Let’s just start by talking about that cover, stunning! Don’t judge a book by its cover and all, but it’s hard not to when it looks like this. Did the tale live up to expectations?

World Building
The Mask of Mirrors is set in the city of Nadezra. This felt, to me, very Italian, specifically Venice. The city sits along side water ways, spanned by bridges and prone to flooding in certain months. The city itself is richly drawn, as a reader we get to experience every nook and cranny.

M.A Carrick really draw you into the city, you get a great sense of place. What everything looks like, smells like, the sights and sounds. In terms of world building, we are only focused on the city. Other areas are mentioned but not explored. Nadezra was more than enough though.

The Story
Ren is our main character; she has come to Nadezra with her sister Tess. Ren is a con woman with a very checkered past. They’ve come to work a long con on one of the noble houses, House Traementis, to secure their future. However, along the way things get very complicated and it becomes apparent that something much bigger is at play. Somehow Ren has found herself at the heart of it.

Political intrigue and power play is very much the focus of this book. Who is playing who and what do they gain from all their alliances? Because of this I did find it hard to keep everything straight at the beginning. It has a very slow build with the pieces only starting to come together towards the middle of the book.

The Characters
The book is multi perspective, something I personally really enjoy. You get to know other characters well and what is going on across the city at the same time. This becomes very important towards the end of the story.

Vargo is a very interesting character, not giving much away, not even to the reader. He has climbed the ranks from River Rat to gaining respect and power among the nobility. He was probably the most intriguing to me, I love trying to work out a character and their motivations. I feel like we only scratched the surface in this book and there will be plenty more to come.

Grey was the other character I was drawn to. Trying to bridge a gap between different nationalities. There is quite a lot of racial tension in this story and Grey is caught in the middle. Again, I am really looking forward to seeing how his story arc develops.

Most of the characters we encounter are morally grey, so you can never be too sure what actions they will take. It certainly keeps you guessing.

The Magic System
One thing I would have liked to learn more about is the magic system. It never felt fully explained. Magic becomes an intrinsic part of the story later on and I wasn’t sure how it all worked, how people got the ability to imbue certain objects and how spells were made and cast. For me, it made things a little confusing towards the end.

Final Thoughts
Overall, The Mask of Mirrors is a lush, opulent world. Full of amazing details and beautifully weaved images. The main story arc in this book is wrapped up but there were certainly enough unanswered questions to leave you wanting more.

My thanks to Orbit for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The world that Carrick has created has such depth, there is so much ‘lore’ and history that they have taken the time to create and interweave into this novel, every minute detail has been intentionally written to correlate to this world and the many secrets it, and it’s inhabitants hide. On the other hand of this, being immediately thrown into this complex universe is difficult. It took me a while to get into the story, as I spent so long trying to figure out what things actually meant!

The first thing I noticed when reading this is the subtle but clever use of names in the story, something that I find incredibly impressive. We see Ren, who is taking on the personality of noble Renata, con her way into the Traementis family. Whenever Ren is playing her role of Renata, Carrick carefully ensures to only use this name throughout – even when hearing inner monologues – she is referred to as Renata, to show the characters’ commitment and belief in the role. Then cleverly, as Ren starts to get lost in the chaos, and is forced to unravel some of her secrets, you see the lines of her characters get mixed up Renata thinks as Ren and so forth. Such a small detail that really impacted with me throughout the story, how just a simple word could give so much insight into how Ren as a character is feeling and thinking.

At around the halfway mark Carrick suddenly throws us into a whole new world of drama, suspense and action. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy this, because this initial point of action has to be my favourite part of the book, but it did leave the pacing a little off. After this point things dipped and took up at various points, making the second half a much quicker read than the first.

Despite the complexity and time, it took me to read, I did enjoy this book a lot. It’s not a plot I’ve read before and I simply found it interesting to watch develop, add in a little magic and dreams and I was sold!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ren has come to the city of Nadezra, along with her sister, with the intention of pulling off their biggest con yet. This con will set them up with money and security for the rest of their lives.

After tricking her way into the noble House Traementis under the guise of a long lost relative, Ren will discover that she is not the only one wearing a mask.

Meanwhile, children are going missing from Nadezra's poorest streets. The search for these children will lead to a nightmare that lurks in the shadows, and to a past Ren has tried hard to forget.

What I liked about this book

This is a well written book with separate story lines running simultaneously and interwoven. The story lines are full of twists but are pulled together well.

M.A Carrick has created a magic system unlike anything I have read before. It is very complex and is used differently depending on where the character originates from.

I enjoyed Ren's ability to adapt to the character she was portraying.
The cover is beautiful.

What I didn't like

There are a lot of characters and some of the names are quite similar. It was easy to get the characters mixed up.

Some of the terms which are used throughout the book are very unique. As such, it took me a while to get my head around what was meant. There is a list of terms and their descriptions at the back of the book which helped but as I was reading the e-book it was irritating to go back and forth to check the list.

