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A review by incandescentreads
The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick
5.0
SECOND READ
Rating : 5 ⭐
I loved this book even more the second time around. There were so many subtle moments that could be interpreted completely differently when you know how the book ends. It really made me appreciate the authors' skills. I can't wait to start The Lair's Knot!
FIRST READ
Rating : 4,5 ⭐
I went into this book knowing I would enjoy it, since I'm already of fan of Marie Brennan, and it gave me everything I wanted and more. The story starts out with this apparently simple con job, but it becomes so much more than that by the end. The character relationships, political machinations and magical phenomena plot lines are all well integrated and balanced. It never felt like one was prioritized to the detriment of the others. I think alternating between these aspects allowed the authors to pack a lot of world building into this book without a single info dump. Throughout the book, there are so many revelations that consistently raise the stakes for the characters. It really pays off in the end with some especially suspenseful scenes. Although I suspected the identity of the Rook for a good while, I was satisfied by the big reveal. Sometimes it's more fun to be proven right than to be surprised. I'm still amazed by the amount of work these authors put into the world building, more specifically the magic system. The tarot readings, numerology, astrology, and the dream magic are all so fascinating. I love it when the magic in a book is full of symbolism and gives the reader an opportunity to interpret things for themselves. This book definitely delivered on that. I think the characterization was done really well, the characters have a lot of depth to them and it translates in their relationships. My favourite was Ren's found family, Sedge and Tess, and how loyal they were to each other. They literally are the trio Brain Brawn Beauty and I absolutely love it. (Time for a stupid IASIP reference : The Rook needs to be their Wildcard just saying.) I also really liked seeing the complex political intrigue through Ren's eyes, since her experience as a con artist helps her navigate the political scene on both sides of Nadezran society. Over the course of the book, Ren and the Rook realize that the political conflict is representative of a spiritual/magical struggle. I think this idea will be explored more in the sequel and I'm looking forward to it. I actually can't wait for December, and I'll for sure reread The Mask of Mirrors before diving into the sequel.
Rating : 5 ⭐
I loved this book even more the second time around. There were so many subtle moments that could be interpreted completely differently when you know how the book ends. It really made me appreciate the authors' skills. I can't wait to start The Lair's Knot!
FIRST READ
Rating : 4,5 ⭐
I went into this book knowing I would enjoy it, since I'm already of fan of Marie Brennan, and it gave me everything I wanted and more. The story starts out with this apparently simple con job, but it becomes so much more than that by the end. The character relationships, political machinations and magical phenomena plot lines are all well integrated and balanced. It never felt like one was prioritized to the detriment of the others. I think alternating between these aspects allowed the authors to pack a lot of world building into this book without a single info dump. Throughout the book, there are so many revelations that consistently raise the stakes for the characters. It really pays off in the end with some especially suspenseful scenes. Although I suspected the identity of the Rook for a good while, I was satisfied by the big reveal. Sometimes it's more fun to be proven right than to be surprised. I'm still amazed by the amount of work these authors put into the world building, more specifically the magic system. The tarot readings, numerology, astrology, and the dream magic are all so fascinating. I love it when the magic in a book is full of symbolism and gives the reader an opportunity to interpret things for themselves. This book definitely delivered on that. I think the characterization was done really well, the characters have a lot of depth to them and it translates in their relationships. My favourite was Ren's found family, Sedge and Tess, and how loyal they were to each other. They literally are the trio Brain Brawn Beauty and I absolutely love it. (Time for a stupid IASIP reference : The Rook needs to be their Wildcard just saying.) I also really liked seeing the complex political intrigue through Ren's eyes, since her experience as a con artist helps her navigate the political scene on both sides of Nadezran society. Over the course of the book, Ren and the Rook realize that the political conflict is representative of a spiritual/magical struggle. I think this idea will be explored more in the sequel and I'm looking forward to it. I actually can't wait for December, and I'll for sure reread The Mask of Mirrors before diving into the sequel.