🌟 My thoughts:
Wow! I adored this book. From the way that magic is tied to demons to the romance and the struggle to uncover who is behind a plot against the king and queen, I was totally invested. In particular, I loved the jester’s taunting and how he gets under Leyna’s skin. I was hoping for more page time with Quinn, but I have a feeling book two will deliver on that. I also enjoyed reading about Leyna’s struggle with right and wrong and how she comes to question everything she’s always believed in.

And a man of mystery is one of my favorite character types. Jester was fantastic.

I do think the one romance scene we get is out of character for rule follower Leyna, and I really wanted more scenes! And the ending broke my heart, but also kept me wanting more and eager to grab the next installment.

🎧 In regards to the audiobook itself, narrator Kathryn Vinclaire delivers a flawless performance. She wowed me, and I’m now looking forward to searching out more of her performances.

🌟 Grab this one if you like:
♥️ Court intrigue
♥️ Magic
♥️ An aching slow burn
♥️ A woman who goes for her dreams

I enjoyed the narrator's voice and the overall story was interesting. However, I did not like the main character, I thought her very annoying and superior.

Kathryn Vinclaire did an such a great job bringing JWizard’s Masquerade to life.
The world building. the fantasy. So lovely.

I adore this book, and leapt at the chance to experience the audiobook. It did not disappoint! The narrator was perfect, and the quality was excellent. I cannot recommend this book enough, in any format you prefer!

Many thanks to Pellegrin Books and Jay Pellegrin for the advanced audio copy of Wizard’s Masquerade via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel.

It is easy to see that this story is Pellegrin’s absolute passion. I wouldn’t want to begin to guess how long she worked on it – and it shows. Whilst the story is rich and intricate it is also far, far too long. What it would benefit from is an editorial team to pare it down. Perhaps turn it into two separate stories or turn the intended duology into a series of 3-5 books.

I enjoyed the amount of spice in the book, although I was convinced the author was male until researching the author afterwards due to the way the sex scenes were written. That is not how people with vaginas reach climax. It was disappointing to read that such a stereotypical ‘in-out-and-climax’ sex scene is still being written in 2022.

There were some great ideas and a magic system that could lead to a whole series but it’s desperate for an editor to rein it all in and sort it out.

The narrator was average. Some of the voices were extremely annoying and squeaky, and she sometimes lost track of which voice she was meant to be doing. Her range of voices wasn’t too great, but her main narration was pleasant to listen to.

Moods: adventurous, mysterious
Tropes: mistaken/secret identity, peril, redemption/dark past
Pace: medium
Character development: medium
Plot or character driven: 50/50
Diversity: medium
Spice: 3/5
Trigger warnings: Death, Death of a family member, Guns/weapons, Murder, Physical or mental abuse, Poisoning, Violence

Rating
Story: 4
Audio: 3
Overall: 3.75

I really enjoyed this book!
The romance was great but it didnt rely too heavily on that and the story itself was really intriguing! The world building was well done and super interesting. Ill be picking up a hard copy of this book!. Look forward to reading more from this author!

I read this book a couple months ago and was THRILLED to see it coming in as an audiobook. It’s one of those stories you cannot stop thinking about after you’ve read it, and really this was the perfect excuse to reread it again so soon.

I think the narrator did PHENOMENALLY., She captured Leyna so well and she really brought her to life for me. This is something I HIGHLY recommend listening to if you’re nervous reading such a thick book. It’s about 24?25? Hours long. It’s something that you can enjoy over a decent time span though. With the holidays here, I wasn’t able to listen as often as I wanted, but I could still jump back into it very easily once I had the free time.

My first time experiencing this story was as an ARC, so I was thrilled to see all the changes Jay made before officially publishing. My original rating was 4.75, but I’m happy to give it a solid 5 now.

Cannot recommend this story and world Pellegrin created enough.

Original Review for reference:

"Could she reimagine herself and her beliefs? Because if she could, it was like the opening of a mental portcullis, the lowering of a drawbridge, and there, beyond the rigid walls she'd built for herself, a world of possibility awaited.
It was liberating to realize that her past self's convictions did not have to dictate her future."

Leyna is days away from completing her exams, passing her 7 year long studies at the Wizard Guild, and her dreams of being a Wizard and Huskarl, a guard to the royal family.

