Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool is the first in a new series from the author who gave us the fabulous Age of Darkness series. (Seriously, if you have not read that one, do yourself a favor and do so immediately. Then come back and add this one to your TBR list.) 

Set in a world that reminds me of a cross between Venice and the bayous of Louisana, this new series follows the adventures of Marlow Briggs. She grew up among society's wealthiest, only to have it all taken away when her mother mysteriously disappeared. Marlow is understandably bitter about her circumstances. She is also brave, determined, and the teeniest bit reckless. Underneath her bravado are a tender heart and a lonely soul. You want nothing more than to see Marlow earn her happily ever after. 

Like her previous series, Ms. Pool's world-building is par excellence. You instinctively sense the seediness of Caraza City and the surrounding Marshes, the danger they hold, and the odors that emanate from the muck and grime. Against this backdrop, we understand the desperation that causes Marlow to take chances she shouldn't, just as we better comprehend the scorn she holds for the elite living in Evergarden. 

At the same time, one cannot ignore the tension between Adrius and Marlow. It is a massive part of the story. (Personally, I think it is the star attraction.) Because you recognize that some massive form of miscommunication caused their first break, you want to shake Marlow and tell her to open her eyes to the obvious feelings she has for him and him for her. Adrius has some of the BEST lines toward Marlow, reminding older readers of the power of that first rush of love.

However, Garden of the Cursed is not all swoony declarations of love. No matter how much I enjoyed those parts, the essence of the story is the mystery of Adrius' curse and Marlow's mother's disappearance. You know from the start that the answers will not be that easy to uncover, and they are not. Ms. Pool, once again, excels at keeping you guessing and forcing you to follow Marlow from clue to clue. What Marlow discovers, however, is a massive game changer - the kind that makes you wish the story didn't end because you don't want to wait to find out what it will mean for our heroes. 

Garden of the Cursed is not as ambitious in scope as Ms. Pool's first trilogy, but that in no way diminishes what she accomplishes here. The world of Caraza City and Evergarden is cozier, and the cast of characters is smaller, allowing readers to be more intimate with the world and those with whom Marlow interacts. This increases the suspense and heightens the stakes for Marlow to solve the mystery. 

Garden of the Cursed was by far my favorite book among those I read in May. It had a little bit of everything I love and nothing that I didn't. I admire Marlow's take-no-shit attitude and continue to swoon at Adrius' charm, but it is the mystery behind Marlow's fall from grace that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could. There are so many directions in which the story could turn, and I have no way of knowing which path Ms. Pool will take. Stories like Garden of the Cursed are the reason why I love to read. All I want to do is share this intriguing story with as many people as possible.