Garden of the Cursed was an entertaining YA fantasy romance. This is my first book by the author and the cover definitely intrigued me and got me to pick it up. The pacing felt slow at times even with all of the fighting/action, but the mystery of Adrius’s curse and Marlow’s mother kept me listening. Some of the twists were predictable, but I thought the plot threads came together pretty well.

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.

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.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 4 stars
Story 3.5-4 stars

Marlow lives in a world with hexes, spells, and curses, and she’s great at both casting spells and breaking curses. She used to be a part of the lavish upper crust life, albeit as a bystander, but lives on the rough side of town ever since her mother’s disappearance a year ago.

So when Adrius, the rich boy who crushed her heart, shows up at her house in the Marshes, she knows something is weird.

Turns out he’s coming to her for help because he’s cursed… and it’s giving Ella Enchanted... he’s been cursed to obey any demand given to him. Personally that’s where my ears perked up because I love seeing men get taken down a peg :0)

The two work together to break the curse even though Marlow is wildly over Adrius’s shit - and even better, they fake date to make it plausible that Marlow’s around all the time to deflect demands unknowingly (or purposely?) given to Adrius. They end up working against a time limit to figure out who cursed Adrius and why and the drama is juicy and so are their eventual feelings for each other.

I really enjoyed this! And I am annoyed that book 2 isn't out right now. The way the book ends...cruel to leave me hanging.

I def went into this with the wrong expectations - I dont know why I thought it was going to be some moody, gothic-esque romance - it's not. But I'm not complaining because I'm definitely a fan of Sci-Fi and besides space SF, this is the next best kind. The plot was interesting, the characters were also interesting and felt fully developed - they were complicated and full of depth and compassion. The various conflicts were engaging and just overall, the book was very good.

I loved Katy's first trilogy and I cannot wait to see what journey she takes us on with these characters. I'm excited.

This book too me a while to finish. It’s not that I wasn’t enjoying it (because I absolutely was) but the long chapters gave me a hard time. I found myself growing bored by the middle of some chapters and wanted something to break that up. I think this book would have benefited from more chapter breaks.

Now, onto the story. I really liked the world and world building here. The magic system was interesting because it was accessible to anyone for the right price. I also loved the almost mafia-esque situation with the powerful families and the underworld that Marlow found herself in.

I liked the romance and always find fake dating and enemies to lovers to be great tropes. This was actually friends to enemies to fake lovers to lovers but it was still a fun set of tropes.

I will definitely read the sequel because I really want to know what’s going to happen next.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I gave this a four out of five stars. I really enjoyed this book, I want to add this to my collection. I can’t wait to read more about these characters. I liked the characters, friendships, relationships, and growth of the characters.

I’ll be honest – I requested this book from NetGalley based on the title and cover alone. I mean, look at it. It’s a piece of art.

After her mother’s disappearance, Marlow moves to the other side of the tracks and makes a name for herself as a cursebreaker. This is a concept I haven’t read before, and it immediately intrigued me. When former BFF Adrius, scion of an affluent family, requests her help in breaking his curse, she’s unsure about taking the case. For reasons unknown, he spurned and humiliated her a year ago, and the pain is still there. Adrius has been cursed to do anything he’s commanded. Just take a sec and think of the implications of that. Tell him to jump off a building – he does it. Hand over all his money – it’s yours. Even worse, if the curse isn’t broken within a certain timeframe it becomes irreversible. In order to find the person who cursed Adrius, he and Marlow must pretend to “fake date” so no one questions her presence in the wealthy Evergarden society as she investigates.

Fake dating is a popular trope, but I grew weary of it pretty quickly. Especially since it’s so obvious Marlow and Adrius still care deeply for each other. Judging by other reviews I’m in the minority on this, but I’m more of a straightforward person so that explains it. Marlow holds onto her pain and anger so tightly she’s oblivious to the truth in front of her, for which she ultimately pays a high price.

As far as who cursed Adrius, there’s a list of obvious suspects with clear motives. I was sure I’d pegged the culprit, but I was wrong each time. And that ending? My heart is still bruised over that one, and I’ll be needing that sequel really soon.

