After a recent reread of Garden of the Cursed, I simply had to get my hands on a copy of the sequel as soon as possible. The ending was a crash after crash. Masquerade of the Heart carried the momentum of that ending and I was pleased to see it had the same seamless flow. A book that's read with ease and doesn't require much work from the reader's side is always appreciated. We don't need info dumps in sequels!

Marlow is very reserved and a hard nut to crack and her pov is exactly that. We are closed off, not knowing her actions until the last moment when she carries them out. I understood and appreciated that in Garden because it was a good portrayal of her personality but here it irked me a little. How are we in your pov and do not know you're thinking at all? Felt like the door shut in my face at times, which failed in connecting me to Marlow.

Now, the romance I was way more invested in Swift and Silvan. They served casual cuteness. Adrius and Marlow got too mushy and sappy. Got no reaction out of me.

This is a perfectly fine second and final book, though I like Garden more. I'm glad I read this duology.

Thank you author and NetGalley for the ARC. I brought the first after giving the arc. I loved the whole duology and wish it was longer. The main couple has my heart. The female lead was one of my favorite characters.

I had requested this book not knowing that it was a sequel, and after I was approved and read the synopsis, I immediately went and read the first book! I really enjoyed the first book, and I also adored this one. This book was a lot more developed in its found family than the first, and I loved the angst between the two main characters. Honestly, everything about this book was great. It’s just that the ending felt a little rushed, so I wish it was written a little better. But overall, that’s my only complaint. Five stars!

Thank you nexgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for this ARC

I loved the Garden of the Cursed and was excited to see how the story ended.

This was definitely a thrilling read!!! So many twist and turns throughout the book with a lot of answers provided to strengthen the final events. I enjoyed the different point of views that continued the story instead of just being repetitive. The relationship between Marlow and Adrius was very present but I don't think it overshadowed the plot in the story. And thank goodness for my Toad.

2.5 ⭐️

I'm sad that this one ended up being a disappointing read for me. The first book was one of my favorite reads of 2023. This second book was my most anticipated read for this year. I loved the first ones charm with the characters, world building, and romance. I had found it to be unique and absolutely loved Adrius and Marlow dynamics/relationship.

I'm not sure what the decision making process was to make this duology versus a trilogy. I think many of my next comments regarding what didn't work in this second book could be related to this being two books. Trying to force everything into this one book.

I noticed right away the pacing of the book was off. We left first book with Marlow breaking Adrius trust. It was very significant thing that she did that impacted his consent and autonomy. I was expecting in this second book there would a period of her rebuilding his trust for her and vice versa as he also broke hers the year before. That didn't really seem to ever be discussed and it just never really happened. I'm also really surprised to see the main topic of what was going on with Adrius was just simply tied up in a neat bow and just felt very like it didn't matter at all.

I think my biggest disappointment was the romance between Marlow and Adrius. The charm and chemistry just disappeared. I didn't understand their motives anymore or felt their feelings were genuine. It felt like we missed an entire book leading up to this.

Circling back I really wished this was either a longer second book or trilogy. The pacing seemed to be rushed to tie up all the plot lines. It would have been great to have the second book to truly resolve the first main curse, Adrius/Marlow work thru their trust issues with eachother, and get more information regarding the five families motives/goals.

Although I'm disappointed am really grateful for getting a chance to read these two books thru NetGalley. I don't think I would have discovered Katy Rose Pool for awhile otherwise. I'm very interested in reading more from her. I absolutely adored that first book. The romance and magic system was nothing I had ever read before. I am really looking forward to what else she writes in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and
Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc!

After the ending of the first book, I couldn't wait to jump back into the world of Caraza and see what awaited Marlow and Adrius. Like the first book, we follow Marlow's POV, but we also get a few Adrius chapters sprinkled in this time too. I enjoyed reading from his POV and thought it added an extra layer of depth to his character.

Masquerade of the Heart picks up right after the end of The Garden of the Cursed. From there, this book is full of action and tension making it very hard to put down! I loved that we got to learn more about the spellwrights in this book, although I wouldn't have minded seeing even more of it!

I loved reading about Marlow and following her journey throughout the entire duology. Overall, I thought this was a wonderful conclusion to this duology and look forward to reading the author's future works.

*4.5 rounded up*

Unfortunately, this was a bit of a letdown for me. The first book in this duology had me feeling charmed by both the world, the romance, and the characters. I didn't really feel that here in the conclusion. There are a few reasons for this, but the primary one is that the pacing was really, really off. The author was trying to tie off too many plot threads (and even ended up missing a few in the process) that the book felt pretty bogged down. While there were some plot threads that were resolved, they ultimately didn't feel as satisfying to me because there just wasn't time to linger and let certain moments carry any poignancy before we were shuttled along to another plot point.

Because of this, I think the romance really suffered, for me at least. I think my main reason for not liking it this time around was that in the first book, Marlow did something that really broke Adrius's trust and I felt like the resolution to that never really happened in a way that was satisfying for either of their characters. In fact, it was pretty much forgotten. That, and Adrius has this weird character moment that seemed to be completely forgotten about by the ending. To be honest, I really wish that both Adrius and Marlow had either spent less time making out in secret and more time actually talking (or, honestly, maybe even just spending time apart).

I feel like there were some moments where conversations were trying to be had about power and privilege and free will, but because of the pacing, they didn't really land in the way the author wanted them to, I think.

Overall, I feel like this was just... a bit of a mess and I came out of this not really feeling like I did when I read the first book. I wasn't satisfied and I was pretty disappointed by the whole thing.

Masquerade of The Heart~ Katy Rose Pool
Rating: 4⭐️
Spice: No spice~ YA
Tropes/Genres : YA fantasy, found family, friends -to enemies- to lovers, unique magic system

I first want to thank the publisher/author/and NetGalley for the ARC!
I really loved the first book in this duology (Garden of the Cursed) and I’m very happy to say this sequel did not disappoint!
i loved the conclusion and loved how everything tied up nicely! This book is a YA fantasy and I would say maybe even teen fantasy but that didn’t bother me personally I still enjoyed it a lot! I do feel like there was a lot of filler content but again I loved all the characters so much it didn’t matter to me!
This is a subplot romance but no spice this is again a YA so it’s closed door/fade to black! I was SO happy with Marlow and Adrius in this novel!!!
I said this about the first book and I want to mention it again, the magic system in this book is very unique and easy to understand and ultimately super enjoyable to read about! I’m honestly a little sad to be done reading this series!

Thank you Henry Holt and Co and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. When I read my eARC of Garden Of The Cursed my only complaint was that I would have to wait so long for book two! But I finally got to read it and it was everything I hoped it would be! Marlow is still reeling from not only her shocking family reveal but also from finding out who cast Adrius’ curse. But now that she’s accused of murder Adrius seems to no longer be interested. Especially as he’s announced that he will choose a wife by the end of the year. Despite this Marlow is determined to end his curse. But finding out who cursed him has made things complicated and there may be bigger spells in motion. On top of that Swift has disappeared, she hasn’t seen him since she went to Amara’s wedding. And as she learns more about her mother she’s realizing she just may not have known her at all. Then there’s the gangs. Copperheads are out for her blood and the Reapers may feel like she’s more trouble then she’s worth. Can she break the curse? Are her and Adrius destined to live a life of longing never getting to be together? Will she be convicted of murder? And most of all can she stop the one who cursed Adrius? Holy moly there was so much going on in this book that kept me hooked! All the secrets, betrayal, and lies are so thrilling! The tension between Marlow and Adrius will have you on edge as they break each others hearts over and over again! Also this time we get pov from Adrius and I loved being inside his head! And in this one we get more of Silvan, who’s the cold hearted grump I love! I cannot recommend this series enough! I’m so excited for the paper version to be out!

