This was a satisfying ending to an above-average YA duology. I loved the interactions between Marlow and Adrius, and was pleased with the way Marlow was able to enact her vengeance against Vale.

I would have liked more Silvan and Swift, though. Or maybe just more Silvan in general. Maybe as a spin-off?

I went into Masquerade of the Heart with high expectations after loving the first book, but unfortunately, this sequel fell a bit flat for me. While the premise was promising, the storyline felt too predictable, and the characters didn’t have the same captivating hold over me as they did in the first installment.

It’s always disappointing when a series doesn’t live up to its potential, and after finishing this second book, I can’t say I would recommend the duology as a whole. While the first book had a spark that drew me in, Masquerade of the Heart didn’t manage to maintain that same momentum or emotional depth.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. While I appreciate the opportunity to read this book, it ultimately didn’t meet my hopes. Fans of the first book may still want to check it out to see how the story concludes, but I’d advise approaching it with tempered expectations.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. OH MY GOSH!! I love this duology so much it’s so good! I was lucky enough to read an arc of book 1 but didn’t get to book 2 until now and boy was I missing out! It’s so much fun and the audiobook narrator is amazing. Marlow and Adrius are the best characters and I love them. Silven and Swift are such great side characters. Minor spoiler (I called that they were in a relationship in the last book 🤣) end spoiler. I love the world building and the magic system in this world. Basically I love this book and I hope more people read this duology!

Masquerede of the heart by Katy rose pool is the second and final book of this series and wow was I super sad to say goodbye to this world because I literally just read book 1 eailer this year and read book 2 this fall and it was an amazing read! I can't give you guys my full review of this one because it's a sequel and finale to the duology but I have found my new favorite characters in here and the twist and turns I didn't see coming!!
Loved how this series wrapped up it was very nicely and sad to say goodbye to it, kind of wish there was a third book coming. 5 out of 5 stars again. Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me an e-arc of this one, can't wait to read more from katy rose pool!!(:
Ps. I got to meet her this fall too!!(:

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to be able to read and review this book!

4/5

I'm so sorry. I appreciated the ARC read but I couldn't finish it because I had to DNF about 50% through. It just wasn't for me unfortunately

I looooved the first so I couldn't wait for this sequel. It was good, but I thought it could be better. It felt a little like filler? Like this was the second book of a trilogy. I do love the character of Marlow and how fierce she was.

While the first book was much better, the ending was solid. I think I just wanted a bit more.

Just as one issue gets solved, another bigger problem falls into Marlow's lap. Not only is she being charged for the murder of Adrius's father, her own newly revealed father has even greater plans for the future of Evergarden and the Marsh. Good thing Marlow has plenty of grit, determination, and hex cards to go around. She has a really good friend in Swift (with his side story it was cute and he deseves it after all the pain he went through with being coerced to work for the Copperheads) and others play a bigger part, from Silvan, to Gemma, and the useful Fisher. I definitely would want her on my side, even if sometimes she should be paying more attention instead of sneaking off to meet Adrius (though they still have their issues). But I mean since they are both eighteen, I guess that makes sense. And she really is quite mature in most respects (especially with that decision at the end!)

Many curses in this book and of course the Grimoire plays a big part because it has more than just compelling people spells. It was a great sequel (picking up right where the first book ended) and a satisfying conclusion that does not include the destruction of the city, corrupt though it may be. And I really enjoyed reading it (no slow parts in this book!)

“Because,” Marlow said, without taking her eyes off his. “Because I love him. Because no matter what happened in the past between us, I forgive him. Because if the choice were mine, if there was nothing standing in our way, I’d want to be with him. Because I will always do everything in my power to protect him.”

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you Netgalley and Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for a copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After Garden of the Cursed surprised me with how much I loved it (4.5 stars!), I was checking Netgalley every week waiting for the ability to request this ending to the duology! I'm glad, too, because I don't think I would have recognized by the cover alone. The art style/aesthetic seemed different.

Masquerade of the Heart finds Marlow desperate to continue to end the Adrius' curse. Time is almost out before it become permanent. On top of that, she must also reconcile the news regarding her family and her new living arrangements. Can she save the day without knowing who to trust?

The characters in this book are some of my favorites of the year again, and I was thrilled to be back in the universe. Even the side characters, such as Swift and Silvan (sp? I mainly listened on an audiobook from my library) were so fun. My main gripe with this book is how the plot seems to evaporate? The MC just shows up one day and everything is fixed and -- surprise! -- we're moving onto a new plot! That threw me off quite a bit. The rest of the plot seemed to be Marlow getting into trouble, getting caught or tortured or about to be killed by some big bad or other, and then being saved. It didn't entirely bother me as it was nostalgic to 2012 The CW shows that certainly brought about shippy scenes like "who did this to you?" or wound tending, but it also felt a little.... off in 2024. 😂

At the end of the day, I really enjoyed the audiobook narrator, and wanted to pause most of my other reads to find out if Adrius and Marlow could *finally* break their doomed lovers narrative! The final scene had me squealing in the shower while I washed my hair. 😂

I would recommend this series to people who enjoy slow burn romance, the idea that love may not be enough of a reason to be together, and found family.

Will love prevail?

