I received an advanced copy of Masquerade of the Heart from Netgalley and the publisher and am leaving this review voluntarily.

After the wild (but utterly fantastic) ride that was Garden of the Cursed, I had high hopes for Masquerade of the Heart. As the second and final book in the duology, I expected the characters and the plot to go out with a bang, and boy, did they. Everything I loved about Garden of the Cursed was present in Masquerade of the Heart. The fast-paced plot had me on the edge of my seat for the entirety of the book, so much so that I read the book in about a day.

The characters were complex. In fact, the entire world was complex. Everyone and everything operated in shades of gray. There were no true right or wrong choices; everyone was just trying to survive in a world that pulled no punches. I loved the world-building and the magic system. Despite how quick of a read both books were, I didn't feel I was missing any information. I was fully immersed at all times, and I loved it.

Despite my high remarks, I did have a gripe or two. Masquerade of the Heart moved fast. Too fast. I felt that much of the plot (and later plot points) was skipped over in favor of romance scenes that took me out of the story. Not to say that I didn't like Marlow and Adrius' romance, but there was a lot of scenes of them together, and it got to the point where I felt that the plot had to stop for those stolen moments. A lot of things happened out of the blue, which made everything feel rushed. There was so much that happened that could have been expounded on but was left on the backburner in favor of those romance scenes.

Even with that issue, I highly recommend this series. It's a great duology with fantastic world-building, a unique magic system, and complex characters.

4.5/5 Stars

Disclaimer: I received this book at no cost from the publisher/author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I am leaving a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

This exciting and high-stakes world of curses, blood-thirsty gangs, dangerous high society folk, and mysteries galore is right up the alley I like to call a good time.

I love how creative Katy Rose Pool is! Her ideas and use of tropes are a breath of fresh air. Her writing style is so catching. I fall right into her stories effortlessly and they invariably keep my attention. The plot is cleverly crafted and the details are brilliantly woven into the story. The world-building is impressive and pulls the reader into the story.

These characters were so easy to fall in love with. They are so relatable and I formed a connection with them easily. I loved the interesting and intriguing dynamics between the characters. All of the characters felt distinct and fully formed with originality.

It was easy to feel the connection between Marlow and Adrius. The bond that they shared together jumped off the page with every interaction and conversation. I loved how they were so protective and self-sacrificing for each other. Marlow was holding back a little but only because she truly believed they didn't have a future together. Their past and present are fraught with drama but there is no denying where their hearts truly lie.

Overall, this was a solid finale for this addicting duology. This book had a witty and compelling plot and characters that kept me invested in the story without fail. I definitely recommend this series and I can't wait for the next book from this author!

This is the sequel to “Garden of the Cursed.” I got this book as an ARC on net galley, and am so glad that I did! This series worked well as a duology.

Marlow Briggs tried to help Adrius Falcrest break the curse that was mysteriously place on him. In doing so, she ended up falling for him and finding herself in a dangerous situation.

In the sequel, Marlow is trying to stop her father from using a Grimoire to cast a spell that would give him control over space and time. Marlow and her friends work to thwart his plans, along with the help of some unlikely allies.

I loved this book, and the conclusion of the series. I am so glad that the characters got their happy ending.

Thank you to netgalley for giving this ARC, and this does not influence my review. READ IT YOU GUYS!!!!!!! This book was so good! Usually sequels don’t live up to the hype of the first book, but man did this live up. The writing style: phenomenal🤌🏾 the fantasy world-building? PHENOMENAL (I love when the plot actually gets me invested, I finished this book in a day) the ROMANCE??? Simmering, Slow-burn, swoon-worthy filled with angst.
Tropes: read review of the first book I posted
Basically our woman Marlow is living a high-risk life in a fantasy world with magical spell cards that can do many things (make people forget memories, distract them for a little bit, curse them, etc.,). She takes contract cases to destroy curse cards, and she has to often sneak around looking for her targets. Overall, she fit the boxes for my fav FMC characters: she was badass, a great actor and thief, had a wonderful personality, head-strong, doesn’t take no for an answer, hilarious, scheming, great dialogues when about to get into a fight (and she was very sarcastic and witty). This book had a high-stakes mission.
Moving onnnn to the romance!!! Adrius was HOT. Like, this was CARDAN level…from the Cruel Prince, and the MMC from The Caged Queen).

Masquerade is a fast pasted sequel that picks up right where Garden left off. It drew me right in from the beginning and kept my attention throughout. There is a lot of things happening and it did get a bit confusing keeping everything straight, but there was a good balance between the action and the romance. I definitely think I liked this one even more than Garden of the Cursed and that ending was absolutely perfect.

The second and final book in the duology, first is Garden of the Cursed. The first book is necessary before reading this one. It picks up right where book one left off, pacing similarly.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, our MCs, and the side characters. As the first one, this story consists of a unique magic system as it is navigated by Marlow and her friends to clear their names, save/help Adrius, while staying under the radar of local gains and authorities. Marlow is less dedicated to finding her mother in this book, though her mom still has an important role to play. Lots of big revelations throughout the book, some of which were built up in the first and others new to readers of the duology. Not the traditional HEA but it was a HEA in its own way. I do love that the story was grounded in challenging social norms and ‘society’ aka the upper class.

I definitely recommend this for fans of YA dystopian/fantasy-mystery. I’ll be keeping my copies for my daughter when she is older, and will happily reread it with her.

After really liking the first book, I just have one question: What happened? I hated this second book. I hated it so much.

Marlow does absolutely nothing. She keeps being dragged into situations and always ends up in danger. And someone always has to come and save her. She can't do anything to save herself or to help the plot forward. The only thing I can say about her is that she is there. She keeps saying: "oh, I don't want to do that" or "oh, I don't want that person to come with me". But right sfter that she says "but I don't have time to argue so it's going to happen". Like... what? And this keep happening; that same inner monologue happens a lot! She has no agency, no backbone, no ability. She is just there! What happened to her character? The only thing that we see her doing by herself is meeting up with Adrius. That's it. Adrius is not much better, he keeps saying he has no option, so he does nothing. Even though he could do a lot! There are secrets that he keeps for a really long time just because it's convenient for the plot. Where is the character development? Even the development in the first book is thrown out.

A bunch of the book is just filler. So when there are important scenes, they are extremely rushed. Two of the biggest misteries are solved within 2 lines of dialogues. SPOILERS AHEAD: Fisher explains that he put a fail safe in the curse to be broken with a true love's kiss. So, Adrius is free (and that's it, that's the explanation and no one talks about it anymore - Vale doesn't even care). What about Adrius randomly showing up with Marlow's mom, Cassandra? Marlow's been looking for Cassandra for more than a year not finding a trace of her. Then, Adrius appears with her out of nowhere. And just says: oh yeah, I found your mom because you found mine. No explanation, no anything. I even thought I skipped a few pages, but nope. It is like that. END OF SPOILERS It's just so sloppy and badly done. A lot of the problems are solved by using a Deus Ex Machina (that also appears out of nowhere).

I'm so sad. I really liked the first one. But after finishing this one, I really can't recommend the duology.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

Masquerade of the Heart is the sequel to Garden of the Cursed and begins where the first book ends. It’s a fast-paced duology, it’s atmospheric, I love the description of the city, it’s magical but with a touch of mystery, feels a little gothic. The magic system is interesting, it's very witchy, with dangerous grimoires, unbreakable curses, and action. The setting is bright and shiny outside, but inside it's darker and more dangerous. It feels like a noir thriller, with luxurious parties, auctions of magical artifacts, and lots of secrets.

This time it's a double POV. Marlow is a great main character, but I loved that there are Adrius chapters and more scenes with the secondary characters. Marlow is not alone, she always has support from her friends, and when danger threatens, they are ready to respond. The more dangerous the mission, the more ready they are. I love all the characters, Marlow is smart but suspicious, she likes to do everything on her own and has problems, but she is not selfish, she saved Adrius at her expense. Adrius may seem like the typical rich kid, but he really cares about Marlow. There is more tension in the first book, but again, I enjoy how their relationship progresses and the twists and turns, it's a slow burn, trust, forbidden romance and I would do anything for you, they are cute together.

The first book was more about the magic and Marlow's character development, in the sequel, we see her interacting more with her family, friends, and Adrius. I love the camaraderie and the way they investigate, there is action, the uncovering of secrets and lies and there is always something happening.

The writing style reminds me a bit of the 2000s/10s series, I love the atmosphere, vibes. The ending is satisfying though and is a good conclusion to the duology, where the plot focuses on the disappearance of his mother and her relationship with Adrius; Marlow is a curse breaker which lends itself to seeing new mysteries. A spin off would be fun, even if it was not about Marlow, the supporting characters are great too, they are all a disaster but likable, funny, intelligent, and brave. Overall, it's an entertaining duology that reads quickly, with action, romance, drama, and family secrets, and it hooks quickly.

Thanks to Turn The Pages for making me part of the tour.

Read it if you like
• Paranormal Mystery
• Romance
• Magic

4/5 Stars

I really enjoyed this sequel. The character development was great. The story took some interesting turns. The curse magic and curse breaking was expanded. The characters behaved in believable ways while not being able to guess what they were going to do every time. There were some new people and at least one new person. The romance was prevalent but not the most important part of the book.

I was so excited to jump into this after the ending of the first book. However I struggled a little in the beginning but then it picked up. Did not love the third act reveal but l liked the duology a lot overall.

Book 1 grabbed me with the story of an impossibly difficult curse. The drama that happened because of it left a strong ending, hooking me for book 2.
The aftermath of book 1 left Marlow scrambling to make up for it and convincing people of her worth. This involves clearing the curse, and making up with Adrius to the point of aligning herself with evil—her father.
What follows is a string of betrayal, secrets and lies. The battle for power between the 5 power families is high. Marlow is right in the middle of it all, navigating her way while keeping her father close.
There was a lot of action perfectly mixed with great character moments. The romance was a great addition that helped endear the characters to me just a bit more. The entertainment factor was high with this one, even if I loved the first book just a bit more. I highly recommend this duology!

AUDIO REVIEW: Jennifer Blom did a great job with the narration and the multiple voices. Her cadence accentuated the intense moments and it complimented the sensitive ones. Great job!

Thank you to @macmillanaudio for the copy!

This book has my heart and soul, and I mean that with everything. I loved everything about this book (except for the fact that it's the end!!)

Masquerade of the Heart picks up right where we left off after Garden of the Cursed and I was along for the RIDE. All of my favorite characters returned and just got better. Marlowe is such a good character, I love how she is written and how strong she is while also having weaknesses in her abilities. It makes her feel real and just makes me love her more. We also got Adrius' POV this time and I was in love with the peek behind the curtain with it. I'm so glad that he was given the space to shine as a main character because he is such a strong character to want to win. Just across the board, everyone developed so beautifully throughout this book and I wanted everyone to get exactly what they wanted. However, I have to say that my favorite character in this book was definitely Silvan. I loved seeing more of his personality and his loyalty to Adruis, and his relationship with Swift just grew and grew. Honestly, I can't believe that Marlowe took so long to notice them because they were NOT hiding it well. Or maybe I just have a good sense of Queer characters and relationships.

For a character that I barely knew in the first book, Vale was a great villain. I loved the moral discussions the conflict brought up about where you draw the line and who- if anybody- gets the right to decide. This book was definitely more adventure than mystery compared to the first one, but I didn't mind so much because I was already invested in the story. Katy Rose Pool has a way of hooking me into her stories to the point where I simply cannot put them down.

I am so grateful to have been given this arc and top have been a fan of Katy Rose Pool since There Will Come a Darkness. I can't wait for the next one!

This takes up where the first one left off and the yearning and tension in this was strong and at times nerve-racking. The story continues to be plot heavy with a lot of character moments, and thankfully romance. It's also pretty action packed and realistic in that Marlow doesn't always make the smartest decisions. So sometimes there is a feeling of foreboding and waiting for the other shoe to drop, but sometimes in the best way. The stakes are high and we get to see more of the characters we love like Swift and of course Adrius. I was furious with Amara for the whole of this book but thankfully Adrius and Marlow didn't let her ruin everything in her anger. Also the pacing was tight and there are some surprises here and there that I didn't see coming.

I love that this is a duology and that everything was wrapped up nicely. If you liked the first book, the second is definitely just as great.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group| Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

The first installment in this series was one of my most anticipated releases of last year, so I was delighted to get to read the second part early. I loved the way the characters grew and expanded from the first story--they really came to life in ways that they hadn't yet in the first book. After the cliffhanger I was dangled from at the end of the first book, I was going feral to start this book and this fast-paced sequel/finale threw me down a line and reeled me back up off the cliff in a fantastic way. All the different twists and turns packed into this (arguably short) book were so clean and kept me on my toes, and that mixed with the plot and characters made for a really compelling ending.

This was definitely another homerun from KRP and I look forward to any and everything she puts forth next!

No one is surprised that I screamed when I was able to get my hands on an e-arc of this book, since I am a huge fan of Katy Rose Pool.
This finale to the duology was fantastic!!! So many things I need to go through...

KRP's character were is incredible. I adore all of the characters that I have read from her so far, and Marlowe, Adrius, and Swift are definitely part of that group. Even Sylvan, and some of the other characters! Her characters are realistically flawed and fantastic. You grow to love them and want to know that all of them are going to survive these twisting and winding tales.

