Con artists, masked vigilantes, political intrigue, alluring sword fights, sharply tuned dialogue, an elaborate magic system, and a whole lot of drama that renders you physically incapable of closing the book before you get to the ending is what you’ll find in The Mask of Mirrors. Going into the story, I wasn’t completely sure what to expect. Turns out if someone took all of my favourite things to read about and put them in a blender, The Mask of Mirrors would probably be the resulting concoction.
Ren has come to the city of Nadežra with one goal in mind: to con her way into House Traementis, one of the city’s noble houses, and secure her and her sister’s futures. However, as Ren gradually grows attached to the Traementis family, she discovers she’s not the only one hiding her identity. Soon Ren finds herself tangled up within the feuds of the city’s aristocrats, along with her landlord Derossi Vargo and Captain Grey Serrado of the Vigil, both of whom seem to be keeping a lot of secrets. Meanwhile a new, magically corrupt drug emerges in the underworlds of the city that threatens to bring alive nightmarish creatures from old children’s tales.
Firstly, I’m completely in awe of the extensive and complex worldbuilding in this book. The author duo has done a remarkable job portraying the city of Nadežra that spans several islands at the delta of the river Dežera. Carrick’s depictions of everything from a marketplace to a ballroom to the catacombs spanning the underbelly of one of the Nadežran islands are equally vivid and detailed. A major aspect of the story is also its focus on the fashion of Nadežra’s aristocrats, and despite being the farthest thing from a fashion enthusiast myself, I found the lush descriptions of Ren’s wardrobe quite delightful!
There are two primary magic systems in The Mask of Mirrors, one of the Liganti elite based on astrology, and another of the Vraszenians, centered around a divinatory card system known as the ‘pattern’. Both of them are quite refreshing and unique in their own ways, even though we don’t get to see either in action very often. The best thing about this book, for me, was the political intrigue, which makes up the bulk of the plot. The dialogue, as I’ve already mentioned, is pretty tightly wound, and since none of the characters are what they seem, the story manages to keep you on your toes throughout.
Coming to the characters, even though there were seemingly too many of them to keep track of in The Mask of Mirrors, the authors somehow managed to make every single one of them well fleshed out and gave each character a distinct personality, complete with graphic backstories and motivations. In terms of diversity, most of the characters are queer, and we get to see some other kinds of representation as well, like Vargo’s extreme aversion to germs and diseases. Out of the primary characters, Leato, the Traementis heir, and Vargo stood out to me the most; Vargo in particular is quite an intriguing character to follow around, due to his layered and morally grey personality. As for Ren, she’s one of the strongest protagonists I’ve come across in fantasy so far, and I absolutely loved witnessing her character arc over the course of the story.
The Mask of Mirrors is quite a large book, and I suppose many readers might find the pacing sluggish at times. That being said, personally I found the slow momentum suited the story perfectly, allowing the authors time to introduce the setting and the characters in a way that won’t be overwhelming, and the readers to savour the suspenseful plot thoroughly. The frequently used fantasy terms do take some getting used to, however. There’s also a secondary character who doesn’t get a lot of time on the page (for reasons that will be obvious to you once you finish the book) and I do hope to see more of them in the sequels to The Mask of Mirrors.
Overall, The Mask of Mirrors is a fantastic beginning to a trilogy I’m harbouring high hopes for, and I can’t wait to see where the second book in the Rook & Rose trilogy takes us! If you are a fan of fantasy fiction, The Mask of Mirrors is a book that should definitely be on your radar!
The Mask of Mirrors is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of January 19th 2021.
Will you be picking up The Mask of Mirrors? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
The Mask of Mirrors is the unmissable start to the Rook & Rose trilogy, a dazzling and darkly magical fantasy adventure by Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms, writing together as M. A. Carrick.
Fortune favors the bold. Magic favors the liars.
Ren is a con artist who has come to the sparkling city of Nadežra with one goal: to trick her way into a noble house, securing her fortune and her sister’s future.
But as she’s drawn into the elite world of House Traementis, she realizes her masquerade is just one of many surrounding her. And as nightmare magic begins to weave its way through the City of Dreams, the poisonous feuds of its aristocrats and the shadowy dangers of its impoverished underbelly become tangled…with Ren at their heart.
