Reviews

Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi

booksandteawithmel_'s review

adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

thebookishlass's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

kathleenfairchild's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.75

 I have received an e-ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Solaris/Rebellion Publishing!

This story is set in a reimagined 15th century West Africa and inspired by the Hades and Persephone myth, minus the Underworld and a couple of other twists to it. I’d say this is more historical fiction than fantasy. You might be disappointed going in expecting this to be fantasy because there isn’t much if anything of it in this book.
The writing is really good, having made the story come alive in front of my eyes so vividly that I completely forgot that I was reading words. I can’t believe this is the author’s debut novel and I definitely am interested to read more of her work in the future. There’s a glossary for those who aren’t familiar with some words but I think they were explained well within the text without slowing down the story.
Òdòdó is an interesting character. She wants to break out of her life as a looked-down-upon daughter of a blacksmith mother, and a blacksmith in her own right, which does explain a bit why she isn’t quite as bothered by having been kidnapped and declared the bride of the warrior king against her will as others might have been in the same situation. She is complying with a lot more initially in order to not lose her new position than I expected and can come across as rather passive at first. She can also be frustratingly naïve, even when one might think that she might have learned better later on. I loved her character development all the more for it. It’s a subtle process, the little and bigger things coming together nicely in the end. I found her to be a fascinating character, even though I wanted to shake her in frustration sometimes. She is 19 though, not having had any experiences beyond her little blacksmithing world before being thrown into her new life, so I think she’s allowed a bit of naivety as long as there’s character development, and there definitely is. There is something deeply satisfying to watching a character grow into their badassery over the course of the story, with some smaller and bigger bumps on the road, and then rising like a phoenix from the ashes. Love it.
I also enjoyed reading about the other women Òdòdó is surrounded by and whom she has different relationships with, be they antagonistic, more friendly, or a mix of both. They are all connected being women in a world where women have little freedom or rights and it’s equally frustrating and satisfying to see their individual approaches to gain more freedom.
The relationship between Òdòdó and the warrior king is not a healthy one and this book is definitely not a romance, so if you’re looking for a healthy relationship or a romance in general, this is not the book for you. I like to read about power dynamics, and the further along we get, the more we can see a push-and-pull, Òdòdó trying to level the playing field. Will she achieve it? Will she achieve more than that? I’ll not answer that lol. Are they in love? It is hard to say. But as I’ve said, this is not a romance book. It is a book about Òdòdó’s fight for her own freedom.
The pacing is somewhere between medium and slow, I think. It’s not an action-filled book, more one of intrigue, politically and otherwise, but also leaning quite a bit towards being character-driven. I personally really enjoyed it this way.
The cover is even more stunning now that I’ve read the book. It fits the story so well.
I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is interested in West African history and mythology, the Hades and Persephone myth, badass women, (political) intrigue, as well as power dynamics and power struggles. I’m not sure whether there are more books planned for this, but this works well as a standalone.

Content Warnings:

blood and gore, violence, loss of a body part, SA, finding out that you’re the result of SA, misogyny, (forced) infertility, kidnapping, confinement, toxic relationship, gaslighting, slavery, murder, death, grief, animal death, death of a parent, war, betrayal

reeiro's review

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

tanya_tate's review

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious slow-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

4.75

 Book Stats 

Stars: 4.5 Stars 

Start Date:05/02/24 

Ending Date:05 /18/24 

Genre: Historical Fiction Fantasy 

Form:  E-Arc/ALC 

Page Count: 352 

Publishing Date: 07/02/24 

Point of View:  1st Person 

Setting: 15th Century West Africa 

GoodReads:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446918379
My Blog: https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/05/18/masquerade-by-o-o-sangoyomi/
 

Thank you MacMillan Audio for the Audiobook Arc exchange for an honest review. Thank you Edelweiss for the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review. 

Masquerade is a West African Nigerian/ Yoruba retelling of Hades and Persephone. Ododo is a 19 year old Black Smith who the village people call witches lives in Timbuktu with her mother who is also a Black Smith. One day she is kidnapped and whisked away to the capital city of Ṣàngótẹ̀ after giving a stranger a rose that she foraged in her shop. The stranger ends up being Aremo, the warrior king who has taken over Yorùbáland including Ododo’s home, Timbuktu. Captured by her beauty, singing, and blacksmith skills, he wants her to be his wife and rule by his side. As Ododo steps into becoming his wife and her role in the court, political and court intrigue ensues for the quest of power. 

This book is like a slow cooker or a pressure cooker. You put all your ingredients in for your dinner and let it cook slowly. You read the instructions of the slow cooker and you trust the process. When your dinner is done, the meat, vegetables and rice you had there is tender, juicy, and cooked to perfection.  That is what Masquerade is to the fullest. It’s a book that you just got to let it cook and you’ll be surprised with the contents. 

 The author weaves a basket of storytelling, world building and character development in the eyes of Ododo and how women are treated in general. Her character development from a 19 year old girl who was black smith taking from home to marry the warrior king to being the most powerful Women in Yorubaland is perfectly crafted.   She is a woman that as the saying goes “I support women’s rights and wrongs.” can be fitted perfectly with her. She did what she had to do in order to survive. 

I do have to say that if you are a person who doesn't like slow pace books, this may not be for you. Even though I am not too fond of slow paced books myself, some parts are slow but I can tell the author was building on to something. So you have to trust the process because the payoff is so good. Like the last 30% of the book was cooking but the last 10% was straight fire. But it is the reason why I can’t give it a full five stars because some parts were a little boring but it’s a book that if you push through you will love it. I listened to the audiobook in which the narrator, Ariel Blake, was amazing with her voice. Which she did hold my attention to the story. 