Everything about her dream isn't playing out the way she had envisioned all her life. Starting with an accident that almost set her back a year, that perfect dream is cracking. After finally getting her offer letter to be a Huskarl, Leyna leaves the Guild with Grace and Quinn, friends from her class, to head to the castle and accept her official Huskarl title from the king.

Only a couple days after arriving, word arrives that the king, queen, and their entire court and guards were attacked while traveling. With her world completely thrown off its axis, she is determined to figure out what happened.

The more she digs, the more she begins to question everything she's ever known. It isn't much easier with the Jester constantly around. She knows he has secrets, and is possibly dangerous, but can't help but be drawn to him. Leyna has to figure out who to trust, including unraveling her life and ambitions as a Huskarl.

MY GOD THIS BOOK IS CAPTIVATING!! Jay Pellegrin's world takes me right back to the years of reading fantasy as a teenager, but higher stakes, and definitely with an adult spin on it. We have magic schools, a castle, spells, wizards, shapeshifters, demons, royal hierarchy, secrets and betrayals, AND A JESTER!!

This is a world you really can immerse yourself in while reading, and characters that develop really well throughout. Pellegrin admits herself that Leyna is a "strong flawed female protagonist" and it's a perfect description for her. She has a one track mind, only dreaming of ever being a Huskarl, and she is naïve, selfish, jealous, spoiled, and infuriating when the book starts. Everything that is happening around her forces her to dismantle her belief system, and it really isn't easy for anyone, especially with Leyna, it's like pulling teeth. By the end it's like a huge sigh of relief, she had wonderful character development and her story is set up perfect for more growth into the second book of this duology.

The shining star of this book is Jester. We are told right off the bat that he is dangerous and charming. Both so true, and he is the perfect MC in a story with lies and secrets. We are along with Leyna on the journey and get to watch her figure out how much she's going to let him in. He is snarky, rude, and dazzling to say the least. I was constantly looking forward to any scene with him in it, because it really forced Leyna to think and evolve. I fell in love with him and I really hope there is a lot more of him in the next book and the chance for them really explore their feelings.

The story is very long and could definitely do with a lot of trimming for some parts that felt repetitive, but Pellegrin announced on Instagram that they worked with editors and are cutting it down, so I have high hopes that the published copy will fix this issue. I definitely think we could have gotten a little more back story from the side characters, especially Grace, Quinn, and Seth. Their relationships with Leyna would give her that extra bit of dimension that I think she could benefit from.

Overall this is a fantastic first book, and Medival Fantasy Romance. I am 100% invested and will be reading the second one. This first part of the duology is out soon, and I think is a great read if you want a longish romantic fantasy that has reverse grumpy x sunshine, enemies to lovers, lots of banter, a flawed (BUT EVOLVING) FMC, dances in castles, magic/wizards and a smidge of spice.

UPDATE 09/23/22: Since reading this copy, the author has made many changes based on feedback provided by readers! From the author's suggestion, I went back and reread the end of the book and absolutely loved the changes. Overall there is more jester in the story, and minor story changes that made the book flow better! I will be (not so) patiently waiting for the second half of this duology.

A fantastical first installment to the duology, with phenomenal narration that truly brings Leyna's story to life. I'll be looking forward to where the characters take us in the second book!

An elaborate story and world fillerd with wizards, royalties, guards, magic and maybe some jester delight. It is a little bit long for my liking but it helped me get to know a character more as well as a vivid picture of what’s going on. Looking forward to reading the sequel!

Read 50 % on physical book and 50% on audiobook. It’s enjoyable both ways!

This audiobook and story was alright. I think it was longer than it had any business being. The author was trying hard to make it a really in depth fantasy with romance elements, but it just didn’t quite get there, so it felt lengthy for no reason and I think could have been cute down. The magic was not explained super well, but they can cast spells. The mystery element was okay, but I think that’s the issue. The book was okay. It wasn’t bad, necessarily, but the whole time I was listening to it I felt it was trying to be something it’s not. The magic was cool even though it was vague and the demons were off and not fully explained. There were parts I liked and parts I didn’t like. I will continue because it’s a Duology but not the best thing I’ve read. Not the worst either. The narrator was fine I think.

Thank you for letting me listen to this amazing audiobook!

There is fantasy, magic, mystery, romance... everything packed together perfectly. First we get to explore a bit of the magic school, then the court. There's questions to be answered and secrets to be revealed. And the magic system is intriguing.

