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Mask of Shadows eBook Linsey Miller

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"I love every aspect of this amazing book—a genderfluid hero, a deadly contest, and vicious courtly intrigue. Get! Read! Now!" —Tamora Pierce, #1 New York Times bestselling author

I Needed to Win.
They Needed to Die.

Sallot Leon is a thief, and a good one at that. But gender fluid Sal wants nothing more than to escape the drudgery of life as a highway robber and get closer to the upper-class—and the nobles who destroyed their home.

When Sal steals a flyer for an audition to become a member of The Left Hand—the Queen's personal assassins, named after the rings she wears—Sal jumps at the chance to infiltrate the court and get revenge.

But the audition is a fight to the death filled with clever circus acrobats, lethal apothecaries, and vicious ex-soldiers. A childhood as a common criminal hardly prepared Sal for the trials. And as Sal succeeds in the competition, and wins the heart of Elise, an intriguing scribe at court, they start to dream of a new life and a different future, but one that Sal can have only if they survive.

More Praise for Mask of Shadows
A Bustle Most Anticipated YA of 2017!

"Compelling and relatable characters, a fascinating world with dangerous magic, and a dash of political intrigue Mask of Shadows completely delivered. Fantasy fans will love this book."—Jodi Meadows, New York Times bestselling coauthor of My Lady Jane

"An intriguing world and a fantastically compelling main character make for a can't-miss debut. Miller's Mask of Shadows will make you glad you're not an assassin—and even gladder Sal is."—Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of And I Darken and Now I Rise

Mask of Shadows eBook Linsey Miller

A Queen who stopped a civil war by destroying the magic that allowed “shadows” to flay people alive. A Queen who was still working to hold her new kingdom together while one faction retreated to the mountains to plan their bloody return. Our Queen’s Left hand: Ruby, Emerald, Opal and Amethyst. The rings she wore on that hand. Also the names of her four personal guards/assassins.

An audition for a new Opal, the previous one having been killed by the nobles in the mountains. Twenty-three possible new opals. Five invited due to reputation or nobility. The rest walk ons. Kill your competition without being caught or killed yourself. Survive combat, poisons, the competition.

Sal (auditioneer number Twenty-Three) is the protagonist. One of the most brilliant characters I have ever encountered. Sal has a heart of rage because of what happened. Nacea, a peaceful land, was overrun by “shadows” created by mages who flayed people alive. The nobles let it happen by withdrawing all the troops to protect themselves and leave Nacea undefended. Sal saw the shadows destroy Nacea, person by person and was only one of two survivors. Sal has an adoration for the Queen who stopped the shadows and ended the war. Sal has a desire for a better life than a thief and fighter. Sal has motivation and mystery.

The story is so wonderfully constructed. Sal takes the measure of his competitors. The entire court and the Opal auditions are like a huge puzzle Sal must make sense of. Piece by piece a plan develops, not only for Sal in the competition but for the Queen to deal with her unruly nobles. I loved all the characters. Even the side characters had depth to them and felt like real people, not like parts of the scenery. The action scenes were very well written. I could see them in my mind and did not get confused on who was where or had what weapon.

I pre-ordered the hardback of Mask of Shadows. As soon as the audiobook is available for pre-order, I will be ordering it also. I am excited to see what Ms. Miller does with Sal and the plot in the sequel. The world Ms. Miller has created in Mask of Shadows is rich and begs to be explored.


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Mask of Shadows eBook Linsey Miller Reviews

Bookworm Speaks!

Mask of Shadows

by Linsey Miller

****
Acquired
Series Mask of Shadows (Book 1)
Hardcover 352 pages
Publisher Sourcebooks Fire (August 29, 2017)
Language English
Subject Fantasy

****

The Story Sallot Leon is a thief, and a good one at that. But gender fluid Sal wants nothing more than to escape the drudgery of life as a highway robber and get closer to the upper-class―and the nobles who destroyed their home.

When Sal steals a flyer for an audition to become a member of The Left Hand―the Queen's personal assassins, named after the rings she wears―Sal jumps at the chance to infiltrate the court and get revenge.

But the audition is a fight to the death filled with clever circus acrobats, lethal apothecaries, and vicious ex-soldiers. A childhood as a common criminal hardly prepared Sal for the trials. And as Sal succeeds in the competition, and wins the heart of Elise, an intriguing scribe at court, they start to dream of a new life and a different future, but one that Sal can have only if they survive.

The Review Let’s get right to the detail that was most likely the main aspect that attracted a lot of readers to this novel, Bookworm included The gender fluid protagonist.

The author does not make it clear what Sal’s biological sex actually is. Sallot’s gender pronouns seem to be largely dependent on the variety of clothing they are wearing. It is implied that Sal is, if not a ‘girl’, can be described as feminine. In their interactions with Elise, however, there is a lot of masculinity to be had here. It was probably for the best that this book was written from the first person point of view. Referring to the character as ‘they’ throughout the entirety of the text would have gotten rather confusing very quickly. It is even a little confusing while writing this review. This is probably the very first book that Bookworm has read with a protagonist that can be described as transgender. Not the first with a gay protagonist mind you, but first with a transgender protagonist and definitely the first in a speculative fiction setting. It is treated as though it was no big deal, which is good step forward for this brand of representation. In order to achieve equality, one needs to treat gender rebels as ‘normal’ rather than the exception.

