A review by robins_fantasy_reads
What Lies Within Masks & Shadows by Nicolle May

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I just can’t get over the fact that this was a debut book for Nicolle’s new fantasy series…it was amazing! 

I had a feeling this would quickly become one of my favorite books this year, and honestly, it might be one of my favorite books PERIOD. I am so incredibly excited for this series to continue! 

I highlighted and bookmarked so many pages in my Kindle while reading, from the very first chapter to the last. Usually, I struggle with maintaining attention in fantasy books when a lot of foundational information is being described, but here, the world-building, character descriptions, and dialogue were all equally captivating! 

The love story throughout this book is everything I love; it’s not truly enemies-to-lovers, but more of an instant attraction where the FMC is repulsed by her feelings and goes into deep denial for several chapters. And THEN from there, we get a slow burn with tension, fights, and more tension. I can’t wait for their relationship to explode later in the series; it’ll be worth the wait for sure! 

The last chapter was also VERY mysterious, and I feel like we are just scratching the surface with whatever adventures Nicolle has planned for our little group of rebels. 
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