Reviews

Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi

tvolkert's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

anhistorianabouttown's review

adventurous challenging sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Review to follow

bookstosoothethesoul's review against another edition

dark sad tense

3.0

Okay this was darker than I expected and I have conflicted feelings about it. Masquerade is an interesting portrayal of a 19 year old trying to survive in a patriarchal society. She's a complex MC who makes decisions that serve her own interests which was difficult to see when it involved decisions that hurt other women to get ahead. I wish the author had chosen a more clear direction with their take on the Hades and Persephone myth. Many takes romanticize the relationship (a choice I've enjoyed many times before). Other takes subvert the story and point out the problems with that dynamic. The author confused me because she did both - she had our main character deeply in love with this guy while also showing us how toxic their relationship was. It was very uncomfortable to read. Many parts of this book were difficult to get through. I was waiting for a reason for the grittiness, for the suffering. I really wanted to see our MC triumph in the end or learn something as a result of everything that had happened to her. The ending felt a bit rushed and didn’t give me as much closure as I would have liked about where our MC is now and who she will be going forward. I'm struggling with my feelings with the book because I want female MCs to have the room to make decisions that are self-serving/be more morally gray but for some reason I found myself struggling with her more controversial choices. I still had a good time with the story and really loved how rich the world felt. I was very immersed in the story and I think that's part of what made the difficult subject matter hard to read about. This book is like nothing I've ever read before and I'm very glad I picked it up. It was an unusual reading experience but definitely worth the read.

Oh my gosh this narrator was incredible. I felt transported listening to their portrayal of all the characters. I would love to listen to more of their books. If you can get this book on audio, definitely go for it because it was a fantastic listening experience!

Thanks to NetGalley, Forge, and Macmillan for the ARC!

shay_reads_'s review

adventurous challenging dark inspiring

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

therearenobadbooks's review

dark inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

From poverty to queen, from innocence to power, young Òdòdó has surpassed the morally grey format to become an amazing villain. May be dark and violent for some readers, but I love the origin story of a villain. And if we think about it, is she a villain? Her decisions are for the protection of the people, the poor, and the women...

A reimagined/Persephone-ish-inspired African historical fantasy (15th century West Africa) where blacksmiths are women who have lost all, becoming part of the lowest rank in society, they can only serve as crafting metal. Called witches also. It's not about magic.

Òdòdó is kidnapped to become the bride of a king who claims to love her and to do all to make her happy but also to him, women have a specific role and he imprisons, coherence, and threatens her constantly. She takes advantage of her situation to learn and gain power. She grows quickly as a character and learns from those who betray and taunt her. The political intrigue is a power struggle that she doesn't relinquish. A crescendo of twists and turns.

She is constantly torn between love and freedom until all becomes clear to her. The rescue is the most epic chapter and the end is exhilarating.

Read in one sitting. Couldn't stop reading/listening to it. Ariel Blake has the perfect voice for this story. 

Thank you publisher and netgalley.

geekyearthmama's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

cpalmisanod's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Ododo has spent her life working as a blacksmith alongside her mother. In this world of 15th century west Africa, all blacksmiths are women shunted to the side by society as worthless and often referred to as witches. (I spent a good portion of the book expecting them to showcase magical powers, they don’t.)

One day, Ododo is kidnapped and finds herself at engaged to the biggest, baddest king of the land. He’s smitten with her, but she was weirdly chill about being kidnapped imo. 

Anyway Ododo views this as an opportunity for a new life, free from hard labor and full of luxury. And she makes it so. 

She provides sound advice to her fiance, uncovers schemes, faces betrayal,  and proves her dedication to her husband time and again. 

And then she finds her own way and gives herself some of that dedication. 

I’m really hoping this is the start of a series cause I so want to know what Ododo does next!

booksandteawithmel_'s review

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for an advance e-copy of the book. I was not paid to write this review and all thoughts are my own.

I absolutely love the West African themes throughout this book. The story was fantastic and kept me on my toes, and that ending!! I love a morally grey character and that’s certainly what the main character is. The writing is gorgeous as well.

babsreads18's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Òdòdó is a blacksmith from Timbuktu. One day she is kidnapped and taken to a new land where she finds she is meant to marry the warrior king of Yorùbáland. As she adjusts to her new home and lifestyle, Òdòdó finds herself learning more about her betrothed and gaining political power.

This is an incredibly written debut. The plot was so intricately written. The world is described beautifully - it almost reads like fantasy world building at times even though there aren’t fantasy elements. This book is full of politics, violence, betrayal, and power. Òdòdó is a strong female character who turns out to be ruthless in her pursuits when needed, while still being caring and kind. She knows how to get what she wants and is careful and cunning in doing so. The way her character developed throughout the book was perfection. The side characters were also really well done and I felt invested in their stories as well. I loved the way that women and their relationships with one another were portrayed throughout this story. 

I listened to the audio which was fantastic. The narrator, Ariel Blake, did an incredible job sharing Òdòdó’s story. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

tarla12's review

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0