The Mask of Mirrors has an interesting concept, good plot lines and some great characters. But for me it took a lot of effort to understand the terms being used in order to keep track of what was going on.

3.25 stars
✮✮✮✫

This book had me spellbound. Fans of Six of Crows by Sarah J Maas and The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso will enjoy this tale of a magical world with Regency overtones. There's plenty of mystery, beautiful gowns, magic, romance, a mysterious vigilante, a handsome guard, an intriguing rogue with an interesting past and of course the heroine Ren, a street thief with a clairvoyant talent and a desire to be wealthy and powerful. I loved every bit of it and can't wait for the next installment!

Mask of Mirrors is a great big dense beef cake of a novel. There is a lot going on. I started reading this when I was a bit sleep deprived so it probably took me longer than it should have done to wrap my head around everything. It goes hard immediately on the world building which is very thorough and well thought out indeed. This world works. It’s the first of a series and I felt the writers were laying everything out straight off, establishing the markers of the world first and plot second.
The plot. Ren and her loyal sister/maid are embarking on a long con to steal some aristocratic money. With only some magically interfered with make-up, some choice threads, a decent crib and whole lot of front. It starts well then things quickly go sideways and stuff gets complicated.
I liked this book a lot, it’s big and bursting with ideas. It read very easily and didn’t feel long because of the multiple view points. The main characters are complex and well rounded, the legions of secondary characters did feel a bit sketchy. I am still none the wiser about what gender some of the names are but it doesn’t actually matter that much anyway as that’s all very fluid and inclusive and whatnot. I also liked how the magic in this world was kind of snuck in, it is just something that exists and is lived with it felt very natural and wasn’t A Book About Magic.
But also The Rooks identity was pretty easy to spot. (They wrote a hot character with plenty of beefy backstory and hardly used them. Hmmm? 🤔)
This was great I really enjoyed and am excited to see where it goes. Scarlet Pimpernel does Musketeers does Oceans Twelve all in masks sign me up. Also the map is great.

The Mask of Mirrors is an epic, and I truly mean EPIC opening to the series. There's over 700 pages of tightly packed writing to devour, so this is not for the faint-hearted; it's a layered fantasy novel with a multitude of characters to enjoy and puzzle out, and at the heart of it all is Renata Virdaux, who is immersed in pulling off a detailed con to secure a fortune for herself and those she holds dear. This is a long book, as there's an epic journey for our principal character to go on and a world of new people to meet and manipulate. But it soon becomes clear that there are many players with their own endgames to play.
Now, a word of advice, there's a dramatis personae and a glossary at the back of the book - this is really useful, but I didn't find it until halfway through the book. I really enjoyed the lead character of Renata, AKA Ren, as our central protagonist and through her perspective we see a fully rounded fantasy city of nightmares and nobility, politics and power, with a dash of Zorro into the mix. Despite Ren's dualistic and duplicitous nature, she comes over strongly to the reader as a fighter; her resilience to better her situation and those she cares about is commendable. I enjoyed her wit and dedication to win, but the strength of heart as well. There are several other characters who are great to get to know and add layers to the multi-faceted world Carrick creates. From cousins and culprits to captains to cons, the intrigue, deceptions and quests build in both pace and plotting through this detailed novel.
The world of this novel has a vibrancy that pulsates from the pages; its scope is vast, and, with relief, the authors do not overload the reader, they craft a gradual understanding of the politics, communities, economies and systems, magical and otherwise to be revealed and understood. It's the events and actions of the characters that show the reader how this world operates.
If you're looking for a new fantasy series with depth then do consider 'The Mask of Mirrors'.

I was really excited to read this book. The description sounded extremely interesting and perfect for me, and the reviews are very successful. However, sadly I just could not connect with this book and eventually stopped reading at about 10% in. I just felt completely lost as to what was happening. I think that there was too much terminology being introduced and the scenes/perspectives seemed to change too quickly. Hopefully I will be able to return to this world at a later time and produce a more positive review.

Like any book of the fantasy genre, you need to commit from the very beginning to taking in a new world and new society. But it didn’t take me long to be swept away by the intricacy of the characters and the oh-so-cleverly written story.

Detailed, imaginative, inclusive, and utterly immersive, there was the perfect amount of every ingredient you would expect in a good book. It was a truly magical and enjoyable read.

Thank you Orbit and NetGalley for the ARC. Review posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Twitter and Amazon.

An excellent epic fantasy with rich worldbuilding and an emotionally engaging plot. It takes a lot of tropes (swords, dancing, courtly intrigue, masks, sibling-type relationships, layered identities, queerness, tea, and so forth) and makes them work. A strong opening to the series.

You had me caught at 'a con artist, a vigilante, and a crime lord must unite to save their city' but the detailed and captivating world-building and description is what made me stay.