The characters of this book are morally grey and challenging at best. Some are doing things for themselves, while others are doing things for others. One thing I do have to say is that you have to watch your back in this book because you don’t know who is going to pull the dagger at you for their personal grain. This book pretty much becomes if Game of Thrones was set in 15th century Africa. The political scheming and intrigue was top notch. Like I just said you don’t know who to trust and who is your ally or your foe. 

I will say this book is loosely based on Hades and Persephone to the point it feels like more an inspiration than an actual retelling. If you are looking for a traditional love story with the two characters based on Hades and Persephone (cough to fix your Lore Olympus fix cough) this is not the book for you. The love between Ododo and Aremo  is a walking red flag, toxic, and who can use the other. 

The king may say he loved her but he did kidnap her, never fully thought that she could be his equal even if he was using her for Intel, was using gifts for love, and almost turned on her at a drop of a dime when serving his interest. Even if was full of charm and had some great lines, he still was a tyrant who didn’t mind who he killed and took land from to increase his power. Even if “You are the bones that make up my spine.” was a good line, it shows what a good charmer he was. 

Ododo never fully loved him but loved the fact that she could gain with him power and social standing.  Like sure, he was a walking red flag that she should have walked away from but each day she strayed she realized she liked the power and freedom it gave her being with him. Until she realized that he will never appreciate the things she did for him which she had to take matters in her own hands. I also will not call Ododo an “Evil Persephone” either. This woman was put in certain situations that were not ideal and she thought about her own survival/ place in the kingdom which she learned that quickly. 

There is also social commentary on how women are treated and how they can get their agency back.  Like the black smiths who are women are called witches for no reason at all. Who they pretty saw how one person rose in the ranks and thought they can all do it too. It shows how women are treated by the moms, the guys who think they are inferior and how often they are pitted against each other instead of being unified. Like I said before I support women's rights and wrongs which this book makes you think. 

This is a debut for this author but this is a masterclass on how you tell a story that if you trust what the author is trying to do, it is a payoff.  I highly recommend this one and can’t wait to see what Ms. Sangoyomi writes next. I just wish I had the physical arc of it to put in my library instead of the digital. Lol Will be buying this one! 

Also lets give it up for the beautiful cover! 

samkb's review

dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense 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

4.0

akacya's review against another edition

4.0

2024 reads: 132/250

i received an advanced listening copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.

òdòdó’s hometown of timbuktu has been conquered by the warrior king of yorùbáland, leading to even worse living conditions for blacksmiths like òdòdó. then, she’s abducted to the capital city to become the warrior king’s wife. as she grows in power, she learns how to balance her hunger for justice, her relationship with the king, and her involvement in the court.

i went into this knowing it was based on medieval west africa, but not much else. i also realized afterwards that it’s loosely based on the persephone myth, and i agree (though it’s more the modern twist on it, with persephone falling for hades).

òdòdó was such an interesting character and i really enjoyed her story! she’s been raised as a blacksmith, which is a taboo now that she’s in the capital city. however, even though she has a luxurious life now, she can’t shake her old life, and she’s not completely sure she wants to. when people start revolting, they credit òdòdó for their inspiration. i liked how the themes of corruption and oppression were handled throughout this book.

narration: i loved the narrator, ariel blake’s voice! while listening, i felt immersed into the story. i highly recommend the audiobook to anyone wanting to read this book!

psionicsorceress's review against another edition

3.5

TLDR: Red flags!! Everything is NOT alright. 

 

I have some serious thoughts on this book, but I'm keeping this review short and sweet because I don't feel like throwing caution to the wind…like the main character of this book. Ododo, Ododo, how I wanted to really like and root for you Ododo. But, alas, you were headstrong, obstinate, and naive. 

 

Apparently, this book is a Hades and Persephone retelling set in historical Africa in what is now known as Nigeria. If you know me, you know that Hades is one of my favorite Greek gods. If you know me, you also know that I have an almost infinitesimal amount of romance that I like in my stories. I have never read a Hades and Persephone romance. But, now that I have, I can add it to the list of romances I don't like. Don’t worry, it will have great company right up there with enemies-to-lovers. I know. How dare I! 

 

The problem I have with this romance is that this dude was throwing red flags up, down, left and right and Ododo was shrugging them off like they didn’t even matter. From the very first time she described his eyes as some kind of dark pooling orbs when he looked at her, arrangements would have had to be made to extricate myself from this man’s interest, expeditiously. I would have run for the hills, hid out in the Sahara. No means no everyday of the week and in every freaking century, historical fiction or not. And, that was just the beginning, the triggers kept progressively getting worse and worse. I don’t know how she stomached that man for so long. I really just couldn’t get with this supposed romance. 

 

The plot progression and underlying message in this book are the main two things I liked about it. I also enjoyed the world building. The plot never felt like it dragged to me. I enjoyed reading about day-to-day life in Yorubaland. Well, I don't know if enjoy is the right word. It would be best be described as intrigued. I could never enjoy anything with that dude around. King or not, I hate that dude. 

 

I want to say the ending was unexpected, but honestly, it took way too long to happen at all in my humble opinion. It should’ve happened in chapter 2 when he showed her the kind of man he really was. Ugh! 

 

Ariel Blake, the narrator did an amazing job with the audiobook. Her voice is perfect for the inflections and accents needed. 

chaos_carrie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book is pure chaos and I loved it. The meeting of Greek mythology and African folklore makes for deeply captivating storytelling. Each time I felt like I knew what might happen next the story was taken in another direction and I was completely enthralled. The audio narrator did an amazing job delivering the rollercoaster of ups and downs from poor blacksmith to warrior witch and every thing in between.

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