My Thoughts:

First off thanks to Netgalley for the copy of this book. I was excited to read based off the summary but I was disappointed. It felt flat and not very well planned out. I wished I could have enjoyed this book more but I could not get into it. If you like assassins and twists in the story this is for you.

Plot:

The plot starts out with an audition to become a member of the left hand a group of assassins. It is full of tests and tricks to prove who is perfect for the job out of the candidates. Sal decides to enter and become a member of the left hand. The book and the plot is just how they get through the tests and what happens. I felt like that was the reason the book dragged and was slow to me.

Characters:

The main character was okay I was not a big fan of them. Sal really fell flat to me. The other candidates were more interesting to me. The characters were okay but not great.

Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller was confusing. It had really good potential but it got lost in details and history. I am willing to give the sequel a chance because the ending made it all up a little. One of the things that bothered me is that I felt almost nothing for any characters and they were hard to picture (they do wear masks).

*Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire books for this ARC copy. This is an honest review.
Mask of Shadows is a well written dystopian book. It is a good book, but something is missing. The main character is a gender fluid character which I really liked the concept of, yet it didn't help this novel. Sallot Leon is interesting character, but that is sadly where it ends. I love diverse characters that have flaws. Sallot's character covers that it is when you have to care about them and root for them it just didn't make it. The story misses on making you cheer or care for the characters. I hope her second book can pull more feeling into making the reader want to care about them. I really like Linsey Miller's writing I hope to read the next book and try again.

This was a fabulous read that was fast paced and hard to put down. The world building could maybe use a little work, it was a little confusing with the different cultures and countries being brought together under one queendom, but if you go with the flow it doesn’t interfere with the story too much until the end. I will admit the ending confused me a little with all of the politics thrown in, but with a reread it got a little clearer.

Sallot Leon is a unique character that I really enjoyed. I think this is the first book I’ve read where the main character was gender fluid. Their gender was handled well and I liked Sallot’s explanations of how to address them, depending on dress. It was not used as a plot point however, just who Sal was. You could tell that there were some that were confused or angry about Sal’s gender, but it was not a theme or focus of the plot. Sal is who Sal is and that was that. Sal’s orphan and thief status are very important to the plot. The thief instincts help with survival and how Sal became an orphan is important to the plot of revenge, which is the real reason Sal enters the competition.

The plot of an audition was well done with lots of death and stabbings, and attempts at poisonings, although the outcome was predictable, how it is done is interesting. There is a little romance thrown in, but it does not overpower the main plot which was nice. Some of the other competitors were interesting and some I even didn’t want to die and it made me sad when they were killed. I liked that they went by numbers during the audition, it made it less likely that they would get to know each other and have a harder time killing each other. The masks were a nice touch as well, although I need a better explanation of how they worked, especially the Left Hands, which were more advanced and seemed to mold to their faces. I loved Sal’s servant Maude too, she was brilliant and clever and a nice addition to the book.

Overall this is a very clever and well done book that I enjoyed immensely. It is lite fantasy, not a lot of magic, although that appears to be a part of the past of this world, with interesting characters and a plot that will keep you turning those pages.

I loved this book! It was amazingly written, interesting, engaging and relevant. The history is given just enough so that the story makes sense in context but not too much that it becomes heavy and boring. The characters are dynamic and well thought out although some are better portrayed and represented than others. You can't help but root for Sal and enjoy his/her adventures, determination and self-discovery.

