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ebralz's review
4.0
Hunger games meets GOT meets Robin Hood. Really good audiobook and the author did an amazing job with a gender fluid main character. Can’t decide if I want to nominate for cafe book or not. I think the kids would eat it up.
amrungwaew's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. Most parts I enjoyed—a well-paced fantasy novel that, while not exactly novel, does a good job—but some parts I did not. For instance, the author is heralded for writing her main character as gender fluid... and I can see if she were making the argument that a single character can play all the traditional male or female fantasy roles with ease, but if that’s what she’s going for, she fell miserably short. The gender fluid aspect honestly doesn’t add anything to the book—only spots here and there about which correct pronoun—and I just don’t understand what the author is trying to do. It detracts from the book because it makes the pace stumble and it just feels out of place and awkward.
On the good side of things, this is a fairly otherwise well-written book and I did enjoy it. A bit like Scythe and Six of Crows for the action bits but, oddly enough, it also reminded me of Incarceron for the court intrigue and such (especially in regards to Our Queen). My opinion overall is still up in the air and I’ll have to wait to read the second book to determine which side I fall on (though I suspect it may be on the unfavourable side—a lot needs to be done and done well to make this story succeed).
On the good side of things, this is a fairly otherwise well-written book and I did enjoy it. A bit like Scythe and Six of Crows for the action bits but, oddly enough, it also reminded me of Incarceron for the court intrigue and such (especially in regards to Our Queen). My opinion overall is still up in the air and I’ll have to wait to read the second book to determine which side I fall on (though I suspect it may be on the unfavourable side—a lot needs to be done and done well to make this story succeed).
whoaitslei's review against another edition
2.0
In all honesty the only really good part of this book is the representation with the gender fluid character. That's the reason it doesn't just get two stars. It's not that the book is terrible, it's just boring. I felt it drag on as with my confusion. We're just thrown into this world with no knowledge, there was close to no world building. I was looking forward to this book and I was very disappointed greatly, I won't be reading the next book in the series, but I encourage people to buy it if only for the representation and to show that we really care. But otherwise there really isn't much to this book.
smiley7245's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I listened to this audiobook in two days. I looked for any excuse to turn it on because I was obsessed. It was very Throne of Glass (the book not the series). Sal is non-binary and I don't know enough about that to know if this was a good representation or not, and truthfully the story could have worked if Sal was gender conforming, but it did make it easier for them to be underestimated and go unnoticed. So, Sal is a thief and they rob a carriage carrying a a noble lady, Elise. I knew she was going to be important, but I was expecting her to be one of the other members of the Queen's Left Hand. Instead, she is the daughter of one of the people who helped wipe out Sal's entire people. And she is the person that Sal falls in love with. That her father ends up using her in his schemes is a great set up for book two. Anyway, Sal is one of the 23 people who makes the audition to become the newest member of the Queen's Left Hand, the Opal. They compete in the challenges, learn new things, do a bit of revenge on the side, and impress the other three members of the Left Hand. So much so that they are the person who is named the new Opal. Sal gets a bit smart with the Queen but she allows it, once, because it was at a funeral for Ruby, who was killed by Elise's father on the night of Opal being officially named. Maude was great and I liked the friendship that developed between her and Sal. There was action, adventure, intrigue, some romance, and revenge. This set up book 2 nicely. I cannot wait to listen to it!
marajhazen's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-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
A contest to be the queen's next assassin? Perfect. A gender fluid main character entering to get revenge? Even more perfect! I love this book so much, it means so much to my heart, but aside from that it is just so fun, fast paced, with great characters and action.
bookish_notes's review against another edition
DNF @ 41%. Eek. I feel bad, you guys. There were definitely things I loved with this story, but even 2/5s of the way into the book, I still feel so disconnected from the story. I actually love Sal and that we have a genderfluid character in fantasy!! Sal is one of the highlights in this book, and their characterization is done well, I think.
My issues are with the plot and pacing. The plot is (yet another) game-type competition. It feels like I would care more about the competitors if they all had names or something that brought them to life a little more? Instead, all the competitors are just referring to as numbers and I can't tell who's who. So, do I care when anyone is killed off? Not really. The Queen's...hand, or special guard, are all types of jewels and even then, they seem to lack a personality to differentiate who's who. Characters I did like are Maud, Sal's assistant during the competition, and Elise, Sal'a tutor.
The world-building up to this point is still vague. I'm not sure if the final version of the book comes with a map, but from the e-ARC, I don't have a full understanding of the counties and the politics behind it all. The pacing is exciting at points with thievery and killing (or plotting to kill anyways), but then has some really long stretches of downtime that bored me.
So, in a it's not you, it's me sort of situation, I'm setting this book aside.
