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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
4.0
I have had this book on my TBR list, and my own personal bookshelf, for years. It's chonky, which does mean I need to be ready for it (mood-reading and motivation vibes all in a row).Then, I put it off until the series was fully published, because you know I'm not a fan of a cliffhanger with no end in sight. So, just in case, I waited. And then, as per usual, time got away from me and now, finally, is the moment. A long moment - because this was not a particularly fast reading experience - but a great one!
Ren is a con artist, come (back) to Nadežra with her sister, Tess, with the goal of tricking one of the city's oldest, but currently in decline, noble families. They're spent years setting up for this, in the hopes of securing their futures and leaving behind the tragedy and struggles of their pasts. But as she's drawn into the elite world of House Traementis, she realizes her masquerade is just one of many, and the "game," as it were, is much bigger and more dangerous than she'd thought. With other rising stars manipulating for influence, the aristocrats that rule the city in delicate power balances with the native population (Ren's own people...sort of), a mysterious vigilante, friends and nightmares from Ren's past that (for good and bad) will not stay on the past, the lyrid dangers of the underbelly of the city that Ren knows too well, magic weaving through the City of Dreams blurring the lines between awake/reality and nightmare/other worlds, and Ren's own efforts to keep the con going while protecting herself and Tess and the city itself, things get intense.
OMG YES to this novel. This was complex AF, with layered histories and cultures and power structures and storylines and even Ren's own narrative, as she is herself and "plays" at the high-born Renata and the local soothsayer Arenza. Like, from the very start, this had the feel of an epic tale. The many threads, separate and already overlapping, began and then built in a way the promised - and delivered - big things. There was a fantastic mix of world-building and exposition and side stories (that set up smaller characters that then come back to have larger or pivotal roles as the plot plays out) and character development were all there. And so well written and paced! I mean, it's a long read, don't get me wrong. But it was more in line, for me, with Shannon's big books, like Priory and Fallen Night, as opposed to the more traditional (and IMO slower-to-read) classic epic fantasy like Carey's Kushiel's Dart. I love that kind of immersive reading experience, with fantasy, so it all really worked for me. The one thing I am sort of iffy on was the magic system. Similar to the way the jade magic in the Green Bone Saga didn't feel fully understandable/clear to me until later books, the magic system in this series feels similar. I am hoping for more clarity on the magic (numinata) in the next books. On the other hand, magically, there was a creative variation of tarot and look, I am a sucker for that in fantasy (and contemporary lit, if we're being honest). The take on it here was familiar enough, but with alterations that fit the world and aura of this story perfectly. I was into it. And I would love a short appendix to explain it in a bit more detail (I'm manifesting that I find something like that in one of the next books).
Alright, let me just say, again: the details and development! The build in mystery and intrigue that come with good story-telling/plotting, and the relationships that start to feel real the longer a con goes on, were woven together in spectacular fashion, to make this such a compelling read. Ren is tough and independent and prickly and (a bit) outside the law, which is my fav kind of female lead. But we also get to watch her grow and be vulnerable some, as her motivations and traumas come out, and that makes her so real. When she started to have conflicting feelings, as she meets people and puts actual humans behind the figures/marks she built up in her mind, I was like "yessssssss, I love how this is complicating everything!" But she still doesn't necessarily "come clean" ever unless forced, and even then, only partly - I am so here for that narrative choice. The drama continues to build; no easy happy endings. And then the slower roll, plot-wise, into something so much bigger than her original con, but now she’s super invested (mostly against her will) because now she cares; it all happened so naturally and I was bought IN. Oh, and the Rook. It's a trope for a reason. How is a masked Robin Hood style character always so sexy? And (small spoiler) is Ren maybe on the path to something similar? There'll be two? Be still my bisexual heart. I mean, come on.
What else? Let' see... the moving through dreams and dream worlds brought to life by ingesting magically infused mind altering drugs is trippy and meta and paranormal. It not only fits the vibe of the book, but is also used well in the plot. Ok, PHEW what a conclusion! It was satisfyingly tense and cathartic on its own, while also allowing myriad intrigues to remain for the next book (THAT’s how you do a series people! Make me invested enough to want more and I'll pick up the next one without a ridiculous and fabricated and heartrending cliffhanger!)
I just love a good con story and this hit all the highlights, plus more. There was so much going on all the time; it was one of the most technically complex and intricately detailed stories, plot and world-building, and character depth/breadth, that I have read in a while. Slow clap for real. I am going to take a small-ish break for a couple other books that piled up while I was working through this chonker, but I am excited and ready for more of Ren and Co's story soon!
“A mask - that was what she needed. […] …something to hide the fear and the fallible human beneath.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, Death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Drug use
dragonflight's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Classism, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Blood, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Slavery, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Vomit, Cursing, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
chalkletters's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I love a fantasy heist or fantasy con artist, so I was pleasantly surprised by the opening chapters of The Mask of Mirrors. I didn't realise until the end that M A Carrick is a pen name for a collaboration between Marie Brennan (who I've read some books by) and Alyc Helms (who I haven't). Despite being written by two people, the narrative is seamless, with no obvious divide between different prose styles or characterisation.
What’s immediately interesting about The Mask of Mirrors is that M A Carrick invites sympathy for both sides of the con. Most con artist narratives invite the reader to be interested in the cleverness of the con, and Ron certainly has that going for her. It's more unusual to also be presented with the financial straits of the victim, raising the question of whether they can afford to be conned. It was an interesting twist on the usual plot, leaving the reader wondering how it was all going to work out.
As well as the plots and subplots, The Mask of Mirrors is rich with worldbuilding. So much so, in fact, that it was almost overwhelming for a first time reader. The intricacies of the political system and the connection between families and factions definitely deserve either slowing down or rereading the book a second time. M A Carrick establishes at least three separate cultures, all intertwined to various degrees, and the layers of meaning and metaphor are impressive. Fortune-telling is a big theme, and of course there are multiple possible interpretations for many of the characters' predictions, so it would be fascinating to track what different symbols represent to different characters.
The Mask of Mirrors has a good mix of characters the reader is obviously supposed to sympathise with and those that are potentially (or definitely) behaving in underhand and manipulative ways, and some who are somewhere in between. While it's obviously satisfying to see M A Carrick's protagonists succeed against the power-hungry family at the centre of The Mask of Mirrors' political situation, it's the characters who get close enough to double-cross that bring the most potential excitement, especially considering there are two more novels in the series.
I could tell I was going to like The Mask of Mirrors immediately, but I did struggle to hold the whole world in my head until partway through the novel. It’s so obviously worth a reread that I think I'll buy the audiobook so I can revisit the early section while my understand is still fresh.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Racism
Minor: Deportation, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
soniajoy98's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Violence, Cursing, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Drug use
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racism, Child death, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Kidnapping, Rape, Sexism, Police brutality, Slavery, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury
18soft_green's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.75
4.75/5 This book is soo good!!
The writing itself is consistent, practical, funny, and rhythmic. It’s very rare that I read/find a book where the writing style is so well done that it’s flow offers yet another layer of information about the story and characters. I loved how the authors know the characters so well that while the style of writing stayed the same, the tone of the story would change depending on whose POV it was.
The world the story is set in is enchanting and complex but not in a confusing way. It has rules that make sense. I loved that we never stopped learning about the magic system and cultures of the world. I liked the creepiness of the monsters and the streets, the way the grossness was handled.
The characters, oh my god, the characters are so peoplie!! Vargo has my heart, I love his narrative so much! I have so many questions about who he is, what his story is, what he REALLY wants. He’s so good at hiding even from himself! And who the fuck is that guy in his head?! I love Ren! I wasn’t expecting to love her so much. She has a lot of growing to do and I love how we can see, even through the trauma, that she has child-like notions. I love how her loyalty is above all to her siblings. I love how even though her attachment to them is clearly a trauma bond it’s love as well. And not smothering toxic love, but love for who they are as people. I love that that love is returned. And the familiarity they have with each other that is so sibling-like. It reminds me actually of my own relationships with my siblings. We have the shared trauma but we chose to have each other in our lives still and our link to each other is because we care for one another and know each other. Tess, Sedge, and Ren love each other deeply and their attachment to one another is consistent and pure. They lean on each other hard and it hurts and strains them but they still love and hold fast to one another. I love that we got to know Tess and Sedge instead of just having to assume that they were worth something because Ren said so or because they had some nice dialogue with Ren. I like Donaia but I don’t like Guina. And Leato, my heart. I thought he might end up wrong and weird but no. He is so sweet! I’m torn about Grey. I hate the police so fucking much and this bitch is out here saying they actually care about people?! Absolutely not. Nope. You can’t,, and the Rook?! The authors are going to have to explain a lot in the sequel because though I expected that reveal it makes NO SENSE!