With a cat named Toad who can detect curses, a fast-paced plot that rarely stands still, incredibly high stakes, and an intriguing mystery, this fantasy novel will keep you flipping the pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Readers looking for a new fantasy that straddles the line between high and contemporary fantasy with romance will enjoy this fresh YA. The story details a world in which the wealthy and powerful are the ones who control magic and access to it. While the rest of the population must depend on black market curses. The heroine of the story is a curse breaker who once was part of the elite through her, now missing, mother's job. The story stays fairly fast paced as the mystery unfurls with tons of romantic tension.
It was a bit disappointing that not much was revealed until the very end, leading to a cliffhanger. The romance especially, does not really manage to get off the ground at the end. May need follow up with the eventual sequel to find answers. (Thanks to Henry Holt Co. and Netgalley for the ARC)

This book you guys! I loved it and I can't wait for more! Garden of the Cursed is the first book in a new series by Katy Rose Pool and if you don't have this on your TBR shelf, I recommend you add it right now.

Marlow Briggs grew up amongst the rich and privileged and when her mother mysteriously disappeared, she fled to Caraza City. Ever since, she has made a name for herself as a cursebreaker...she's also garnered a few enemies along the way. As she does her work, she always has her mother in the back of her mind and she's determined to figure out what happened to her.

When Adrius Falcrest, Marlow's old friend and scion of one of Caraza's most affluent spell-making families, asks her to help break a life-threatening curse, Marlow wants nothing to do with the boy who spurned her a year ago. But a new lead in her mother’s case makes Marlow realize that the only way to get the answers she desperately seeks is to help Adrius and return to Evergarden society—even if it means suffering through a fake love affair with him to avoid drawing suspicion from the conniving Five Families.

I love Marlow as a character. She has her flaws for sure but in the end, she is smart and determined and willing to do whatever she needs to in order to find the answers she's looking for. She does push the limits of some of her friendships but she's loyal and willing to do anything for those she cares about. This is partially what has created her pool of enemies and I couldn't truly hold that against her. Once she found herself back in the fold of the elite, she stood on her own.

The world that Pool developed here was interesting and engaging. There's magic, lots of danger, and gangs. As the investigation draws Marlow into a web of deadly secrets and powerful enemies, a shocking truth emerges: Adrius’s curse and her mother’s disappearance may just be clues to an even larger mystery, one that could unravel the very foundations of Caraza and magic itself.

If you're looking for a new YA series to pick up, choose this one. I couldn't put this one down and am excitedly waiting for the next book.

5/5 stars, this was absolutely incredible

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt & Company, and Katy Rose Pool for the arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

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.

This book opens in a speakeasy with magic cards, and I knew immediately that I was going to adore this book. One of my favorite time periods to read about is the roaring 20s and this book gave off those vibes, especially with The Marshes and all the counterfeit spells and more. Not to mention I've always loved the idea of spell cards, or magic cards that can do different things since my friend played a character that relied on that in one of our dnd campaigns. It was incredibly cool and so when I learned that this book had both curses and magic cards, I was even more excited.

One amazing thing I found in this story was the plot, it was always quickly moving and there were always new twists that kept me interested. Katy did such a good job balancing the underworld events with the high society events, there was just enough of both where I never got bored with too much of one or the other. There were so many wheels behind the scenes turning as well for the mysteries in this book and undoubtedly there's still so much more to uncover in the next book. I think the mystery aspect of this book was done very well, even if there were a few things I managed to guess, it was easy to fall into the story and get carried away.

The cast of characters was perfectly built for this type of story too, with Marlow an excellent main character even if she had her flaws. It just allowed her to stand out to people around her and made her very good at her job. She's cocky sometimes, but a good actress and excellent at finding out what really happens behind closed doors. Adrius, I was skeptical about him at first, in the beginning pages I didn't really like him but oh boy did I end up loving him. Now? He's my favorite character and I just need more of him, he's for sure book boyfriend material. But even the side characters like the upper society's groups, the gangs in the Marshes, and Marlow's best friend Swift was such great character. I cannot wait to see some new ones in the next book especially how this story ended off, but getting to learn about all the characters here was an amazing experience.

Adrius and Marlow might actually kill me, their story is so complex and I love both of them so much. Everything about their dynamic is great to read about, and perfect for anyone looking for enemies to lovers' angst. And I mean, lots, and lots of angst. They go from enemies to childhood friends to pining to enemies to fake dating to pining again to enemies, and they leave as enemies at the end of this book I am so upset. The author knew what she was doing and I NEED to see them together again. I am so incredibly desperate. Based on what happened at the end I'm really not sure where they stand but I am incredibly desperate for their interactions in the second book and for Adrius to call her "minnow" again. If you know you know.

[TW: knives, blood and gore, alcohol and drunk people, death of a loved one, murder]

As a fan of Katy Rose Pool's work previously, the bar was even higher for me. But Garden of the Cursed exceeded expectations. It was like a mystery detective story meets magical curse breaking all with a second chance romance element to it. The secrets of the past are never dead in Garden of the Cursed. I basically immediately loved Marlow and how determined she is, how reckless, and how cunning. The world of Garden of the Cursed is one where people are being pulled by strings out of their hands.

