2026 Review Just as addicting on the third read as it was on the first

Garden of the Cursed is the first book in a YA fantasy mystery duology set in a magical city, and it's an exciting ride from start to finish with tropes like fake dating, "who did this to you", and infiltrating high society. I picked it up again because I'm still in my fantasy mystery mood, and I knew this would be a fun read (plus I want to reread the sequel). I devoured it in basically three sittings because I love these characters and the world they inhabit. It's a very colorful and whimsical world despite the darkness hiding in the streets, and I really enjoy the magic system of curses and hexes coming from magical cards.

Marlow Briggs is a cursebreaker who spends her day solving mysteries despite the fact that she's yet to discover the truth behind her mother's disappearance several years ago. When a familiar but not so friendly face approaches with a curse to break, Marlow is hesitant to accept. She didn't part with Adrius Falcrest, heir to one of the richest families in the city, on good terms, but now his curse has put him in danger, and he's willing to pay an exorbitant sum to have it broken. Marlow's investigation reintroduces her to high society under the guise of rekindling her relationship with Adrius, and most of the book follows her delving into drama, conflict, and unresolved mysteries from years ago. The pacing was fairly consistent throughout, with enough red herrings and avenues explored to leave the plot feeling full and satisfied. Because a lot of the page time is spent mingling among the other high society characters, the stakes can feel a bit low for Marlow herself at times, but there are a few action scenes spread throughout to keep things tense. I will admit that I don't think the ending twist is as foreshadowed as it could've been, but it makes sense in hindsight, and it was one of those mysteries where I enjoyed being along for the ride. This book does end on a cliffhanger, so I will caution readers about that, especially considering I remember not enjoying book 2 nearly as much as I loved book 1 (my favorite aspect of the plot was completely discarded with somewhat shallow reasoning, in my opinion).

The cast of characters easily makes up for the minor struggles I had with the plot. Marlow is an incredibly entertaining protagonist to follow. She holds onto her grudges with just as much passion as she pours into solving her mysteries. I really enjoyed her relentless pursuit of answers, as well as her reluctant approach to the people of high society that once scorned her. I also loved her dynamics with both Swift (her best friend), Adrius, and her other new allies. Adrius, the love interest, is your familiar mix of sarcasm and daddy issues that makes him excellent with banter while also sweet when it comes to the FMC. Marlow and Adrius's banter was super fun, and while their wishy-washy feelings could annoy me at times, I lived for those softer, sweeter moments. I also love Swift, Marlow's bestie, who has a somewhat dark backstory of his own. I remember him being my favorite in the second book, but I just really enjoy how loyal he is to Marlow, but also how he isn't afraid to tell her his opinion. There are a bunch of side characters, most of whom get limited page time and you probably won't care about, but Marlow grows closer with two of them over the course of the book, and I think their dynamics are also entertaining.

Garden of the Cursed is a YA fantasy mystery for readers who enjoy magical cities with shadowy streets, tropes like fake dating and "who did this to you", and books with character dynamics like Kika Hatzopoulou's Threads That Bind.

4.5/5

2024 Review "'I don't know any of those cursebreakers,' Adrius replied easily. 'I know you.'"

Garden of the Cursed is single-handedly convincing me that I sometimes have good luck. Not only is it yet another incredible by Katy Rose Pool, but I ordered a used copy and ended up with a signed, exclusive edition? My dreams have come true (and it's so beautiful). This is yet another one of my fantasy-mystery reads where we join Marlow as she tries to break a compulsion curse on her ex, Adrius. I'm not usually a fan of second-chance romances or fake dating, but this book has proven to me that there are good examples of those tropes. There's so much angst and I'm here for it. I love all of the twists and turns and red herrings. The only thing I have any issue with in the plot is that most of the scenes are just party scenes with a bit of drama, and I'm hoping to see maybe a bit more action in the sequel but that's my only complaint. I love all of these characters so much. If Swift doesn't get a happy ending, I'm going to riot. There's also Toad, the magical cat, and I love her. Most of the other side characters are designed to be unlikeable, so I wasn't really fond of them. But Marlow and Adrius? They're one of my favorite book couples and I love Marlow's personality and Adrius's sense of humor. They're amazing. The last time I reviewed this, I said "I apologize for the person I will become when the sequel comes out," and guess who just got an ARC of the sequel. I love this duology so much and cannot recommend it more, and I am so unbelievably excited for one of my most anticipated reads of 2024. 4.5/5

2023 Review "Maybe that's all love was. Handing someone a knife and trusting that they wouldn't cut your throat."

I firmly believe that Katy Rose Pool is incapable of writing a bad book. There Will Come a Darkness is one of my all-time favorite series, so when I found out that Katy Rose Pool was releasing a new duology, one that's a mix of fantasy and mystery, I was ecstatic and it was 100% worth the wait. A murder mystery filled with so many twists and turns that I managed to call only one of them, agonizingly angsty romance, loveable characters, a unique magic system, and a cat named Toad? What more could you ask for? I read this entire book in basically one day. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire thing, annotating the heck out of my poor e-book because I felt that everything was noteworthy. Marlow is an incredibly cool protagonist and Adrius is one of my favorite love interests. I love Swift and Toad and the vibes of the story as a whole. 110% will recommend to everyone I speak to for the next 24 hours, and I apologize for the person I will become when the sequel comes out.

The adopted dad/daughter trope never ends happily for me, and I'm terrified for the finale...

The Void Dragon is the second book in the Shattered Lands trilogy, a high fantasy series that follows a coming-of-age arc along with political intrigue, powerful magic, and a wide world with an expansive cast of characters. I read The Outcast Mage a few years ago and was most intrigued by the ending, so I knew I'd be interested in reading the sequel too. Good news: this book begins with a summary of the previous one that I (as someone who literally just reread book 1 before diving into this one) felt covered all of the necessary bases. Also, there's a glossary if you ever feel lost on character names, places, or terminology. These were super helpful because a lot happens in book 1, and because we follow so many POV characters on their own journeys, the extra reminders of who is who keep things clear.

