Garden of the Cursed

Garden of the Cursed, Book 1

De: Katy Rose Pool

Narrado por: Jennifer Blom

In Garden of the Cursed, a romantic, enemies-to-lovers fantasy mystery, cursebreaker Marlow Briggs reluctantly pretends to be in love with a powerful noble to gain entry into an illustrious—and deadly—society that holds clues to her mother's disappearance. This edge-of-your-seat novel is perfect for fans of Veronica Mars, These Violent Delights, and Chain of Iron.

“Nothing short of genius.”—Jennifer Lynn Barnes, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Inheritance Games series

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 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.

"A delicious read full of swoony romance."—Tricia Levenseller, New York Times-bestselling author of Blade of Secrets

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

©2023 Katy Rose Pool (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Mystery, fantasy, romance—this book has it all, and every page is more compulsively readable than the last. Gasp-inducing, heart-rending, and beautifully crafted, Garden of the Cursed is nothing short of genius.”—Jennifer Lynn Barnes, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Inheritance Games series

"A delicious read full of swoony romance (fake-dating trope!), dangerous gangsters, wondrous magic, and an elaborate mystery that will keep the pages flying. Marlow Briggs is out for answers, and heaven help anyone who tries to get in her way. Readers will root for her while admiring her exquisite dresses, snarky banter, and wicked wit as she takes on the upper echelons of society."—Tricia Levenseller, New York Times-bestselling author of Blade of Secrets

"One of the most original fantasy novels I've read in years."—C. L. Herman, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the All of Us Villains duology

Magic, mystery, action, and romance!

I enjoyed this story so much! I was immediately pulled into Marlow’s dark world. I can’t wait to read more.

The complexities of the characters .

A well written story told by a gifted narrator. I was engrossed throughout the story by the numerous plot twists. Eagerly awaiting the sequel!

An amazing book

The last scene was set up perfectly, it's an amazing and intriguing book. I can’t wait for the sequel!

A fabulous story to keep you on the edge of your seat!!

Fantastic!! This was quite the wild ride! It is such a unique story that grabs you right away and keeps you reading.

Marlow is a very capable girl. She lost her mother and the life of leisure she had, a year before. When she comes face to face with her old life again, and especially the guy she always had a thing for, Adrius, it ends up changing her life again. Marlow is a curse breaker in a world where curses are very common place. Adrius comes to her to ask her to help him, because someone has place a very nasty, life threatening curse on him.

From there Marlow’s life is quite the wild ride, as she discovers one shocking surprise after another, and she has powerful enemies coming after her from all sides.

This has kind of a Veronica Mars vibe to it, where she is trying to find the mystery of her mother, who disappeared, and what happened to her. She finds she has to be careful not to fully trust anyone. The characters are really well written, especially because most of them become suspicious at one point or another. The world is very different. Adrius is part of the wealthy, famous world of people who have that mafia feel. There are other classes of dangerous people, some criminals, some grey area, and then Marloe lives in the marshes, where most poor people live.

I’ll warn you that there is a shocking twist towards the end, that makes you want book two NOW!! But if you enjoy Magic, Thrilling Fantasy, Mystery, NA Romance, and lots of crazy twists and turns, you will thoroughly enjoy this story!!

Narrator is AMAZING!!

Didn’t realize this was YA

After starting chapter 1, I went back to the description of the novel in Audible to see if I had somehow missed some designation of this as YA, but there was nothing. I listened through to the end, hoping against hope that something would change, but this was relentlessly Fantasy Nancy Drew throughout. Possibly recommended for 12-15-year-olds.