Yay Happy Publication on June 20th! This still is on my top fave for this year and I can't wait for the sequel ❤️❤️❤️

When the author Katy Rose Pool reached out to me via my bookstagram account asking if I wanted an advanced reader's copy of this book because of my support of her other books, I immediately said yes. Her Age of Darkness series is so well done and has such an amazing cast that I was so excited to see what her next book had in store, even if she mentioned that it was built for a different sort of audience. It turns out, this story was built exactly for my tastes as well. In this edge-of-your-seat YA fantasy/mystery duology from award-winning author Katy Rose Pool, cursebreaker Marlow Briggs reluctantly pretends to be in love with one of the most powerful nobles in Caraza City to gain entry into an illustrious—and deadly—society that holds clues to her mother’s disappearance. Garden of the Cursed is perfect for fans of Veronica Mars , These Violent Delights, and Chain of Iron .

About the Author

In this thrilling YA fantasy/mystery duology from award-winning author Katy Pool, cursebreaker Marlow Briggs reluctantly pretends to be in love with one of the most powerful nobles in Caraza City to gain entry into an illustrious—and deadly—society that holds clues to her mother's disappearance. Perfect for fans of Veronica Mars, These Violent Delights, and Chain of Iron. The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life. Adrius tries to convince Marlow to help him break a curse. Marlow's cat, Toad, can sense curses and Marlow understands that while he's telling the truth, and she loves a good mystery, she doesn't want to help him. They and two other characters, Darien and Silvan, remember Marlow from when she ran in higher social circles. They ask Marlow where she's been and we learn that Marlow's father was the Vale chevalier, a man of status and she grew up among the nobility.

He says he’s really flattered, but this obsession your boss has with him is starting to get embarrassing.” On each day we'll read a section of Gardens Of The Cursed, both on the blog and in The Nest's group, and then discuss in the comments our theories and predictions. This means there will be spoilers for each section! Beware!Nothing short of genius .” —Jennifer Lynn Barnes, #1 New York Times -bestselling author of The Inheritance Games series, on Garden of the Cursed

Vivian is led away, leaving Corrine, de-cursed and able to perform. She thanks Marlow and lets her know that The Five Families scions are going to be attending the opening night of the ballet. I also enjoyed the cursebreaking aspect, which is saying a lot because magic systems and I are hit or miss. But this one was a hit. I liked that it took not just magic, but a lot of intelligence and sleuthing to figure these curses out. And Marlow certainly has her hands full! In addition, it seems like a very scant number of people in this world are to be trusted- and that isn't just Marlow's jaded outlook, it just is the truth. So I loved getting to try to figure out who Marlow should trust at the same time that she is trying to decipher the same thing.A slow start that ramps up to compelling and ends with questions yet to be answered. A duology that does not end here. Marlow heads into the theatre and finds Corrine. Marlow asks her to come with her and they go to find Vivian, Corrine's replacement for a prima ballerina. Marlow accuses Vivian of cursing Corrine so that she could get the lead role instead of her, and Marlow breaks Corrine's curse by burning the card she stole from Flint. Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillian's Children Publishing for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own. Solidifies Katy Rose Pool as one of the best fantasy writers of the 21st century." — Popsugar on As the Shadow Rises The narration by Jennifer Blom was enjoyable and I thought she did a wonderful job as Marlow. Some of the characters were voiced similarly though and there were times when it was challenging to distinguish between characters.

So many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own. Bane’s two cronies pushed deeper into the hall, flanking Marlow. She stood her ground, sizing them up. The one with a red beard she vaguely recognized, and the other, a wiry youth with a squid beak nose, looked like he couldn’t be much older than she was. A new recruit. Maybe even Swift’s replacement. So I was a little underwhelmed with the first few chapters, I will admit this. Not that I didn't like it necessarily, I just wasn't invested yet? But! When I did begin to become invested, I was all in. So if you aren't feeling it at the very start, give it a second, because it was very much worth it for me! Tropes: guy falls first, friends to lovers, fake relationship, second chance, hate to, sarcastic witty banter, “court” intrigue, jealous guy, girl falls first, slow-burn fantasy romance.In Garden of the Cursed, a romantic, enemies-to-lovers fantasy mystery, cursebreaker Marlow Briggs reluctantly pretends to be in love with a powerful noble to gain entry into an illustrious—and deadly—society that holds clues to her mother's disappearance. This edge-of-your-seat novel is perfect for fans of Veronica Mars, These Violent Delights, and Chain of Iron. Adrius is a scion and heir to one of these families, while Marlow was allowed to be educated alongside him and the other noblesse nouveau since her mother worked as a chevalier to one of the Five Families. She was ostracized by everyone there aside from Adrius; however, their friendship existed in private, when he would appear at her apartment to bother her. A year ago, even that was ruined when he publicly wanted nothing to do with her. A few days later, Marlow’s mother disappeared and she flees to the Marshes, not seeing Adrius until a chance encounter that later leads to him asking her to break his curse. I’m not 100% sold on the second chance-ish friends to enemies to lovers romance between Marlow and Adrius and I felt more frustrated than anything with them most of the time. I tried to keep in mind that they’re just teenagers, but it became increasingly difficult since they never talked to each other and the same miscommunication kept happening over and over again. The book ends with an interesting reveal and cliffhanger, but it’s not a cliffhanger that will leave you feeling gutted. I could not stand the characters in this book, for one of two reasons. Either they were super cookie-cutter, to the point it was almost comical, or they were just horrible. Marlow was fine, even though there was nothing that stood out about her. Her whole identity is wrapped up in her mother's, so we didn't get to know her. I could not stand Adrius. He was incredibly self-centered and hurtful to others. He looks down on others of a lower social class and was only friends with Marlow when none of his other friends were around. Even though he treated others poorly, he still expected to be treated the best and was hurt over things he had no right to be upset about. Marlow and Adrius are in a fake relationship, yet he would lead Marlow on, only to say he was kidding, or gaslight her into being embarrassed. Yet, when Marlow played the part, he acted like a petulant child since she told him, upfront, that it was not real to her. Because he was horrible, I liked them as enemies, even when Marlow was growing attracted to him. To be convinced that they could be lovers, I need leaps and bounds of growth in Adrius's character. He was annoying from start to finish. Marlow sits on the counter of Bowery Spellshop eating a chocolate stuffed biscuit and drinking tea while her friend Swift fusses next to her with an Aristan machine.