The beginning hooked me and the story kept its grip on me. I love that the main character was flawed but still likeable enough. We need more FMCs like Leyna.

The book is well written. The story is refreshing. The audiobook narrator is the perfect fit to the story. This was exactly what I was looking for!

And I have to mention the cover... SO BEAUTIFUL!

I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves to read romantic fantasy. Just don't expect the romance to drive the plot.

Includes:
Masks and secret identities
Witty banter
Slow burn
Strong female MC
Political schemes
Magic
Secret admirer
Ballroom dancing

I'm still not sure what majes a New Adult novel, but if it's the plot beats of a YA fantasy mixed with the spiciness of adult romance, I think we have a prime example here. Wizard's Masquerade and its male love interest had me by the throat from the beginning, and if the pacing was somewhat sluggish (yes, we know, the protagonist has trained her whole life to assume the honorable position of a royal guard, or Huskarl, and won't hesitate to perform her duty, but listen, what if a hot capable man came along), I did not care as long as it awakened feelings in me.

I won't get into the plot, because it really just follows the simple outlines of a generic fantasy novel targeted towards a female audience, which can get tedious considering the length of this book in particular. Over 500 pages! But Pellegrin establishes a slow-burn romance plot that holds an exquisite balance between a boundary-respecting courtship and surprisingly explicit, dare I say, kink lite? Who would have thought I'd one day say this about the character of a jester, but: I'd lay my life at that man's feet. Further explaining this dynamic would necessitate spoilers, so just take my word for it.

To my further surprise, Wizard's Masquerade made me care about a magical pet side-kick, a bubbly best friend, and the annoyingly neglectful parents of the protagonist, all of which normally constitute literary pet peeves of mine. Not so with this book! Part of which must be due to Kathryn Vinclaire's lovely audio narration, her warm voice carrying me through literal snow storms with my earphones plugged in.

So sign me up for part 2 of the Huskarl Duology, because I can't let that ending stand.

I really enjoyed the narrator and felt the voices for each character were unique and distinctive. I also enjoyed the story and struggled to press pause because I constantly wanted to know what happened next.

4.5⭐️
Well i really loved this one! The slow burn, the mystery, the magic and the demons. And the wonderful ending! 😆 but, I might be the only one who loves open endings. I love for the anticipation. And the spice is really nice! 🩷

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the opportunity to review this book!!

I had so much fun listening to this book!!! I highly recommend it!!! The narrator did such a good job. I think that adding a male narrator would’ve also been great as well. Maybe for book 2?

I really liked the world building and the overall atmosphere. I do love a medieval inspired fantasy! I found the plot to be intriguing and although I was able to guess some things before they were revealed that didn’t negatively impact my enjoyment at all.

The romance parts were perfectly blended into the story. Also, can I just say how obsessed I am with the slow-burn romance between Leyna and the jester!!! 😍😍😍

I can’t wait to see where the story goes in the next book. I hope to learn more about the world, the magic, and the characters…The second book can’t be published soon enough!!!

Thank you to @netgalley and @jay_pellegrin for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Neither the magic world (kinda like if HP was a college) nor the romance (with a literal jester) captured me. Not a bad book, but I was zero percent invested and just wanted it to be over.

Thank you NetGalley, Jay Pellegrin, and Pellegrin Books for this advanced audio copy. My opinions are my own.

Plot -3
Writing and Editing -3
Character Development -3
Personal Bias -3
Final Score -3

A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc!

This was great! I thoroughly enjoyed this!! I have a soft spot for romance novels, especially “romantasy” and this was just perfect:))

The narration was great! I really appreciated the distinct voices the narrator gave to each character! That’s not an easy thing to consistently do!

Adored this audiobook. Thank you so much NetGalley. I read the book first and loved the epic fantasy. Full of rich characters and an interesting storyline I was instantly drawn in. The audiobook made the story even better! The narrator did an incredible job bringing Lena to life. I would have loved a male narrator for Jesters character but the story didn’t suffer by not having one.

Highly recommend

This book focuses on an aspiring wizard on a journey to achieve her goals and uncover mysteries. This is well written with great pacing, it has a good plot with characters to love and others to hate. It kept me wanting to uncover what was happening throughout.

Enjoyable high fantasy. Political intrigue, an honor driven mc, and a mysterious love interest. Pacing at times was off but will probably read the sequel.

The narrator did a fine job but not my favorite.