My Review: Excitement has been building for this book for some time, and even though I was approved for this book on Netgalley several months ago, I wanted to wait until close to release day before picking it up. I am glad I waited so that I would be able to rave about it and discuss it with other readers while it was still fresh in my mind. Now please bear with me, even though I finished this book last week I still have had a hard time putting my thoughts (and there are a lot of them) about this book in to some kind of understandable order and concise statements. I must admit that I was originally attracted to Mask of Shadows because of that stunning cover (I am looking forward to it gracing my shelves) and the synopsis drew me in with it's high fantasy element yet the brutality of a Hunger Games like battle to the end, sounds about perfect to me. And it was exactly what I was expecting in that aspect, there was a lot of brutality, stabbing, plotting and scheming. The world building was fantastic, it was developed throughout the story but in a way that you weren't confused until things were explained, it was well integrated with the plot. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a map, which I am sure will be included in the final versions. Now on to the characters, I did not notice or think twice about the gender fluid main character until I got closer to starting this book. I started to worry that this would be a book that is about making a statement that it looses its story or was possibly just going to be banking on the current push for more books with LGBTQ+ characters. I shouldn't have worried, Sal is Sal and their orientation just fit the personality and the story so well that you didn't even really notice the statement of it. With that said I did learn some interesting things about gender fluid and how they should be referenced, and I am hoping that this is accurate information. The Left Hand were fantastic! I want to hang out with their crew but yet I am somewhat terrified of them. I did find the romance element with Elise to be a little forced, it didn't seem to fit fully into the story and felt like a bit of a side note or a plot device for the next book, but honestly that was the only real draw back for me and it wasn't that big of a deal. The romance if read by itself was beautifully done, and slow to develop but it just didn't feel right in with the development of the rest of the story. All in all this was a great book and I can't wait to read the next book! When does it come out? Oh and also, the marketing of this book by Sourcebooks is brilliant and I am enjoying every moment of it!


My Rating: Yup, another really long review there, sorry. I really enjoyed this book, it had so many elements I enjoy and even some new to me that I discovered I enjoyed. I will admit that this story does have a slow start, but I promise it is worth it to continue! I can't help but give this book a rating of Four Paws and a Stump Wag!

I really wanted to like this book more. It had so many aspects that I usually love in books: fantasy, a cunning main character, political intrigue, and espionage! And yet… Parts of it worked, but others didn’t. While I appreciate the gender fluid main character, especially in a fantasy book, other aspects such as confusing world-building and the main character’s goal did little to push the book higher in my esteem. I also think marketing it as Leigh Bardugo meets Sarah J. Maas makes the audience expect a lot more than what we’re given. Does that sound harsh? I’m sorry. 😦 I love both Bardugo and Maas, but to compare a debut author to those two can either increase or decrease a book in my esteem.

I struggle a lot with liking cocky characters. Sure, I understand that’s part of their personality, and I can appreciate that, but I guess it’s a reflection of my own life in that I don’t care for arrogant people. Maybe Sal’s confidence in their abilities came across the page as cocky. Some people might not mind it, but I do. I guess I wanted more information about Sal’s abilities rather than the character repeatedly telling us that they were good at certain things, with very little showing.

What I did find intriguing was the entire competition itself. The Queen has lost one of her personal assassins, a key member of The Left Hand, and Sal is quick to jump at the opportunity to become the new Opal. The competition itself is rather gritty, and reminded me a bit of The Hunger Games in the way the competitors kill each other. Nothing is really out of bounds, and I actually found myself drawn to the other members of The Left Hand–Emerald, Ruby, and Amethyst–more than I was to Sal. Actually, I quote like Sal’s servant, Maud. She was sharp, witty, and definitely has an agenda of her own. It’s almost like she uses Sal to help herself as well. I can dig that.

As for the world-building, I found myself a little lost. I get there were once two countries who are now united under one ruler, the Queen, often referred to as “Our Queen.” But her reign is still in its infancy, and there are a handful of people who would rather go back to the old days–filled with magic and dark killer shadows. Yeah, so there’s no magic in this kingdom. It was used for evil. (In any future books, I hope it returns, but is used in a good way.)

In terms of the romance between Elise and Sal, I wasn’t convinced. I wanted to be so bad, though. I guess this sort of falls under the trope of “I’m not like all those others” and I couldn’t swallow it. I did, however, feel bad for Elise, especially when we discover how her father works his way into the overall plot.

Truthfully, the last few chapters really bumped the book up in terms of star rating. I planned to give it only 2.5, but we see some characters unravel, and a deeper part of the plot unfolding. For that, I give it 3 stars. I’m not sure I’ll add this book to my collection, or keep an eye out for the sequel.

Linsey Miller does a phenomenal job telling the story of Sal, a gender fluid teenager auditioning to be one of the queen's assassins. From the very beginning of the book I was hooked. The pace is just right, the plot isn't cliche, and the characters are well developed. The gender identity of the main character is an intriguing characteristic that fits well within the story, instead of overshadowing the plot. I read this book in one day and have been telling everyone I know about it ever since. I can't wait until it is published so that I can recommend it to all of my customers. This is a must read!