Like the start of most trilogies, it was a little slow to start - but world-building has to happen somewhere! I love the book, the character, the world, and the story I can't wait for what comes next!

Summary: The Mask of Mirrors by M. A. Carrick is a fantastically realised world of courtly intrigue, seedy underbelly and mystical events. Ren is a fascinating protagonist you can’t help but root for, and the plot is entertainingly twisty.

Recommended for fans of long cons
Not recommended for those who need more frequent action
Recommended for those who like to marinate in a many-layered setting
Not recommended if you can’t handle frequent descriptions of clothing and fashion
We meet the protagonist Ren as she is about to start her in-depth con – getting herself inscribed into the register of a noble house. Despite this, I never found her actions too egregious – she very quickly starts to bond with the family, and her actions, while calculated, are never cruel. Perhaps this is somewhat unrealistic for someone who grew up an orphan and a thief, but it’s easy to forgive. Ren does feel a lot of conflict between the person she grew up as and the person she’s pretending to be, switching how she thinks as well as how she talks. This is further complicated to great effect when she finds herself taking on a completely different persona in order to further her goals.

The entire plot takes place in the city of Nadežra, which feels in many ways like a Venice analogue. A large amount of conflict in the book circles around the conflict of cultures in the city, with the native Vrasnians in the city having long been ruled over by the foreign Liganti. This conflict and intermingling informs the setting, the plot and the characters – Grey, one of the POV characters is a Vrasnian city guard with ties to House Traementis, and his separation from both worlds is a major part of his arc.

The magic systems as well are tied into this duality. There’s the numinatra/inscribing which ties in to Liganti religion and is somewhat scientific. Then there’s pattern-reading (think tarot cards) which is associated with the Vrasnians and their religion. Thirdly there’s imbuing, which is more subtly used in the story, and doesn’t seem to have ties to either culture. The magic in the story is rarely explained in any detail – it’s treated in a somewhat matter of fact way, which can sometimes obscure what’s occuring, especially in the case of the numinatra, which seems quite complex. It seems like one of those situations where the authors know exactly what the magic system can do, but as readers we are kept in the dark somewhat. There’s a particular event that caught me extremely off guard, and while it was a great sequence, didn’t necessarily feel well built up to in terms of the magic elements.

All the characters have a spark to them that makes them a joy to read. Personal favourites of mine are the Traementis heir Leato, who hides behind a flippant attitude; Tess, Ren’s sister and expert tailor; and the Rook, a mysterious Vigilante who fights the injustice of nobility whilst concealing their identity. The only complaint I might have here is that some of the characters do feel fairly archetypal, but again, it detracts little from the story.

The pacing is perhaps a little slow. I wouldn’t say things ever get dull, but it takes a while for more major events to happen. The latter half of the book, the last quarter especially, speeds things up somewhat, but it is a longer book than I might have liked

I’ll be honest, a lot of elements of this book are things I’m tired of. If this book wasn’t so good, I doubt I would have finished it. Credit is due to the authors for crafting something that managed to keep me interested despite that.

The Mask of Mirrors is really good at what it does. The cultures, the setting, the court intrigue, the identity switching all works incredibly well. It might be slow, but it’s not laborious or meandering, time given to build the setting and the characters. I would recommend it to most fantasy fans, unless they are highly averse to slower pacing, or the subject matter described in this review.

Rating: 8/10

4.5 stars

The book's slow start is the only reason I'm deducting 0.5 stars (it really could've been shorter), but don't be fooled by it. After about 30%, the pacing really picks up and you get slammed with one event after another in a way that makes the book really hard to put down. If you enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora you'll probably like this.

There are a lot of things to love about this book. The world and its politics and magic are all really interesting. I loved how there were different magic systems depending on the cultural background of the characters using it. Ren uses a form of tarot card magic called pattern that's more common among the Vraszenians, Nadežra's native people. The aristocrats, who are mostly Liganti, use numinatria, which sound like alchemy sigils. It's all nicely fleshed out, as is the rest of the world, including the politics that make up a large part of the story.

The cast of characters is enormous and also incredibly diverse (the world itself seems to be queernorm). It took me a while to warm up to Ren, but it's hard not to, especially when you see her around Tess and her protectiveness towards those she cares for. The found family in this story made my heart incredibly happy. And then there's the Rook.

One thing this book is incredibly good at is messing with you. It makes you feel smart, lets you think you have everything figured out. You know who the Rook is, you figured it out before any of the characters did, well done you!

And then it turns out that's not the Rook. It's not your second guess either, but maybe if you're lucky it can be your third. I'm honestly glad it messed with me so much because I would've been kind of bored if I had figured it out right away.

I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of the series.

Español/English

4.5/5

Ren es una niña de la calle que se hace pasar por prima de una familia poderosa de Nadezra, los Traementis. Lo que inicialmente es un intento de estafa maestra a la familia, la llevará a envolverse en intrigas políticas que más de una vez pondrán en peligro su vida.
Nadezra es una ciudad en la que sus pobladores originarios son oprimidos por los invasores, y la situación se encuentra a punto de estallar. La formación de grupos extremistas y varios complots que se empiezan a gestar, llevarán a la ciudad al límite.