That cover though! First thank you to the author and to the publishers for a free ARC of this book. The cover art for this book is S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G. Love the book. Cant wait for the final book as this is a duology! I have to say great world building very intentional! i loved the love story and the love confession! Absolutely adorable. The friendships were also some of my favorite as well. THANK you and i'll have another! please and thank you!

I've been waiting for a 5 star read for June and I finally got it on the last day of the month with Garden of the Cursed. I had no expectations going into this book so every character and action was an utter delight and I didn't want to have to put the book down to deal with the real world.

I loved the interactions between Marlow and Adrius. They felt like real actions and real banter between two people who have a shared history that they don't see the same way. Marlow's characterization is so well done and I felt everything that she felt. This was one of those times that I fell completely into the story along with the characters.

The setting was analogous to New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou, but it wasn't a carbon copy so it took me a little while to figure out the analogy. Katy Rose Pool took the setting and made it her own and I wasn't annoyed with it like I have been with other fantasy novels. There was no cajun like language, no specific tells, and it felt like a fantasy world. I also liked the fantasy system of spellcraft based on cards and it felt like a call-out to Gambit from the X-Men.

Overall I was so pleased with this book and of course it ended on a cliffhanger that I really should have seen coming, but didn't. I can't wait to read the next book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the arc for review purposes.

It should be no shock at all that I absolutely loved this book. I devoured it in only a few sittings. I loved the world and the magic. I think it was all well-explained and well-built. The fake dating was absolute perfection. I really loved Marlow and I was compelled by her mission to find out what really happened with her mother and I literally shouted when the big twist was revealed. I know this just came out but I already can't wait for more in this series. There's so much more to learn about the world and the characters.

Magical and mysterious, GARDEN OF THE CURSED was a fantastic start of a new duology centering around curses, the secrets lurking in high society, and a girl cast out and on the search for what happened to her missing mother. An opportunity presents itself early on that allows Marlow to return to the society that cast her out and figure out once and for all the events that led to her mother’s disappearance. There’s a bit of fake dating involved as Marlow reconnects with her childhood friend Adrius, and their relationship was quite fun at times. There’s a bit of heartache involved as well due to past circumstances involving Adrius, and it’s interesting to see that play a role in their present.⁣
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I really loved the magic system and the curses involved, and the danger that comes along with curses and dark magic. Curses aren’t ever used for good, and being a cursebreaker puts Marlow in the sights of many a bad fellow. She has her fair share of enemies, including one of the Marshes most notorious gangs. ⁣
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The world-building was fantastic. It’s got a bit of an historical high-society feel mixed with the Art Deco era with it’s bit of mobsters and gangsters, but it feels modern and fresh. I think my favorite part of the whole book was the world because it’s just so interesting and combines so many elements of various fantasy worlds that I enjoyed. Even the watery slums were dimensional and super interesting. ⁣
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All told, a fantastic first installment, and I’ll be waiting not-so-patiently for the next one. 5 stars. Many thanks to @turnthepagetours @mackidsbooks and @henryholtbooks for gifting a copy for the tour!

One of my favorite books I've read this year! Katy Rose Pool has been an author who's books I immediately place at the too of my TBR since her debut novel. The only thing I didn't like about this book was the end, and it was because I NEEDED MORE!
I love this unique and exciting magic system with curses and cursebreakers. I even found the romance between Adrius and Marlow to be built up perfectly. I adored how from the very beginning of this book we got a strong sense of this world and where the power lies. I cannot wait till I am able to get my hands on the sequel and get the answers I need.

This was a quick enjoyable read. I liked the fantasy and mystery aspects. It took me a bit to get into the book at first, but once we got a bit more of the world-building, the pace improved and it caught my attention more. I think the author did a good job with the descriptions as well.

