Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 352 pages
Author: Katy Rose Pool
Publisher: Henry Holt
Release Date: June 20th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

n this thrilling YA fantasy/mystery duology from award-winning author Katy Pool, cursebreaker Marlow Briggs reluctantly pretends to be in love with one of the most powerful nobles in Caraza City to gain entry into an illustrious—and deadly—society that holds clues to her mother’s disappearance. Perfect for fans of Veronica Mars, These Violent Delights, and Chain of Iron.

Since fleeing the gilded halls of Evergarden for the muck-filled canals of the Marshes, Marlow Briggs has made a name for herself as the best godsdamn cursebreaker in Caraza City. But no matter how many cases she solves, she is still haunted by the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.

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.

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.

SAVED BY THE ROMANCE.

This was a good series starter. I really enjoyed it and loved the audiobook.

I do think the world building and magic system needed some more explanation. I still feel a bit confused at how everything works and why. It kind of had a dystopian vibe? historical? fantasy? some combination of all three.

The FMC was great though. I liked her character and her perseverance to find out the clues to her mother’s disappearance. I especially loved the romance. Old friends to enemies to fake dating to wanna be lovers to enemies again?! YES PLEASE. So much tension and heat between them. I can’t wait to see where this romance goes.

Just a truly good read and an easy book for me to recommend. It had a lot of elements I continually enjoy seeing in YA books and the ending has me on pins and needles for the conclusion.

Overall audience notes:

• YA Fantasy
• Language: light (but strong)
• Romance: kisses
• Violence: moderate
• Trigger/Content Warnings: physical and weapons violence, magical manipulations and violence, low blood/gore, murder

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph