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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I do like the world, magic and characters, but that ending was so rushed. It was too much buildup and not enough payoff.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5 stars
I read the first book more than a year ago so I was glad that the book mentioned all the big things that happened in the plot within the first 20-ish % of this book.
I didn't hate the romance but this stolen/doomed romance that is mostly (physical or talking about separation) wasn't for me. The romance lost its spark from book 1 in my opinion. The ending to Marlow and Adrius’s relationship was good though. I liked that they didn't hinder each other's desires.
I Loved Marlow's relationship with swift and Gemma. It was simple and beautiful.
The ending to the plot was okay, nothing surprising but good. My only issue as I mentioned before was the almost relationship and some meandering that happened in the plot that made the pace seem slower and the story incomplete.
Another thing that annoyed me was that some parts were just added to move the plot and didn't fit (example: The mother)
Overall, I like the style of the author's books so I think I will check more of her.
I read the first book more than a year ago so I was glad that the book mentioned all the big things that happened in the plot within the first 20-ish % of this book.
I didn't hate the romance but this stolen/doomed romance that is mostly (physical or talking about separation) wasn't for me. The romance lost its spark from book 1 in my opinion. The ending to Marlow and Adrius’s relationship was good though. I liked that they didn't hinder each other's desires.
I Loved Marlow's relationship with swift and Gemma. It was simple and beautiful.
The ending to the plot was okay, nothing surprising but good. My only issue as I mentioned before was the almost relationship and some meandering that happened in the plot that made the pace seem slower and the story incomplete.
Spoiler
the curse being broken that easily and suddenly finding her motherAnother thing that annoyed me was that some parts were just added to move the plot and didn't fit (example: The mother)
Overall, I like the style of the author's books so I think I will check more of her.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So basically, what I've learned about myself through this reading experience, is that if Katy Rose Pool puts out a new series with any number of volumes in it, I will be front of the line to buy. This duology was so fun with interesting magic, fabulous characters, and a romance I simply adored. There is so much mystery packed into this but it's so entertaining to follow along with it rather than frustrating or feeling too predictable. It wasn't a perfect ending, but it was a good time so I didn't really care.
Book Summary:
Marlow Briggs has many talents - the biggest of which is her ability to get into all sorts of trouble. She may be a curse-breaker professional, but sticking her nose into everything is more of a passion.
That’s probably how she got into this situation. The Five Families want her imprisoned (or dead); two different magical gangs are out for her head, and that’s just the beginning. Worse, the whole city may be in danger if Marlow can’t sort things out.
My Review:
I don’t know why, but I’ve been garbage about reading the second halves of duologies lately. Diving into Masquerade of the Heart is my attempt to correct that mistake. This is the second novel in the Garden of the Cursed series, and I’ve been dying to know how it ends.
Masquerade of the Heart did an excellent job of maintaining, if not raising, the stakes in this world. Marlow kept finding herself in bigger and bigger disasters; it was highly entertaining, to say the least.
That said, I didn’t love the conclusion as much as I had hoped. For one thing, I found myself lukewarm on the romance here. There is too much drama and insufficient emotional development or attachment, you know?
My other problem is the pacing. The first half is fine, but some scenes get rushed somewhere during the second half to ensure the book concludes. This results in some twists/turns that are left unexplained, and it bugged the heck out of me. (One of the biggest mysteries in Harlow’s life, and it’s changed in a paragraph without explaining how? Seriously?).
After everything has been said and done, I’m thrilled to have finished this series. I got to see it through, and while I would have liked to see some bits changed, it was a solid conclusion for this world.
Highlights:
YA Fantasy
Cursbreaking
Complex Magical Society/Politics
Stubborn character who knows everything
LGBTQ+
You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
Marlow Briggs has many talents - the biggest of which is her ability to get into all sorts of trouble. She may be a curse-breaker professional, but sticking her nose into everything is more of a passion.
That’s probably how she got into this situation. The Five Families want her imprisoned (or dead); two different magical gangs are out for her head, and that’s just the beginning. Worse, the whole city may be in danger if Marlow can’t sort things out.
My Review:
I don’t know why, but I’ve been garbage about reading the second halves of duologies lately. Diving into Masquerade of the Heart is my attempt to correct that mistake. This is the second novel in the Garden of the Cursed series, and I’ve been dying to know how it ends.
Masquerade of the Heart did an excellent job of maintaining, if not raising, the stakes in this world. Marlow kept finding herself in bigger and bigger disasters; it was highly entertaining, to say the least.
That said, I didn’t love the conclusion as much as I had hoped. For one thing, I found myself lukewarm on the romance here. There is too much drama and insufficient emotional development or attachment, you know?
My other problem is the pacing. The first half is fine, but some scenes get rushed somewhere during the second half to ensure the book concludes. This results in some twists/turns that are left unexplained, and it bugged the heck out of me. (One of the biggest mysteries in Harlow’s life, and it’s changed in a paragraph without explaining how? Seriously?).
After everything has been said and done, I’m thrilled to have finished this series. I got to see it through, and while I would have liked to see some bits changed, it was a solid conclusion for this world.
Highlights:
YA Fantasy
Cursbreaking
Complex Magical Society/Politics
Stubborn character who knows everything
LGBTQ+
You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
I think this was a good end to the duology.
However, I definitely enjoyed the first one more. I’m having a hard time really deciding my thoughts on this book. I liked it as a whole. It closed out the duology nicely- as in I don’t really have unanswered questions. But the story was just kind of… meh 🤷🏻♀️ Sometimes I wanted it to move quicker and others I needed more. Sometimes I was bored. Sometimes I was questioning what in the world was happening.
I would still recommend this duology as a cute little quick read for someone into YA fantasy.
However, I definitely enjoyed the first one more. I’m having a hard time really deciding my thoughts on this book. I liked it as a whole. It closed out the duology nicely- as in I don’t really have unanswered questions. But the story was just kind of… meh 🤷🏻♀️ Sometimes I wanted it to move quicker and others I needed more. Sometimes I was bored. Sometimes I was questioning what in the world was happening.
I would still recommend this duology as a cute little quick read for someone into YA fantasy.
This was a fun conclusion to the mystery and interesting exploration of power.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
pacing wasn’t very good and marlow got on my nerves wayyy more in this book than the first one :/