A adore Katie McGarry’s YA books so I was so excited to read this book. Fantasy and romance are two of my favorites and A Wicked and Beautiful Garden had plenty of both. The world building in this was great but the characters left me wanting more. I also didn’t know there would be a cliffhanger and I’m not sure if this story will stay with me enough to remember it until the next one comes out. While this isn’t my favorite by this author, I’m sure I will pick up the next in the series to see where it leads.

Cassie Strega is doing her best as a small town nurse practitioner/midwife. However, the long hours and wicked insomnia are starting to get the better of her. While sitting in her local watering-hole, she gets a call about a woman in labor and when Cassie arrives she sees the last person she ever expected to see, her dead first love, Orion, who is very much alive and seemingly well. Soon she discovers that Orion is searching for a baby, the future queen of the Fae, and it is this baby that has been calling to Cassie in her dreams. Soon Cassie learns that she is a witch, demons are after her, and Orion still loves her. Cassie becomes pulled into a battle for life on Earth and has to come to terms with what happened in her past so that she can help forge a future for all creatures on Earth.

I received this arc in exchange for an honest review. Thank you netgally! I really enjoyed this book. I found the world building to be interesting. I felt the characters were well developed. I liked the relationship between the mcs and I’m excited to see how the next book plays out.

I want to thank Netgalley, Katie McGarry, and Katie McGarry LLC for giving me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Let me talk about the characters first. What I really first see on Cassie is her rationality, there are a lot of supernatural going on here in the book. And what I found interesting is Cassie's reaction to those, she heavily rely on scientific things. She is really an interesting kind of character because she's not the kind of girl that would just do what she told, she clearly has a voice on her own and makes decision to what she thinks is right. I can really tell that her character was written in a very good way, because she's not one dimensional. She may have good characteristics but she also has flaws and it makes her character realistic. As for Orion, to be honest? I don't really vibe with his character at first. I don't really appreciate his authoritative aura and I thought that he's just one of those fae male that are like alpha in some way. But I was proven wrong. His character is developed really well and I slowly start to like him.

The chemistry between Cassie and Orion is built beautifully. I especially love reading the sexual tension between these two because I found it so amusing. It was so good! I love how mature these two at each other. They actually communicate when needed and they respect each other like equals. Even though they have issues between each other considering their pasts, I think their relationship is one of the most mature and healthy relationship that was written in a book. Although it's a forbidden love they actually tries to understand and make sacrifices for one another. I found it so ironic when some characters in this book tells them that their love is "cursed" but it's actually written in a beautiful but devastating way.

As for the writing and plot; I like how it explains to me about certain details and information. It's a little bit info-dumpy and it also over-explaining that it makes it kinda a setback for me but it's so easy to absorbed. The thing that really amazed me by this book is how good the author delivers and execute the tension, and not just with the sensual stuff but also for the thrilling parts. She clearly knows how to create, build and play with it. At first I was not hooked at the storyline but it keeps getting better the more I read. I just want to mention also about how the writing makes the reader also experience what the characters are experiencing through the writing itself. I can't pinpoint what specific thing that support that statement but it is actually a thing in this book. You don't know what makes it good, but the goodness of it is enough that I don't actually care why it made me experience what the characters are experiencing. With the plot, I can say that it really focus on the romance part and I just wished that it also explores the world-building and the mystery surrounding Cassie's grandmother. One more thing that also worth noting is that this book talks about the witch trials history. I like how honest and blunt it discussed the horrific things that people do against witchcraft.

Overall, I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars! I wasn't a fan of fantasy romance but this book is an exception. I especially love the writing style and the execution of tension. I really recommend this book to everyone!

The start was absolutely fabulous. A female character that was an actual adult age ✅ excellent world building ✅ likeable and intriguing characters ✅. Then came the cringy love plot and a few clichés which didn't flow with the originality of the first 20% of the novel.
Ultimately I think the story is really original in many ways; I loved the merging of the celestial and the magical. But I didn't really feel invested in the book - for me, some of the stylistic choices jarred. I can tell the author is a brilliant writer but it seemed that the fantasy elements were not as well written as other parts of the novel. For instance, using the adjective 'magically' to describe things that happened by magic - the food appeared magically on the table. I know it sounds picky but these little things did interrupt my enjoyment.

I really enjoyed this book! Katie McGarry did a great job at building characters. I really loved Cassie and how the author built Cassie. At first I was worried that a lot of background events or info would be rushed but the way Katie developed the plot was really fluid. The world building kept you on your toes and you learn more about the magical abilities of the fae and witches along with Cassie. You can’t help but root for Orion and Cassie. Also, I love a protagonist that you feel sympathy towards, and you get that at times with Orion’s mom. Plus the side characters really made me smile.