In a world where there is magic and the rich and poor can both be cursed, you can hire a cursebreaker to break your curse... so when the best cursebreaker in Caraza City finds herself given a new job of breaking the curse of the wealthy boy who not only broke her heart but humiliated her and destroyed her trust. Marlow Briggs has made a name for herself as the best cursebreaker in Caraza City, she use to be part of the rich society but gave it up after the mysterious disappearance of her mother that still haunts her to this day. Marlow spends her day breaking curses and trying to find clues as to what happened to her mother. But when her latest case brings her face to face with Adrius Falcrest, her old friend and the scion of one of Caraza’s most affluent spell-making family... and the very boy who broke her heart all those years ago her life is about to get complicated because Adrius has been cursed and he hires her to help him break it. The only problem is that he’s been cursed with a very old and forbidden curse, one that forces him to do whatever anyone commands. Marlow and Adrius must fake date as they fool society in order to try and find out who would do this to Adrius and why, it doesn’t help that that means Marlow has to enter back to the Evergarden society and face all the complicated history between her and Adrius. The more she investigates the more intertwined Adrius’s curse and her mother’s disappearance begins to connect. The fake feelings and acting between Adrius and Marlow begins to feel very real.... but it doesn’t cover the pain that he caused her all those years ago and the reasoning behind it. This is the first book in the duology, let me first start by saying that I really liked Marlow as a protagonist and I thought the world was fun, especially the investigative part of the story, what I really didn’t enjoy? Adrius. He is a terrible love interest and honestly I would have rather Marlow fall in love with Swift. Adrius is selfish, cruel, angry every time she tries to offer a solution, rude, he humiliates, and toys with her feelings, he only wants to be seen with her when he’s alone and he essentially feels ashamed of being around her and he’s a coward. I really couldn’t stand him at all, I know the author tries to give a reason for his actions in the past but I just didn’t buy it or forgive him. Seriously no thank you. Besides that, everything else in this book was really fun. I look forward to seeing how the next book ends and how the story wraps up.





*Spoilers: Adrius and Marlow were close friends when they were educated together but then after Adrius asks Marlow to bake him 3 cakes for his 17th birthday and bring it to him the next day, he publicly humiliates her and throws her feelings in her face. This is around the same time Marlow’s mother vanishes and Marlow leaves the Evergarden society. Adrius is cursed by his father who wants to control him as he also cursed Adrius’s mother and forced her to give him kids. Marlow discovers that she is Vale’s daughter, a very prominant figure in society who her mother had an affair with and left. Marlow’s mother found out about Adrius’s mother and was killed by Adrius’s father. Adrius stabs his father and Marlow covers for him saying she did it and is sent to prison (but later freed by Vale). Adrius and Marlow sort of admit their feelings for each other but never really clarify.*

*Thanks Netgalley andMacmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

“Maybe that was the real secret to a successful con: You had to know exactly what you were willing to risk.”

4.5 out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5) Another YA that I loved. Is the world of YA coming back from the brink of death? I’m crossing my fingers!

Marlow’s mother went missing a year ago. Since then, Marlow has changed from master con-woman to the best cursebreaker around. She breaks curses unwillingly placed on people while still searching for clues of her mother. Her biggest client is now Adrius who is high-ranking in society and his family is also one of the top 5 for leadership because of their spellmaking.


The writing flowed smoothly and was what caught my attention at first. For YA, it felt more detailed, more in depth and well-paced. It also had Shadow and Bone vibes from the dark and grimy world of Marlow to the posh elegance of Adrius.

Adrius’ curse is severe. It’s a curse that could change the path of their society but also potentially harm many people. Because of this, Marlow feels the need to stay with him to counteract the curse from working. The problem is, they were friends for years, and maybe a bit more until a year ago Adrius brushed her off like she was dirt on his shoes.

Obviously there is tension between Marlow and Adrius. It’s dramatically glorious! That posh world of his brings in so much drama and intrigue that the chances of the curse working before she could counteract it was high. Throw in a hierarchy of people in their society, tensions for power within the hierarchy and all the heirs caught in between, you just know something is about to explode.

This one was fun! The pacing was done well to hold my attention and the world was enchanting. The curse on Adrius really held my interest. The mystery of who did it to him and why and could they stop it in time was exciting throughout. It made me trust no one. I suspected most everyone at some point but the best information came last and ended spectacularly!

Thank you to Fierce Reads, Henry Holt and Co, and NetGalley for the copy!

Garden of the Cursed combines some of my favorite elements--enemies-to-lovers, deadly mysteries, and fantasy. Marlow Briggs is a well-written morally grey character who is forced to work with someone she despises. The larger mystery made me want even more from Katy Rose Pool. I can't wait to see where this goes. This is perfect for fans of Sorcery of Thorns!

Ever since Threads That Bind, I've been looking for something similar. Lo and behold, Garden of the Cursed is both reminiscent of Veronica Mars and Threads That Bind. I was very happy. The slow burn romance was one of my favorite parts of the book. Their interactions are chemistry-laden. Despite both their insistence that there are no romantic feelings, the opposite is easily discernible. The complex relationship between social class and magic is central to the story. I became more engaged as the interplay between these two central elements was revealed. I enjoyed the book and loved Marlow. My biggest gripe? It ended on a cliffhanger!