Garden of the Cursed hit all of my high points for a young adult fantasy. Pool absolutely slayed with this one.
The magic system is unique in its execution. It's controlled by five families giving it an almost mafia like vibe and the elite scenes feel almost Regency in their crafting. The magic is made by taking parts of an individual like their memories, blood, tears, etc. It's then crafted into a spell or hex card that is sold. This aspect pushes into the idea of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Those that live in the Marshes sell just to get by. The rich profit.
That leads me into the characters crafted by Pool. Marlow is a cursebreaker living in the lower part of society. She once had her foot in the world of the elite and then her mom went missing. For almost a year she's been seeking answers as she breaks curses to stay afloat. Pool crafted a sarcastic badass with a deep heart that has barred itself from the world. Though Marlow is the main MC, Adrius is the love interest who holds a corner of Marlow's hidden feelings that she refuses to accept. When he comes to her for help after being cursed, we know its only a matter if time before the barriers break.
This novel takes the fake dating trope and expertly weaves in a little second chances amongst the rich and poor dynamics. The side characters add to the plot and push the reveals and backstory to a path along twists and turns that kept me guessing. It ends on a reveal of a cliffhanger that makes book two in this duology seem way too far away.
If you love action packed young adult reads with expertly crafted characters and dynamic chemistry, you'll want to grab this gem. I didn't even bother with an audio this time, I was way too immersed in Pool's writing. Partly why it took so long too finish. I will be stalking the summer calendar for book two!
The magic system is unique in its execution. It's controlled by five families giving it an almost mafia like vibe and the elite scenes feel almost Regency in their crafting. The magic is made by taking parts of an individual like their memories, blood, tears, etc. It's then crafted into a spell or hex card that is sold. This aspect pushes into the idea of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Those that live in the Marshes sell just to get by. The rich profit.
That leads me into the characters crafted by Pool. Marlow is a cursebreaker living in the lower part of society. She once had her foot in the world of the elite and then her mom went missing. For almost a year she's been seeking answers as she breaks curses to stay afloat. Pool crafted a sarcastic badass with a deep heart that has barred itself from the world. Though Marlow is the main MC, Adrius is the love interest who holds a corner of Marlow's hidden feelings that she refuses to accept. When he comes to her for help after being cursed, we know its only a matter if time before the barriers break.
This novel takes the fake dating trope and expertly weaves in a little second chances amongst the rich and poor dynamics. The side characters add to the plot and push the reveals and backstory to a path along twists and turns that kept me guessing. It ends on a reveal of a cliffhanger that makes book two in this duology seem way too far away.
If you love action packed young adult reads with expertly crafted characters and dynamic chemistry, you'll want to grab this gem. I didn't even bother with an audio this time, I was way too immersed in Pool's writing. Partly why it took so long too finish. I will be stalking the summer calendar for book two!