I just could NOT get into this one... I found the characters unbelievable, the plot thin, and the pacing uneven. I tried picking it up a couple of times to see if it improved or grew on me, but each time I would flip through a handful of pages and quickly find my mind wandering. This was not a book for me...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1940383698?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

This book had so much potential but fell flat for me. Lately, I have really been in the mood for diverse books with a wide array of characters. This book focuses on Sal who is this amazingly strong, independent person. They also happen to be gender-fluid. For me this was the strongest part of the book. Linsey Smith does an incredible job of making sure Sal's pronouns are not they only part of their character. They are not their gender or lack thereof. I really appreciated that the focus was on the competition rather than the character.

That being said, I really struggled with the writing in this book. I love being able to visualize the worlds I'm reading about and place myself right by the characters as they go on their journey. However, I really struggled to do that with this book. The world building was severely lacking and even simple details and descriptions were lacking. Now the character descriptions could have been intentional to add to the idea that gender does not define a person. I just personally struggled without the descriptions I'm used to in various books.

As for the actual plot, I really enjoyed the idea of the competition to become the Queen's assassin. It was a great idea, but for me the execution was lacking. There were many parts that were predictable to me and again the visualization problems made it hard for me to really involve myself in the story and immerse myself in the world.

This book had the right idea, the execution just did not work for me. I'm sure they will be other people that love this book, I just could not get past the writing.

3★★★ stars

Genre: Fantasy Young Adult
Type: Book 1 in the Mask of Shadows Series
POV: First Person – Male

Sallot Leon aka Sal a twenty three year old male; was an orphan. He survived in the streets by fighting and becoming a great thief. He was the last children of Nacea; he had a goal, it was to become the next "Opal" aka the right hand of the Queen. He wouldn't stop until he accomplished it.

Honestly, this book was a bit hard to follow like I understood the story and overall it was good. However; it was a bit confusing because it did not give me details of the past to help me understand exactly Sal's actions and purpose. I knew he wanted to be the next Opal but didn't exactly understand why. The story was interesting; Sal had to win a lot of auditions, test and tricks in order to earn the Opal title. It was like watching the hunger games but at the same time it wasn't.

I really wanted to connect in a deeper level with Sal but I found myself unable to; perhaps the lack of back history prevented me to get attached to him and the rest of the characters. There was a lot of death which didn't bother me. And one character in particular I really enjoyed; however when that character died I didn't hurt for him because It happened so quickly and I just didn't get it.

I feel the story has potential and I would love to continue the other book in the series. I hope there's more background on it and more feels. Overall, I enjoyed the story and it would be appealing to readers who enjoy fantasy genre.

Mask of Shadows has a gorgeous synopsis, and to top that, one of my favourite authors of EVER ([author:Tamora Pierce|8596]) loved it, so there was no way I was walking past this one and I was THRILLED when Sourcebooks approved my request for an ARC.

<b>This book is a complex game of deceptions</b> combining a deadly competition to become the newest member of 'The Queen's Left Hand' (an elite group of assassins) with the intrigues of court life and a land in turmoil after a war.

Our protagonist, gender fluid Sal, is far more than a thief and an orphan - they are quite possibly the last of their people and the only one who could possibly avenge the decimation of an entire country and extract the blood debts that are owed.

The beginning was a little rough for me and the narration and the world only just seemed to find it's legs and get off to a rather wobbly start after quite a number of chapters. Once I was into it though, I found myself drawn in deeply and I was intrigued with the competition and the revenge that Sal sought.
<blockquote><b>
Only difference between robbery and murder was what you stole
</b></blockquote>
<b>There are echoes of many worlds and plots that I have read before, but that is almost inevitable when it comes to reading a YA Fantasy and I thought that Mask of Shadows managed to hold its own well enough</b> . I could tell that there were so many aspects that were so well thought out, from the history of the world to the various aspects of the competition and I appreciated how much effort the author went to with world building and creating realistic political situations.

Unfortunately, Mask of Shadows was slated as being "<i>Perfect for fantasy fans of Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo</i>" and I hate it when people do that to books - it can set some very high and often unrealistic expectations, especially for ACTUAL lovers of the authors or the books you are comparing to.

