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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I very much enjoyed the beginning of this book. It was very eventful from the first chapter. I was immediately pulled into the story. The premise of the story reminded me of Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. This made my exited to keep reading because Throne of Glass is one of my favorite series.
This took place in a fantasy world. You do not find out much about the setting until later on in the book. I did not like this because it was difficult for me to picture what was going on without some background as to what people wore, their authenticity, the language, the characters' accent.
There were not many dull moments, because there was almost always something significant going on. The only reason I ever had to set this book down was because of the writing style. I found myself getting lost very often because the writer was very clear on what was going on. This made it very difficult for me to stay interested in the story.
I thought that the main character being gender fluid would bother me because I wouldn't know how to picture them. It was only difficult in the beginning because throughout most of the book Sal was wearing a mask. Although I liked Sal, my favorite character was Ruby, of the Left Arm. I just adored his personality. It was difficult for me to picture the other auditioners. Because they were all named as numbers, it was hard to remember who was who.
The entirety of this book was filled with action and had great characters. In my opinion, the biggest flaw with this book is the writing.
Rating: 3 stars
Release Date: August 29, 2017
I very much enjoyed the beginning of this book. It was very eventful from the first chapter. I was immediately pulled into the story. The premise of the story reminded me of Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. This made my exited to keep reading because Throne of Glass is one of my favorite series.
This took place in a fantasy world. You do not find out much about the setting until later on in the book. I did not like this because it was difficult for me to picture what was going on without some background as to what people wore, their authenticity, the language, the characters' accent.
There were not many dull moments, because there was almost always something significant going on. The only reason I ever had to set this book down was because of the writing style. I found myself getting lost very often because the writer was very clear on what was going on. This made it very difficult for me to stay interested in the story.
I thought that the main character being gender fluid would bother me because I wouldn't know how to picture them. It was only difficult in the beginning because throughout most of the book Sal was wearing a mask. Although I liked Sal, my favorite character was Ruby, of the Left Arm. I just adored his personality. It was difficult for me to picture the other auditioners. Because they were all named as numbers, it was hard to remember who was who.
The entirety of this book was filled with action and had great characters. In my opinion, the biggest flaw with this book is the writing.
Rating: 3 stars
Release Date: August 29, 2017
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Rep: This book had some of the best gender-fluid representation, and and amazing job incorporating discussions on pronouns in fantasy, in a way I have not seen in other books that try to convey gender-fluid/NB characters. I also really enjoy that there is no eluding to the character's assigned sex at birth, this really helps to force the reader into seeing this person in the way should be-- as gender-fluid. It was great to see how the authors handled having a character that was gender-fluid that used multiple pronouns.
Plot: I thought the plot of this book was well-thought out and had the right amount of twists/turns, I think the pacing could have been a bit better-- it was pretty slow in the beginning and shot-up fairly quickly. I'm excited to read the sequel!
Plot: I thought the plot of this book was well-thought out and had the right amount of twists/turns, I think the pacing could have been a bit better-- it was pretty slow in the beginning and shot-up fairly quickly. I'm excited to read the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Sexism, Dysphoria
Moderate: Gore, Kidnapping, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault
Original review/notes can be found at the bottom under a spoiler tag!
This was my most anticipated read of 2017, and I had to give it a reread. Me, who has reread maybe three books in my lifetime, decided I had to reread this book. That's how much I love it. A reread helped a lot with differentiating characters, but I stand by my original comments and rating. It's a solid story with a great cast of characters. It's bloody, it's adventurous, it's everything I love about a good assassin book, even with a few minor issues.
Even while knowing who was who this time around, I still had trouble with all the different names for everyone. I still believe a list of characters would be beneficial to this book, to the point where I'm very tempted to make one myself. The timeline of events throughout the world's history is useful and certainly adds to the worldbuilding, but a character list would be more helpful (if potentially full of spoilers). Nevertheless, each character is unique and brings something to the plot. I do genuinely love each and every character, even the antagonists. My only wish is a Certain Someone didn't die, I would have loved to see more of That Person in the next book, but everyone's story has to end sometime.
I love Sal's main drive is revenge, but they grow beyond that as they learn to make connections and relations with other people. As they grow to trust and get close to others, they realize there's more to life than revenge. Sure, revenge is still a big factor in their decisions, but it's not the only one. I really love the character growth there. I love the casual mention that Elise isn't exclusively attracted to men, I love the way people accept Sal's gender presentation (and when someone doesn't other characters come to Sal's defense), I love that this is a fantasy novel with a genderfluid character, and not a novel about being genderfluid. There is so much to love about this book, the clunkiness of a debut writer isn't as apparent. I can look past new writer flaws because everything else is so good. It's one of the most entertaining books I've read, with people being killed around every corner.
The romance between Sal and Elise is one of the cutest I've read. They respect each other, and even though they both started out trying to deceive the other in some way, they still grew close. It's weird that all this took place over the course of a couple weeks at most, it seems like so much longer. While their relationship moves quickly, it doesn't feel that way at all. It doesn't feel like the instalove trope that plagues so many books. They flirt and banter when they first meet, but they don't fall for each other until they get to know one another. It's cute, it's believable, and I love every bit of it.
Since my original read of this book, I have read Throne of Glass, and I can see why these would be pitched the same way, but I don't think this would be for fans of ToG. It's for people who didn't enjoy ToG. If you were annoyed with how Celaena didn't do a whole lot of assassinating, if you wanted more action out of Throne of Glass, give this a read. It's everything that was missing for me from ToG.
Original Thoughts/Review
None of the reviews I've read so far have said anything about the genderfluid representation, and let me tell you, Linsey Miller does a great job with it. I won't say no one questions Sal's gender, but most characters accept it right away after Sal explains it and when people misgender them, Sal speaks up and corrects them firmly. There's even an instance of another character correcting someone unprompted, which is great! This isn't a book about being genderfluid, it's a book about revenge and murder with a main character who just so happens to not be cisgender. I enjoyed this aspect of it, I thought that while Sal's gender was important and stated, it wasn't the focus. Others might wish for more, but I was happy with this. If I wanted a book about being genderfluid, I would seek it outand have a terrible time finding one. This isn't a criticism, I just don't want someone going into this book thinking it will be about Sal being genderfluid and then being disappointed that it isn't.
I really enjoyed the world building in this book. There was just enough to get an idea of what's going on, but not so much that it felt overwhelming. There are holes that look like they'll be filled in later on, but never was there a time where I felt like a whole lot of background information was dumped on us. The action started right away, and even the quieter moments didn't feel dull. You know how Ghibli films have those moments where characters are just standing there, interacting with their environment? Their actions don't move the plot forward in anyway, and most people would see them as filler scenes, but they provide an anchor. Showing characters doing mundane everyday things can really shine light on who a character is, and that's what those quiet moments in this book felt like. Some could be left out and the plot would ultimately stay the same, but something would be missing.
My only real criticism is there were so many characters, many of whom went by more than one name, it was difficult for me to keep track of who was who. This would be easily solved if there was a character map or a list of some sort in the beginning or end of the book, which who knows might appear in the final copy! I'm looking forward to this releasing and I'm mad that I now have to wait longer than everyone else for the sequel. Keep your eye out for this book this fall!
On a side note, I've noticed a lot of people who liked Sarah J Maas' books, didn't like this one and vice versa. I've been trying not to compare authors and books because honestly, every book is its own thing, but from what I know of Maas' writing, the only similarity is the topic. Not all books about assassins are the same, so comparing the two really isn't fair. But if you didn't like Maas' books, don't let that stop you from giving this a try! They only say that as a marketing strategy to get an already established fanbase to read a new book.
This was my most anticipated read of 2017, and I had to give it a reread. Me, who has reread maybe three books in my lifetime, decided I had to reread this book. That's how much I love it. A reread helped a lot with differentiating characters, but I stand by my original comments and rating. It's a solid story with a great cast of characters. It's bloody, it's adventurous, it's everything I love about a good assassin book, even with a few minor issues.
Even while knowing who was who this time around, I still had trouble with all the different names for everyone. I still believe a list of characters would be beneficial to this book, to the point where I'm very tempted to make one myself. The timeline of events throughout the world's history is useful and certainly adds to the worldbuilding, but a character list would be more helpful (if potentially full of spoilers). Nevertheless, each character is unique and brings something to the plot. I do genuinely love each and every character, even the antagonists. My only wish is a Certain Someone didn't die, I would have loved to see more of That Person in the next book, but everyone's story has to end sometime.
I love Sal's main drive is revenge, but they grow beyond that as they learn to make connections and relations with other people. As they grow to trust and get close to others, they realize there's more to life than revenge. Sure, revenge is still a big factor in their decisions, but it's not the only one. I really love the character growth there. I love the casual mention that Elise isn't exclusively attracted to men, I love the way people accept Sal's gender presentation (and when someone doesn't other characters come to Sal's defense), I love that this is a fantasy novel with a genderfluid character, and not a novel about being genderfluid. There is so much to love about this book, the clunkiness of a debut writer isn't as apparent. I can look past new writer flaws because everything else is so good. It's one of the most entertaining books I've read, with people being killed around every corner.
The romance between Sal and Elise is one of the cutest I've read. They respect each other, and even though they both started out trying to deceive the other in some way, they still grew close. It's weird that all this took place over the course of a couple weeks at most, it seems like so much longer. While their relationship moves quickly, it doesn't feel that way at all. It doesn't feel like the instalove trope that plagues so many books. They flirt and banter when they first meet, but they don't fall for each other until they get to know one another. It's cute, it's believable, and I love every bit of it.
