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A review by megsbookishtwins
Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller
4.0
Sallot Leon is an orphan and a thief. However, Sallot wants to escape that life as a highway robber living on the outskirts of society. Sal wants to get close to the nobles that destroyed their family and their home. During a robbery, Sal comes across a piece of paper that features an audition to become a member of the Left Hand - the Queens elite and personal assassins. And Sal plans for the perfect infiltration to get revenge.
Mask of Shadows was a well-written high fantasy novel. There were instances of info-dumping and places where the plot became slow paced but it is an impressive debut. Mask of Shadows was an action-packed assassin in-training novel. Sal was taking part in a competition to become an elite assassin for the Queen. The competition itself was full of high-stakes and it was very smart and detailed. Each competitor had to kill their opponents - without getting caught, and it made it an original and compelling read.
Mask of Shadows also featured a genderfluid protagonist, Sal. Sal liked to be referred to specific pronouns depending on how they dressed. I can't speak for the rep, but I feel like Sal being gender-fluid was handled respectfully. I really liked Sal - they were motivated, daring, and funny.
I also loved the secondary characters. I was sometimes a little confused between who was who when the competitors were numbered - except for the main five. But I guess that held up the secrecy a little more and added to the atmosphere. I also really liked Ruby, Emerald, and Amethyst. I also found it really interesting how they were all named as well. I also really liked the subtle romance between Elise and Sal - definitely a highlight of the book.
I've seen this compared to Throne of Glass quite a lot, and while there are similarities there are also a lot of differences. Mask of Shadows has a much more developed and logical assassin competition and is much more diverse.
Overall, Mask of Shadows is an exciting and action-packed high fantasy that I would highly recommend.
Mask of Shadows was a well-written high fantasy novel. There were instances of info-dumping and places where the plot became slow paced but it is an impressive debut. Mask of Shadows was an action-packed assassin in-training novel. Sal was taking part in a competition to become an elite assassin for the Queen. The competition itself was full of high-stakes and it was very smart and detailed. Each competitor had to kill their opponents - without getting caught, and it made it an original and compelling read.
Mask of Shadows also featured a genderfluid protagonist, Sal. Sal liked to be referred to specific pronouns depending on how they dressed. I can't speak for the rep, but I feel like Sal being gender-fluid was handled respectfully. I really liked Sal - they were motivated, daring, and funny.
I also loved the secondary characters. I was sometimes a little confused between who was who when the competitors were numbered - except for the main five. But I guess that held up the secrecy a little more and added to the atmosphere. I also really liked Ruby, Emerald, and Amethyst. I also found it really interesting how they were all named as well. I also really liked the subtle romance between Elise and Sal - definitely a highlight of the book.
I've seen this compared to Throne of Glass quite a lot, and while there are similarities there are also a lot of differences. Mask of Shadows has a much more developed and logical assassin competition and is much more diverse.
Overall, Mask of Shadows is an exciting and action-packed high fantasy that I would highly recommend.