YES, this book has a protagonist who goes into a competition to become the monarch's assassin, which does sound familiar now, HOWEVER - almost every single circumstance is different. You may as well say it's also similar to Harry Potter because they are both orphans and live in a magical fantasy world....

I've also seen this book being compared to the Hunger Games and the same arguments apply here: YES, there is a portion of the competition in which the auditioners are told to assassinate each other (but it was to be done in such a way that noone knew who made the kill) however it's not exclusively a rivalry to become the last auditioner standing and each and every task/test that was set for the auditioners made sense to me in an attempt to select the best person for the job (which, may I remind you is to become a part of an <i>elite group of assassins</i>).

I loved Sal's voice. The book is written in first person and Sal has a slightly coarse and rough voice that is just so true to character. The fact that Sal is also gender fluid was both good and bad for me. I loved that the rep was there for the sake of diversity and making things like gender fluidity normal, especially for the younger generations that will read this book. I was a little frustrated though in that it was never mentioned what gender Sal was actually <i>born</i> (while this was probably intentional, I just wanted to KNOW!! Although I decided for myself after a few passing comments in the book, I still would have liked for it to have been spelled out for me!) and I do think that, although sexuality in general wasn't a big deal in Sal's world, it would have been nice to have been educated a little more in what it means to be trigender and what the person actually experiences.

There was a romance and I thought it was a really sweet and realistic portrayal of a first crush and first love although it wasn't really integral to the plot at all it was a nice addition.

Probably my biggest complaint was not so much the pacing of the story, but the fact that all of the elements straight after the outcome of the competition was announced seemed a little rushed. In the last fifteen percent of the book there was a pretty large reveal, a devastating plot twist and the set up for the sequel all squished into the final pages. An extra thirty or forty pages could have gone a long way to building a little more tension and making the last few events hold even more of a punch.

Mask of Shadows had some ups and downs for me with many 'debut moments', but overall it is <b>a wonderful, intricate and well thought out story with a fast paced plot and more than a few gory incidents. It is complex and compelling and left me waiting desperately for the sequel</b>.
<blockquote><b>
I wasn’t killing because I liked it. It was a job. Eight, Seven, and Four had all signed up to die, and we all knew the risk. We’d agreed to serve Our Queen in any way she saw fit. We were keeping her on the throne.
Peace had a cost and we collected.
</b></blockquote>

This book was ok. It was entertaining enough to keep me going, despite some drawbacks. I didn't buy that Sallot - a thief with no training or previous inclination towards murder - would last a day in a competition of assassins. So right from the start, I'm not fully on board. Throw in some insta-love, positions named after gemstones, and knowing (of course!) how this book #1 will end, and it all felt a bit juvenile. Still, Sallot was an interesting character and the hints of world-building we get in book #1 could be built upon. The way the author handled gender fluidity was well-done, too. I'd be interested to see if this series and Sallot mature with book #2.

[Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.]

When I finished this last night I immediately gave it four stars. I was coming down off the high of enjoying (mostly) a book I didn't think I would like. But I've had some time to think about it and reflect, and I've looked to see what others are saying about it, and I understood and agreed with the points made so decided to knock a star off.

The good thing is that Linsey Miller was able to get me absorbed enough into the book to enjoy reading it, without me obviously noticing things that could be considered less-than-stellar until much later.

I'll be honest here - I was not going to request this book. "They" say that people like to be able to see themselves reflected in what they read, which is why having main characters of other genders, races, orientation, etc. are important. I agree with this sentiment, and will acknowledge that I like being able to project myself, or see myself reflected in the characters I read. I am a straight white woman. When I read romance, I like it to be straight. When I read any book, I automatically assume "white" unless told otherwise. That is my life experience. Lately I've been trying to broaden my horizon and read more books by and about minorities because I feel like I'm doing myself and the reading world a disservice by sticking to what I know. So even though I had decided I really wasn't interested in a book about a genderfluid main character, when I got the invite to read it I figured, why not.

And I was pleasantly surprised by how much it was a non-issue for me in reading. I was not being beaten over the head with Sal's fluidity, and it was so much of a non-issue that it seemed almost natural that I didn't know what was under their clothes. It just didn't end up mattering. I was happy for Sal that their gender wasn't a big deal for anyone else, either. Although I admit to being curious during the very intimate scene with Elise later on, but still nothing was mentioned.