My issues are with the plot and pacing. The plot is (yet another) game-type competition. It feels like I would care more about the competitors if they all had names or something that brought them to life a little more? Instead, all the competitors are just referring to as numbers and I can't tell who's who. So, do I care when anyone is killed off? Not really. The Queen's...hand, or special guard, are all types of jewels and even then, they seem to lack a personality to differentiate who's who. Characters I did like are Maud, Sal's assistant during the competition, and Elise, Sal'a tutor.
The world-building up to this point is still vague. I'm not sure if the final version of the book comes with a map, but from the e-ARC, I don't have a full understanding of the counties and the politics behind it all. The pacing is exciting at points with thievery and killing (or plotting to kill anyways), but then has some really long stretches of downtime that bored me.
So, in a it's not you, it's me sort of situation, I'm setting this book aside.
forsakenfates's review against another edition
3.0
This book had so much potential but fell flat for me. Lately, I have really been in the mood for diverse books with a wide array of characters. This book focuses on Sal who is this amazingly strong, independent person. They also happen to be gender-fluid. For me this was the strongest part of the book. Linsey Smith does an incredible job of making sure Sal's pronouns are not they only part of their character. They are not their gender or lack thereof. I really appreciated that the focus was on the competition rather than the character.
That being said, I really struggled with the writing in this book. I love being able to visualize the worlds I'm reading about and place myself right by the characters as they go on their journey. However, I really struggled to do that with this book. The world building was severely lacking and even simple details and descriptions were lacking. Now the character descriptions could have been intentional to add to the idea that gender does not define a person. I just personally struggled without the descriptions I'm used to in various books.
As for the actual plot, I really enjoyed the idea of the competition to become the Queen's assassin. It was a great idea, but for me the execution was lacking. There were many parts that were predictable to me and again the visualization problems made it hard for me to really involve myself in the story and immerse myself in the world.
This book had the right idea, the execution just did not work for me. I'm sure they will be other people that love this book, I just could not get past the writing.
That being said, I really struggled with the writing in this book. I love being able to visualize the worlds I'm reading about and place myself right by the characters as they go on their journey. However, I really struggled to do that with this book. The world building was severely lacking and even simple details and descriptions were lacking. Now the character descriptions could have been intentional to add to the idea that gender does not define a person. I just personally struggled without the descriptions I'm used to in various books.
As for the actual plot, I really enjoyed the idea of the competition to become the Queen's assassin. It was a great idea, but for me the execution was lacking. There were many parts that were predictable to me and again the visualization problems made it hard for me to really involve myself in the story and immerse myself in the world.
This book had the right idea, the execution just did not work for me. I'm sure they will be other people that love this book, I just could not get past the writing.
jievans's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
iam's review against another edition
5.0
Read this review and more on the blog.
I loved Mask of Shadows to pieces.
I was super excited to read it even since I heard about the plot: genderfluid assassin? Sign me the f*** up!!! And boyyyy this book did NOT disappoint!!! It had all the good things: REVENGE and INTRIGUE, DRAMATIC REVELATIONS and EVIL PLOTTING, SNARK and ROMANCE and FOUND FAMILY. All in a wonderful mixture that made me swoon and stay up wayyyy too late to finish it.
Content warnings include: violence and gore, trauma, murder and death (I mean, duh, this is a book about assassins), misgendering, ritualistic self-harm; mentions of: genocide, death of parents and siblings.
I was drawn into the story from the very beginning. I'm not usually a fan of reading about thiefs and the like, but Sal made even that entertaining. The plot also moved fast enough that I never got bored with the single elements.
I pretty much loved all aspects of the book.
I loved the assassin training and competition plot. It was exhilarating to read and all written in a belieable way. I expected several things to go awry, and while pretty much nothing went 100% according to Sal's plans, it all worked out in completely different ways than I anticipated - and I loved those ways!!! It made the book super exciting and unpredictable to me.
I also loved the characters. Sal was so much fun to read about, and the side characters as well, especially Maud and Ruby. There was snark and backtalk, but not too much, just enough to keep a book about killing people fun and a joy to read rather than heavy.
Sal's character was supported by their gender identity - they are genderfluid and dress the way they want to be adressed, sometimes as a man, sometimes as a woman, sometimes as neither. I liked the deptiction of it in the book and the way Sal and other characters treat it, all with a perfect balance of being there but not in the foreground.
Another part of Sal's personality is their trauma, which ties into the revenge plot. The trauma depiction was painful to read, but very well executed. Like Sal, I couldn't always tell what was their trauma taking over their perception and what wasn't, which drove home the horrific events they had to witness and how they still affect them a decade later.
The romance and found friendships were lovely too. Not overly in focus; the spotlight very much belongs to the whole stabby stab competition, which also means that some of the friendships come with an expiration date. While I usually hate character death, I found it, while not pleasing, at least fitting here.
