Hello, April! We’re kicking off the month with two emotional and fast-paced book releases. Take your pick between Garrett Curbow’s adult debut, Whispers of Ink and Starlight, and Jess Lourey’s dystopian thriller, The Verdant Cage. (Or don’t, and indulge in both new books like we did!)
Whispers of Ink and Starlight is a love story woven with magical realism. Set in a small Georgia town, Nelle’s existence has been written and controlled by one man. All that changes on a fated Fourth of July night when she meets James, a young man whose dreams can set them both free.
While we’re on the topic of freedom, The Verdant Cage is set in Noah’s Valley, a civilization surrounded by a towering stone wall. The Wall has kept its people safe, until Rose Allgood’s mother is murdered and her brother condemned for the crime. Rose sets out to find the killer and uncovers something even more sinister about her home.
Sharing similar themes of imprisonment and rebellion, Nelle and Rose grapple with the false world they’ve been conditioned to believe. Both books give us relatable and timely narratives we simply couldn’t put down. Here is our dual review of Whispers of Ink and Starlight by Garrett Curbow and The Verdant Cage by Jess Lourey!
Book Overview: Whispers Of Ink And Starlight
Content warnings: death, death of loved ones, suicide, violence, torture, some gore, child abuse, guns, forced captivity, fires, self-harm (Read at your discretion!)
Summary: In a small Georgia town, Nelle’s life has been carefully scripted by her creator, the reclusive author Wallace Quill. Born from ink and imagination, every breath she takes is dictated by his pen. But on a star-studded Fourth of July night, she meets James—a young man with dreams as vivid as the fireworks above them—and suddenly, the unwritten becomes possible.
As Nelle and James fall deeply in love, they embark on a breathtaking journey across Europe, each new experience a defiant stroke against the words that bind her. But freedom has a price. With every mile they travel, the ink in Nelle’s veins threatens to rewrite their story. In a world where every moment could be her last, Nelle and James must fight to write their own happily ever after—before the final page turns.
Our Review
For those who feel lost and aimless in your 20s, we’d recommend Whispers of Ink and Starlight. Nelle and James both know what it’s like to live someone else’s dream. Nelle is the personification of her father (read: creator/captor) Wallace Quill’s loss and desperation. She wants nothing more than to see the world and leave her cage for good. James studies biology in university to acquiesce his mother’s wishes. But his true passion lies in creative writing.
At first, each character’s need to escape aligns with the other. They embark on a whirlwind summer adventure, going off savings to travel up the East Coast and then to Europe. With every stop, Nelle and James get closer to fulfilling their dreams and realizing their love. Until a visit to Wallace’s hometown in Scotland turns Nelle’s world upside down. She learns her family history and the origins of her curse, knowledge that grants her full autonomy.
But Nelle’s cursed ink continues to complicate her and James’ relationship. Will they beat the odds and get their happily ever after? Will someone have to make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good? We loved this coming-of-age story, even more so because we couldn’t predict the ending.
Release date: April 1
Order Whispers of Ink and Starlight here!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GARRETT CURBOW:
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Book Overview: The Verdant Cage
Content warnings: death, death of family, torture, gore, violent and threatening situations, physical harm, coercive power structures (Read at your discretion!)
Summary: The Wall was built to keep them safe. Or so they thought.
For as long as seventeen-year-old apothecary Rose Allgood can remember, the towering stone Wall surrounding Noah’s Valley has protected her people. No one leaves. No one fights. And no one questions why.
But their paradise has been hiding its thorns. When Rose’s mother becomes the Valley’s first murder victim and her twin brother is swiftly condemned, she alone is searching for the real killer. Determined to find the truth, she follows a trail of hidden messages, forbidden knowledge, and whispers of a past no one dares to remember.
The deeper she digs, the more certain Rose becomes that her mother’s death was no accident. That the Wall isn’t just keeping something out.
It’s keeping something in.
Our Review
For readers who love books that pack a punch, we’d suggest The Verdant Cage by Jess Lourey! Noah’s Valley is a walled civilization that has existed for over a hundred years. Every person grows up in a House known for its individual trade or skill. There are apothecaries, guardians, farmers, teachers, chemists, and many other specialized groups. Rose Allgood grew up as an apothecary, soon to be married into the Tzu family under the Guardian House.
When her mother is murdered and her twin brother accused of the crime, she’s forced to stay with the Tzu’s and train to become a Guardian like her former best friend-turned-fiancé Gryphon. But Rose doesn’t go quietly. She sets out to find her mother’s killer and clear her brother’s name at any cost. Her investigation leads her to her mother’s secret notes, which hide clues to the cause of the Vex outbreak, as well as the people involved.
The leaders of Noah’s Valley have been hiding the truth about their history and the danger beyond the Wall for decades. And the only question now is whether that danger outweighs the very danger held within the Wall. This fast-paced dystopian thriller stole our breaths for the entire ride, and we weren’t fully sure it was safe to let go by the ending.
Release date: April 7
Preorder The Verdant Cage here!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JESS LOUREY:
INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | WEBSITE
What do you think of these new April releases? Are you into the magical realism of Garrett Curbow’s Whispers of Ink and Starlight? Or are you more into Jess Lourey’s dystopian thriller, The Verdant Cage? Let us know on Twitter! You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram!
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