Naila and Haelius have escaped Amoria, but their paths have diverged, leading them on very separate journeys. Naila, accompanied by the priest, Entonin, and the bodyguard, Karameth, seeks answers to her strange magic and past. Meanwhile, Haelius struggles with the emotional turmoil of his actions in Amoria, which leave him desperate for a purpose to cling to, even if he doesn't truly agree with the cause. I think the plotlines in this book can best be divided into four main threads (two of which are much smaller) that all converge at the end. Naila, Entonin, and Karameth share one thread while Haelius occupies the other side of their larger arc. This book also features smaller but equally important plotlines from Larinne and Ko'ani's POVs as well as Ra'akea's. Like book 1, the first half was quite a slowburn for me, but once I hit the 50% mark, the pacing increased dramatically, and the tension kept me engaged. It took me 3 days to read the first half and a few hours to read the second. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the ending yet. On one hand, it was incredibly action-packed, twisty, and emotionally charged, but there are certain tropes and decisions that truly annoyed/infuriated me. I'll definitely be reading book 3 at some point, especially because I think the ending has to be explosive, but I'm hoping it doesn't follow too closely to the tropes I'm beginning to suspect it might.

My opinions on the characters shifted a lot in this book. Some of my thoughts remain the same as book 1. Naila, for example, is a character that I'm fine reading about, but she isn't the most intriguing to me because I've seen the "protagonist coming into her unusual and destructive power" trope before. Her internal conflict did appeal to me more than it did in book 1, but she's still not my favorite to read about (even though she should be the most relatable for me). I still liked Larinne, though I wanted to see more of her, and Ko'ani grew on me with her extended page time. Ra'akea has the least page time and connection with the other characters, so I'm still not a fan of her just because she felt like an excuse to include dragons in the title when they're not all that present in half the story. Haelius was my favorite previously, but he did get a bit over-the-top in this book with his constant self-pity. He also gets thrown around like a literal ragdoll, which is entertaining a few times but can grow stale after he spends every chapter suffering (no matter how much I love the angst). I really liked the introduction of Aya's character; she's a strong female lead whose role in politics feels shown and not told through her decisions and careful calm. Similarly, I was intrigued by the Wazira's character and her interactions with Haelius. Entonin and Karameth became my favorites in this book, I think because they were close to the action without always being directly involved, which allowed them to flourish in their own subplots, conflict, and tension. Overall, I think all readers will be able to find at least one character to root for with this large cast.

The Void Dragon is the high fantasy sequel to The Outcast Mage, and I would still recommend it to fans of Mistborn. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.5/5

2024 Review This book reminded me of, like, a hundred different things, and honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. (I'll include the references below my review because there are so many of them).

The Outcast Mage is a high fantasy novel that takes place in a city of glass with an academy of mages. Like I said before, it reminded me of a dozen other books and movies, and I really liked the vibes. The worldbuilding itself took a little bit to get used to, as the book dumps the reader directly into the world without much explanation. I'm still a little unclear on some aspects of the lore, but I understood what was necessary for most of the plot.

Naila is a mage at the academy, but she has a problem...she can't do magic. With threats of exile looming on the horizon, Naila's only hope is the eccentric wizard Haelius Akana, who also happens to be the most powerful living mage. The plot admittedly takes a while to get into (I wasn't invested until 50%, and I didn't really get invested until about 80%), but the ending feels worth it. None of the plot twists felt extremely crazy to me, but the main one didn't really feel predictable. I'm hoping that the pacing issues will be resolved in book two.

Similar to the plot, it took me a while to get attached to the characters. Naila wasn't super intriguing to me because I primarily read YA fantasy, and she fits in well with the protagonists I typically read about, so she wasn't anything special. I didn't mind Ko'ani, and I look forward to seeing where her arc goes in book two. Entonin took a while to adjust to, but I like him now, and the same goes for Karameth. Also, I just want to say I appreciated the mild romance in this because it's a welcome break from heavy romance. Larinne was the underdog because I didn't like her at first, but she was one of my favorites by the end. Haelius was my favorite character just because I'm basic, and I see a sad man with a tragic backstory but silly tendencies, and I immediately love it. Those are the main main characters, but there are enough other characters that I think a dramatis personae could've been beneficial.

The Outcast Mage is a high fantasy novel perfect for fans of academia, political regulation of magic, and found family vibes. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.5/5

References: Skyward Sword - (video game) - I think because of the academy vibes? Lisa Frankenstein - (movie) - Ko'ani just gives the vibes of Lisa's stepsister Crown of Bones - (book by A.K. Wilder) - the main character had similar vibes but also, again, magic school A Darker Shade of Magic - (book by V.E. Schwab) - magic collars and elemental affinities Keeper of the Lost Cities Nightfall - (book by Shannon Messenger) - dome Shadow and Bone - (book by Leigh Bardugo) - "hollow" magic The First Binding - (book by R.R. Virdi) - just vibes

2026 Review For the most part, my thoughts haven't changed. The first 50% remained slow, even though I knew where the plot was going, though the glossary helped with clarifying confusion I had from my first read-through. Haelius and Larinne remain my favorite characters (they remind me of Newt and Tina from Fantastic Beasts, so I'm mostly continuing the series for them at this point. Shout out to Entonin and Karameth, though, because I completely forgot about them, and then when they appeared, I got super excited. I would recommend this to fans of Mistborn for the mentor/student dynamic and magical city elements.

still 3.5/5