First of all, thank you Sourcebooks and Netgalley for this arc. I was given this arc for an honest review. I'll start off with a brief summary, my likes, my dislikes, and followed by my personal thoughts.

What is this book about?
This book is about Sal, a non-binary character, and their quest for revenge due to their family and town were slaughtered by shadows. This character does not use the typical pronouns of he/she. Sal wishes to be respectfully called as "they." Sallot is a thief and has to kill another thief lord, so Sal could be of service to the Queen.

What did I like about this book?
1. It was the first book, I've read with a non-binary character.
2. This book did include a lot of excellent diversity.
3. I like the action in the beginning of the novel. The action remains a constant in this novel.
4. I enjoyed the minimal world-building.
5. Sallot would be my favorite character. The sassy attitude was enjoyable. This character didn't hold back their opinions.

What didn't I like about this book?
1. I think this book felt a bit "rushed" to me. I think it would have been even better, if the author took more time to develop the story a bit better.
2. There were loose ties and unanswered questions. Maybe with the second book, my questions will be answered.
3. There were times, I was confused with the numbers. I could have sworn number 5 was killed at some point before number 4. The numbers on soldiers, was a bit off for me.
4. There were wonky sentences and wrong word choices.
5. A lot of prepositions.
6. The characters, although different, were stagnant. Not much dimension as I hoped there would be. With time, that could have been more of an improvement.
7. A predictable plot.

What are my personal thoughts?
This is just my opinion. I did enjoy Sallot. Creating such a character was a breath of fresh air to fantasy. You don't see much of this in fantasy. The author did a great job, by giving us diverse characters. I just wish the plot was a little less predictable and given more time to develop. Still though, I look forward to this novel when it's released, and I look forward to the next novel in the series, since it's going to be a duology.

(This review will not be published until 30 days before the release of the novel)

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The book started out decently. It begins with a robbery as we are introduced to our gender fluid main character Sal, and the competition that would change their life. Notice I used ‘their’ instead of he or she, for Sal chooses to be addressed as whatever they dress. If he dresses as a man, he will be addressed as such. If she dresses as a woman, the same applies. This was interesting as I never read from such a POV.

Everything else went pretty downhill from there.

If I could use one word to describe how I felt about this book it would be this: DISAPPOINTED.

The Goodreads synopsis for this book says, “Perfect for fantasy fans of Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo”. And you know what? They technically weren’t wrong. If you like assassins and shadow monsters that kill everyone, this is the book for you. Seriously, if Throne of Glass and Shadow and Bone got together and had a child, it might be Mask of Shadows. Just remove the compelling characters, fluid writing, and vivid world building.

This book is about Sal, one of the last few survivors of Nacea, a land that was ravished by wars and monsters made of shadow and magic. Sal has decided to get revenge on those who abandoned Nacea to die, and to do so, Sal joins a competition to be the Queen’s next Opal. The Opal, along with Ruby, Emerald, and Amethyst, are all part of the Queen’s Left Hand, a group of assassins ready to do the Queen’s dirty deeds in secret. And if this doesn’t sound a bit like Throne of Glass, or Hunger Games, or any of the hundreds of YA with similar plots, I don’t know what does.

Anyway, this competition has very few rules. The objective is to kill all the other contestants without harming civilians and without getting caught. Simple enough, right? Wrong, not where there are twenty-three other people also ready to kill for the title.

And so, it begins. There are ‘plot-twists’, dangerous politics, court intrigue, and of course, murder. The problem was that I didn’t care about any of it. I couldn’t care less if Sal, or any of the other characters, all got blown up or shot in the face. They did not bring forth any emotion from me. Maybe it had to do with the fact that we got no physical descriptions whatsoever, or that everyone was called either by a number, Sal being Twenty-Three, or the gem they represented (ex. Ruby, Amethyst, Emerald). Also, the supporting cast was a cluster of clichés, including the strong headed, determined handmaiden/servant, and the generically evil competitor who has it out for the main character and also wants revenge for something or the other. I honestly feel like Miller thought that she was giving these characters personality and depth, and I appreciate her effort, it just didn’t translate to me as I think she would have hoped.

As for the gender fluidity of the character, while interesting, seemed unnecessary. Now, before you get mad, let me explain. Sal’s sexual orientation is a major selling point. And that is it. It doesn’t factor into the story, whatsoever. Is this a world where being gender fluid is acceptable? I don’t think it is. If so, why does Sal get emotional when people accept this as a part of them? How does it affect Sal as a person? The other competitors? The story as a whole? What do we learn from this? Nothing, that is what. It was there to be one of few hints of originality in the story.

So, why 3 stars? Because I am a nice person. Also, because I was entertained, and that is really what I want in a book. To be entertained for a couple of hours of my life. Also, it left me interested enough that I might actually read the sequel.

