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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!