Spellbinders – The Not So Chosen One

June 7, 2023April 20, 2024 by onemoreexclamation

Welcome to my spot on the blog tour for Spellbinders – The Not So Chosen One by Andrew Auseon and hosted by TBR and Beyond Tours.

Spellbinders the not so chosen one book cover

Title: Spellbinders: The Not So Chosen One

Author: Andrew Austin

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Pub Date: June 6th, 2023

Buy it Here: Amazon (blog books)

Find it Here: Goodreads | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

About Spellbinders

How far would you go to play the hero? One lonely seventh grader gets way more than he bargained for when he is swept into the fantasy quest of his gaming dreams in this magical illustrated series full of laughs, adventure, and twists.

Ben doesn’t feel chosen by anybody—not by his friends, who haven’t kept in touch since he moved after his parents’ divorce, or by his mom, who’s so busy he barely sees her. He spends all his time living in fantasy worlds and writing extensively planned adventure campaigns in his role-playing-game notebook. So when Niara, a character who could be right out of one of his favorite games, shows up and tells him he’s destined to save her realm (like, foretold-by-a-prophecy destined), Ben has two possible tell her the truth or play along. He’s tired of feeling left behind, so his choice is clear—game on.

One interdimensional portal later, Ben is in full hero mode. At first, adventuring in Lux seems like a dream come true, but pretending to be the Chosen One—and lying to his new friends—isn’t quite what he imagined it to be. And the more he learns about Lux and his quest, the more he realizes this is way beyond a game—and the rules seem to be changing as he goes. In fact, it might be time for him to write some new ones.

Reviews For Spellbinders

“Ben may only be pretending to be the ‘Chosen One’—but I’ve definitely chosen this one as my favorite new fantasy series.”—Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Last Kids on Earth series

How had his life changed so much? Ben used to have it all. But after his parents divorce he has to move and start all over again.

Left alone, Niara informs him his is the chosen one. Sure, no problem, he’ll go along with the game. Only it’s not a game. Ben has magical abilities, he’s a Spellbinder.

This book is great for imaginative preteens, those who love magic, or gamers. The characters are well rounded and we never know what is coming next. I love me some puns and word plays and this book has that too!

The first hint of this becoming a series is on the listing as book one – I’m somewhat of a genius, right? Everything about this book is a setup for a long running series sure to delight readers. 5 stars from me.

About the Author

Andrew Auseon is a writer of novels for young people, and a designer of video games. He holds a B.A. from Ohio University and a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults from the prestigious Vermont College.

He lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife, Sarah Zogby, and their two daughters.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads