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anapthine's review
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Blood, Death, Gore, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, War, Grief, and Medical content
Moderate: Sexual content, Gaslighting, Genocide, and Confinement
the_bookishmum's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 stars
I wasn’t 100% sold on this book when I first started reading it. The pacing at the beginning feels off and the magic school where we first meet Leyna and her friends feels like it’s only there to introduce how the magic system works. Things really start getting interesting the moment they leave the wizard school and go to work at the castle. The characters are very fleshed out and the descriptions are done well and easy to visualise. What starts out as a book about a girl becoming a Huskarl (a King’s guard with magic) becomes a fantasy mystery/romance. The story is filled with intrigue with the puzzle pieces laced throughout. I enjoyed the interactions between Leyna and the Jester.
Things I didn’t love: some of the word choices were a little lazy and as I said above the parts in the wizard school felt as though they went on for far too long.
I do look forward to reading the second book in the duology.
Thank you NetGalley, Jay Pellegrin and the publisher for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest and fair review.
I wasn’t 100% sold on this book when I first started reading it. The pacing at the beginning feels off and the magic school where we first meet Leyna and her friends feels like it’s only there to introduce how the magic system works. Things really start getting interesting the moment they leave the wizard school and go to work at the castle. The characters are very fleshed out and the descriptions are done well and easy to visualise. What starts out as a book about a girl becoming a Huskarl (a King’s guard with magic) becomes a fantasy mystery/romance. The story is filled with intrigue with the puzzle pieces laced throughout. I enjoyed the interactions between Leyna and the Jester.
Things I didn’t love: some of the word choices were a little lazy and as I said above the parts in the wizard school felt as though they went on for far too long.
I do look forward to reading the second book in the duology.
Thank you NetGalley, Jay Pellegrin and the publisher for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest and fair review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Torture, War, Genocide, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Gore
folkofthebook's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Move over sunshine x grumpy, this is sunshine x annoying little shit and I fucking love it.
The Jester is my new fav fictional man rn.
The beginning was admittedly a little slow for me and a bit of info dumping. It really picks up once The Jester is introduced and omg did that hook me in. The banter, the tension, every scene between them had me kicking my feet in bed squealing. The romance development was excellent throughout the progression of their relationship.
There were things I saw coming but also some surprises. I haven't read a fantasy book w strong political intrigue for a while, and I was really invested in this book's mystery. Sometimes I wanted to give Leyna a hard kick for some of her choices, but her constant internal struggle between what is right and wrong, the disillusionment of achieving our goals, and her sense of identity made her a wonderfully complex and flawed character in the best way.
Tonally, the story would shift between slightly darker medieval-inspired fantasy to very strongly fantasy romance, which was intriguing. I think I'd even compare it as a Magicians (the show, I never read the books) meets FBAA (better character writing though, no hate JLA) meets Folk of the Air series (political intrigue).
I don't usually reread (bc I'm haunted by my neverending TBR), but I will 100% be rereading this just for Jester x Leyna scenes & dynamic.
I'm dying for the next book so I hope you have that ready soon JP bc I NEED MORE.
The Jester is my new fav fictional man rn.
The beginning was admittedly a little slow for me and a bit of info dumping. It really picks up once The Jester is introduced and omg did that hook me in. The banter, the tension, every scene between them had me kicking my feet in bed squealing. The romance development was excellent throughout the progression of their relationship.
There were things I saw coming but also some surprises. I haven't read a fantasy book w strong political intrigue for a while, and I was really invested in this book's mystery. Sometimes I wanted to give Leyna a hard kick for some of her choices, but her constant internal struggle between what is right and wrong, the disillusionment of achieving our goals, and her sense of identity made her a wonderfully complex and flawed character in the best way.
Tonally, the story would shift between slightly darker medieval-inspired fantasy to very strongly fantasy romance, which was intriguing. I think I'd even compare it as a Magicians (the show, I never read the books) meets FBAA (better character writing though, no hate JLA) meets Folk of the Air series (political intrigue).
I don't usually reread (bc I'm haunted by my neverending TBR), but I will 100% be rereading this just for Jester x Leyna scenes & dynamic.
I'm dying for the next book so I hope you have that ready soon JP bc I NEED MORE.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content and Grief
Minor: Death of parent, Gore, and War
dxisymitch's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I received an ARC from Book Siren in exchange for an honest review.
Wow! I absolutely adored Wizard’s Masquerade. I have to say at first I felt like the book was quite slow, but once it got started, it really got started. I loved that Leyna was not your typical Mary Sue hero. She’s a bit stuck up, ambitious, and trusts a lot of the wrong people. But it makes her growth all the more satisfying! The mystery element to the book was super intriguing as well - Leyna trying to sift through all the lies she’s been told by various people to discover the truth, to figure out who is really the good guy and who is just saying they are.
And of course, the romance. Jester was a fabulous character. I kind of loved that he wasn’t your typical MMC either - him teasing Leyna and her furiously trying to have a conversation with him was super entertaining and really built up the tension.
You’ll probably love Wizard’s Masquerade if you like:
Wow! I absolutely adored Wizard’s Masquerade. I have to say at first I felt like the book was quite slow, but once it got started, it really got started. I loved that Leyna was not your typical Mary Sue hero. She’s a bit stuck up, ambitious, and trusts a lot of the wrong people. But it makes her growth all the more satisfying! The mystery element to the book was super intriguing as well - Leyna trying to sift through all the lies she’s been told by various people to discover the truth, to figure out who is really the good guy and who is just saying they are.
