A review by azieyosabor
Masks of Faded Dreams by Marcelina LoBue

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

𓍢 ִ ໋ “shadows aren’t born; they’re made, always nestled in the lingering presence of sunlight.”

have you ever come across those books where you read the blurb, and you just know it's gonna be freaking awesome? well, masks of faded dreams is THAT book! the author hit me up, sent an early copy, and just from the blurb, i was like, “drop everything, i gotta read this NOW!” reading it was a wild 24-hour rollercoaster – i'm talking jaw-dropping shock, awe, laughter, squealing, and yeah, even a tear or two. so much love for these characters; they're a bunch of awesome, diverse personalities that had me feeling all sorts of emotions. sure, there were a few hiccups, but come on, it's a debut novel! loved every bit of it, stoked i got a free copy pre-publication, and trust me, i'm gonna be talking about these characters for ages!

→ tropes.
⤷ enemies to lovers
⤷ slow burn
⤷ masquerade ball
⤷ found family
⤷ magical realism
⤷ elemental magic
⤷ rebellions
⤷ espionage
⤷ urban fantasy
— genre’s: ya fantasy romance

→ content warnings.

heads up: this book's got some heavy stuff, mentions and flashbacks about past sexual assault (rape) involving the main character.

→ plot summary.

okay, so there's this girl, maia, right? she's got shadow powers and a super secret past. then, we got this dude, itzal, rocking fire powers, leading a rebellion. now, picture this: maia's dragged into her high school's masquerade ball, and boom, she bumps into itzal, the ally of her long-time enemy. she's all like, “no way i'm trusting this dude.” but plot twist, he ropes her into being a spy for his group of elementals called the “dxrks” – people with elemental magic in their blood. next thing you know, she's in her birth realm dealing with her haunting childhood demons. the revolution's looming, and she's gotta shove her trust issues aside to be a double agent for the dxrks, even when things aren't smooth with her and their leader. hold up, though – unexpected betrayals and mind-blowing revelations are popping up everywhere, putting maia's heart and everything she cares about on the line. she figures out the world's like a sea of people hiding behind masks, and her fear? drowning in the mist of all those masks or, scarier, losing herself in her OWN mask.

→ the writing.

i'm loving how easy it is to breeze through this book. the writing yanks you right into the story, and i'm all about getting the interesting stuff upfront and then getting the deets later – big fan of that move! but, gotta be real, it's a debut, so there's a bit of messiness, especially in scenes with more than two people. i got kinda overwhelmed trying to figure out who’s talking, ‘cause sometimes it’s not clear. spotted a few spelling and grammar slip-ups, but nothing major – happens to the best. once you get past those little bumps, it's a wild ride, and i'm legit up until 6 am glued to this book. it's that good! also, what's cool is that even though it's fantasy, it's not trying too hard with all the fancy words. it keeps it simple, which makes it a chill read and even more fun. there's this contemporary vibe that i'm digging personally. oh, but here's the thing – the chapters are like, super long. i'm not a fan of that, but luckily the plot is so juicy and well-written that i survived. still, shorter chapters would’ve been a game-changer for the pacing, especially with a plot like this. just throwing it out there, you feel me?

→ main characters.

꒰⋆𐙚 ⌗ maia urtisti.
⤷ sunshine
so, at first, i'm thinking maia might turn out to be this annoying “i'm not like other girls” pick-me kind of female lead we all hate. but whoa, i was dead wrong. keep in mind, she's just sixteen, but damn, she's mature for her age. she's been through some messed-up stuff that no one her age should have to deal with. she's strong, determined, and it's seriously admirable. i love how she's done being pushed around – she wants respect, and you bet she makes sure she gets it. she's all about self-improvement and puts in the effort. her whole life, she's felt helpless and numb, but not anymore. these words shouldn't even be connected to her after this book. it's powerful stuff!

right from the start, we get bits of her past that scarred her bad. each crumb warned me of the tears to come, and it hit hard. kai hale deserves a spot in hell for what he did to a child like her. anyone who denied her justice will suffer too. heartbreaking to read, but i'm glad she rises above it all. however, her backstory delivery could've been smoother. it was kinda dumped on us all at once, messing with the pacing. would've preferred it more spread out for a killer climax. still, it adds a bittersweet but beautiful layer to the story.

loving the character development, though. maia starts off a bit helpless, but with each chapter, she's getting more badass. standing her ground against elijah and itzal's crap, or facing off with kai on the bridge – she's tapping into her total spitfire self. about time that fire in her showed up. big fan of strong female leads.

