**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net** 
 Bound by Duty is the first book in a young adult Fantasy series called the Bound series. The second book in the series, Bound by Spells just came out a few weeks ago so now is the perfect time to start reading. I felt like Bound by Duty was more of an upper YA book or a YA/NA crossover because the main characters are in college. If you like YA fantasy, the bound series may be a good one for you to check out. I thought the book really built as the story goes on. 
 I have come to decide that heroines with magic or special abilities usually fall into one of two camps. First, that they had no idea they had abilities and/or there was a big secret kept from them and everything gets revealed at once and they are left to deal with the fallout. Or second, they know something about themselves is different, but they don't know the whole story. And that is the case here. Amelia knows she has powers and she knows she meant for the prince, but she only knows the tip of the iceberg. And Bound by Duty is the start of her journey to discover just what the heck is going on with her. 
 The start of Bound by Duty was kind of confusing, but if you stick with the book the anticipation and adventure really starts to build. My excitement level grew slowly overtime with the course of the story. In fact, it was complimentary to the progression that Amelia went on. As she learned more and found out more, I got more and more excited. That was kind of cool as a reader. It made me feel like I was right there next to her on her journey. 
 There are two guys in this story- Micah and Aiden and I am not going to say much more about them, because I feel like reviews that deal with multiple guys have a tendency to lean to one side and then before you know it, so much of the story is given away. Just be aware of the fact that there is a bit of a triangle here, and read on to figure where you fall. Or is it even a love triangle? (this is me, trying to be mysterious. heh.) 
 Bottom Line: Bound By Duty is an intriguing upper young adult fantasy. The beginning was a little hard for me to get through, but it got much better as the story goes on. So if you are like me, power through the beginning and see how you feel about the book by the end. I think you will enjoy it. 
 This review was originally posted on Book Briefs