Review: Witches, high school, and hot boys!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 16, 2012
Originally posted on <...>Spectral by Shannon Duffy is a supernatural romance that held my attention to the very end. It was a fun read, but it was very predictable. From the very beginning it was obvious Jewel would end up in a love triangle with the cute boy, Chase, who she is instantly attracted to, and the dark, mysterious Roman, who she feels an intense connection with. But, even though Spectral may be a little cookie cutter to begin with, as the story progresses I felt it morphed into something all it's own.Jewel is an alright heroine. She wasn't very strong or smart or special, besides her spectral powers, but she sort of starts to grow on you as the story progresses. Really, my only complaint is that Jewel is a little on the whiny side. She's one of those characters who depends on other people to help her instead of helping herself, even though she's about to become an insanely powerful witch. But I do think she's got the potential to become a serious butt kicker in the future, what with being the spectral and all.There was a part within the first few chapters that bugged me. Jewel goes to a bar with her friends and both sides of her love triangle, Roman and Chase, are there. She hangs with Chase for a bit, but then she notices Roman there and waves to him. She doesn't run across the room and leap into his arms, just waves politely from her place across the bar. But Chase doesn't like that very much. He doesn't yell at her, but he shows his displeasure that she might like another guy. Then, Jewel proceeds to say something completely idiotic in the vein of, "He's just a friend, don't be mad at me." Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait up a minute here! She just met this dude the day before. Both dudes, actually. Chase has no claim on her, he's not her boyfriend, he's not her date for the night, she just happened to run into him at the bar, where she was actually going to see Roman play guitar. So, technically, she was meeting Roman at the bar, which means she owes Chase absolutely ZERO explanation as to why she's waving at Roman. I'm sorry, but this situation seemed very "possessive boyfriend" to me, and, like I said, she's known both guys exactly one day. Don't be mad at me? That's absolute crap and Jewel should be ashamed of herself for letting some guy she doesn't even know make her feel like she has something to apologize for. I started off thinking I might be Team Chase, but this scene immediately sent me over to Team Roman. But, honestly, I would've ended up Team Roman anyway. He's hotter. And not a possessive jerk!All in all, I enjoyed Spectral. It's got this Disney Original Movie vibe to it. At least, that's the vibe I was getting from it. I liked it. It's a fun book about witches, high school, and hot boys. I recommend it to anyone looking for a light and cute supernatural story that will make them smile.