Marlow watches as Adrius announces his engagement and her heart breaks. She knows that Adrius has to marry someone from a rich and powerful family to appease his own family but it hurts all the same. Marlow wants to stop the person who cursed Adrius because that person is wanting to control everyone and everything in Caraza, just as Adrius was controlled by the curse. Marlow gets help from Adrius and a few of their most trusted and clever acquaintances. Together they work together to hopefully put a stop to the tyrant before he takes over.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the intensity of the conflict between good and evil. The curse and the story behind it are so interesting. I love the ending!
Mature content: PG-13 for kissing.
Language: R for 39 swears and 8 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: falls to white. Adrius has warm brown skin. Corrine has dark skin.

Thank you for the advanced copy! I reread the first book so it was fresh in my mind before I read this one. I really enjoyed everything but the ending. I definitely think this series should be talked about more. It was great.

Masquerade of the Heart is the second book of duology, but I didn't feel that it continued the story of Garden of the Cursed. It felt like it was a different story. Garden of the Cursed ended on a cliffhanger and Masquerade of the Heart picks up with the same events, but then it veers sharply into a different direction and a completely different plot with different stakes. It was just...jarring. While I still enjoyed the characters, I wasn't that into the new plot points and it took me forever to finish this book with lots of stops and starts. It still ended up being a 4 star read, but it missed the oomph of the first book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt & Co. for the arc for review purposes.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed Masquerade of the Heart. It did a good job of recapping the Garden of the Cursed while continuing the story. The characters were fully developed, and I liked getting to know a few more that played a smaller role in the first book. I also like that is a completed duology. If you liked the first one you have to follow up with this one. If you didn't read Garden of the Cursed, read that and then this one. I will be purchasing it for our high school library.

My rating is 4 and a 1/2 stars rounded up to five

I really devoured this and I had forgotten how much I loved Garden of the Cursed until I finally picked up the sequel.

It wasn't a perfect five because having her mom just suddenly show up towards the very end of the book out of nowhere felt entirely out of left field. I don't feel like there was enough build up for this to happen, especially when we have no reason to think she was actually alive based on Marlow. We didn't even get a chapter of Adrius searching for her.

Pushing that aside, I really loved everything else. I love the relationship between Marlow and Adrius. I loved the villain and how he tries hard to justify his grab for power. His motivation made a lot of sense to me.
I also appreciated the fact that Marlow herself was not immune to the temptation of infinite power. It was a realistic aspect that I found refreshing. A main character having to actually fight off a very real temptation for a power that, in the end, would only ever corrupt its user.

I think this was a really well constructed sequel. It kept me engaged the whole time to the point where I didn't want to stop reading. If a book can achieve that, it's worthy of high praise. Especially in today's world where many books follow similar themes and throw in popular tropes.

Garden of the Cursed and Masquerade of the Heart are two of the most original YA books I've read in the past year. I will forever recommend this duology and I'm really excited to keep an eye on this author and see what she writes next.

This was such a great ending to the duology! I'd been looking forward to it and it ended up being even better than I'd hoped!

I never felt bored at any point in the story, the twists were surprising and made sense, and the relationships between characters made total sense.

I also loved how this didn't simplify moral questions and made Marlow truly wrestle with what the right thing to do was. I really like that kind of story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the ARC.

While I liked book 1 better than the sequel, I did find the conclusion very satisfying. That said, I think the duology could have worked really well as one book.

This book was the perfect conclusion in this duology! It was a bit more political and slow building at the beginning, but it built to an extremely satisfying conclusion. I loved this book and thoroughly enjoyed the series.

I found the first book in this duology to be far more interesting. The author seemed to struggle with tying up some of the plot points and resolving things in this book. As a fan of the author's other works this book was a bit disappointing. I wish that the ending given to these characters and world felt more satisfying.

A big thanks to NetGalley and MacMillian for providing an eARC and an advance audio book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the first book, maybe not so much this one.

Masquerade of the Heart by Katy Rose Pool is a YA fantasy novel following the events of Garden of the Cursed. Cursebreaker Marlow Briggs must deal with the aftermath of her fake romance with one of the most powerful nobles in the illustrious—and deadly—Evergarden society, all while uncovering the mystery behind her mother's disappearance. The city of Caraza sits poised on the edge of chaos—and cursebreaker Marlow Briggs is at the center of a deadly struggle for power. In the tragic aftermath of the Vale-Falcrest wedding, Marlow is spurned by Adrius, who refuses to speak to her and publicly vows to find a noble wife before the year is out. Despite her heartbreak, Marlow is still intent on breaking his compulsion curse. To do so, she’ll have to play loving daughter to the man who cast it—the man who’s hellbent on reshaping Caraza in his own image, no matter the cost. But the closer she gets to her long-lost father, the more Marlow starts to question if he’s really the villain she’s made him out to be. As the lines between enemy and ally blur, Marlow must decide if she’s willing to sacrifice her heart’s desire to save a city that wants her dead.

The main problem I had with this book, was there was so much hype surrounding it (and I blame most of it on how amazing the first one was). That it didn't really pay off. It was a good book, don't get me wrong. Just not what I was hoping for.

Excellent work from Katy Rose Pool. I hadn't read the first book, so I bought it, and then read this one. Now I'm on the hunt for more.