The Mask of Mirrors
Reviews
Liked the writing style and overall enjoyed the story, but I don't feel a pull to continue.
5 stars (6 if that was possible) holy shit this was good. it's been so long since i read a book this interesting and well written; not since i read the lies of locke lamora have i felt like this. it took a while to understand the world and all the terms but it was worth it for the story it built. it's absolutely insane to me that this book isn't more popular than it is. also the audiobook? fantastic. helped so much with pronunciations and the narrators accents added so much to it. i won't get into spoilers, but wow the twists and turns that i was SO SURE i had figured out only to be completely blindsided by the reveal, yet when looking back it wasn't just for shock value it actually made sense, like the rook's identity. i have so many questions remaining like who is alsius?? who is ren's father?? i can't wait to find out
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a fantasy novel with a dash of political intrigue, ensemble casts, and a slow build. Even when I thought I wouldn't care about a new character, I was immediately proven wrong. I read this book looking like a fool each time I realized how invested I was in each new subplot, scheme, or reveal. The story manages to strike a perfect balance between the stakes of its intricately woven plot and worldbuilding and the sense of fun developed by such a delightful set of characters.
Hoping my library buys the rest of the series soon!
they need to make this a movie.
the first half of this book is world building/explaining the government/class systems which is all necessary or else nothing would make sense, but it definitely takes patience to go through 300 pages of that. i will say that it’s definitely worth it for the second half. i wouldn’t even say the world building is boring - just gets a little confusing trying to figure out who everyone is with all of their different possible titles.
I love everything about this book. It has it all: The perfectly balanced court politics, well made worldbuilding with its very distinct and important differences in religion and culture of the two major peoples living in the city (so much so even their types of magic are wildly different), THE CHARACTERS (Ren, Vargo, Leato, Serrado, Tess, Sedge) UGH my babies who are so flawed but deserve all the success in the world, the mysteries and lies being so interconnected to the bone & sinew of the world itself, the magic being so unique and even tarot (aka pattern) having its own life in the story. A reread lets you understand the card readings explain exactly what’s going on in the future and that fighting fate only helps if you know what hand you’re being dealt. This book also is dripping with atmosphere. The authors knew exactly what they wanted to portray and did so with such style and so little flaws it’s the closest book other than The Last Unicorn and Howl’s Moving Castle that I call perfect for me. This reread has solidified it as my favorite adult fantasy, and if not one of my favorite books of all time. Read this with some friends and a MILLION out of ten, would recommend. If you’ve read this review and my ravings, please try this book out. It deserves way more love. I can’t wait for The Labyrinth’s Heart release! Thanks Marie & Alyc for making this series, so we can see the face and not the mask 💙
3.75 STARS: I really liked this one. I'm a sucker for political fantasy and morally-grey characters. This one definitely gave me that, yet I still felt it needed a bit more. The first 300 pages were rather slow. It was a lot of scheming and maneuvering among noble houses. Which is something I love, so I really enjoyed it. Still, I can understand how some people might be bored. The last 300 pages were when the pace picked up and it shifted to more of a high stakes mystery. There was more action and many more twists. I thought that the plot was well done, but I think it could have stood to be trimmed down a bit. The characters, while interesting, were not as deep as I would like. They have dimensions, but they're not quite fully realized. Still, it was easy to get behind them simply because of how they interacted with each other . When they were together, no matter who they were, it was much easier to sense depth than when they were on their own. The relationships and manipulations were the highlight, without a doubt. The motivations for each character were also well done, and I felt they made it easier to empathize. The world was fully realized, and it was very easy to lose myself in it. Like other people, though, I did have a harder time learning the magic system, as it wasn't very clear. For me, since I have some understanding about tarot and magic circles (taught to me by my pagan best friend, so I know it's accurate) it was easier to get the overall rules even if I didn't understand the intricacies. I'm looking forward to continuing, though I'm not sure where the story will go from here. I have an idea, but I'm not sure how it will happen. Hopefully the next book will dive a bit deeper into the characters, as I think that will really help in the long run. I recommend this. It was a fun read!
Why did I pick this book out of all other books to read?
