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A review by petra_reviews_mm
Arcane Entanglement by Ava Marie Salinger
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow. Spectacular world-building with magic, detective work, classism, and secrets!
I hadn’t read anything by this author before, so I went into the story completely blind, relying solely on the blurb (which, by the way, had me so very excited - I kept on checking my inbox for the ARC for hours). Just a few chapters in and I was already in love with the world and Evander’s character. I just knew I’d struggle parting with this story once it ended. And my guess was correct.
Evander is a charismatic, gorgeous, and powerful mage who starts off investigating a mystery involving a murder. He is not alone, though. The author introduces the side characters organically—without info-dumping and focusing only on telling rather than showing—and it’s never overwhelming. I especially loved the fierce, lovable female characters, which was such a refreshing aspect as it is not always the norm for MM romances! Both Evander and Viggo have captivating, heart-wrenching backgrounds and so much love to give and receive from those around them.
While it takes a bit for Viggo and Evander to meet, the buildup is woven seamlessly into the plot, so I didn’t mind at all. The world is rich with life, mystery, and magic, which pulled me in deeper with each page. The action was sizzling and full of tension.
The romance leans into the enemies-to-lovers trope, though their animosity quickly gives way to a mutual attraction that’s irresistible. It is more insta-attraction but I did not mind. These two are deliciously drawn together, and the forbidden nature of their relationship keeps the tension just high enough.
There are secrets (even between the main characters), but the angst never overwhelms their trust into each other. With well-timed plot twists and a mystery that unfolds at just the right pace, this story was an absolute pleasure to read.
There were some gory scenes, an autopsy on-page, gruesome murder(s), mentions of genocide, classism, violence, minor sexual harrassment (but the idiots pay for it) and maybe more...?
𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘎𝘢𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.
I hadn’t read anything by this author before, so I went into the story completely blind, relying solely on the blurb (which, by the way, had me so very excited - I kept on checking my inbox for the ARC for hours). Just a few chapters in and I was already in love with the world and Evander’s character. I just knew I’d struggle parting with this story once it ended. And my guess was correct.
Evander is a charismatic, gorgeous, and powerful mage who starts off investigating a mystery involving a murder. He is not alone, though. The author introduces the side characters organically—without info-dumping and focusing only on telling rather than showing—and it’s never overwhelming. I especially loved the fierce, lovable female characters, which was such a refreshing aspect as it is not always the norm for MM romances! Both Evander and Viggo have captivating, heart-wrenching backgrounds and so much love to give and receive from those around them.
While it takes a bit for Viggo and Evander to meet, the buildup is woven seamlessly into the plot, so I didn’t mind at all. The world is rich with life, mystery, and magic, which pulled me in deeper with each page. The action was sizzling and full of tension.
The romance leans into the enemies-to-lovers trope, though their animosity quickly gives way to a mutual attraction that’s irresistible. It is more insta-attraction but I did not mind. These two are deliciously drawn together, and the forbidden nature of their relationship keeps the tension just high enough.
There are secrets (even between the main characters), but the angst never overwhelms their trust into each other. With well-timed plot twists and a mystery that unfolds at just the right pace, this story was an absolute pleasure to read.
𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘎𝘢𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Genocide, Slavery, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and War