Praise for Garden of the Cursed
A Cosmopolitan Best YA Book of 2023!
“Mystery, fantasy, romance—this book has it all, and every page is more compulsively readable than the last. Gasp-inducing, heart-rending, and beautifully crafted, Garden of the Cursed is nothing short of genius.” —Jennifer Lynn Barnes, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Inheritance Games series
"A delicious read full of swoony romance (fake-dating trope!), dangerous gangsters, wondrous magic, and an elaborate mystery that will keep the pages flying." —Tricia Levenseller, New York Times–bestselling author of Blade of Secrets
"Katy Rose Pool kicks off a brand new duology with a badass lead and a very fascinating mystery that you definitely won't be able to put down. Sprinkle in some magic and an enemies-to-lovers romance and we officially have a new favorite series." —Cosmopolitan
"One of the most original fantasy novels I've read in years." —C. L. Herman, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the All of Us Villains duology
"A fresh, fascinating magic system, an intricate blend of fantasy meets mystery, and a riveting fake dating romance—I devoured this in a single day." —Amanda Foody, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the All of Us Villains duology
* "High-stakes action and bureaucratic intrigue abound, but it’s Marlow and Adrius’s charged relationship that keep tensions elevated. Sumptuous worldbuilding and fully realized, intersectionally diverse characters further enhance this enticing tale." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"The story blends creative worldbuilding elements with beloved tropes. Delightfully intriguing." —Kirkus
"Recommended for any library." —Booklist
"An exciting start to a duology that will leave readers eager for the next installment." —BookPage
2024-04-05
A satisfying sequel to 2023’s Garden of the Curse, tinged with political intrigue.
The Falcrests are one of the original Five Families—along with the Morandis, Starlings, Vales, and Delvignes—who control all the libraries and maintain control over the city of Caraza. In this duology closer, 17-year-old cursebreaker Marlow Briggs is reeling from the aftereffects of the fatal attack by Adrius Falcrest, her 18-year-old love interest, on his own father. Marlow manages to break the spell that forced Adrius to stab his father in the heart, but now she’s been falsely accused of Aurelius Falcrest’s murder. Meanwhile, she discovers that Cormorant, the head of the Vale family, cast the Compulsion spell on Adrius, forcing this patricide. Cormorant also has grand plans, supposedly for the greater good, to work from an ancient grimoire on creating a spell “that will give him ultimate power over reality itself.” Marlow, with help from her friend Swift and his lover, Silvan, conspires to stop him. This world of spellcasters, cursebreakers, and hexes provides plenty of interesting twists and turns. Marlow also solves mysteries that were introduced in the earlier volume. Action sequences and sensual (though not explicit) romantic scenes between Marlow and Adrius provide breaks from the slower-paced problem-solving explanations. Marlow is clever at finding solutions, and she’s an expert analyst of human nature who navigates the complexities of the wealthy oligarchy with confidence. Main characters read white.
Spellbinding; brings closure through solid worldbuilding featuring clever heroes and complex villains. (Fantasy mystery. 14-18)