Since my original read of this book, I have read Throne of Glass, and I can see why these would be pitched the same way, but I don't think this would be for fans of ToG. It's for people who didn't enjoy ToG. If you were annoyed with how Celaena didn't do a whole lot of assassinating, if you wanted more action out of Throne of Glass, give this a read. It's everything that was missing for me from ToG.
Original Thoughts/Review
Spoiler
The publishing date is drawing near, and I can't begin to tell you how excited I am for this book! It has a HUGE cast of characters that all seem to be well fleshed out, murder and betrayal around every corner, and in the end it's ultimately a revenge story. Sal is out for revenge on everyone involved in killing their people, and they will stop at nothing to get what they want. I love it. This book is bloody, it's full of action, and the romantic subplot was handled and integrated well. Yes, not only do we get to see a genderfluid main character represented in this book, but they have a love interest!None of the reviews I've read so far have said anything about the genderfluid representation, and let me tell you, Linsey Miller does a great job with it. I won't say no one questions Sal's gender, but most characters accept it right away after Sal explains it and when people misgender them, Sal speaks up and corrects them firmly. There's even an instance of another character correcting someone unprompted, which is great! This isn't a book about being genderfluid, it's a book about revenge and murder with a main character who just so happens to not be cisgender. I enjoyed this aspect of it, I thought that while Sal's gender was important and stated, it wasn't the focus. Others might wish for more, but I was happy with this. If I wanted a book about being genderfluid, I would seek it out
I really enjoyed the world building in this book. There was just enough to get an idea of what's going on, but not so much that it felt overwhelming. There are holes that look like they'll be filled in later on, but never was there a time where I felt like a whole lot of background information was dumped on us. The action started right away, and even the quieter moments didn't feel dull. You know how Ghibli films have those moments where characters are just standing there, interacting with their environment? Their actions don't move the plot forward in anyway, and most people would see them as filler scenes, but they provide an anchor. Showing characters doing mundane everyday things can really shine light on who a character is, and that's what those quiet moments in this book felt like. Some could be left out and the plot would ultimately stay the same, but something would be missing.
My only real criticism is there were so many characters, many of whom went by more than one name, it was difficult for me to keep track of who was who. This would be easily solved if there was a character map or a list of some sort in the beginning or end of the book, which who knows might appear in the final copy! I'm looking forward to this releasing and I'm mad that I now have to wait longer than everyone else for the sequel. Keep your eye out for this book this fall!
On a side note, I've noticed a lot of people who liked Sarah J Maas' books, didn't like this one and vice versa. I've been trying not to compare authors and books because honestly, every book is its own thing, but from what I know of Maas' writing, the only similarity is the topic. Not all books about assassins are the same, so comparing the two really isn't fair. But if you didn't like Maas' books, don't let that stop you from giving this a try! They only say that as a marketing strategy to get an already established fanbase to read a new book.
medium-paced
My rating: Tentatively, 1 star. DNF'd halfway through after great pains. Yikes, what a discombobulated mess.
**Full review**
Due to stubborn pride, I’ve only DNF’d a handful of books in my entire life, yet I had to put this one down after great pains: the setup of this book is so bizarrely rushed yet complicated at times, I was disoriented within a matter of chapters.
However, as I don’t have the ability (nor desire) to explain this book in full detail, I’ll just say that it didn’t live up. The plot feels shambled together, characters do things without any apparent motivation, and the plot jumps from one point to another with an urgency that never feels earned: there is no setup to this story given beyond, “Here are the good and bad guys, look at them go at each others’ throats.”
Worst of all, I felt nothing for these characters’ plights. Even as they were dropping dead like flies left and right, all my brain could register in such moments were, “Oh, someone died. Am I supposed to be shocked by this…?” The author seems to take the readers’ emotional investment for granted simply due to universal truths like “death is a sad thing,” but as I was given very little reason to care about these characters, I found it difficult to soak in any other feeling besides that of supreme blandness.
Long story short, don’t waste your time on this one. There’s literally no pretense of even attempting a setup as this book simply info-dumps characters into a Hunger Games setting, and it was bland, tedious, and confusing. Even with the selling point of a gender-fluid protagonist, this book’s writing was not up to snuff, and it's probably one of the more painful reading experiences I’ve had in years.
Disclaimer: I normally don’t rate or review books I DNF-ed as I don’t feel secure enough in my opinion to utterly bash someone’s hard work, but I did read half of the book (and gave it multiple chances to redeem itself), so I feel confident saying that regardless this book’s conclusion, my rating would’ve been exceptionally low: I don’t take to half-assed foundations, and this was a throwaway setup if I’d ever seen one.