I was looking for a quick, non serious read with characters that were hopefully interesting.
What is this book about?:
Set in a Venetian style world, Ren cons her way into a well to do family only to discover there is more to life than riches. It explores the pros and cons of a class based society. The fortune, or misfortunes such a lifestyle may create. The book jumps back and forth from Ren (the con) and Grey's (a soldier) perspective.
What did I like about this book?:
The characters. Each had their own personality and were developed as the story progressed. Even Ren's "servant" Tess, whose main purpose is to help her look her part, has a full back story. I found Ren in particular to be very likable.
The setting. The Venice, Italy style for the city of Nedezra works. On the surface, gorgeous, but full of nooks and crannies that allow for secrets. The city was described well and served Ren for both when she was among low and high classes. A map included with the version I read helped as well.
The plot was thought out. When something needed to happen, it did so in a sense that was logical. Twist ending was decent too.
What did I dislike about this book?:
Missing details. So much detail went into the city. Into Ren's tarot readings. I wished this sort of detail was given more to the magic system, or into Ren's dresses even. Anywhere beyond Nedezra was glanced over.
Ren hesitates often. There were parts of the story I wish she would have committed better.
Would I recommend reading this book?:
If you're into slower paced stories, yes.
DNF at page 190. I wanted to love this book so bad! It had SO much promise but it was such hard work. The magic system was never explained, the complexities with the different people were never explained, and the sheer amount of character and subplots? So hard to follow. Normally a book this length would take me 4 or 5 days, but I’m at day 4 now and only a third of the way through. Like I said, I wanted to love this book but I just couldn’t keep wading through it. Maybe I’ll pick it up again, or try the audio, but I just can’t do it, sorry! Edited to add: I did the audio and managed to get through it! This was an okay book. I do think it’s overly complicated and that the mistake was made by making Ren the main character. It would’ve been better if the city were the focus or the rivalries house Trimentis has, so that things make sense at the end. I also thought the Rook should’ve been a bigger character, even if it was easy to work out who they were. I did like the twist at the end, and am interested in seeing what happens in the second book.
(likeeee 4.25 stars) ok this was actually a lot more fun than i was expecting. granted, it did take me around 200 pages to Really get into it, but even in that first slow section, i was having a good time. i enjoyed reading from all of the main characters’ povs—especially vargo—and felt like everyone was fleshed out very nicely. all the characters’ motivations made sense and were engaging. i read some reviews saying the protagonist, ren, really bothered people because she seemed to be good at everything and never fail, and i do get that. it was a bit frustrating having all of her plans succeed so quickly. but that’s not to say there’s no conflict in this novel—just some of it is solved rather lazily. i will say the magic system and worldbuilding are still super confusing to me—even after 630 pages. it took me until around page 400 to realize the little italicized markings before a point of view change were labeling the month and the day. i just thought it was some wacky space/sci-fi type shit. the use of tarot/pattern magic was so so well thought out and i loved the originality of it, but it was just very difficult to fully understand how everything works. there’s like also geometric magic that went right over my head. part of enjoying this novel is sorta just going with the flow and ignoring anything confusing. i wish things were explained better, but me being confused some of the time didn’t take away from my experience. i am SO excited for the next novel, especially since it’s VARGO CENTRIC! we won. i would die for that morally-questionable man and his pet spider. ❤️
We've got compelling characters, lush worldbuilding, and a twisty, exciting plot! Thieves and con artists, a tarot-inspired magic system, and dialogue that manages to be funny and sassy and clever without being cringe! If you, like me, loved Lies of Locke Lamora but wished for more queer/women characters without compromising on the adult-ness (no shade to YA, just not often for me), give this series a try.