After the cliffhanger from the first book, this finale was nothing short of amazing and addicting. I couldn't put this book down, just needing to know what would happen next and how the duology would end. I'm not going to go into too much detail because spoilers, but there were some fantastic twists and turns that I was not expecting. And I loved the way that the duology wrapped up! It was amazing.

I would highly recommend this duology to anyone who is looking for a YA fantasy with twists, mystery, romance, and great characters!

TW: abandonment, alcohol, blood, death, emotional abuse, gaslighting, injury/ injury detail, murder, violence, death of parent

A murder to fix, a forbidden romance, and a city on the brink of war... can things really work out for a curse breaker and her ex-fake boyfriend turned ex-fiance turned secret lover? Picking up where the first book left off, cursebreaker Marlow Briggs has to deal with the aftermath of her fake romance with one of the most powerful nobles in the Evergarden society... who just happens to be the same guy she's in love with and who was forced to murder his father by a curse her own father put on him... oops. Marlow covered for Adrius and said she was the one to stab his father, when in fact he was cursed and forced to do so by her own recently discovered father, a powerful figure in the noble society... who now wants to show her off to society and literally create a spell to take over and control the entire society. To make matters more complicated Adrius's sister Amara is threatening to have Marlow killed if he does to find a wife and he has to stop speaking or seeing Marlow forever... but the feelings between Marlow and Adrius are finally unleashed and they can't stay away from one another despite everything working against them. Marlow and Adrius must find a way to not only find a way to be together but to stop Marlow's father, find Adrius's dad, and find a way to acquit Marlow from the crime her father committed. Nobody said being in love would be easy but for a cursebreaker like Marlow, she's going to have to find a way to break the deadliest curse of all and survive it. I actually loved this book so much, I was so surprised by how much fun I had with this one and it definitely picked up from the first book. The second book was such a fun way to end the series and I really appreciated the growth in the relationship between Marlow and Adrius. The mystery was fun and with such high stakes the story felt so fast moving and interesting. I would definitely recommend this series to fans of second chance romance, fantasy, and action packed stories!

Release Date: June 18, 2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Masquerade of the Heart is the second, and final installment in Katy Rose Pool's Garden of the Cursed duology. Key Characters: Marlow Briggs one of the best cursebreakers in the City of Caraza. Vale Falcrest former heir to the Falcrest Family after the events of the first installment. Like the first book, we follow Marlow's POV, but we also get a few Adrius chapters sprinkled in this time too. 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 being spurned by Adrius, who refuses to speak to her and publicly vows to find a noble wife before the year is out while his sister Amara truly believes that she is guilty of trying to murder her father and will do anything to make her life miserable. 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 (Cormorant Vale) who’s hellbent on reshaping Caraza in his own image, no matter the cost if he can get his hands on a valuable grimoire.

As Marlow navigates a city where far too many people want her dead, be it the gangs (Reapers & Copperheads) she’s crossed in the Marshes or the aristocrats (Evergarden Society) offended by her very presence in their gilded halls, the closer she gets to discovering what really happened to her own mother Cassandra, and the more Marlow starts to question if her father is 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.

*Thoughts* As a certain singer once said, "Sorry Not Sorry" but adding in a romance for the sake of a certain group of individuals was time consuming and a waste of time that should have been spent on Marlow and Adrius. Also, after everything that Marlow has been through for the past how many years, for the author not to allow any sort of resolution with her mother disappoints me. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be, but I would have loved to see reconciliation. Marlow is a likable character not because of all the crap that is done to her, but how she manages to keep her sanity after the backstabbing and betrayal by people who were supposed to be friends.

This is the second book in a duology. Not the best reading I have had but definitely not the worst. Probably would have helped had I read the first book.

I loved the first book with the whole enemies to lovers trope. This one continues with the mystery around Marlow's mom. Marlow is so fearless. It is a satisfying conclusion but I want more from this group.

This arc was provided to me by Netgalley!

This review will contain spoilers in place of my notes: I; 'm also going to assume that you're reading this because you've already read the first book and enjoyed it so we're going to go all in and hope for the best.

I am nothing if not a person who loves a good sequel to a first book that I loved, so i jumped at the chance to read this as quickly as i could and i for the most part was not disappointed. Masquerade of the Heart jumps right into where Garden of the Cursed left off so as long as you remember what happens in that book's ending you can jump right into this and everything will make sense. The same cast of characters I loved in the first book show up and have a good plot relevance with a few exceptions: those being Amara, Gemma, and Darian who should have gotten a lot more screen time but did not.