Aunque seguimos principalmente a Ren, también hay otros personajes que conocemos desde su propio punto de vista, y a retazos. Tess, amiga de Ren y su supuesta criada es una de ellos. También conocemos al Capitán Grey Serrado, un hombre que se preocupa mucho por su pueblo y trabaja horas en exceso para resolver casos que a la nobleza no le interesa, y a Derossi Vargo, un hombre que ha hecho fortuna con negocios ilícitos pero empieza a codearse con la nobleza. Ambos me resultaron súper interesantes, particularmente Vargo, quien me generó mucha curiosidad y sus motivaciones no quedan muy claras en un principio. Los personajes son complejos, particularmente Ren, Serrado y Vargo, y me gustó que Ren fuera aprendiendo con el tiempo y no se quedara estancada.

El libro no abunda en descripciones en cuando a la atmósfera, pero igual me pude sumergir en la historia por haber empatizado con la protagonista. Y además, por el argumento. Soy fan de las intrigas políticas, por lo que para mí fue muy entretenido de leer. Me gustó también el final, que aunque deja algunas preguntas para el próximo tomo, resuelve muchas cosas y eso para mí es muy positivo. No me gusta cuando el libro parece "cortado a la mitad", por lo que aquí fue un alivio poder encontrar un cierre bastante completo. Obviamente tengo muchas ganas de leer cómo continúa la historia!

En cuanto al ritmo, al principio me pareció un poco lento, aunque para mí no fue algo negativo ya que se introducen muchos personajes de golpe, al igual que términos. Luego el libro acelera a medida que la historia avanza, con varios plot twist que te dejan con la boca abierta!

Me sorprendió positivamente la representación LGBTIQA+. Es para destacar que allí se vive libremente, sin prejuicios al respecto. Es la primera vez que leo un libro que toma este criterio y ojalá algún día sea así también en nuestra sociedad.

Respecto al sistema de magia, hay dos sistemas y en ambos no me quedaron muy claras cuáles son las reglas, por lo que espero que se desarrolle más en la próxima novela.

Definitivamente el libro me resultó entretenido, un excelente comienzo de saga y un mundo del que quiero saber más!.

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Ren is a street girl - con artist, posing as the cousin of Nadezra's powerful family, the Traementis. What initially is an attempt to trick this family, will lead her to become involved in political intrigues that more than once will put her life in danger.
Nadezra is a city in which its original inhabitants are oppressed by the invaders, and the situation is on the verge of exploding. The formation of extremist groups and various plots that are beginning to take shape, will take the city to the limit.

Although we mainly follow Ren, there are also other characters that we know from their own point of view. For example Tess, Ren's friend and her supposed maid is one of them. We also meet Captain Gray Serrado, a man who cares a lot for his people and works overtime to solve cases that the nobility is not interested in, and Derossi Vargo, a man who has made his fortune with illicit businesses but begins to rub shoulders with the royalty. Both were super interesting to me, particularly Vargo, who made me very curious and his motivations are not very clear at first. The characters are complex, particularly Ren, Serrado and Vargo, and I liked that Ren was learning over time.

The book does not abound in descriptions regarding the atmosphere, but I was still able to immerse myself in the story by having empathized with the protagonist. And also, for the argument. I'm a fan of political intrigue, so it was very entertaining for me to read. I also liked the ending, that although it leaves some questions for the next volume, it solves many things and that for me is very positive. I don't like it when the book looks "cut in half" so it was a relief here to find a fairly complete closure. Obviously I really want to read how the story continues!

As for the pacing, at first it seemed a bit slow, although for me it was not a negative thing since many characters are introduced at once, as well as terms. Then the book speeds up as the story progresses, with several jaw-dropping plot twists!

I was positively surprised by the LGBTIQA + representation. It is to emphasize that in this city you live freely, without prejudice in this regard. It is the first time that I read a book that takes this criterion and hopefully one day it will also be like that in our society.

Regarding the magic system, there are two systems and in both it was not very clear what the rules are, so I hope it will be developed more in the next novel.

I definitely found the book entertaining, an excellent start to the saga and a world I want to know more about!

What a ride this book was! I mean, only by reading the blub I knew this was a book for me: a con artist, a vigilante and crime lord, plus magic? Count me in for the ride!

Ren was an absolute joy as a main character and I loved, loved, loved following her. She definitely has everything it takes to pull off such an elaborate con: she's incredibly smart and knows how to manipulate people, using her knowledge, beauty and talent for disguise to their full effect. She's also fiercely loyal, and I adored her relationship with her sister Tess. Multiple POVs alternate throughout the book, and I think that worked extremely well.

