it didn’t FEEL right for me. And I half-way wonder if it’s because of my feelings toward a character, but I honestly never expected Mo to make that decision and UGGGGH. I just don’t know.

Yo, there is so much packed into this little book. (I’m totally joking about that; it’s longer than the first two, so it isn’t really little…) I LOVED it. And so much angst. I mean, Mo’s dad is back and working for her uncle again (!) and it’s all crazy. Anton is out to kill Mo and you guys it’s all so crazy and chaotic and I really loved that part of the story. The first 250-ish pages: AWESOME. And maddening. But awesome.

I think it’s a great final book to the series. Things are tied up at the end and Mo makes her choice. But I wish that wasn’t how the story ended; I kinda hope there’s a fourth book where Mo goes back to a certain character and make amends. I’d be happy then. In FACT, I may just pretend that is how it all ends. La la la happy land.

I’d still recommend Bound—and most definitely this series. I love the mob and the magic; I love the two different worlds and how they cross paths at times. That is what I want with urban fantasy because that is epic.

He sat down, taking my hand in his. "What if you choose wrong?" 

"You have to trust that I won't." It shouldn't be such a leap, trusting me. How could you love someone if you couldn't trust them? I'd made my choice. Now I had to make it the right one. "If I stayed here, would it be so terrible?"  

Before he could answer, I pressed my mouth to his, hungry for reassurance. Whatever he said was lost in the kiss, and then I was lost, too, and he was all I had to hold onto. His hands slid underneath my sweat, under my T-shirt, his fingers dipping to the waistband of my jeans, and I whimpered, not sure how to ask for more but wanting it all the same.

- p. 49/50, ARC


Uh, of course I had to pick a smexy scene! What kind of person would I be if I DIDN'T? :P


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