Mask of Shadows

Good audio, okay plot.

The audio is what helped me get through this book. The concept of the story was good, I love books about competitions and this also had a gender fluid main character which is awesome! I think it was too long and there were parts where the plot dragged. The narrator saved me from not finishing, they did a great job of keeping neutral, not overly male or female and sounded just like I imagined the character would. Great casting for this!
The book did a good job of showing Sal feeling sometimes male, sometimes female and sometimes neither. I hope to read more books with gender fluid characters. Not a bad book overall, just needed more action or to be shorter for me to love it.

1 person found this helpful

Wow!

Expertly written, clever politics and elegantly executed! The protagonist is a delight to follow, and the other characters are complex and deoightful to read about! Absolutely loved this book!

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Perfect Narrator

Every minute not listening to this, I was thinking about listening to it. Perfect narration.

New Favorite Series

Excellent writing, great characters and just the right amount of fun. Fan of Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir will enjoy this series and author as well. Worth buying!! :)

had some good potential

I was interested in reading as it features a gender fluid character and I been looking forward to see their perspective on it. But the actual story fell like a typical YA fantasy that I feel like I read a dozen times over. It's not bad but it's not impressive.

Interesting

I don't review often, but this book was interesting and different! Give it a chance

loved it!

the narrator was great the world uilding was amazing and the main and supporting characters were easy to love their dialogue was fun and witty loved the book can't wait to read the sequel

The story is so wonderfully constructed.

A Queen who stopped a civil war by destroying the magic that allowed “shadows” to flay people alive. A Queen who was still working to hold her new kingdom together while one faction retreated to the mountains to plan their bloody return. Our Queen’s Left hand: Ruby, Emerald, Opal, and Amethyst. The rings she wore on that hand. Also the names of her four personal guards/assassins.

An audition for a new Opal, the previous one having been killed by the nobles in the mountains. Twenty-three possible new opals. Five invited due to reputation or nobility. The rest walk-ons. Kill your competition without being caught or killed yourself. Survive combat, poisons, the competition.

Sal (auditioner number Twenty-Three) is the protagonist. One of the most brilliant characters I have ever encountered. Sal has a heart of rage because of what happened. Nacea, a peaceful land, was overrun by “shadows” created by mages who flayed people alive. The nobles let it happen by withdrawing all the troops to protect themselves and leave Nacea undefended. Sal saw the shadows destroy Nacea, person by person and were only one of two survivors. Sal has an adoration for the Queen who stopped the shadows and ended the war. Sal has a desire for a better life than a thief and fighter. Sal has motivation and mystery.

The story is so wonderfully constructed. Sal takes the measure of his competitors. The entire court and the Opal auditions are like a huge puzzle Sal must make sense of. Piece by piece a plan develops, not only for Sal in the competition but for the Queen to deal with her unruly nobles. I loved all the characters. Even the side characters had a depth to them and felt like real people, not like parts of the scenery. The action scenes were very well written. I could see them in my mind and do not get confused about who was where or had what weapon.

Deryn Edwards does a fantastic job narrating. She creates a totally believable voice for Sal as well as the other members of the Queen's Hand and the contestants. Her speech is clear, her accents understandable, and her pacing perfect. The quality is fantastic. I am interested in checking out other books she has narrated.

I ordered the hardback of Mask of Shadows I am excited to see what Ms. Miller does with Sal and the plot in the sequel. The world Ms. Miller has created in Mask of Shadows is rich and begs to be explored.

#LGBTQIA+ #Suspenseful #TorturedHero #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

I couldn't stop listening!

It was easy to get sucked in and invested in the characters. Plenty of action and the romance isn't forced. The readers voice is lovely and she makes good character distinctions.

Take a wild ride!

Sal is one of the most enjoyable characters I've read in a long time. I loved going with her as she robbed, schemed, and killed her way through the book, eyes always on the prize. Sometimes it seems like teen fiction assassins are that in name only--not here. Death has consequences and revenge is a dish best served cold.