I ended up feeling really invested in all the key characters. Each of them had their share of dangerous secrets, and they were all extremely well-rounded and multilayered. Special shoutouts to Vargo, a crime lord trying to work his way into local nobility, and Serrado, the conflicted captain who wants to use the guards' resources to benefit the lower classes instead of the rich. I loved these two so much!

But this is just scratching the surface. In this book there are so. many. characters! The cast is extremely varied and diverse, and it got to the point where I really struggled to remember who everyone was (especially when some of the names look quite similar). I did find out that there was a character list at the end, which I hadn't realised up until I got there (joys of reading the e-arc version!), and I would have definitely consulted it frequently if I had! There was also a glossary, which again would have been very useful had I noticed its existence before getting to the end of the book, since I struggled with remembering a lot of this world's vocabulary. Definitely won't make that mistake again!

The world itself was beautifully built, with its complex society and history. I particularly liked that characters came from different backgrounds, and seeing the world through their eyes made it easier to understand the ethnic, religious and class conflict in the book. The local traditions were especially interesting, and so crucial to the plot, that it was a great pleasure to just learn more about them. The descriptions were quite detailed, which often was nice, but sometimes felt just a tad too long, and didn't really help the pace.

Now, the pace was where my biggest issue with this book was. I often have this problem with adult fantasy books, so it's most likely a case of "it's not you, it's me", but for a large part of the book it just felt as if I was stuck in a loop: it didn't matter how much I read in a sitting, I just wasn't moving forward. As I said, I loved the characters and I enjoyed spending time with them, and the plot was engaging, full of twists and turns and danger and revelations, but still... somehow the pace felt off. Again, this is most probably me rather than the book itself, but it took something away from the experience for me.

Overall, though, The Mask of Mirrors was a really great read. Filled with engaging characters, a complex world, lies, danger, magic and a gripping plot, it's the perfect companion in these long, cold winter days. I'll take the rest of this trilogy now, please and thank you, I need to know what Ren gets up to next!

“The Mask of Mirrors“ by M. A. Carrick [4/5]


Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review


First things first: M. A. Carrick is the joint pen name of Marie Brennan (whose Lady Trent series I like) and Alyc Helms (who I have not read before).


What is not to like about the premise of this book? A long term con, political intrigue and a plot that may be a danger to the city's peace.

Ren is a con artist who wants to swindle one of the noble houses of Nadezra, posing as a long-lost niece of the female house leader. She has help from her sister, who is posing as her maid and dressmaker. But while Ren has to deal with her disguise being questioned and trying to get the family's trust, she notices she is not the only one in Nadezra who wears a mask. There is also the Rook, a character who takes after Zorro or Robin Hood. And a lot of the important (and not so important) political figures seem to wear masks themselves to hide their thoughts and feelings. Ren has to decide both whom she can trust and who is responsible for the looming threat.


Cons and Lies


If you do not enjoy a lying and cheating main character this book is probably not for you, but you probably have gathered this from the blurb. Most parts of this book are about how Ren deals with the problems her con brings. Therefore, this book is more on the slower side. On the very slow side. It takes quite a lot of time for a plot outside of Ren's con to form and even more time until the reader really understands what is happening in the city. If it were not for the POV characters besides Ren the reader would have learned even later. This also brings me to the other POV characters. While Ren's POV is as mentioned mostly about her con and its problems the other POV characters have problems of their own, even though their fate is intertwined with Ren's.

One of the POVs is a man, his name is Grey, of the city's guard whose brother died in a fire before the events of the book, and he tries on the one hand to find an answer to the question of who is responsible for the death of his brother but mainly is there to show the reader the fate of the not so fortunate people in the city and interact with them.

The last POV I want to highlight is a crime lord named Vargo. He is the character I enjoyed most in this book even though he is also the reason the ending was not my cup of tea. He is certainly a very refreshing character and I really like his interactions with Ren – but as most of the characters he has an own agenda to follow.


A slow burn in a wonderful world


As mentioned above this book is slow, sometimes painfully so. If you need your Epic Fantasy to be action filled and like a focus on fighting scenes this book is not for you. The main focus of this book is the political intrigue and how the different noble houses interact with each other. This also means a lot of more minor characters all get their names and house affiliations mentioned – if you get confused you might want to consult the dramatis personae in the back (which is a pain to do if you read the ebook version). It takes a bit of time and a lot of investment by the reader to keep all the facts straight until they might realize sooner than the characters who are to fault for what is about to happen. I imagine it took the authors a lot of time to plan out how all the houses interact with each other and who is loyal to whom.

Sometimes you also get the feeling if problems are solved a bit too easily. Ren seems to have an idea for every situation (which is a bit of a staple for heist/con stories, so I cannot fault the authors for doing it this way), but what annoyed me was sometimes not that she had an idea but that the idea worked a lot of times very well and if not there was magic to make the problem go away. Ren also has a tendency to be at the right place at the right time to find exactly what she needs for the reader to follow how the evil plan is progressing.