꒰⋆𐙚 ⌗ itzal caddel.
my man, my man, my man! <3<3 right off the bat, this guy brings in some serious personality, and i'm all for it. he's the first character in the book that i quickly got a soft spot for. perfect mix of sweet and hot, protective, witty, and sassy – got me weak in the legs, he's that awesome. and let's talk about the best part – he's hella cocky. sorry, but cocky male main characters just hit different, and i'm way too down bad for them. it's borderline concerning! but real talk, he can be kinda stupid, switching from cozy warm to ice-cold, rude, and infuriating. i get it, we're dealing with teens and emotions on overdrive, but sometimes he's just unnecessarily rude and it looks dumb.

then again, i get why he's like that. like maia, he's been through some serious stuff, scars and all. it ain't easy, especially when they're so young. if you actually think about it, he's sweet, just takes a bit for him to warm up to someone. once he does, though, you'll see how freaking amazing he is.

꒰⋆𐙚 ⌗ maia and itzal.
okay, so their story is a rollercoaster, full of lies and misunderstandings messing with their love. they make progress, but bam, kai drops more secrets, and we're back to square one – fighting and being enemies. but when those secrets aren't wrecking things, they're legit sweet together. both sarcastic AF, even when they were enemies, they just clicked. the romance? super cute. i legit screamed every time itzal called maia “sunshine,” no lie, they're adorable. but here's the thing – i kinda feel like the romance wasn't really necessary to the plot. it moved crazy fast, almost forced, you know? like, it wouldn't have changed much if maia and itzal stayed platonic with a cozy friendship vibe, and this book could've been all about a cute found family. but hey, don’t get me wrong, the romance isn’t bad. it’s super sweet, had me grinning tons, just maybe not totally necessary.

→ side characters.

꒰⋆𐙚 ⌗ phoenix and astra.
my girls (aka the adorable nature x water duo <3)  i'm obsessed with them, seriously, they're the absolute best. since we first meet them, i've been falling harder for these gals with every dang chapter. astra is legit the most precious cinnamon roll with this fiery side that's just so darn hot – love her to bits. and phoenix? haha, she's a legend. super blunt, always speaking her mind no matter how harsh, which i oddly love about her. but the more you get to know her, turns out she's got this sweet soul too.

can we talk about the sapphic rep though? phoenix and astra are like made for each other, such an adorable couple. marcelina lobue, i'm already a fan, but you know what would make me love you even more? a spin-off with heaps of cute, adorable moments featuring my fave girls :)) yep, these two are the bomb and definitely brightened up the whole story, which i was already loving!

꒰⋆𐙚 ⌗ elijah.
i didn't vibe with him right from the start, unlike the others. always grumpy, glaring, and dropping annoying remarks on maia – seriously, he just got on my nerves. not at all like how itzal hyped him up, saying he'd overwhelm us with his sarcastic humor. i'd be all in for that 'cause funny characters are my jam, but nope, he wanted to be all edgy and weird. until we got the lowdown on why he acts the way he does!

i straight-up screamed when the part about why he's giving maia a hard time was spilled because i called it! predictable as heck, but i don't mind that. actually, i'm stoked 'cause my guess was spot on. elijah's past and character turned out to be a crazy interesting and welcome plot twist! now that it's out there, we see he's actually sweet and protective – super adorable. towards the end, we even get a taste of that funny side itzal teased. he's a total sweetheart with a seriously big heart.

→ the dxrks.

this crew of elementals is straight-up silly, loving, and adorbs in their little espionage adventures. fire (itzal), shadow (maia), nature (astra), wind (elijah), and water (phoenix) – loved 'em all, even if i had some faves. seriously, they're like a big found family, each one carrying some scars but finding solace and a safe spot with each other. seeing the “dxrks” welcome maia into the squad was kinda rocky at first, but soon they were all tight, super cute. and those fight scenes? nerve-wracking as heck! the way they teamed up, had each other's backs, and all their elemental powers colliding – it's wild. never read a book about elementals before, so this crew was the perfect intro for me to dive into more of these kinds of books!

→ in conclusion.

dude, this book? freakin' loved it! the plot, characters (especially them), the elemental magic vibe – the whole package was awesome. for a debut, it's seriously mind-blowing, and i'm hella impressed. marcelina killed it, and i'm totally gonna keep an eye out for whatever she drops next! said pretty much everything already, so i'm just gonna wrap this up by saying, seriously, EVERYONE needs to check this out. if you were into “six of crows” or the movie “the darkest minds,” this book's gonna be your jam too.

masks of faded dreams by marcelina lobue hits the shelves on april 2nd, 2024. pre-order it now on amazon and barnes & noble – no joke, you won't regret it! <3<3

𓍢 ִ ໋ “a legend for the legends themselves.”

— thank you marcelina lobue, the author for sending me a copy of this e-arc. opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.