Content warnings: (view spoiler)[fantasy violence, colonization, brother of secondary character died in a fire (hide spoiler)] Wow, this book is a ride. It’s a twisty political fantasy with an emphasis on found family and origins, and while it takes a bit to get there, the journey is very enjoyable. “My grandfather—yours too, I suppose—he used to say, revenge will make you whole. The way Grey’s been behaving… I’m afraid it will break him.” It didn’t break me, she wanted to say. But that wasn’t entirely true. Coming back to Lacewater made that all too clear.” House Traementis – Donaia and her children Leato and Giuna – are nearing financial ruin, and the last thing they expect is the appearance of Renata Viraudax, Donaia’s previously unknown niece. Renata’s stated purpose is to reconcile the break between her mother and Donaia, but that’s not quite true. Renata is actually Ren, a Nadežran river rat who hopes to con her way into the family in order to secure financial security for herself and her sister, Tess. But she’s not prepared for the murky quagmire of Nadežran politics, inimical magic, and the echoes of her past that keep threatening to come to light. “I have my compass, my edge, my chalk, myself. I need nothing more to know the cosmos.” You definitely can’t accuse this book of info dumping. In fact, besides the excruciatingly slow pace, that would have to be my biggest complaint. I love the challenge of being immersed in worldbuilding and forced to figure out what’s going on, but this strained my limits. Nadežra is a conquered city, meaning there’s two separate naming styles, religions, and magic systems to contend with – the Liganti conquerors, and the Vraszenians, who still trace their heritage back to their clans. You can’t be, “OMG, Ren, that’s so Sestian!” because honestly I have no idea what a Sestian would do. There’s also a plethora of characters, all with multiple names or titles. Once I got the hang of it, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the worldbuilding and the tensions between the two different cultures. While I found the Liganti numinatria magic system interesting, my personal favorite was the Vraszenian pattern deck, loosely based on tarot cards. Ren has a special affinity for reading the deck, thanks to her mother, and it becomes an important plot point as the book goes on. No matter what she does, Ren can’t seem to escape her roots. “Ren had limits. Vargo, it seemed, did not. It chilled her a little, but also made for an odd sense of camaraderie; they were not so different, the two of them.” The story is told from multiple POVs, though the main characters are Ren; Grey, a Vraszenian captain in the Vigil mourning the death of his brother; and Vargo, a rich crimelord attempting to come clean. Ren and Grey were my two favorites, though Vargo provided a nice foil for Ren. Ren has two rules for her cons – she’ll go as far as it takes, but no killing and no whoring. Vargo, on the other hand… There’s also the Rook, a shadowy vigilante folk hero figure who Ren encounters soon after she arrives back in Nadežra. Ren soon finds herself trying to worm her way into the Traementis’ good graces while being distracted by the identity of the Rook, forming and discarding multiple guesses. There’s also Tess, Ren’s sworn sister, who’s absolute magic with sewing and embroidery, and is masquerading as Ren’s maid. And that’s not even counting the Traementis family! None of the characters are what they appear on the surface – or what Ren initially categorizes them as – and sometimes good-seeming characters make bad choices for all the wrong reasons. I especially felt for Grey and his attempts to navigate a corrupt police force full of nepotism and disregard for Vraszenian customs while being denigrated by the same citizens for selling out. While the pacing is slow, it did add a sort of tension and immersion to the book. The ending was exquisite, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in the series in hopes of having some of my lingering questions answered. Overall, an easy 4.5 stars from me. I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I don't remember the last book that had me this intensely glued to the page because I DESPERATELY needed to know how it ended. I received this as an arc from Goodreads, and to be entirely honest, though the blurb ticked all the right boxes for me (brilliant, manipulative con artists, magic and masked vigilantes, infiltrating nobility) I was hesitant that it sounded too good to be true. So I was absolutely blown out of the water when it delivered. Our story begins with a deceptively straightforward plot: Ren is an expert thief and con artist who has decided, with the help of her sister, to con her way into a wealthy family. But this quickly dissolves into chaos with as Ren finds herself entangled in a conspiracy that involves nobles, political leaders, rebel movements, and an intricate magical system that's something of a mix of astrology, tarot, and geomancy. (Seeing this magic system in action is pretty cool.) The characters are skillfully written, largely all morally grey and lovable despite it. In fact, there was only one main character I initially disliked but quickly changed my tune (sorry, Leato!) I also loved all the perspectives we got-- Ren, Tess, (view spoiler)[Sedge, (hide