Reviewed by Anabela.m
TITLE: Spellbound
SERIES: Fallen Messengers Book 2
AUTHOR: Ava Marie Salinger
PUBLISHER: Silver Orb Publishing
LENGTH: 258 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 15, 2021
BLURB:
Can Cassius and Morgan overcome an elusive enemy and save a young girl’s life?
Eden Monroe has spent her entire existence believing she has no magic. Shunned by her mother Brianna and the magical bureau Hexa, she runs away from home when she is forced to embrace a future she never chose, only to fall into the hands of ghastly monsters from the Nine Hells. After being rescued by a mysterious Dryad with secrets of his own, Eden realizes there is more to her past and future than she could ever have imagined.
When San Francisco PD asks Argonaut to assist them in solving a series of strange bank robberies, Cassius Black and Morgan King uncover a disturbing plot that points to an unknown artifact hidden somewhere in the city. Their investigation soon has them crossing paths with a desperate Brianna, who seeks their help in finding her missing daughter. When the witch reveals the shocking circumstances surrounding her daughter’s birth as well as the deadly magic sealed inside the young girl’s body, the Argonaut agents realize their case is linked to Eden and the weapon of devastating power the bank robbers are after.
Can Cassius and Morgan defeat the malevolent organization behind it all and save Eden from her cursed fate? Or will the young girl suffer a destiny worse than death itself?
Spellbound is the second novel in the gay urban fantasy romance series Fallen Messengers. This is an MM paranormal adventure full of action, magic, snark, and a host of steamy angels and demons.
REVIEW:
For the first part of the book, Spellbound had two plotlines that initially seemed to have nothing in common. One followed Cassius, Morgan and their Argonaut team as they tried to unravel the mystery behind a series of strange bank robberies, obviously done by magic users and with almost nothing taken away from the banks’ vaults.
The second plotline and the main one of the story, was centered on sixteen years old Eden, who went from thinking she had no magic to discovering she actually possessed one of the most powerful magic possible. So powerful, in fact, that mysterious forces needed her for a ritual, and together with the use of an ancient artifact, could possibly have meant the end of the world. That’s when the two plotlines got connected, and, at that point, a lot depended on Eden staying alive. But she found a champion in a dryad prince, Cedric, and the assistance of the Argonauts and of many strong magical creatures.
In some ways Spellbound gave me what I expected, and in others, it didn’t. I was excited to read it because I had hoped the focus would be on Cassius and Morgan, just like in book one, only to discover that they were supporting characters this time. The main perspectives of the book were those of Eden and Cedric, and while they were cute, they didn’t particularly thrill me as a romantic pairing. It was weird, actually, because sixteen years old Eden was attracted to a few centuries old Cedric, who, admittedly didn’t show his age. But still. In fact, exactly because the book was principally focused on Eden and Cedric, Spellbound gave me the vibe of an YA MF fantasy romance rather than the gay one the series started off with (not what I was looking for and really a disappointment).
That being said, I still enjoyed reading Spellbound. The world the author has created is absolutely fascinating and the overall storyline was captivating. There was dangers, a plethora of magical creatures, action, twists and surprises and an epic battle between good and evil. Kudos to Ava Marie Salinger, because she definitely knows how to write interesting characters and give a fast paced, breathtaking pace to her stories. Despite my quibbles, my attention was fully engaged on every page of this book, one hundred percent invested and thrilled to see the good guys prevail. And while Spellbound might not be a favorite, I’m still looking forward to more books in this series.
RATING: 
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