Magic in Caraza as a whole is controlled closely by the Five Families in power who, in their gated community of Evergarden, keep the secrets of their spells close to the vest.
Marlow Briggs, who's mother was once the chevalier to the Vale family, attended school with the heirs to the Families. While there, she met Adrius Falcrest - heir to the Falcrest family. Despite what many would see as their obvious class differences, Marlow considered Adrius one of her best friends. That is, until he turned his back on her. All too soon after that, Marlow's mother disappeared and Marlow left Evergarden and Adrius behind.
Now, she makes ends meet by working as a Cursebreaker. A lucrative business, and one that brings her back into contact with Adrius when he comes to Marlow to help break a curse put on him.
As much as she doesn't want to be back in this life, Marlow cannot turn down the money, or the opportunity to so more searching for her mother. Marlow and Adrius decide to pose as a couple, figuring this is the best way to explain Marlow's presence again amongst the noblesse nouveau.
But as Marlow gets pulled deeper into the case, she begins to realize that her mother's disappearance has farther reaching consequences than she thought.
I very much enjoyed the world-building within this story. I'm intrigued by the magic system and the idea of the curse cards. I hope that we get an even bigger / better picture of everything in the second book.
This one for sure felt like such a setup. In that regard I felt like it was trying to find its footing for a while. Marlow is seemingly caught between two things: 1) figuring out what happened to her mother, and 2) helping Adrius with his curse. Quite often while reading, I felt like the story couldn't balance between the two very well and I thought that Marlow spent more time solving the mystery of her mother and anything that ended up pertaining to Adrius's curse was happenstance.
There are a lot of twists and, I don't really want to say misdirection, but I think it highlights the idea that Marlow is in over her head. She obviously has never taken on something this momentous before and I also feel like there's the need to want to find these answers for her own piece of mind, that causes her to grasp at threads sometimes.
In between all of this, I really loved the interactions between Marlow and Adrius as the slow-burn romance it's meant to be. I liked the glimpses we get from before and how that has informed Marlow's wariness when dealing with Adrius and the people in his circle now. I feel like there's so much to be said between these two. Like they keep either misunderstanding or not speaking the full truth and conflicts arise from there. I can't wait for them to get it together! :) I think the key for a lot of what will happen in the next book will hinge upon them trusting one another.
That's a big thing in this book, it's difficult to know who Marlow can trust. Besides her best friend Swift, everyone else is a morally gray character. They might help Marlow out, but they're also just as likely to turn on her if it's beneficial to them. Even if those people aren't inherently "bad" they are definitely out for their own gain, but that's kind of how it works in Caraza when you're outside the orbit of the Families. You are subject to the various gangs of the Marshes.
I've always been one to believe that duologies are only half of a whole. That it's almost unfair to judge the first part without having its companion. So even though there are a few stumbles, I think it's all part of building this world, and building Marlow's character. I'm invested and really looking forward to seeing the conclusion of this story. I want to spend more time with these characters and in this world, and if that's not the sign of a entertaining and engrossing read, then I don't know what is.
Marlow Briggs, who's mother was once the chevalier to the Vale family, attended school with the heirs to the Families. While there, she met Adrius Falcrest - heir to the Falcrest family. Despite what many would see as their obvious class differences, Marlow considered Adrius one of her best friends. That is, until he turned his back on her. All too soon after that, Marlow's mother disappeared and Marlow left Evergarden and Adrius behind.
Now, she makes ends meet by working as a Cursebreaker. A lucrative business, and one that brings her back into contact with Adrius when he comes to Marlow to help break a curse put on him.
As much as she doesn't want to be back in this life, Marlow cannot turn down the money, or the opportunity to so more searching for her mother. Marlow and Adrius decide to pose as a couple, figuring this is the best way to explain Marlow's presence again amongst the noblesse nouveau.
But as Marlow gets pulled deeper into the case, she begins to realize that her mother's disappearance has farther reaching consequences than she thought.
I very much enjoyed the world-building within this story. I'm intrigued by the magic system and the idea of the curse cards. I hope that we get an even bigger / better picture of everything in the second book.
This one for sure felt like such a setup. In that regard I felt like it was trying to find its footing for a while. Marlow is seemingly caught between two things: 1) figuring out what happened to her mother, and 2) helping Adrius with his curse. Quite often while reading, I felt like the story couldn't balance between the two very well and I thought that Marlow spent more time solving the mystery of her mother and anything that ended up pertaining to Adrius's curse was happenstance.
There are a lot of twists and, I don't really want to say misdirection, but I think it highlights the idea that Marlow is in over her head. She obviously has never taken on something this momentous before and I also feel like there's the need to want to find these answers for her own piece of mind, that causes her to grasp at threads sometimes.
In between all of this, I really loved the interactions between Marlow and Adrius as the slow-burn romance it's meant to be. I liked the glimpses we get from before and how that has informed Marlow's wariness when dealing with Adrius and the people in his circle now. I feel like there's so much to be said between these two. Like they keep either misunderstanding or not speaking the full truth and conflicts arise from there. I can't wait for them to get it together! :) I think the key for a lot of what will happen in the next book will hinge upon them trusting one another.
That's a big thing in this book, it's difficult to know who Marlow can trust. Besides her best friend Swift, everyone else is a morally gray character. They might help Marlow out, but they're also just as likely to turn on her if it's beneficial to them. Even if those people aren't inherently "bad" they are definitely out for their own gain, but that's kind of how it works in Caraza when you're outside the orbit of the Families. You are subject to the various gangs of the Marshes.
I've always been one to believe that duologies are only half of a whole. That it's almost unfair to judge the first part without having its companion. So even though there are a few stumbles, I think it's all part of building this world, and building Marlow's character. I'm invested and really looking forward to seeing the conclusion of this story. I want to spend more time with these characters and in this world, and if that's not the sign of a entertaining and engrossing read, then I don't know what is.