Jump to:

• What is Spellbinders Book 1 all about?
• Who would Spellbinders be great for?
• How does Spellbinders bridge between real world and fantasy?
• Our favorite parts of Spellbinders
• Overall thoughts on Spellbinders
• Find a copy of Spellbinders

What is Spellbinders Book 1 all about?

Spellbinders by Andrew Auseon is about your average, kind of lonely, 7th grade kid, Ben, who suddenly finds himself in a world not terribly different from the games he’s played and written! With everyone expecting him to be the Chosen One of prophecy, he’ll need to hone his creative powers to survive everything from the Gullet of Eternal Torment to the Kingdom of Cleveland.

This book is about adventure, self realization, making friends, and uncovering the truth as Ben not only faces the challenges that crash around him but the challenges that he carries from home as he’s adjusting to a new way of life and changing friends.

Who would Spellbinders be great for?

Spellbinders is written for kids about age 8-12 to read on their own, and most of the themes, references, and shenanigans are going to be most relevant to that age group… but that’s not to say it isn’t enjoyable outside of that age range. I thought it was fun during my read, and the humor sprinkled throughout was very welcome. The pacing worked great, having ups and downs between action and self-reflection, keeping it interesting throughout the whole journey. Kiddo (age 6) also enjoyed our read-alouds and thought the idea of TTRPG games coming to life is just something we should make happen!

How does Spellbinders bridge between real world and fantasy?

Spellbinders takes place in two worlds, a version of our Earth (with many humorous variations on common brand names and titles) and a fantasy world called Lux that is full of tons of things a pre-teen would probably include in their homebrew fantasy world.

Lux has MANY Earth items and ammenities that have traveled across the border between worlds (motivational posters, the emjoi on the king’s banner, and flip flops) that don’t quite match the rest of the fantasy vibe, but have good reason for being there. It’s a fun and interesting way to convey what’s going in the story while also adding a bit of humor and reminding the reader to question things and remember how Ben, too, is a bit out of place here.

Our favorite parts of Spellbinders

One of our favorite parts of Spellbinders was when we were first introduced to the knights who rode flying narwhals and shot lightning… despite them being depicted on the cover, it was still a fun surprise in how they showed up, and we loved how common place they were treated by everyone while the main character was like…. wait a minute… what?!

We also really liked one of the characters in particular, Merv, a changeling from a different land who is a bit of a cheeky thief, but in the most friendly way possible. Merv is non-binary, and everyone was cool with that, which was great to see! We’re also particularly excited for book 2 since it looks like Merv may be returning and want to see what shenaningans a friendly shapeshifting sneak will get up to with Ben and team.

Overall thoughts on Spellbinders

This was a fun book to read! I liked the excerpts and illustrations throughout it (which you don’t always get with chapter books… so this was particularly cool with kiddo), and we laughed more than once during our read. There’s action and adventure and excitment while also really being about a bit deeper story about the characters themselves and how they’re learning and growing. We are glad there’s a second book out already and can’t wait to read it!

Find a copy of Spellbinders

You can find a copy of Spellbinders through Penguin Random House and other booksellers!

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