I think the characters make up for the slow story. I find it very interesting to follow them and explore the world through their eyes. A world that is very beautifully crafted. While I think it is true some of the world-building seems to be a bit shallow I do not think that this is really the case. If you are attentive enough while reading, you will notice a lot of the beautiful description of the city serves more than one purpose. The city itself is mostly made up of two dominant cultures – and we can certainly see one of them is the oppressor and one is the oppressed. The history here seems to involve conquering and colonization.


Magic and a difficult ending


Depending if you like your magic systems more on the harder or softer side you will enjoy the magic in this book or not. There are some rules implied but as Ren is not the one who is doing most of the magic (besides the in-world version of tarot card reading) and Vargo's chapters do not focus heavily on the magic I would say it is more on the softer side as the reader does not learn all its uses, and they certainly do not learn the magic's limitations. Magic also seems a bit too convenient sometimes, but I am not sure if I would say this is a bad thing in the context of the story.

Roughly the last 25% of the book become a bit more action packed – even though epic battles are still nowhere in sight. This is definitely needed because if the action picked up even later I think the climax would not have been long enough. The climax is certainly interesting to experience and while I am not sure what I expected from a book about political intrigue – this was not it.


I really did not enjoy the ending after the climax, and I am not even sure I even want to continue the series. But this is not related to the quality of the book but my very own problem.

The magic and fantasy aspect of it all is quite subtle and slowly creeps in. It makes it seem so normal that you almost forget that it is magical with the imbuing and cards and even their religious aspects and rituals. I LOVED that there was not just one religion/aspect of magic in the city and it varied in the cultures that made up the place.

I’m telling you this was absolutely seamless as well, you would never know that this pen name represented two authors. This was cohesive from start to finish and the characters so well defined that there was no hint as to when the writers were switching or anything of the sort.

Ren is a terrific protagonist, morally gray as I tend to enjoy, but with great loyalties and love for those she considers family.

This was a long con, and it was great to see how Ren and Tess were doing this ‘job’ just to be able to survive, I also loved that this was Ren’s idea, that Tess would have been happier with a simpler and more honest way. The two were so great in their dynamics together and on their own. I really hope we get more of Tess in book two if possible.

There is a huge cast but unlike a lot of other -high- fantasy books I did not struggle in keeping up with the cast list which is impressive on my part..but also theirs. It means that I was able to clearly keep everyone in my mind and not have to be reminded who someone was by flipping back through the pages.

We also have a vigilante masked hero, the Rook, and that was hard not to love, or to try and guess who was under the mask.

The plot takes its time to build, and it’s not until about halfway through that the pacing really picks up. After that, it’s pretty much one thing after another on events and mishaps, but I really loved that build up and considering who my favorite character was, the first half was better in that regard, though I won’t say anymore, no spoilers of course.

The magic begins to have a larger part, as does Ren’s past and her own abilities and sense of justice, which is there, it’s just not a clear black and white sense.

5/5 cups of hot chocolate from me. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Orbit Books UK an eARC and also thank you to Orbit for my physical copy <333 in exchange for my honest opinion, definitely one of my fave high fantasy books ever so far!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of "The Mask of Mirrors". I wanted to read this book because Eliott Brooks talked about it in a video and the synopsis sounded pretty mysterious. And it was.

- Great writing style, even though there is complex worldbuilding in this book. There are many details, namely a lot of history and a lot of areas which are introduced little by little throughout the book.
- Character development was really good, but I was confused on who was who at the beginning as there are many characters from different social ranks and different nobles families.
- It was very interesting to follow Ren(ata)'s transformation into different characters all the time. The makeup, the dressing up, the change in accent and formality, etc.
- Also, she's a very complex character with a sad childhood. Her inner struggles, the past crimes that she has to emotionally carry, the constant façade she has to put up in front of the world, her ambitions... The author really succeeded at making me become attached to this morally gray character. And other characters too.
- I'm still mad that my favorite character died and was never resurrected (I don't know why but I kept believing it would happen. and it never did.) I wanted to see more of that charming person.
- The magical elements of the story are very mysterious, especially the cards for fortune telling. It's not the easiest thing to follow and remember, but very immersive.
- The first half of the book is pretty slow-paced, very focused on worldbuilding. It dragged a bit, but purposely so I don't mind. And the last half of the book is much more dynamic, with a lot of events happening one after another! Very interesting and confusing.

To sum it up: I really enjoyed this book (!) BUT it was very complex and that is why I struggled a bit to get through the book, but also why I liked this book! A very promising series. If I had to give a star-rating, it would be 3.75/5.

I am weak for books about con artists. And I am weak for books about political intrigues. So, of course I was drawn to this book...
Ok, no, actually, the real first thing to draw me to this book, before I had the chance to read the plot, was the cover. Have you seen how pretty it is? I am also weak for pretty carnival masks, I must confess.

