Masquerade of the Heart

May 1, 2024
A satisfying sequel to 2023's Garden of the Curse, tinged with political intrigue. The Falcrests are one of the original Five Families--along with the Morandis, Starlings, Vales, and Delvignes--who control all the libraries and maintain control over the city of Caraza. In this duology closer, 17-year-old cursebreaker Marlow Briggs is reeling from the aftereffects of the fatal attack by Adrius Falcrest, her 18-year-old love interest, on his own father. Marlow manages to break the spell that forced Adrius to stab his father in the heart, but now she's been falsely accused of Aurelius Falcrest's murder. Meanwhile, she discovers that Cormorant, the head of the Vale family, cast the Compulsion spell on Adrius, forcing this patricide. Cormorant also has grand plans, supposedly for the greater good, to work from an ancient grimoire on creating a spell "that will give him ultimate power over reality itself." Marlow, with help from her friend Swift and his lover, Silvan, conspires to stop him. This world of spellcasters, cursebreakers, and hexes provides plenty of interesting twists and turns. Marlow also solves mysteries that were introduced in the earlier volume. Action sequences and sensual (though not explicit) romantic scenes between Marlow and Adrius provide breaks from the slower-paced problem-solving explanations. Marlow is clever at finding solutions, and she's an expert analyst of human nature who navigates the complexities of the wealthy oligarchy with confidence. Main characters read white. Spellbinding; brings closure through solid worldbuilding featuring clever heroes and complex villains. (Fantasy mystery. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.