It is never made entirely clear what the setting of this novel actually is. It takes place in a kingdom that has only recently come into existence after a brutal war. The setting does not appear to be especially distinctive. A medieval world of swords, horse drawn carriages, and castles. This has been done countless times over but much like Sallot Leon, the author manages to add some fluidity to it. Bookworm got the impression that this book took place is a setting more like medieval France or Italy

This is what sets the stage for Sal’s motivation for joining the contest. For one thing, Sal was willing to be thrown into the wolves den on her own volition. This sets it apart from other tomes such as Divergent or Red Rising, where the main character joins the contest because he or she is forced to do so or it is simply expected by the order of the current governance. Here, Sal discovers the contest by accident.

Without giving to much away, Sal comes from a land called Nacea which was devastated in a war due to the machinations of the nobles of the kingdom. Were Sal to become the Left Hand of the queen, they would be able to take their vengeance. Revenge plots are nothing new, especially in this genre of fiction, but Sal’s story is special in that it actually feels more concrete than others. Sal has a goal in mind and actually takes concrete, rational steps, towards uncovering clues and means of enacting their revenge. It never leaves them, whereas in other stories, revenge is pushed to the background.

The most glaring flaw with this book is its initial setup. One cannot deny that this book is yet another entry in a long line of books involving a teenage protagonist who competes in another ‘Battle Royale, Hunger Games” fight to the death. That fact alone may cause a potential reader to return the book to the shelf. Upon reading the story, the author thankfully took the initiative and added their own unique twist to the common YA format. The contest Sal and the other competitors is actually structured in a distinctive fashion. It is implied that the Left Hand Auditions have been done before, but only when a current member dies. Also, the structure of the whole contest is a lot more casual. Killing is each other is expected but there is little grandiosity in their deaths. Makes sense, considering that they are potential assassins. The whole affair feels rather informal, which definitely sets it apart.

Nonetheless, writers and authors would be wise to break away from such a formula in the future. Hopefully, the second volume will stand on its own. The ending has already made Bookworm eager for the sequel.

Finally, there is the romance. This book graciously avoids the insufferable love triangle and/or the fellow competitor trope. Elise is a proper lady that has unique tastes and the budding love between her and Sal feels rather heartfelt. Definitely still in the puppy love stage as it were for most of the volume but that slowly begins to melt away near the end of the story. The reader becomes genuinely invested in the characters and for Bookworm, they were some of their favorite scenes in the whole story.

Final Verdict Mask of Shadows is a unique tale of blood, love, honor, and vengeance. Bookworm hopes this book will stand apart from other novels for a long time to come.

Rating Four Opals out of Five

thecultureworm.blogspot.com
This was the first book I’ve ever read with a gender fluid character and I thought Linsey Miller did a good job of capturing Sal’s identity as they were so much more than just what gender they identified with. I felt the author handled this aspect of Sal’s character with some sensitivity.

The story will get under your skin with its action packed plot line that engages the senses making you want more. Miller created a realistic world rich and vibrant in detail that included countries, cultures, politics, and a whole background of historical plot lines. It also has a layer of darkness that will grip you making you unable to put it down as you’re pulled deeper into the story. Thankfully there are moments of humor sprinkled about so you can get an emotional break.

The author’s characters that surround Sal become the kind that you can really dig into and would want as friends.

Miller not only has the ability to entertain but for all those who want to write themselves someday take not of her style because you can learn a thing or two.
A Queen who stopped a civil war by destroying the magic that allowed “shadows” to flay people alive. A Queen who was still working to hold her new kingdom together while one faction retreated to the mountains to plan their bloody return. Our Queen’s Left hand Ruby, Emerald, Opal and Amethyst. The rings she wore on that hand. Also the names of her four personal guards/assassins.

An audition for a new Opal, the previous one having been killed by the nobles in the mountains. Twenty-three possible new opals. Five invited due to reputation or nobility. The rest walk ons. Kill your competition without being caught or killed yourself. Survive combat, poisons, the competition.

Sal (auditioneer number Twenty-Three) is the protagonist. One of the most brilliant characters I have ever encountered. Sal has a heart of rage because of what happened. Nacea, a peaceful land, was overrun by “shadows” created by mages who flayed people alive. The nobles let it happen by withdrawing all the troops to protect themselves and leave Nacea undefended. Sal saw the shadows destroy Nacea, person by person and was only one of two survivors. Sal has an adoration for the Queen who stopped the shadows and ended the war. Sal has a desire for a better life than a thief and fighter. Sal has motivation and mystery.

The story is so wonderfully constructed. Sal takes the measure of his competitors. The entire court and the Opal auditions are like a huge puzzle Sal must make sense of. Piece by piece a plan develops, not only for Sal in the competition but for the Queen to deal with her unruly nobles. I loved all the characters. Even the side characters had depth to them and felt like real people, not like parts of the scenery. The action scenes were very well written. I could see them in my mind and did not get confused on who was where or had what weapon.

I pre-ordered the hardback of Mask of Shadows. As soon as the audiobook is available for pre-order, I will be ordering it also. I am excited to see what Ms. Miller does with Sal and the plot in the sequel. The world Ms. Miller has created in Mask of Shadows is rich and begs to be explored.