Lisa Reviews: Brittany Gerogatelis's - "What the Spell" (audio book)

Who wouldn’t want to be part of the cool crowd? Who wouldn’t want to be well known and looked up to by everyone? And who would rather go to parties with celebrities than sit at home?

But what would you do, and what would you be willing to risk, to become popular and a part of this crowd? Turn your back on your only friend, lie to both your parents and boyfriend, break into school and tepee the principal’s house; Brooklyn did that, and much more.

What the Spell follows Brooklyn, a not so normal teenage girl, on her journey to popularity and to becoming a member of The Elite in her high school. Never having stuck out, never having done or been anyone special, Brooklyn has always looked up to The Elite – the cool crowd of kids at her high school. But Brooklyn isn’t just the normal outcast girl you read about in every other story, she’s a witch and has just recently received her powers.

All witches receive their powers once they are born, but not Brooklyn. Brooklyn’s parents wanted her to live a normal life, and learn to cherish her powers once she was old enough. Brooklyn has always known she was a witch and has spent many days online researching and chatting on forums with other witches about spells. Brooklyn already knew which spell she would cast first as soon as she got her powers – a beautifying spell.

After changing almost her entire appearance, Brooklyn is finally noticed by The Elite; exactly what she was hoping for. But looking good and eating lunch on stage with The Elite isn’t all Brooklyn has to do to become an official member. She has to prove her worth. To do this, Brooklyn is asked to tepee the principal’s house, and to break into the school and get The Elite members the chance to look at their files (which happen to be in Brooklyn’s only friend’s office).

After doing anything and everything they ask of her, Brooklyn realizes that The Elite aren’t the kind of people she wants to be friends with anyway. And that becoming a member isn’t as important to her, as it was in the beginning of the story.

The characters in What the Spell were kind of irritating… in a good way, if that makes sense. Brooklyn is this girl who doesn’t really know what she wants or who she is yet. She’s just got these butt kicking witch powers, but quickly uses them for the wrong reasons. She has always looked up to this “cool” group of kids, just to discover that they aren’t that cool after all (I could have told her that all along!).

The Elite is comprised of a few wealthy kids, who spend their lunch time eating on a stage, their weekends partying with celebrities, and any other time bullying or mistreating other people. While I can see why Brooklyn would want to become a part of The Elite, I can also see why her boyfriend constantly denies their invites to any social events.

Brooklyn’s only true friend is her councillor, who I can easily say I really liked. But I do feel that she could have spent more time talking to Brooklyn about The Elite and why it wouldn’t be a good idea to become a member.

The ending wasn’t anything too crazy or unexpected which I didn’t mind. For this story, I actually liked it. There was already so much to learn and so much going on throughout the story, that I felt a twist or unbelievable ending wasn’t needed. In the end, everything is made right.  Throughout What the Spell, she discovers herself and the person she really wants to be, which is a good daughter and a loyal friend.

Overall, What the Spell was a fun and light read (listen, since I had it on audio!). Though I found myself wanting to grab Brooklyn by the shoulders, give her a good shake and to tell her to open her eyes, I really enjoyed the story. What the Spell did start off a little slower than I would have liked but it quickly picked up with the different tasks The Elite required Brooklyn to accomplish. Also, the relationship between Brooklyn and her boyfriend kept this interesting and sweet. I would recommend this book on audio to anyone who is looking for something light and quick. This isn’t exactly a beach read, but it would be good for a relaxing day on the front porch in a comfy hammock.