"Sixteen-year-old Libby Tanner’s art comes to life. Her painted skies turn from day to night, leaves rustle on trees, and sometimes, a mystery boy appears.
While attending England’s Aldridge Art Academy, Libby meets charming Brent Henderson, a performing arts student who showers her with attention. But his rival, gorgeous Dean James, is the one who occupies her mind, even though he’s very much attached to his current girlfriend.
Libby soon learns there’s more to both Brent and Dean than she ever imagined. In order to save her future and the boy who’s captured her heart, she must unlock the secrets behind her art by entering the most dangerous place of all… the world within her paintings.
But once she steps into the canvas, she risks being trapped forever."
NetGalley. Thanks for a copy.
The most similar book to Canvas Bound (that I can think of) is Darker Still. There are many differences between the two books (such as the setting and the world building and the evils-that-are), but they both share a common point: a magical painting (or in Canvas Bound's case, paintings).
Anyway, let's go back to this book.
Canvas Bound stars Libby Tanner, who is a very gifted artist. Her greatest love and joy is to draw, and her paintings are many. She is famous in the art world, and her drawings practically "come to life." (Pun sort-of intended.) She is interesting and sweet, but the story is more focused on the action and the world building.
Now, more on the world building. The world of Canvas Bound is... magical and special. Though I don't really understand how it works (or how Libby's power work), I have to assume that it is all magic. Libby's paintings move on their own, and very frequently, she will see a mysterious boy in them (no, not in a romantic way; please don't think that). The world building isn't difficult to understand at all.
The plot is slow but also steady. Don't expect painting-traveling mentioned in the synopsis to happen anytime soon. Patience is required, and I sometimes find myself tapping my foot. Thankfully, it starts speeding up towards the end.
Dean James. (Let's all collectively think of James Dean.) It is an interesting name and choice for the author, but oh, well. *shrugs* She can do whatever she likes.
Foreshadowing is easy to see. I can honestly see where the plot is going, and the surprise element is lost on me. I already predicted most of the ending, but I don't end up disappointed by Canvas Bound at all. The ending is decent.
Overall, Canvas Bound pushes too much on the foreshadowing area and contains stereotypical characters (including a gay character who is apparently a fashion expert). But it has an intriguing world of painting-powers (though I don't know how it works). Entertaining, but slow. There are some great pieces of dialogue.
Rating: Three out of Five
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