A fantastic conclusion to an engaging and intriguing duology! Excellent characters, fantastic worldbuilding, and an emotional conclusion! Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was anxiously awaiting this book and while I did binge it and I’m glad I have closure to the story, it didn’t grip me the way the first one did. I would have liked the MC and FC to have more time together. I think that’s part of what made the first book so good. And I get why they couldn’t be, but it just left me feeling like something was missing. Still a good book and worth reading to know how the storyline ends.

No spice so YA appropriate.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with the eARC. I wish I could put into words the joy of having been able to read this book so soon brought me.

I've been having a rough time with sequels lately, with a good chunk of the recent ones I've read not holding up to the standards or expectations that I had. But, thankfully, that ended up not being the case here. Masquerade of the Heart was enjoyable from beginning to end, full of action and intrigue, and very much a worthy follow-up to Garden of the Cursed. I enjoyed reading the developments of the characters and of their relationships with each other, and more than that, I was absolutely in love with the romance between Marlow and Adrius. The pining and yearning between them, and the aspect of a forbidden romance had me glued to the book. I was also completely absorbed by the different conflicts Marlow would find herself in, and how each conflict wove around one another in a complex knot, leaving me wondering how Marlow would dig herself out of each problem she encountered.

I do, however, feel like there wasn't enough closure for some characters such as Amara and Gemma amongst a few others, and the pacing of the last quarter felt a little faster than the earlier parts of the book, as if it was a tad bit rushed.

I certainly hope this won't be the end for Marlow and her friends, but even if it is, I'm overall happy with the way their stories concluded.

Masquerade of the Heart by Katy Rose Pool, was one of my most anticipated sequels. it picks right back up after the first book; Garden of the Cursed and it was everything i wanted in a book and sequel. There was incredible action and intense heart stopping moments. Every scene she wrote was captivating and left me wanting more.

The characters are perfection. total bad asses yet vulnerable and deeply layered. the love and relationship between Marlow and Adrius is completely gold. their interactions are so nature and there is constant passion in their interactions. What a great way to end this duology!

This was a wonderful YA read with a well-rounded conclusion that felt very satisfactory. I still believe this duology has one of the most unique magic systems within its plot that is really unique & interesting to unravel.
The characters throughout are enjoyable & I loved seeing Adrius and Marlow again. The tension/romance was just as high as the first book, but I do think I was a little more enticed with the plot more with book one compared to this one.
I also appreciated how all questions we as readers had when finishing GotC were answered one way or another with this final book!
I'm definitely going to miss these characters, but I can't wait to see what Katy has up her sleeve with her next pieces of works!

I loved being back in this world, and this book is a solid sequel. Our intrepid curse breaker Marlow is back at it, this time with a bit of a mystery to solve and curse ingredients to track down. And of course an adorable Adrius to pine after. The characters continue to shine and the world continues to be dark and gritty.

Some things to expect:
Forbidden romance
Enchanted library
Gritty underworld
Fantastic side characters
A cat named Toad
Morally grey parents

4.5 stars! I devoured this book! Once I started, I didn't want to put it down. Excellent conclusion to this duology.

Liked:

Overall likeable characters, enjoyable plot, and good pacing
Picks up right where the first book left off and is even better!
More Silvan! I love the grumpy characters and he is just fantastic

Disliked:

The cover for this one just doesn't appeal to me.

this was a wonderful sequel and perfect for ya readers. it felt like a couple of the mysteries from the first book were just quickly revealed for new mysteries to take their place and almost like the goal was to pack as many surprises into the book as possible. however with that said the romance was wonderful, the cast of characters are all very interesting and entertaining (especially marlow) and the tension remains high all throughout keeping readers engaged!

WHAT a conclusion from Katy Rose Pool! I was a huge fan of Garden of the Cursed and this perfectly wraps up the story. Pool excels at worldbuilding and emotion, and both are in full effect here. Must read!

I don't know if I just wasn't in the right mood for this, but I didn't love it as much as I hoped that I would. The plot felt slow and that stuff kept ahppening without a real purpose.

This is a beautifully written and engaging novel that is sure to appeal to fans of fantasy and romance alike. I very much enjoyed it and was eager to finish it as soon as I began with it.