This book had a mixture of throne of glass and hunger games. I would like to know more about where she came from.Sal's character is a little off and takes time to like. Overall an alright book

When I started reading this book, honestly, I was disappointed because I expected too much of Bardugo's and Maas' way of writing in the story to begin with. However, things changed as I go along with the book and the story got really fascinating. It captivated me. The gender fluid character was COOL! (I’m just going to say it informally rather than formal) It is something different and uncalled for. That is what made this book attractive and bad ass (sorry for the language but I that’s how I feel about this book) This book is dark and emotionally captured me in a way that I felt lonely when I finished reading the book knowing that I have to wait for the next book to come out since this one hasn’t been released yet. Linsey Miller, thank you so much for writing such a wonderful story and sharing with the world. I can hardly wait for this book to be released. I have so many more to say but I’ll keep it to myself because trust me it will be never ending.

A high fantasy about assassins and a gender fluid MC? The synopsis of this book definitely piqued my interest. Unfortunately it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

I was intrigued by the gender fluid MC since i have yet to read a book in which gender fluidity is discussed. I'm not educated enough to comment much on that aspect on that aspect of the book but I will say that it felt rushed and was not explained very well.

In parts of the book there was a lot of info dumping, so much so that some events are still unclear to me.

I also found that the character development was lacking a bit. By referring to the competitors as numbers it was very impersonal and hard to keep track of who was who. I found it quite improbable that our MC went from being a thief -who had not killed anyone- to being this assassin who kills a bunch of people without feeling any sort of guilt.

I'm going to be honest here, I absolutely was drawn in by the premise of the book. The idea of a gender fluid character was intriguing, but it was the base of a competition for assassins.. I'm a sucker for assassin themed books. But...

The book was beyond tedious in my opinion.



Sal was a thief, a darn good thief and when the option to become more, to become one of the Queen's skilled assassin's presents itself, Sal leaps and takes a chance by throwing themselves into the competition. Yes, Sal is indeed a gender fluid character so they are frequently addressed as He/She/They depending on how they are dressed or how they prefer to be addressed at the moment.

Each competitor is given a number which is confusing because I cannot keep track of One, Two, Three, Five, Eight, Twenty-Two. All I know is that Sal is Twenty-Three and everyone else is interchangable, forgettable and flat. There is a disconnect between all the characters, I do not feel for Sal's plight, I did not feel for any of the characters. There is no depth, no insight and coupled with the lack of explanation in multiple situations as well as history it made the book a chore to read.

There were also so many things that I just could not make myself believe, even though this is a fantasy book I just found myself shaking my head in disbelief. I wanted to like this book, but for me it was just not there and I found myself constantly stuck whilst reading it.

OMG ! I loved this book ....I want my own Opal now. The story kept me wondering what Sal's next move was going to be right to the end and yes i loved the ending. Hopefully I can read more about Sal's adventures in the future.

Mask of Shadows introduces a new breakthrough in the fantasy world with a character in the LGBTQ+ society. I liked how the author was able to write about a gender fluid character and it has definitely opened up my eyes into the wonderful community. The storyline in this book intrigued me and surprised me with characters you can't help but feel for. It is a perfect mix of a fantasy version of the Hunger Games and Throne of Glass. I will definitely be getting copies of this book on release day!

This was a new author for me and I would have to say I really enjoyed the book, I thought I would not like it when I started it but I really started to get hooked I hope Linsey Miller will write another book soon. I can't wait. I loved the plot and characters it just grabs you.

This was a really good book. I didn't know what to expect coming into it but I was pleasantly surprised by the character development and pacing of the story. I could hardly put this book down. I can't wait for the sequel.

The synopsis for Mask of Shadows says "perfect for fantasy fans of Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo". I think whoever wrote that set this book up to fail in comparison to those two writer's books. Comparing a book to the likes of Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo is a very bold claim and I feel like because of that claim and the epic sounding synopsis, I was let down by this book.

The plot is kind of boring and unoriginal. It felt a lot like The Hunger Games and by a lot, I mean almost an exact copy. I'm not really into reading books that are very similar so the plot really wasn't for me.
I liked the writing. It wasn't Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo level but I liked it. It felt like the writing of a debut novel but I think there's a lot of potential for the author.
The diversity in the main character is what held this book together for me. I'd never read about a gender fluid character before and to be honest, I don't know a lot about gender fluidity. I was very interested to learn about Sal and see a new perspective. If the main character wasn't diverse, this would be a two star book for me.

Overall, Mask of Shadows was okay. I liked it for the most part but whenever I think about this book being compared to Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo, I roll my eyes. That line is clearly a marketing ploy and shouldn't be taken seriously. If you don't mind books having similar plots, you might really like this book. Or if you're on the hunt for a gender fluid character, Mask of Shadows would be a good one to pick up. But, if you're looking for amazing writing and an original plot, you'll want to skip this book.