But then I looked at other reviews, and noticed they were pointing out similar things: Sal's fluidity was such a non-issue in society, that it didn't make sense for them to get all emotional when someone accepted them as genderfluid. There was also no description of any of the characters. They were completely faceless and nameless (perhaps the point?), which made them completely unmemorable. The only contestants that made any impact on me besides Sal were Two, Three, Four and Five. The others - I couldn't even tell you who did what and when. And even Two is ridiculously bland considering how far she made it.

There really wasn't much world building either. I know we get a small bit of history throughout the book, as information about the war is trickled out. But as others have said - what were the other kingdoms like? Why did they go to war? Why were they united? What the heck even happened? [For those who did not finish, there is a brief historical timeline at the end, "written" by Elise as part of her scribing job, but the level of detail is minimal and does not provide much more information than is given in the text.]

And yes, this is a fight-to-the-death dystopian-style fantasy. It's pretty obvious (considering this is #1 of who knows how many) that Sal is going to win and become Opal, despite not having any skills beyond thieving and sport-fighting. They do seem able to sneak around, but they also get caught, they're sloppy, can't seem to pick up sword-fighting or archery, skip all the lessons on medicine, and the only thing they learn quickly is reading. And I'm pretty sure that's only because they have a giant crush on the teacher. So how Sal managed to beat out 22 other people, killing at least two that I can recall, I don't have a clue.

Then we have the rest of the Left Hand. All are also faceless. Even when they reveal their faces once Sal becomes Opal, we get zero description of them besides any runes that may be on their bodies (one of them has scars across her face and a fake eye, but I can't remember whether it was Emerald or Amethyst). In fact, the dead runes and I think some people's hair (like the queen) are the only things described about anyone. And even personalities aren't fully developed. Ruby is the only one I sort of liked, because he at least had a sense of humor and liked to play hardball with the contestants. Amethyst and Emerald were both very bland. And Isidora... I quite forgot who she was every single time she was mentioned, until the next time her name came up. Also, Five comments on predictability between Isidora and Ruby, and how they have a close relationship, but I never once noticed it elsewhere in the text. So that part didn't make sense to me.

Even the big reveal of Ruby's identity at the end made me go, "Huh?" Because I'd completely forgotten about the person he actually was, since the names are so out-there that it was impossible for me to remember who was who.

Now despite all these flaws, I did genuinely enjoy reading the book. There is a lot of potential here to be something new, different, and better. I sincerely hope the second book in the series builds much more on character development, world building, and maybe even emphasizing more about Sal's fluidity. I think if you're going to make a big deal about how the world isn't accepting of them, but then have every single person they meet accept them instantly, there is a huge disconnect there that needs to be explored. Are the streets much more hostile to this kind of issue than the court? Or is there something more at work?

I would probably pick up book two if I were given the opportunity. This one is recommended, with reservations. If you want brand new and different, there isn't much here. But if you're interested in fiction prominently featuring characters that aren't straight and white, you might get something out of this.

Mask of Shadows was absolutely brilliant. Perfect for all fans of YA fantasy.

Sal's homeland was destroyed by shadows, and the nobles used her people as bait to slow down the shadows so that they can escape. Forced to become a thief at a young age, Sal is used to sneaking around and fighting to the death, so when an opportunity comes up where Sal can audition to become a member of the Queen's Left Hand, Sal immediately seizes the opportunity to get close enough to kill those who have wronged Sal's homeland. Sal is named Twenty-Three and must outsmart and outlast the other twenty two competitors in order to become Opal.

Sal was a wonderful main character. This was my first time reading a book with a gender fluid main character, and I absolutely loved it. At first I thought I would get confused when other characters were speaking to or about Sal but I was never confused, I also love how it was kind of similar to how our current time period is with the GLBT community, where a lot of people are accepting and understand, but there are others who chose to challenge this and be disrespectful, which one character in this book was. I feel like the author did a great job writing this (although since I'm not a part of the GLBT community, I can't be a true judge of that). I truly loved Sal's personality, Sal was always kind to the servants and other staff, but was also very smart and knew how to be ruthless and when to kill. Sal definitely reminded me a bit of Celeana Sardothien from Throne of Glass, especially since they were both so confident, yet kind in the right moments.

