Isabelle “Izzy” Beaumont, Portland's most feared art critic, believed her words held power. She just never expected them to curse a gargoyle prince.  Her scathing review of a gothic statue, “Nocturne,” unleashes a wave of magical corruption through the city’s vibrant art scene, twisting creativity into grotesque parodies.  Suddenly, obsidian tears weep from stone, paintings warp into disturbing visions, and Izzy’s carefully constructed world cracks.

Confronted by the chilling consequences of her critique, Izzy plunges into a hidden world beneath Portland’s cobbled streets, a realm of ancient lore and forgotten magic.  Guided by a cryptic antiquarian bookseller and a pragmatic historian, she must unravel the mystery of Prince Valerian, the tortured artist trapped within the stone.  As the city’s artistic soul withers, Izzy confronts not only the gargoyle’s curse but also her own sharp tongue and the ghosts of her past.

Can she decipher the whispers in stone, bridge the divide between worlds, and find the words to redeem both herself and the cursed prince? Or will Portland's vibrant art scene crumble beneath the weight of a gargoyle's heartbreak?  Discover the magic hidden beneath the city's surface in *The Gargoyle's Art Critic*.