I loved the villain too. I don’t like the message of nonviolence the authors tried to send at the end. They brushed over a lot of nuance to send that message and also,, like honeys, you’re two white women, is this your place to say?
I also dislike how few MCs are actually queer. And how limited the gender systems are. They gave us, like, five MCs and only ONE(1) is queer? And they’re pretending that’s enough? And they also coded him as a villain?! That ice is pretty slippery for them to marching so confidently. And Guina doesn’t count, she almost never got a real POV and she is such a limp character rn. I don’t like her. And then after her ALL the queer characters are suspicious.
4.75/5 stars. I’d recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy or adventure stories.
The writing itself is consistent, practical, funny, and rhythmic. It’s very rare that I read/find a book where the writing style is so well done that it’s flow offers yet another layer of information about the story and characters. I loved how the authors know the characters so well that while the style of writing stayed the same, the tone of the story would change depending on whose POV it was.
The world the story is set in is enchanting and complex but not in a confusing way. It has rules that make sense. I loved that we never stopped learning about the magic system and cultures of the world. I liked the creepiness of the monsters and the streets, the way the grossness was handled.
The characters, oh my god, the characters are so peoplie!! Vargo has my heart, I love his narrative so much! I have so many questions about who he is, what his story is, what he REALLY wants. He’s so good at hiding even from himself! And who the fuck is that guy in his head?! I love Ren! I wasn’t expecting to love her so much. She has a lot of growing to do and I love how we can see, even through the trauma, that she has child-like notions. I love how her loyalty is above all to her siblings. I love how even though her attachment to them is clearly a trauma bond it’s love as well. And not smothering toxic love, but love for who they are as people. I love that that love is returned. And the familiarity they have with each other that is so sibling-like. It reminds me actually of my own relationships with my siblings. We have the shared trauma but we chose to have each other in our lives still and our link to each other is because we care for one another and know each other. Tess, Sedge, and Ren love each other deeply and their attachment to one another is consistent and pure. They lean on each other hard and it hurts and strains them but they still love and hold fast to one another. I love that we got to know Tess and Sedge instead of just having to assume that they were worth something because Ren said so or because they had some nice dialogue with Ren. I like Donaia but I don’t like Guina. And Leato, my heart. I thought he might end up wrong and weird but no. He is so sweet! I’m torn about Grey. I hate the police so fucking much and this bitch is out here saying they actually care about people?! Absolutely not. Nope. You can’t,, and the Rook?! The authors are going to have to explain a lot in the sequel because though I expected that reveal it makes NO SENSE!
I loved the villain too. I don’t like the message of nonviolence the authors tried to send at the end. They brushed over a lot of nuance to send that message and also,, like honeys, you’re two white women, is this your place to say?
I also dislike how few MCs are actually queer. And how limited the gender systems are. They gave us, like, five MCs and only ONE(1) is queer? And they’re pretending that’s enough? And they also coded him as a villain?! That ice is pretty slippery for them to marching so confidently. And Guina doesn’t count, she almost never got a real POV and she is such a limp character rn. I don’t like her. And then after her ALL the queer characters are suspicious.
4.75/5 stars. I’d recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy or adventure stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Body horror, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Classism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Gore
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Blood, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Genocide, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Chronic illness, Deportation, Rape, Sexual assault, Genocide, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Slavery, Xenophobia, and Medical content
miraclesnow's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
~Reread May 6-20 2023~
I love everything about this book.
I love everything about this book.
It has it all: The perfectly balanced court politics, well made worldbuilding with its very distinct and important differences in religion and culture of the two major peoples living in the city (so much so even their types of magic are wildly different), THE CHARACTERS (Ren, Vargo, Leato, Serrado, Tess, Sedge) UGH my babies who are so flawed but deserve all the success in the world, the mysteries and lies being so interconnected to the bone & sinew of the world itself, the magic being so unique and even tarot (aka pattern) having its own life in the story. A reread lets you understand the card readings explain exactly what’s going on in the future and that fighting fate only helps if you know what hand you’re being dealt.