This book started off very fast. It basically just jumps right into the competition within three chapters. While this is good because there was tons of action right from the start, it also kind of sucks because we don't get to know the world and the character as well in the beginning.

The plot is wonderful, yet very generic when it comes to YA fantasy books. It has a lot of similarities with Throne of Glass series and Hunger Games. While I love those types of books, I really do wish that there was something about Mask of Shadows that set it apart from the other books in this genre.

Most of this book was fairly predictable, the ending did surprise me a bit, especially within the last 2-3 chapters. While I have a feeling I know how the next book will turn out, I'm still super excited to read it, and see what Sal does next.

I received Mask Of Shadows by Linsey Miller thru NetGalley for free for an honest review. I was a bit skeptical of The Mask of Shadows. I truly loved this book and knowing that this is the first book in series, so character growth will happen, but not 100%. Mask of Shadows follows Sallot Leon, a contestant to become the newest Opal in The Left Hand,( an elite group of assassins for the Queen). In order to become an elite assassin for the Queen, Sal must go thru training, lessons that are assigned, and survive from being killed by the other contestants. As the book moves along, we only know the others by their numbers that are etched in their masks. Not knowing them by name, makes less personal, and no grown attachments to one another, Sal may seem like a lost cause by others, but that is their mistake. I truly enjoyed getting to know Sallot Leon, the others members of The Left Hand, the Queen and very much looking towards the next book.

The moment I heard that Mask of Shadows had a genderfluid main character, I knew I needed to get my hands on it, whether for reviewing purposes or just pre-ordering it to have and to hold. Then when I learned Mask of Shadows was a fantasy assassin fight to the death story, I was already in love.

Fantasy is a genre close to my heart, one I’ve always loved, but the lack of representation and diverse characters is glaring. In a world where magic and dragons are real, why shouldn’t there be queer characters? Why is a queer main character so unbelievable? Well, that’s a discussion for another blog topic.

I had some hesitations about Mask of Shadows, in that Sal would have been the only queer character and that the book would have used their identity as a marketing ploy; it wouldn’t be the first time books or movies have tried to garner queer readers, simply because we were starved for representation. But in reading, all my hesitations were thrown out the window at how well the representation was handled.

Sal was never only identified by their genderfluidity; they were a thief and an assassin first, a fierce competitor, clever and flirtatious and had terrible aim. The subject of pronouns was brought up, showing how natural asking or presenting pronouns should be, something we in our modern day world can’t seem to handle. Characters asked, “How should I address you?” and when characters that didn’t respect Sal’s pronouns tried to misgender them, that character was corrected (or punched in the mouth, depending on which character was doing the correcting).

Miller’s writing was lyrical and bright in many places, but sometimes I found certain passages confusing and ended up having to read over those several times. It was never enough to throw me out of the story, but it did slow me down. The only reason I can’t give Mask of Shadows five stars is because of the worldbuilding. The little worldbuilding we got left me wanting more, a little confused and sometimes frustrated.

We get a timeline of the history of the world towards the end of the book, but what I would have loved the most is having a map. A fantasy world is hardly complete without a map for readers to peruse and explore, or to reference when it’s brought up in the story. Especially since Mask of Shadows was rife with politics, a map would have been crucial to have. Barring a map, then there could have been better descriptions regarding the nations and the state of the world around the characters. Miller does a fantastic job of painting an intriguing character, but the setting often felt like a vignette: detailed the closer we were to the character, but fuzzy and empty the further away we got.

Mask of Shadows was still an entertaining read and one I think I’ll come back to again and again. If more fantasy books had the representation this one did, I think we queers would be alright.

Mask of Shadows is full of action, suspicion, lethal fights, and retribution - all good things in a fantasy novel.  The action sequences are exciting, well-written, and played out easily in my head.  I also applaud Linsey Miller at writing a gender fluid main character, a very underrepresented demographic.

I struggled with the world-building and character development.  The beginning of the book was a bit confusing, with the explanation of Sal's world almost an info dump, and I never felt as if I had a good grasp of that world.  I understood Sal's need for revenge after living through such a horrid experience, but the decision to audition for Opal seemed quite sudden.  The other contestants are referred to by numbers  only, and with so many, it's difficult to keep them straight or even imagine them as actual characters, with zero information given. 

Mask of Shadows contains a good story, but a familiar one.  

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.