Luckily, I found it not only pleasing to the eye, but also a quite good reading. Ren is a smart protagonist and I had fun being in her mind and accompany while she schemed and plotted. So, this is absolutely a pros of this book.

However, while the characters were interesting and intriguing, I found a bit complicated understanding the worldbuilding, it took me a bit to actually get into it.

I would say it took me some chapters, but actually there are no real chapters in this book, more like... places? And while I get that this is supposed to help the reader to understand where the action is happening and so actually help the reader navigating the new world, I did not really like it. I prefer the old fashioned numbered chapters (with titles, even better).

Who do I recommend this book to? To anyone who likes smart protagonists who have to deal with a complicated political scenery in a Bridgerton-ish world while trying to pull off the greatest con of their life... and also wants a diversified cast of characters.

It has been an age since I've read a high-fantasy book with as much depth and brilliantly written characters as this, and I forgot just how much I loved them. The Mask of Mirrors has everything I love from a unique, diverse and well developed cast of characters, regency romance, swashbuckling sword fights, rogues and dresses... lots and lots of dresses. I was a little overwhelmed when my kindle informed me it would take over 11 hours to read, but the more I read, the more I didn't want it to finish. Thank you to Orbit books and Tracy over at Compulsive Readers for having me on this blog tour.

When Alta Renata turns up on the front door of house Traementis claiming to be their long lost niece suspicions are raised, not only because the Alta's mother left the family years ago and never looked back. But they have no idea who they are letting into their house, Alta Renata is actually Ren a street orphan who is running the biggest con of her life hoping to secure a fortune for her and her sister. But before Ren knows it she is drawn in to the Traementis family drama, even going as far as to say she liked them, and with their problems becoming her problems she gets dragged into the political heart of Nadežra. The more she tries to help them, the more she discovers; a new magic weaving it's way through the city causing nightmares and death to those who take it and the inner conflicts and feuds of Nadežra's nobility. Ren has no idea how she becomes entwined in it all, but before long she will see the ties that bind them all together the biggest of which reaching for Ren herself.

Ren is such a brilliant perspective to read from, though not the only POV we get. Skilled in the art of deception, she blends into the nobility with ease, making herself seem at home in the opulent lifestyle. But her life as a street orphan has taught her to keep her friends close and her enemies closer. She is incredibly resilient, even in the bleakest of circumstances and I adored seeing her in action, whether it be the Ren of the street, lock picking and tailing leads, or Alta Renata sharp tongued and witty enough to charm Nadežra's nobility. She just wants enough money to secure a life for herself and her sister Tess, but she can't help but get dragged into House Traementis' problems, especially when she finds herself so fond of Alta Donaia's children Leato and Guina. It will take Ren accepting both sides of her if she is to make it out of what is to come unscathed.

We are also treated to one of the best developed cast's of side characters I've had the pleasure of meeting. There are so many of them and, except for the start when you're trying to work out who belongs to which house etc, it is incredibly easy to remember who is who. Some of my favourites, and a few of the other POV's were Tess, Ren's sister and Alta Renata's maid. She may seem shy and helpless but just let anyone try and stop her from looking after the only sister she's ever had. Leato and Guina from house Treamentis, both readily accept Renata into their family, far faster than their mother Alta Donaia. Leato is kind and charming and Guina is shy but strong, both so desperate for family they covet Renata like the cousin she aims to be. Grey Serrado a Captain in the Vigil ( Nadežra's police force) and a Vrazenian, a people who are looked down on by the nobility. He looks out for the 'little people' and uses his status as Captain to help the more vulnerable. He is initially wary of Renata but comes to see her as a sort of ally before the end. Derossi Vargo, a man who is trying to raise his status in whatever way he can. He see's the Alta Renata as the perfect solution to his problem and as the two become unlikely allies uses her status to help with his business. Finally The Rook, a masked vigilante (think Robin Hood) who stalks the nobility, I had my guess through most of this book as to who he was, but with Ren's constant shifting opinion it was hard to keep one person in mind. Another unlikely ally and one of the few people with the knowledge to destroy Ren. There were are so many more characters we get introduced to and they are all brilliantly developed.

The world building in this book is just *chefs kiss*. One of the benefits of this being such a chunky read is the fact we get introduced to the different social castes, as well as the other Countries (though the book does just take place in Nadežra) talked about in a really organic way. There are no large info dumps, instead we are introduced to them all through Ren's and the other POV's actions. The ruling caste are the Liganti; in typical fashion fair skinned and rich. And then we have the Vrazenian, the original people of Nadežra with multiple 'cultures' of their own. They have been in constant battle with the Liganti since they rose to power, their dark skin marking them as lesser, and even worse if you are born of both. The main conflict stems from their religious beliefs, as well as their magic styles, but they tend to agree on very little.