And of course, the romance. Jester was a fabulous character. I kind of loved that he wasn’t your typical MMC either - him teasing Leyna and her furiously trying to have a conversation with him was super entertaining and really built up the tension.
You’ll probably love Wizard’s Masquerade if you like:
- Slow burn
- Grumpy/sunshine (with roles reversed - Leyna is the grumpy, Jester is the sunshine)
- Hidden identity
- Mystery
Spice level: 2/5
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide, and Murder
lastblossom's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy!
tl;dr
One of my favorite reads of the year! Great mix of magic and romance featuring powerful wizards and an incredibly sexy love interest. MC's character development lags in comparison to everything else.
About
Leyna wants to help people, and it's been her life goal to join the Royal Guard. After an accident right before graduation, it looks like she may not get that chance. But to her surprise, an offer to join the Royal Guard appears anyway, and soon she and her friends are whisked off to the castle to join the king's elite. But Leyna's dream job turns out to not be as dreamy as she expected, with traitors in their midst, forbidden magic brewing, the enigmatic court jester focusing on her for reasons unknown.
Thoughts
Dang, where to begin! There's a lot to like in here, especially for fans of magical schools and romance, who want something a step more adult. Most stories about magical academies end at graduation, so I was delighted to see that this story picks up from there. It's great to see our main cast are already competent spell casters with forged friendships and plans and history. The MC and her friends are already 22! Awesome. Was pleased to see that both MC's friends have their own things going on outside her existence, and that they're both more capable than she is in various respects. It's also a really great exploration of how dreams and reality don't always match up, as the MC discovers her dream job isn't nearly as noble as she imagined. World building is light, but with clear rules and an intriguing twist on the origins of magic that I really hope to see explored further in the second book.
As for the romance? Well, our mysterious LI is absolutely a winner. If you're looking for a roguish charmer with Just So Many Secrets along with some slow burn (MC) and guy falls first (LI), I've got great news for you. There's a lot of relentless teasing, plenty of mysteries, and a couple spicy lovemaking scenes that easily put this book in my top picks for the year.
I think the biggest downside of this book is that the MC doesn't get nearly as much character growth as she deserves. She's a hard worker, she has admirable dreams, she wants to put good into the world, and I like how seriously she takes things. But notably, she's also fairly classist, and weirdly lawful. She's hung up on using correct titles, to the point where she's aghast that her friend (who isn't nobility), keeps forgetting. She refuses to help her friends break innocents out of jail, because it's against the law. But unlike the "I believe in the justice system!" types who attempt to save innocent people through legal means (court battles, appeals, finding the true killer, etc.), she also seems reluctant to do anything on that front too. Her attitudes by the end of the book start to shift, and the cliffhanger ending implies a turnaround for her in book two, which I eagerly await. But in this volume, her development kind of lags, which is a shame considering how much I love absolutely everything else. It's still a strong recommend from me, and I hope to see her grow more in book two!
tl;dr
One of my favorite reads of the year! Great mix of magic and romance featuring powerful wizards and an incredibly sexy love interest. MC's character development lags in comparison to everything else.
About
Leyna wants to help people, and it's been her life goal to join the Royal Guard. After an accident right before graduation, it looks like she may not get that chance. But to her surprise, an offer to join the Royal Guard appears anyway, and soon she and her friends are whisked off to the castle to join the king's elite. But Leyna's dream job turns out to not be as dreamy as she expected, with traitors in their midst, forbidden magic brewing, the enigmatic court jester focusing on her for reasons unknown.
Thoughts
Dang, where to begin! There's a lot to like in here, especially for fans of magical schools and romance, who want something a step more adult. Most stories about magical academies end at graduation, so I was delighted to see that this story picks up from there. It's great to see our main cast are already competent spell casters with forged friendships and plans and history. The MC and her friends are already 22! Awesome. Was pleased to see that both MC's friends have their own things going on outside her existence, and that they're both more capable than she is in various respects. It's also a really great exploration of how dreams and reality don't always match up, as the MC discovers her dream job isn't nearly as noble as she imagined. World building is light, but with clear rules and an intriguing twist on the origins of magic that I really hope to see explored further in the second book.
As for the romance? Well, our mysterious LI is absolutely a winner. If you're looking for a roguish charmer with Just So Many Secrets along with some slow burn (MC) and guy falls first (LI), I've got great news for you. There's a lot of relentless teasing, plenty of mysteries, and a couple spicy lovemaking scenes that easily put this book in my top picks for the year.
I think the biggest downside of this book is that the MC doesn't get nearly as much character growth as she deserves. She's a hard worker, she has admirable dreams, she wants to put good into the world, and I like how seriously she takes things. But notably, she's also fairly classist, and weirdly lawful. She's hung up on using correct titles, to the point where she's aghast that her friend (who isn't nobility), keeps forgetting. She refuses to help her friends break innocents out of jail, because it's against the law. But unlike the "I believe in the justice system!" types who attempt to save innocent people through legal means (court battles, appeals, finding the true killer, etc.), she also seems reluctant to do anything on that front too. Her attitudes by the end of the book start to shift, and the cliffhanger ending implies a turnaround for her in book two, which I eagerly await. But in this volume, her development kind of lags, which is a shame considering how much I love absolutely everything else. It's still a strong recommend from me, and I hope to see her grow more in book two!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Death, Classism, Racism, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, and Violence
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