spoiler)] Grey, Donaia, VARGO. They each offered something unique and vital to the story. And just because we're in a character's head doesn't mean we know all their thoughts or motives-- keeping us guessing at the identity of the masked vigilante, The Rook. Brennan and Helms (the two authors who write as M.A. Carrick) seem to specialize in writing characters who are more than what they seem. The prose is really well done, with some beautiful, clever phrases and solid dialogue-- but what I noticed most about the writing is that I didn't notice it. I loved that it was very unobtrusive and never once drew me away from the plot-- just solid syntax and straightforward word choice. The worldbuilding is the real gem, here-- but it's also where The Mask of Mirrors may lose people. Because... it's a lot. Here's where reading on Kindle was difficult for me, because although there is a glossary of terms (which you will almost certainly need at least once) and a list of names (like 50) in the back, it's far more difficult to keep flipping back to reference it in e-book form. I also really could have used a map, and I'm *hoping* there might be one in the paperback. (UPDATE: THERE IS) Brennan and Helms choose to use these terms and names without much (if any) explanation, letting us use context and exposition-through-story to figure things out. And, for the most part, it works. But it took me about the first 20% to get into the rhythm of it. The culture and world, the magic system and politics really inform the plot, so it's something the reader will want to make sure they grasp as they move along. Speaking of the plot-- it gets pretty intense. Without giving too much away, on top of all the scheming politicians there is a nightmarish creature from Vraszenian folklore who is not bound by the physical world. And somehow, she has a connection to Ren's past. All the while, though, Ren still seeks to maintain her initial con. Watching Ren use her manipulation skills to make things happen is a blast. Even more fun, though, are her scenes with the Rook-- and all my theories of who he was. This is a big spoiler. Like, the last-few-pages-of-the-book kind. ---> (view spoiler)[I knew it wouldn't be, I did-- but I so desperately wanted it to be Vargo (hide spoiler)] Reviewers have called this book slow, but I felt like I was dragged through the story at a breakneck speed (in the best way possible). I NEED the sequel, immediately. Or, at least, news on the sequel. I will be preordering it as soon as I'm allowed. Because I need more Vargo. Pretty, wickedly intelligent, ruthless crime lord who has a talking pet, likes nice clothes and secretly struggles with self-loathing. What's not to love? I would do a lot for Grey, for Ren, for The Rook, for Tess and Sedge. But I would do anything for Vargo. A N Y T H I N G.
Preliminary review: (full review to come in due course) You know you've found your next fave book when you start to have symptoms of a book hangover as soon as you finished the book. This is precisely what what I've felt with The Mask of Mirrors. With its intricate worldbuilding (aesthetically it reminds me of Venice), political intrigue, and fascinating magic + divinity systems - this book is easily my favourite 2021 release that I've read so far. In addition to the interesting premise, I was also enthralled by the diverse & complex characters. I adored Ren, a clever and morally ambiguous con artist who takes the centre stage in the story. I loved how from Ren's perspective these intricate web of plots + magic entangled with other characters' lives. I've been reading the book before bedtimes over the past week and cherished every single moment that I had the pages open. While it took me some time to familiarise with the intricacies of the worldbuilding, once I got used to these details I found the book really difficult to put down. Given that this is jointly written by Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms, I applaud their chemistry writing the book. There's a highly cohesive feel in The Mask of Mirrors which is rarely seen in many other collaborations. With the scope of worldbuilding and characters, The Mask of Mirrors is an excellent opening novel of the Rook & Rose series. I'll be eagerly waiting for its sequel coming later this year!! N.B. This book contains following major content warnings: kidnapping, murder, and violence
“Trust is the thread that binds us…and the rope that hangs us.” —M.A. Carrick A book centered around a long con with twists and turns in each chapter is my kind of book. I had really high hopes for The Mask of Mirrors, but unfortunately, it fell short for me. It is full of interesting characters and political intrigue that kept me moving along. The world is incredibly complex, unique, and fantastic. I loved it, but I also really struggled to make sense of it as I was reading, which is what brought this book down for me. The multiple POVs also added to the story and helped in gaining a fuller picture of the events taking place. This book also took a while for me to get into and I don’t feel like I was ever really fully invested and pulled in. It was a slow start that dragged for me and the chapters were long and dense because of the world-building. There were so many names of people, places, and roles that were at times confusing since it was so different