A fascinating character study of a woman who is kidnapped from her home by a king and her journey as she rises through the ranks of the royal city, even as she deals with her complicated feelings for her kidnapper. A promising debut.

“Masquerade” is loosely based on the myth of Hades and Persephone set in the 15th century in West Africa. Ododo is working as a blacksmith and witch as she has been unsuccessful as a woman, when she is kidnapped by the warrior king of Yorubaland and is expected to be his wife. The book explores “the true costs of one women’s fight for freedom and self discovery.”

I am sitting here struggling writing this review. I really enjoyed this book all the way up to the last chapter or two. It is a complex coming of age story where Ododo fights to be the woman she is capable of despite her circumstances. After reading, I googled the story of Hades and Persephone and enjoy it more understanding some of the context. Unfortunately, I feel like the last couple of chapters veered from the myth, felt rushed and inauthentic to how I read the rest of the story, and left me somewhat confused. I can understand why the author ended the story in the way that they did, but would have liked a little more blatant foreshadowing to prepare me for this turn of events. Or maybe rereading this knowing more about the story of Hades and Persephone would enhance the read. Overall, I did enjoy the book and recommend it to those that enjoy mythology retellings or historical fantasy.

Thank you Macmillian Audio and Forge books for a copy of this one!

Masquerade is a 15th Century West Africa retelling of Hades and Persephone. It was filled with so many twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat. It was dark and complex but such an engaging read with beautiful writing. I enjoyed it!

What You'll Find:
Strong FMC
Morally Grey characters
Political intrique
Immersive read
Dark love story

Y'all, this book is SO GOOD!!! I need it to pop off and become a huge hit because it's an incredibly impressive debut and I want to see more from this author. Masquerade is an African-inspired political fantasy novel, loosely drawing on the Hades and Persephone myth. To set expectations, this is not an underworld situation, rather it is a story about a woman who is kidnapped by a warrior king who falls in love with her and wants to make her his bride. But if you're expecting something like a traditional romance, that's not what this is.

The entire story is about Òdòdó, the main character, reclaiming her agency and finding a way to wield the power that she has always dreamed of. It wasn't what I expected, but it is brilliantly crafted with nuance and gritty details. Attention is paid to the ways women and children are often underestimated and can use that to their advantage. It is at times a brutal story, but I think the situation warrants it. This is a very low-magic fantasy. Some women are called witches, but it's unclear whether they wield any actual powers or are simply feared because they are independent and unmarried.

Seriously though, go pick this up! It's truly fantastic. And the audio narration is excellent. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC!

"Men called us witches, they thought us demons, and yet, it was them who wished to possess us."

MASQUERADE is an immersive, compelling historical fantasy set in the 15th century that's based on African mythology but also has similarities to the Hades / Persephone storyline. If you're looking for morally gray characters or you love villains like me, look no further.

Òdòdó is a blacksmith from Timbuktu, shunned by society and deemed a witch. When the Aláàfin (king) of Yorùbáland conquers Timbuktu, she is captured and taken to Ṣàngótẹ̀ (in Nigeria) and told that she will be the Aláàfin's wife.

With a narrative centered on the place of women within society, O. O. Sangoyomi does a masterful job of writing enticing politics and drama and throwing in shocking twists that kept me wanting more. Did all of the characters make some questionable choices? Absolutely. Do I love some well-thought-out secrets and betrayal? Also yes.

Don't miss this this debut!

I loved this on audio, narrated by Ariel Blake!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook!
I'd first like to acknowledge the immensely talented Ariel Blake who narrated this book so beautifully. Her performance was absolutely enthralling. And, the story itself was just as engaging as the perfect narration. This is the first book I've read set in West Africa, but somehow, I was able to envision myself in this world and in this time. I loved seeing the morally grey rise of Ododo from a life of servitude to a life of chaotic influence. There were so many moments when I didn't know what was coming next and was surprised in the most entertaining ways. This was a solid 4.5 for me!

This book is pure chaos and I loved it. The meeting of Greek mythology and African folklore makes for deeply captivating storytelling. Each time I felt like I knew what might happen next the story was taken in another direction and I was completely enthralled. The audio narrator did an amazing job delivering the rollercoaster of ups and downs from poor blacksmith to warrior witch and every thing in between.

This book sucked me in immediately and kept me engaged the whole time. I did not want to put the book down! I didn't know until I was finished with the book that it is a Nigerian retelling of Persephone, which is cool because I love mythological retellings especially when they blend different cultures' mythologies, but i loved this book even without knowing that. The characters are complex and I loved watching Ododo grow into herself. I look forward to more by this author!
I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator does a fantastic job as well!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook for review purposes.

Powerful emotions as you meet each character and learn about every circumstance. Powerfully feminine.

Actual Rating 4.5

I loved how strong and capable the protagonist was but also how realistic her growth was. She was relatable and made for a wonderful narrator. The remaining characters were also quite strong, written to be unique and well developed. I also loved the emphasis on female relationships in this one and how they were portrayed.

The setting was beautifully written. It was incorporated throughout the story in a way that brought the world to life and supported the characters and plot. The writing was beautiful in many places and added to the immersion. Another thing I loved was the direction this book took. I was convinced I knew how it would end and wasn’t particularly excited about it, but the author surprised me, and it was excellent.

While this is categorized as a work of fantasy, it wasn’t at all. I would call this straight historical fiction, which wasn’t a bad thing but adjust your expectations. The narrator did an excellent job, and I highly recommend checking out the audiobook. Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this work, which will be published July 2. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book is feminine rage.

The last 14 minutes of this book are INSANE. My best recommendation is to go into this without knowing a single thing. Don't read the description, don't look up other reviews, just pick this up and enjoy the ride. Because I think the biggest reason I am giving this 4 instead of 5 is because I read what this book was based on and I read the alleged tropes and so the entire time I was expecting things or looking for them or waiting for them.

This book was bananas. This book was incredible. I loved it. There are parts that are a little slow but they are worth pushing through because daannnnng is the whole ending of this book (like the last 3 hours or so) is so good and so worth it.

A very interesting coming-of-age tale set in Africa. The author did well painting the picture of Sangote, the royal city, and the life of riches inside. The main character, Ododo, is transfixed by the power held by the men of the city, including her kidnapper, the King. Ododo's character begins as an innocent young woman, but becomes the bride of the king, a transformation that takes the reader on many surprising twists and turns. Ododo is sometimes difficult to like, but the author does well keeping the reader engaged throughout the story. The narrator does an excellent job, particularly when considering how different her voice is in the introduction and final credits compared to the narration of the story. I enjoyed the setting of the novel, and reading about the culture of Yorubaland. There were some points in the story where it seemed to be a bit slow, which is the reason for 4/5 starts. Overall, I would recommend this book, particularly if you are looking for something different than what is typically seen on the shelves in the US.

I loved every aspect of this book and am SO glad I had the audio to listen to because the narrator, Ariel Blake, had a lyrical voice that was perfect for O.O. Sangoyomi’s gorgeous writing: the two paired beautifully.

The plot, the setting, the world building and the dark & magical aspects were simply breathtaking. I loved the focus on elephants and the role they played, I loved the underlying current of women are more than they’re given credit for and Òdòdó’s character growth was fantastic. I loved that she didn’t fit into the cookie cutter role of mousey girl turned warrior. Her change was much more subtle and realistic, which was refreshing and a take I don’t think we see often.

The underlying heartbeat of this story represented this quote perfectly:

“As long as I belonged to a man I would never have any power of my own.”

I was less interested in the political aspect, this is simply my personality as a whole, but I found the political system throughout this story to be easy to follow and don’t end up confusing me to a point where it took my out of the story. I felt like I was right there, walking with elephants and warriors - what an experience which again, one quote depicts perfectly:

“I could’ve consumed the world and still died famished.”

And I absolutely died for the ending. How perfect and full circle and just, ugh. Bravo Sangoyomi.