This book also is dripping with atmosphere. The authors knew exactly what they wanted to portray and did so with such style and so little flaws it’s the closest book other than The Last Unicorn and Howl’s Moving Castle that I call perfect for me.
This reread has solidified it as my favorite adult fantasy, and if not one of my favorite books of all time. Read this with some friends and a MILLION out of ten, would recommend.
If you’ve read this review and my ravings, please try this book out. It deserves way more love.
I can’t wait for The Labyrinth’s Heart release! Thanks Marie & Alyc for making this series, so we can see the face and not the mask 💙
————————————————————
~Original review~
Wow, a wild ride that I’m in it for the long haul. The authors managed to surprise me more than once, and the character work is delectable. A very soft magic political drama, with amazing multi-POV scenes that blend it extremely well to each other.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Colonisation, Classism, Death of parent, and Violence
spacewhombus's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
AHHH THIS WAS AMAZING! It has been a while since I have been so drawn in by a new series!!! Immediately got the second book because I don’t want to leave this world yet, even after 700 pages :(
And that’s because the world building was incredibleeeee, like it started off a bit slow but the story kept building layers upon layers and really drew me in very quickly without being overwhelming, despite the complex religious systems and magic. Although the whole story takes place in one city, Nadežra, there was such a rich variety of neighborhoods and groups of people there that it felt much bigger than that!
The main characters came from both the privileged nobility and the struggling indigenous population, and this book explored a lot of the effects of colonialism and wealth, and the blurred lines between good vs. evil and doing things for others vs. doing them for yourself.
Ren was my favorite, she was so creative and smart and I loved reading about her relationship with her siblings, as well as trying to figure out how she would handle all the twists and turns her character was thrown. Vargo was another favorite character of mine, and I won’t spoil anything but let’s just say I am DYING to learn more about what’s going on with him in the next book! The authors wrote this whole society as very LGBTQ+ friendly as well, and there are queer characters all over the place without that being the only facet of their identity.
There were many smaller side plots alongside the main storyline, and quite a few mysteries as well- my heart STOPPED when I got to the last chapter because of the reveal of the Rook, omg. Again no spoilers but I did not see that coming! The authors are great at keeping your interest while slowly unraveling the overall mystery and pulling the loose ends together into one larger storyline.
If you like books with a lot of political intrigue and drama, you would love this! There was so much going on, it never got boring.
And that’s because the world building was incredibleeeee, like it started off a bit slow but the story kept building layers upon layers and really drew me in very quickly without being overwhelming, despite the complex religious systems and magic. Although the whole story takes place in one city, Nadežra, there was such a rich variety of neighborhoods and groups of people there that it felt much bigger than that!
The main characters came from both the privileged nobility and the struggling indigenous population, and this book explored a lot of the effects of colonialism and wealth, and the blurred lines between good vs. evil and doing things for others vs. doing them for yourself.
Ren was my favorite, she was so creative and smart and I loved reading about her relationship with her siblings, as well as trying to figure out how she would handle all the twists and turns her character was thrown. Vargo was another favorite character of mine, and I won’t spoil anything but let’s just say I am DYING to learn more about what’s going on with him in the next book! The authors wrote this whole society as very LGBTQ+ friendly as well, and there are queer characters all over the place without that being the only facet of their identity.
There were many smaller side plots alongside the main storyline, and quite a few mysteries as well- my heart STOPPED when I got to the last chapter because of the reveal of the Rook, omg. Again no spoilers but I did not see that coming! The authors are great at keeping your interest while slowly unraveling the overall mystery and pulling the loose ends together into one larger storyline.
If you like books with a lot of political intrigue and drama, you would love this! There was so much going on, it never got boring.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Colonisation
Minor: Drug use
astroprojection's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
I liked this a lot. I think the world-building and politicking were pretty interesting and I loved the focus on clothes and fashion, whether it was Tess’s outfits for Ren or Vargo’s peak Slutty Crime Boss Ensembles. I especially loves the magical girl-esque transformation scene at the same end lmao, it was unexpected but stuck to the aesthetic so I dug it. I also like that as a first novel in a series, it had a plot that was developed and resolved so, while we do have some lingering threads, it’s not like we have a whole cliffhanger or anything. I did think the accents were kind of all over the place in the audiobook (not the reader’s fault but more so how haphazardly the settings in the book were mapped to different English accents).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Police brutality, Xenophobia, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Slavery, Rape, and Death of parent
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