from other worlds. I kept flipping back and forth to the glossary in order to refresh my memory on some of the intricacies of the world. At some point, I just resigned myself to feeling like I was stumbling around in the dark with a flickering light as I made my way through the story. The world itself is based on a type of magic that centers around the reading of patterns, which was incredibly interesting as I haven’t seen this aspect in any other books. These patterns used to determine the best course of action or to make sense of a troubling moment. It was intriguing the role these Patterns played in society and how important they were. I kept reading because I wanted to find out who The Rook was. He was one of the most interesting characters in the book. At one time, I thought I had figured out who he was before Ren did, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong! This is what I really liked about this book. All the characters seemed to have multiple layers, which made for interesting connections and interactions. This gave the story a lot of depth and kept me interested in finding out as much as possible about each character. I really liked the tension that existed because of Ren and the con she is running. It’s complex and every moment she is working to not be caught. The lies she told seemed to compound on each other and I was frequently surprised that she was able to find a way out of a seemingly tight situation. Vargo was another character I enjoyed, but I think Grey was my favorite character from the beginning. There was something about the way he carried himself that intrigued me. The plot and characters were my favorite parts of The Mask of Mirrors. The ending was enough for me to want to pick up the next book, and while I am interested in reading the second book when it comes out, it is not at the top of my tbr list.
This book was great right from the start. I loved it. The characters in this book are fantastic. The magic is complex. There are so many plot twists that I was wishing it was even longer than 672 pages. The story follows Ren, orphan/con artist. Her latest and most ambitious con is to become Alta Renata and join the ranks of the rich and elite. She has plans to con her way into the wealthy Traementis family and let them support her. It will be hard to keep up her ruse with all the dark magic popping up in the city. Not to mention her past dogging her every step. Great start to a new series. I can't wait for the next one. I received a copy from Net Galley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
i listened to the audiobook while following along with the book and that was great! This story was so intriguing! from the opening scene, i had an interest in the characters and just where their stories would go. Even though it contains multiple POV's, i didnt get lost within the story and was able to follow along with everything and im anticipating the next book in the series to be out!
5.57 on CAWPILE I really wanted to love this book. On the surface, a rich fantasy world surrounding a con artist with a deeper mystery, it was right up my alley. Unfortunately, it tried to do too much to fully succeed in anything. The world building hinged largely on confusing and not well fleshed out cultural traditions and names that were unfamiliar and hard to remember. This was most prominent because of the huge number of characters with similar names and odd places also with similar names. I enjoyed the main characters for most of the story. There was one death that was very anti-climatic and just pissed me off, but no spoilers. Overall, I wanted a lot more from this book. I'm not sure if it is the co-author's debut, but the writing and world building really needed some work. The ideas were rich and promising, so it had a ton of potential. I didn't love the spliced style writing, and this tended to make things even more confusing. I was intrigued throughout, and may consider continuing with the series now that I'm more familiar with the confusing parts of the story and world. A note on audio: The narrator's main voice was very good. I thought she did a good job with accents. Unfortunately, this was all almost ruined for me because of her need to whisper some character's dialogue. Not only do I HATE whispering (just in a conversational tone not when whispering is intended in the book), but it messed with the audio drastically. You would be listening just fine one moment, then the dialogue would go to whispering and you couldn't hear. If you turned it up, when the next character spoke it was blaring.
A slow and methodical start had me a little worried, but the world building paid off in spades as the action and story moved at an incredible pace in such a rich setting. I really loved the characters and the layers. Looking forward to the next book(s) in the series.
This was definitely slow paced, very well written but very slow. The world building is detailed yet I do think it would be improved a bit by explaining the magic system as parts of that aspect were very confusing and while its mentioned in passing in the background when it is suddenly at the forefront it is a little jarring to start with. I do love the characters though, Ren is fantastic and I liked her a lot. Tess was also a complete sweetheart. Looking forward to the next book.