Okay this was darker than I expected and I have conflicted feelings about it. Masquerade is an interesting portrayal of a 19 year old trying to survive in a patriarchal society. She's a complex MC who makes decisions that serve her own interests which was difficult to see when it involved decisions that hurt other women to get ahead. I wish the author had chosen a more clear direction with their take on the Hades and Persephone myth. Many takes romanticize the relationship (a choice I've enjoyed many times before). Other takes subvert the story and point out the problems with that dynamic. The author confused me because she did both - she had our main character deeply in love with this guy while also showing us how toxic their relationship was. It was very uncomfortable to read. Many parts of this book were difficult to get through. I was waiting for a reason for the grittiness, for the suffering. I really wanted to see our MC triumph in the end or learn something as a result of everything that had happened to her. The ending felt a bit rushed and didn’t give me as much closure as I would have liked about where our MC is now and who she will be going forward. I'm struggling with my feelings with the book because I want female MCs to have the room to make decisions that are self-serving/be more morally gray but for some reason I found myself struggling with her more controversial choices. I still had a good time with the story and really loved how rich the world felt. I was very immersed in the story and I think that's part of what made the difficult subject matter hard to read about. This book is like nothing I've ever read before and I'm very glad I picked it up. It was an unusual reading experience but definitely worth the read.

Oh my gosh this narrator was incredible. I felt transported listening to their portrayal of all the characters. I would love to listen to more of their books. If you can get this book on audio, definitely go for it because it was a fantastic listening experience!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the advanced audiobook.

Audiobook & narration: 5/5
Book content: 4/5

The narrator did an exceptional job at providing passion and tension where needed and really immersed me into the story.

The book started off a little slow for me. The beginning was too dense and i struggled to find the plot at first. However, I am so glad I kept going though, because Sangoyomi created one beautiful and intense story. There's also the perfect hint of mythology retelling that I found particularly enjoyable. Historical fiction fans will devour this.

What a great mix of historical fiction and Nigerian myth. I love a strong female lead and Ododo was one! The plot and character arc kept me right up to the end. I will definitely be recommending this to fellow readers.

This is a very unique story. It is a historical fiction, set in a reimagined Medieval West Africa. I thought this was going to be a fantasy, since the main character and her people are called witches. But it is definitely general/historical fiction. Witch is an insult in this society, but there are no real witches. The story follows Òdòdó in a Cinderelle-esque story where she moves from being a societal outcast to being the bride of the Alaafin (thewarrior king/emperor-type figure). In gaining power, she encounters political intrigue, betrayals and danger, and she grows and adapts to these new circumstances. She rises to the challenge and becomes a force to be reckoned with as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an eARC of this audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and O. O. Sangoyomi for sending me this audiobook!

I want to preface that I think I misread the description or had different ideas, because I went into this book thinking it would have fantasy in it, and it didn't at all. This book is definitely historical fiction, which was my fault for going into it thinking otherwise.

I think this was a very well-written story! I enjoyed how morally gray of a character she became because ultimately she was forced into these decisions due to consequences that were none of her own. I don't think you can experience kidnapping, and being forced to become a bride without having some morally gray decisions. I did enjoy how she kept wanting to better her station and involvement instead of being a passive bride who took what was given to her.

I look forward to more books by this author.

4.5/5 stars rounded up. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Masquerade follows the main female character Òdòdó and her journey from an outcasted blacksmith to a position of power. The world is set in 15th century West Africa and it is stunning and vibrant, just like the tale. Òdòdó is extremely resilient works her way through some impossible events. This was the first time I’ve read a book based in Africa and African folklore. I loved it and found myself thinking about Òdòdó and her world whenever I wasn’t actively engaged with the story. I highly recommend this read to anyone. It was a nice change from my usually reads. I also loved the narrator. The experience overall was a 10/10 one.

From poverty to queen, from innocence to power, young Òdòdó has surpassed the morally grey format to become an amazing villain. May be dark and violent for some readers, but I love the origin story of a villain. And if we think about it, is she a villain? Her decisions are for the protection of the people, the poor, and the women...

A reimagined/Persephone-ish-inspired African historical fantasy (15th century West Africa) where blacksmiths are women who have lost all, becoming part of the lowest rank in society, they can only serve as crafting metal. Called witches also. It's not about magic.

Òdòdó is kidnapped to become the bride of a king who claims to love her and to do all to make her happy but also to him, women have a specific role and he imprisons, coherence, and threatens her constantly. She takes advantage of her situation to learn and gain power. She grows quickly as a character and learns from those who betray and taunt her. The political intrigue is a power struggle that she doesn't relinquish. A crescendo of twists and turns.

She is constantly torn between love and freedom until all becomes clear to her. The rescue is the most epic chapter and the end is exhilarating.

Read in one sitting. Couldn't stop reading/listening to it. Ariel Blake has the perfect voice for this story. 

Thank you publisher and netgalley.