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A review by aprildiamond
Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller
4.0
Mask of Shadows is a pretty good read overall. I especially liked how it avoided common YA pitfalls. That was refreshing.
First off I just want to say that I really like competition/elimination round plotlines. Even if they get sad or violent because a lot of characters die, I tend to think they're really interesting. So if you like that sort of thing, you would probably like this book.
I also liked Sal's character. Sal was the second gender fluid character I've ever read about in a book, and the first main character, so it was interesting to get the different perspective. On top of representation, Sal was just an interesting character (and pretty funny).
In terms of avoiding common mistakes from YA, I was SO HAPPY that there was no love triangle. And while the romance wasn't my favorite part (just a personal preference), I was glad that the relationship wasn't toxic and the love interest wasn't bland and uninteresting.
As a whole: interesting political intrigue, great side characters (Ruby was great, Maud is a legend, and Emerald is my actual favorite), and believable personal motivations.
Would recommend, though the book does get a bit on the violent side (if you're concerned about that).
First off I just want to say that I really like competition/elimination round plotlines. Even if they get sad or violent because a lot of characters die, I tend to think they're really interesting. So if you like that sort of thing, you would probably like this book.
I also liked Sal's character. Sal was the second gender fluid character I've ever read about in a book, and the first main character, so it was interesting to get the different perspective. On top of representation, Sal was just an interesting character (and pretty funny).
In terms of avoiding common mistakes from YA, I was SO HAPPY that there was no love triangle. And while the romance wasn't my favorite part (just a personal preference), I was glad that the relationship wasn't toxic and the love interest wasn't bland and uninteresting.
As a whole: interesting political intrigue, great side characters (Ruby was great, Maud is a legend, and Emerald is my actual favorite), and believable personal motivations.
Would recommend, though the book does get a bit on the violent side (if you're concerned about that).