I feel as if this should have been a trilogy though, with all that was happening and what we could have explored more. For instance, i think we could have a whole book just about Vale coming to power and them trying to destroy him while he has full control of the book and them having to deal with not being fast enough to stop him. Cassandra could have had a more prominent role in stopping him and showing Marlow that she did love her, and we could have still gotten the added drama of Adrius being engaged to Iris because tha just fell through almost as soon as it happened and we knew next to nothing about Iris and why he and Amara thought she would be a good wife.

Personally, I’m upset that we didn’t get a confrontation with Amara and Gemma about their relationship that could have been a pivotal moment for us to gain an emotional attachment to Amara and care about her as a character. We have a vested interest in Gemma, as Marlow’s only other friend and Adrius’ close friend so it would have been nice to see her get proper closure to her relationship.

All in all, a lot happened and yet nothing happened at the same time which is how I typically feel when I believe a duology should have been a trilogy, but now we get to my favorite part which is showing everyone my reading notes:

I did not expect this to take place 3 days after the first book's ending, but Marlow is on a time crunch so I guess this makes a lot of sense.
Is Vale her father or is he just playing the long game? Is this just his con? Is Cassandra dead?
I hope we get more of Swift in this book, he was neat.
Vale: Don’t worry, I told the family about you. Silvain, upon seeing Marlow: What is SHE doing here?!
Vale, the messy man that you are.
Does Vale want to control Evergarden or destroy it?
Brother-sister bonding in which they go on an adventure to track down her best friend who just so happens to be the object of the brother’s affection let’s GO
Is Aidrus looking for a wife because he wants to get over Marlow or because Amara told him to and he’s under a compulsion curse?
I was right it was Amara’s doing
Take a shot every time Marlow calls Silvain her brother and he objects:
2 shots, sadly
They do not in fact call each other siblings in a positive way.
Adrius POV, we have won.
He knew it was his Minnow!!!
Still mostly Amara’s idea to marry him off, but very star-crossed lovers of them to keep the two apart.
Not fully convinced that the curse is broken
Marlow’s plan to get Swift back was so extra, which is good on her I guess, but I’m mostly glad that he isn’t evil or working with the Reapers.
She’s playing a pretty dangerous game of fuck around and find out with all the gangs she’s messing around with.
Silvain telling Marlow that she needs to get her shit together and fix Adrius because he’s sad and annoying, and if she can handle all these gangs she can handle his sister-in-law's bullshit is such a sibling thing to do.
Boy does she get her man though! Good for you, Marlow.
Vale creating a school because of Marlow is such a good move on his part if he’s trying to get her on his side.
Don’t kill her boyfriend though that’s not going to help you.
There’s a reason I don’t believe Cassandra is dead and it’s because you can’t out lie, a liar and I stand by that Neil Josten quote.
The introduction of a grown-ass man who has a weird obsession with a teenager is so on-brand and I hate that he’s a thing but I love that they all acknowledge that he’s the weird one in this situation.
Without shame. Without shame, men like this say weird shit to teenage girls and do not think that it’s weird at all and we should be publicly shaming them more. We should be shaming this man for wearing a fedora at the very least.
Fuck Amara, to be honest, I still hate her.
The one thing that Adrius doesn’t mess around about is Marlow and yet people keep trying him about her safety to his face!
Tear of a killer could be from Adrius as long as his dad actually dies
Called it.
I knew that Iris would be an issue but was really hoping that she wouldn’t be.
I also called Cassandra not being dead but I do not believe it until I see her on page getting shit done.
Marlow’s mommy and daddy issues coming out at the same time was a doozy.
It took Marlow far too long to realize that her best friend has been hooking up with her brother for someone whose job is essential ‘Magic Detective’
Gemma coming in with the steel chair of emotions! Good for you!
For being 70 pages away from finishing this it sure feels like there’s a lot left going on.
Vale goes hard, holy shit.
Get yourself a father who melts people for you, I guess.
I always forget that YA implies that the characters, who are teens, are having sex, and while that’s a thing that happens in real life leave it to the adult-themed books!
Fuck Cassandra as well, to be honest, I don’t care for her at all.
Love that Marlow and Adrius both do not give a shit anymore and have just reached a YOLO outlook on life and their situations.
Because of course, the evil curse man is his ancestor.
There was way too much back and forth about who could really fix Caraza and Marlow wondered ‘Huh…maybe Vale is right?’
Cool motive, still murder
There was far too much build-up up for the ending that we got and I will stand by that. Too many plot holes were left unmentioned.
The gangs
Cassandra
The literal ghost haunting Adrius
Iris and Adrius’ engagement
Amara and the rest of the five families
Vale going to jail and their kissing does not feel like a good enough ending