Overall, I really recommend the book!

Thank you for the arc of this book.
Took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I was sucked right in.
I did think I had guessed something in the plot and was slightly disappointed that I had, but turns out I was wrong, and I am glad I continued reading.
And as per the norm, get to the good stuff and it ends and we have to wait for the second book.
Which I will also read.

I have enjoyed KM's contemporary YA stories in the past, so I was excited to see what she would do with adult fantasy. And I found this to be a pretty okay effort. Not amazing, but definitely not horrible. It's a starting point.

The thing is this feels like a YA story, full of your typical YA tropes and with characters who are supposed to be in their late 20s but have the emotional dramatics of teenagers. Great if you love that kind of thing (and I do love a dark brooding fae love interest), but because I was expecting more adult storytelling, it was a bit disappointing.

Another point is the world-building. There's a lot of it. From fae to witches, angels and demons, from heaven to hell, there's a lot going on in this urban fantasy. And while I would say this book is like 80% world-building and 20% plot, I surprisingly felt like the world-building is lacking at times. It's very info-dumpy and rather confusing during some moments. I think readers who enjoy complex fantasy worlds and more character-driven stories won't mind this though.

So overall, not quite the story I was personally hoping for, but there are still some elements that I know will make other readers happy.

I was curious to read a fantasy book written by a contemporary romance author and I was not dissapointed.
I was sucked right in in the story and haven't realised when I've reached the end, that engrosed I was in this story.
A compeeling story that keeps you on your toes to are what happens next.
Fully recommend it!

4 stars

~ I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own ~

I thought this book was going to be high fantasy. In my defense, the name and cover kinda threw me off. So, it took me a while to get into the story when I realized it was urban fantasy. As far as genre goes, though, the story is practically textbook:
1. information dumping
2. MC with no idea just how special she is
3. overly devoted hero with an evil mother figure (bonus points if he's a prince or heir to something)
4. typecast characters (characters who play a certain role in the narrative and don't deviate from it)
5. melodrama
But nobody reads urban fantasy for that stuff anyway. I finally got into the story around chapter 6 or 7. It's interesting in its own way, if not completely unique. The worldbuilding is a strange mash up of biblical elements and mythology, and anything that's too hard to explain just is (like how people wake up just "knowing" things).

This is a hard book to review because structurally the plot and characters are super flawed and it shouldn't work, but really it's not a terrible read. It's perfect for when you're in the mood for "light fantasy" where the world won't break your brain and you don't have to deal with a complex plot. Mostly, the vibe of the book is that it's staging the series so there's more scenes of just people explaining the world to the MC than anything really happening.

It's really similar to Suzanne Wright's Dark in You series in tone, Thea Harrison's Elder Races series in the level of worldbuilding and characterization, and Heather R. Blair's Toil and Trouble series in relationships. So, if you enjoyed any of those this is perfect for you, or if you enjoyed this then you should check those out.

I will say that the ending got me and I'm curious enough to read the second book. Mostly, the vibe of the book is that it's staging the series so there's more scenes of just people explaining the world to the MC than anything really happening. I am interested and it was a nice palate cleanser between heavier reads (or during a slump).

Having read and really enjoyed McGarry’s YA books I was excited about reading her first adult fantasy novel. I have to admit this still felt like YA to me, just with slightly older characters who still act like teenagers. There is a lot of over the top emotion and a lot of set up for world ending danger which made for a fun escapist read-broody and mysterious Fae love interests, witch friends you aren’t sure you can trust, evil queens who openly want to kill you, and of course a heroine who goes from ordinary to deeply powerful in the blink of an eye. I wish I had waited until the rest of the series was out to start it because cliffhangers are really annoying and I am not sure how much of this book will stay with me until I start the sequel.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

With characters that jump off the page, immersive world-building, and a sexy, chemistry-filled couple, this one will have you reading late into the night.

Twenty-eight year-old Cassie Strega can’t escape fate.

All she wants is to live a normal, quiet life delivering the babies in her small town. Then, she’s reunited with her first love. Orion, the sultry Fae warrior who broke her heart years before, is searching for a baby- the queen of the Fae who will one day lead them in their final battle against the demons determined to rule the world. The same baby who has been calling to Cassie for help in her dreams.

Fighting the intense attraction of their former blood bond, Cassie and Orion work together to find the child. But when the heartbreak that nearly destroyed Cassie nine years before looms once more, she’ll have to decide whether getting involved in the supernatural war is worth losing everything, including her life.

This is a heartbreaking book in the best way possible. I love Cassie and Orion together. Beautiful love story... Great plot. An interesting take on the fairy story...

A great beautiful story about Fae, Friends and love. Great story and interesting characters.. The dialogue was great a and a delightful read..