If you love heist style stories, but also love a bit of political scheming then seriously look no further because The Mask of Mirrors has both in spades. The benefit of having a MC who has her foot in two world means that we as the reader get treated to it as well. Ren the thief and orphan takes us to the criminal underworld of Nadežra filled with gangs, magic and rebels. Alta Renata the socialite and noble get's us into the fanciest parties, the political capitol of Nadežra, filled with cunning and calculating nobles, dancing and dubious connections. We as the reader don't know how the two worlds are tied together, but we soon realise that Ren, the common element, could easily be the saviour or the destroyer of Nadežra. One of the things I loved about this book was, although it is a series, the main plot of this book was wrapped up by the end. Don't get me wrong, we still get treated to some shocking reveals and plot twists, but I liked that the main story line wasn't dragged on for too long.

When I say this book is a chunk, I'm not lying. At around 700 pages ( pages with teeny tiny writing on them) the authors manage to weave together an incredible amount of plot lines. We have multiple mysteries laid throughout; who is making and distributing 'Ash' the drug that is causing hallucinations and even death in those who take it, who is the voice in Vargo's head, who can Ren and Alta Renata truly trust and the one that had my the most intrigued... Who is the Rook. We get the answers to most, but not all of these by the end of the book and by the end I was screaming I KNEW IT very loudly (whilst at work) They give you plenty of hints as to people's true motives and I loved seeing it all come together at the end.

With it having an almost regency like setting we get treated to romantic glances and touches, extravagant balls and festivals and some of the most brilliant dresses and outfits I've ever read. Whist romance may not play a large part, I did like seeing all the characters interactions with each other. We get to see Ren flirting with multiple partners, which I loved, as well as multiple liasons between other characters, some above board and some not. But the best thing about the romance in this book is it was incredibly diverse. There were a multitude of same sex couples, something that was neither looked down on or treated as different, as well as trans characters stemming from the fact if a family has no sons, the girls are able to transition to men to be able to continue the line (through adoption) and name of the family. It was so brilliant seeing a world where this was all accepted as the norm, and I enjoyed seeing some relationships bloom that I'm sure will be followed up in the sequel.

Well I think I've rattled on for long enough now, but narrowing down this nearly 700 page book to a review was incredibly hard. So much happens in this book, and it is incredibly hard to talk about it without giving away spoilers, but if you enjoy high fantasy, diverse and well developed characters, a fresh and wholly immersive magic system and world building that drags you into the pages... then look no further. Don't let yourself be put off by the length, or the fact it takes a little while to get your bearings, because I can guarantee you will be quickly hooked and find yourself flying through the pages. An easy 4.5 * and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel.

First of all, there is a map!! Oh how I love fantasy books greeting me with a map of their world. It immediately gets me in the mood to devour it and dive into this strange new universe, and "The Mask of Mirrors" managed just that. And no, not just because of the map.

I haven't read any of the books by the two authors that make up the pen name of M.A. Carrick so I went into this without any big expectations, just intrigued by the plot synopsis. The writing style is lush and beautiful and managed to pull me right in. The world building is detailed and complex and makes the world truly come alive, although it is at times a little description-heavy. I was, at first, a little overwhelmed by all these new terms, but they Carrick put them all into context in a way that allowed me to understand them without having to read the glossary at the end of the book. It's just amazing writing, really. The setting is intriguing, there is magic too, though there isn't much focus on it at first.

All in all, I was reminded of the likes of "Six of Crows" and "The Lies of Locke Lamora" - lots of intrigue and clever plans. The story of Ren, a con artist trying to wiggle her way into a rich noble family, is clever and exciting and oh so very fun! The pacing is a little slow at first, but I actually didn't mind so much because of all these big and small things we learn about the city of Nadežra, the society and different cultures living there. I do love plots that might start small but then reveal themselves to be so much bigger than initially thought, so much more complex than out protagonist expected - and this is the case here. There are mysteries about disappearing children, fights for power and wealth, well-thought out cons and so much more.

The characters are multi-faceted and complex and they can't all be clearly divided into "good and bad". There is a grey morality in them that I adored, with crime lord Vargo (who I love, more of him please!!) being a perfect example of this. It makes these characters, in a way, more realistic, more grounded. And they are so diverse! LGBTQIA+ is entirely normalized in this world and there are characters of all sexualities, there is a transgender secondary character as well and the general understanding of gender seems to go beyond the binary thinking still prevalent in our society.
Ren is a great main protagonist with flaws and edges that I loved to follow on her journey. The other two, slightly minor, protagonists Grey and Vargo are super intriguing as well and I loved reading their perspectives. There are more perspectives too, but they can mostly be attributed to more secondary characters. All of the characters are fleshed-out with unique personalities and voices and I'm impressed that I didn't find any of them boring. It's a really strong cast that makes me want to dive right into the next book.

I had so much fun reading this and will definitely buy my own copy and pick up the next books in the (I think?) trilogy as soon as they're out. Definitely an early highlight of 2021.