The romantic subplot was enjoyable and added a very different nuance both to Sal's character and the book, and lead to a very different outcome at the ending than I expected.
If there was something I wanted more of it was closure for some of the side characters that got lost in the events of the ending. I understand why they weren't brought up - it would have distracted from what was happening - but I still found myself wondering. Since this is a duology, I'm optimistic that they will appear again in book 2, [b:Ruin of Stars|29960680|Ruin of Stars (Mask of Shadows, #2)|Linsey Miller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1518939636l/29960680._SY75_.jpg|55135199], which I cannot wait to read!
Lastly, I saw some people shelf this book as YA and... huh. I didn't get that much of a YA impressed. I also have no idea what age Sal is supposed to be - they could be anywhere between late-ish teens to mid-ish twenties.
I loved Mask of Shadows to pieces.
I was super excited to read it even since I heard about the plot: genderfluid assassin? Sign me the f*** up!!! And boyyyy this book did NOT disappoint!!! It had all the good things: REVENGE and INTRIGUE, DRAMATIC REVELATIONS and EVIL PLOTTING, SNARK and ROMANCE and FOUND FAMILY. All in a wonderful mixture that made me swoon and stay up wayyyy too late to finish it.
Content warnings include: violence and gore, trauma, murder and death (I mean, duh, this is a book about assassins), misgendering, ritualistic self-harm; mentions of: genocide, death of parents and siblings.
I was drawn into the story from the very beginning. I'm not usually a fan of reading about thiefs and the like, but Sal made even that entertaining. The plot also moved fast enough that I never got bored with the single elements.
I pretty much loved all aspects of the book.
I loved the assassin training and competition plot. It was exhilarating to read and all written in a belieable way. I expected several things to go awry, and while pretty much nothing went 100% according to Sal's plans, it all worked out in completely different ways than I anticipated - and I loved those ways!!! It made the book super exciting and unpredictable to me.
I also loved the characters. Sal was so much fun to read about, and the side characters as well, especially Maud and Ruby. There was snark and backtalk, but not too much, just enough to keep a book about killing people fun and a joy to read rather than heavy.
Sal's character was supported by their gender identity - they are genderfluid and dress the way they want to be adressed, sometimes as a man, sometimes as a woman, sometimes as neither. I liked the deptiction of it in the book and the way Sal and other characters treat it, all with a perfect balance of being there but not in the foreground.
Another part of Sal's personality is their trauma, which ties into the revenge plot. The trauma depiction was painful to read, but very well executed. Like Sal, I couldn't always tell what was their trauma taking over their perception and what wasn't, which drove home the horrific events they had to witness and how they still affect them a decade later.
The romance and found friendships were lovely too. Not overly in focus; the spotlight very much belongs to the whole stabby stab competition, which also means that some of the friendships come with an expiration date. While I usually hate character death, I found it, while not pleasing, at least fitting here.
The romantic subplot was enjoyable and added a very different nuance both to Sal's character and the book, and lead to a very different outcome at the ending than I expected.
If there was something I wanted more of it was closure for some of the side characters that got lost in the events of the ending. I understand why they weren't brought up - it would have distracted from what was happening - but I still found myself wondering. Since this is a duology, I'm optimistic that they will appear again in book 2, [b:Ruin of Stars|29960680|Ruin of Stars (Mask of Shadows, #2)|Linsey Miller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1518939636l/29960680._SY75_.jpg|55135199], which I cannot wait to read!
Lastly, I saw some people shelf this book as YA and... huh. I didn't get that much of a YA impressed. I also have no idea what age Sal is supposed to be - they could be anywhere between late-ish teens to mid-ish twenties.
iam's review against another edition
5.0
Audiobook reread August 2020: I still love this book to pieces. It's exciting and fun, but has depth with the characters, their casual queerness and themes of trauma, intrigue and revenge.
The audiobook is available on Spotify.
As usual with audio, I struggled with the names and keeping direct speech and internal monologue apart. The narrator kept voices distinct, however, so I could at least always tell who was talking.
Read the full review from my first read in October 2019 on the blog!
Content warnings include: violence and gore, trauma and PTSD, murder and death, misgendering, ritualistic self-harm, poisoning, skinning; mentions of: genocide, death of parents and siblings.
The audiobook is available on Spotify.
As usual with audio, I struggled with the names and keeping direct speech and internal monologue apart. The narrator kept voices distinct, however, so I could at least always tell who was talking.
Read the full review from my first read in October 2019 on the blog!
Content warnings include: violence and gore, trauma and PTSD, murder and death, misgendering, ritualistic self-harm, poisoning, skinning; mentions of: genocide, death of parents and siblings.