The best part of this story was probably Sal, the gender fluid main character. They were compelling, knew who they were and what they wanted. It helped to include a female romantic interest. The whole story in itself wasn't entirely original, but the way the writer played it made it feel a little more interesting. The idea of the Queen having a left hand of assassins named after jewels was creative, and I found myself wanting to know what happened next. Would read a second book, for sure!

I really enjoyed reading this book! Yes, it feel back into some of the common tropes of YA Fantasy/Literature - fight to the death competitions, assassins, vengeance plot. But I still really liked the book.

I loved that the main character, Sal, was gender-fluid. I've read about some people complaining about some inconsistencies of how people treat them (most others are matter of fact about their gender, but times they get teared up as if it was not the usual. We never really see them not being treated poorly due to gender except by the 'bad guys"), and also how the gender-fluidity almost seems like a non-issue. But I think that it is important to normalize all gender expression, and by mentioning it WITHOUT making it the main part of the story line is a step in the right direction.

This book was very confusing and the characters were inconsistent.

I received an early copy from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Wow is my first impression. I mean WOW. I loved it. I loved the story line and the characters. I just want more now that it is finished. I thought the ending wrapped up everything nicely but left it open enough for a sequel. The writing was superb and I found the plot to be captivating. I loved the idea of having auditions to become one of the Queen's assassins. I wanted more background of Twenty Three the main character because it was touched upon but I don't feel like I had the whole story. The development of the world was great and I hope when it goes out there will be a world map because that would be epic.

My favorite character was Sallot. Sal was an interesting character with a colorful history. Sal was smart, quick, snarky, smooth, flirtatious, and powerful. It is the type of character that you can really enjoy because it is unique and someone you want to know more about. You want to be around Sal and it feels like you can't get enough of this character.

My favorite moment was the first night of auditions. I found the dynamic of the all the auditioners and the servants made for a very tense scene. I loved the introduction to Maud (who I fell in love with) and my second favorite auditioner Four. It was quite a powerful few scenes and set the tone for the rest of the story. I couldn't imagine having to do all of those things with Ruby, Emerald and Amethyst watching every move you make. It was tense and I will keep saying that.

Overall I would recommend this book to all of my friends. I'm pre-ordering it as we speak because the cover is gorgeous and I just loved the story. I wanted to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the chance to read this amazing story.

I liked this book! The exploration of Sal's compelling gender fluid identifiers were indeed the highlight of the book. The explorations if the character as Sal navigates through being a he/she was basically the only reason I wanted to finish the book. The storytelling was less compelling and the plot was highly reminiscent of the Hunger Games to which this book hardly offers anything new to this genre of writing. The book does not compare to that of Leigh Bardugo or Sarah J Mass's writing style nor does it come close to the complex characters and world building. Although I enjoyed the read I would probably skip reading the sequel.

An excellent novel, the treatment of the main character as a gender-fluid individual was fantastic and quite tasteful in my opinion. The action and storyline were quite good, though as this is an advance review copy the segues between scenes seem a bit unfinished and were a little jarring. I loved the characters and found the writing quite engaging

Sal became a thief to survive when his family was killed. The day he stole from a Lady, to the Queen, his life changed. For she held an special invitation to win entitlement of becoming Opal, one of the 5 of the Left Hand to the Queens inner court. If Sal can win Opal then he would enact revenge against his family. Could he also win the Lady's heart? But before doing so Sal would have to battle life and death till the very end against 22 others who are not only stronger but better trained in killing. Could Sal go from thief to killer or would he be able to outwit everyone without killing?

This was not my typical book I would sit and read but I found myself rooting for Sal. He was common man going up against so much more evil. As the pages turned I couldn't wait to get to the next chapter to find out what would happen next to Sal. What was the next challenge and who would be eliminated next. Would he have enough street smarts to win. I hope you find this book as captivating as I did.


I received the book from Netgallery for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.

Let me start off by saying: Linsey Miller you have created a magical thing!

Gender fluidity in young adult fiction is still a rare appearance, which is exceedingly unfortunate so Sal adds a new name to a small cast of characters. How gender fluidity is portrayed is well done, actually, it is similar to how a friend of mine presents their identity (without the mask of course). It truly shows how a day, even an hour can change how a person feels in themselves.

Though there are a number of series covering bloody competitions, this was a new understanding of a comfortable plot device. Instead of a battle ending in a victor to keep control over a distressed population we have a group of talented people seeking to rid the young country of those who wish to return to a state of unrest.

The setting is bright and lively even with the dark undertones of the past. The characters are vibrant even if pure hatred emanates from their every movement. This novel was magic in a world where it no longer exists and I cannot wait for the sequel.