**Full review**
Due to stubborn pride, I’ve only DNF’d a handful of books in my entire life, yet I had to put this one down after great pains: the setup of this book is so bizarrely rushed yet complicated at times, I was disoriented within a matter of chapters.
However, as I don’t have the ability (nor desire) to explain this book in full detail, I’ll just say that it didn’t live up. The plot feels shambled together, characters do things without any apparent motivation, and the plot jumps from one point to another with an urgency that never feels earned: there is no setup to this story given beyond, “Here are the good and bad guys, look at them go at each others’ throats.”
Worst of all, I felt nothing for these characters’ plights. Even as they were dropping dead like flies left and right, all my brain could register in such moments were, “Oh, someone died. Am I supposed to be shocked by this…?” The author seems to take the readers’ emotional investment for granted simply due to universal truths like “death is a sad thing,” but as I was given very little reason to care about these characters, I found it difficult to soak in any other feeling besides that of supreme blandness.
Long story short, don’t waste your time on this one. There’s literally no pretense of even attempting a setup as this book simply info-dumps characters into a Hunger Games setting, and it was bland, tedious, and confusing. Even with the selling point of a gender-fluid protagonist, this book’s writing was not up to snuff, and it's probably one of the more painful reading experiences I’ve had in years.
Disclaimer: I normally don’t rate or review books I DNF-ed as I don’t feel secure enough in my opinion to utterly bash someone’s hard work, but I did read half of the book (and gave it multiple chances to redeem itself), so I feel confident saying that regardless this book’s conclusion, my rating would’ve been exceptionally low: I don’t take to half-assed foundations, and this was a throwaway setup if I’d ever seen one.
I picked up this book hoping for some battle royale swashbuckling action, and this book did not disappoint. In fact, I did not put it down until I finished it a few hours later. There were many bits that were a pleasant surprise, including Sal's pragmatic personality: neither bloodthirsty nor sentimental, Sal kills not because they like it, but to achieve their goals. I also fell in love with the supporting cast, and look forward to returning to this world in the Miller's next book.
The pacing of Mask of Shadows was earnest: Miller doesn't belabor plot points but moves cleanly from one scene to the next. The book was thus refreshingly paced and kept up the action without becoming tiring.
All in all, I definitely enjoyed this debut novel!
The pacing of Mask of Shadows was earnest: Miller doesn't belabor plot points but moves cleanly from one scene to the next. The book was thus refreshingly paced and kept up the action without becoming tiring.
All in all, I definitely enjoyed this debut novel!
adventurous
dark
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
If you like Hunger Games you will definitely enjoy this
So this novel was something I'd been hearing a lot about, and when I got accepted to receive an ARC of this novel I was ecstatic.
I must admit that reading from a gender fluid character's POV was something very new to me and it did take a bit of getting used to. When I did get used to it, it was such an enjoyable experience. I got over my need to put the protagonist in a box and got to simple enjoy the plot of the story for what it was.
Reading the premise of this novel was all I needed to get on board with it. Assassins. Competition. Death. Yes. Yes. YES.
This novel had a slow start to it, but once we got into the meat of the audition it was action packed and super fun to read.
It gave me Throne of Glass vibes and I really was not mad about it.
Additionally, this novel had great characters which really made me look forward to reading of what they'd do next. Sallot was a character who's point of view I really enjoyed reading from. Sallot never took shit from anybody and always was confident in their skills - which I loved so much.
The writing in this novel was also something that made the novel all the more enjoyable for me - there were times where I found myself getting a bit confused, but other than those moments I found myself enjoying the way Miller wrote.
All in all, I think this novel is one that everyone should keep their eyes out for! It's coming out on August 29th, 2017 and I have no doubt that anyone who reads it will enjoy themselves immensely.
I must admit that reading from a gender fluid character's POV was something very new to me and it did take a bit of getting used to. When I did get used to it, it was such an enjoyable experience. I got over my need to put the protagonist in a box and got to simple enjoy the plot of the story for what it was.
Reading the premise of this novel was all I needed to get on board with it. Assassins. Competition. Death. Yes. Yes. YES.
This novel had a slow start to it, but once we got into the meat of the audition it was action packed and super fun to read.
It gave me Throne of Glass vibes and I really was not mad about it.
Additionally, this novel had great characters which really made me look forward to reading of what they'd do next. Sallot was a character who's point of view I really enjoyed reading from. Sallot never took shit from anybody and always was confident in their skills - which I loved so much.
The writing in this novel was also something that made the novel all the more enjoyable for me - there were times where I found myself getting a bit confused, but other than those moments I found myself enjoying the way Miller wrote.
All in all, I think this novel is one that everyone should keep their eyes out for! It's coming out on August 29th, 2017 and I have no doubt that anyone who reads it will enjoy themselves immensely.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide
Minor: Transphobia, Colonisation