I really enjoyed this story. It took me a bit to get into into it but once I got there I found myself intrigued and excited to see what would happen. I enjoyed the writing style and will definitely read more from Carrick.

I received an ARC and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Representation: LGBTQ side characters

This series became complex, but fascinating. I was intrigued from beginning to end.
I loved the Venice-like motifs.
The politics kept me guessing.

This was a lot of fun.

Happy reading!

Can't believe it me this long to pick this up, even though it's slow for a fantasy, it actually worked because you got to see the world slowly come to life with each turn of the page as well as it helping you to understand how things worked in this world .

I really enjoyed this book. The story was so intriguing, and the world-building was masterfully done. It's a slower story, but I remained engaged the entire time! I can't wait to read the other books in the series.

I have read a lot of mixed review and I was apprehensive, but I ended up enjoying it more than I thought. First, I like the amount of characters and the amount of points of view and the complexity that comes with that. If it was just the main female character, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much. Sure, the plot might have been a bit predictable, but nothing painfully so. In general. I liked the plot and where it is going. I don’t love any of the characters, but they are interesting and I don’t dislike them. I normally don’t like female characters, and this one is no different. She was quite full of herself and I liked seeing that unravel. She wasn’t annoying enough to stop me from liking it. I liked this book, and I hope the next delves deeper into the works, the magic, and the characters.

Carrick's writing is superb, with a talent for creating intricate and well-crafted plots that keep the reader guessing. The story is richly detailed, with a fully-realized setting and a cast of well-drawn characters. Ren is a complex and engaging protagonist, with a sharp wit and a cunning mind that make her an excellent con artist.

One of the strengths of "The Mask of Mirrors" is its portrayal of a rich and vibrant fantasy world. Nadezra is a fascinating city, with a complex political and social structure that feels both familiar and unique. The story is full of intrigue and suspense, as Ren navigates the complex web of alliances and rivalries that define life in the city.

The characters in "The Mask of Mirrors" are also a highlight, with a diverse and memorable cast that adds depth and complexity to the story. The relationships between the characters are well-drawn, with a sense of history and nuance that adds richness to the story.

Overall, "The Mask of Mirrors" is a fantastic debut fantasy novel that is sure to delight fans of the genre. Carrick's writing is engaging and well-crafted, and her characters are memorable and complex. If you're looking for a thrilling and thought-provoking fantasy novel full of magic and intrigue, "The Mask of Mirrors" is definitely worth checking out.

This was a unique book with interesting characters, but overall, I felt like there wasn’t as much to it that hadn’t been done before as I was expecting. It started off being really good, but lost its grip on me as the story went on.

When Ren comes to the city of Nadežra to con her way into the noble house, Traementis, things do not go as planned.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed The Mask of Mirrors, although I shouldn't have been, because I love reading about con artists and morally gray characters. I also really enjoy complex high fantasies stories with multiple points of view and a slower pace that builds to something epic. On these points, The Mask of Mirrors delivered in spades. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adult high fantasy (in the truest sense of the word) and specifically for fans of The Lies of Locke Lamora.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Originally didn’t give feedback because I DNF, but it’s hurting my feedback ratio, so I will say the book seemed like it would be for me, but it was really slow and I couldn’t get into it. I also never DNF but this makes me.

The plot took me a bit to get into but then I really got into the characters. Ten is an amazing heroine and a force to be reckoned with. Cargo is by far my favorite and you can never guess which way he will fall morally. The support cast is amazing as well. The biggest take seats are the amazing themes, classism/racism, and the factions will keep you hooked.

This is a politically drive fantasy, but it just didn't hit for me. The setting and characters were really great -- I loved how multifaceted some of them were. I think I would have liked the magic explained a bit more for me. I appreciated Ren working to give her younger sister a better future. There is a bigger part of the picture that I'm sure will be developed more in later books. It was still an enjoyable book, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you Orbit and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book so much. I want to start with my one critique, though. While the in-world language and names are incredible, they’re also a bit overwhelming at first, which is why I gave 4 stars instead of 5. But don’t give up. They do get easier as long as you pay attention, and the book is worth the effort. Pro tip: there’s a list in the back to help you sort it all out!

I loved Ren’s character. Between her backstory and her long con, she almost brings more than one character to life; but even more, I loved her relationship with her sister Tess. As someone who loves to sew, I adored all of Tess’s sewing moments, and bonus, as a mom of lgbtq kids, I appreciated every single queer character (of which there are plenty, without it being any part of the plot.) As a writer, I loved the attention to detail given to each character.

The story has twists and turns, and they kept me riveted. My biggest suggestion is to read this book when you have time to concentrate so you don’t miss subtle clues and breadcrumbs! The writing is sort of a combo of limited and omniscient—so you may follow many different characters, but you’ll be close to their point of view. At first I was mildly thrown by that, but it actually grew on me—it reminded me a lot of early 80s style fantasy.

This is adult fantasy at its finest—complex, engaging, and with immersive worldbuilding. It’s definitely not YA, though I’ve seen it reviewed that way because one of the main characters is young. The writing is at the very least crossover, because of the complexity of the aforementioned in-world language.

Bottom line: I highly recommend.

This book is *massive* and thick with nuanced writing and subtleties that make it very rich. It's like eating a sliver of a death by chocolate cake-- you eat it slowly with a glass of milk because you don't want to miss out. And you can't go fast bc it's a very, very slow book. The plot isn't clear until almost halfway in and there are a lot of descriptions but for the life of me I couldn't retain them. It's not a bad book, it's just a very specific experience that takes some time. If you're just to flying through books this one will put the brakes on you SO fast, but it was enjoyable.

For lovers of high politics and intricate plots, where characters are ACTUALLY cunning. I didn't know that this was a penname for Marie Brennan (and another author) but I'm becoming a very big fan of her writing. Although her Lady Trent series wasn't exactly to my taste, she has a very easy way of reading and is incredibly good at writing characters in high society in very interesting ways.

Ok so I'm a sucker for anything Venice-esq but that was some amazing world building and magic system. It's so complex but so neat, a large cast of characters but they were all very distinct and flushed out. I can't wait to start book 2 and I hope book 3 comes soon cause omg that twist at the end!?!?

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

The Mask of Mirrors is a book I started twice and was unable to finish. Pros: the prose. The writing style held my interest on a per-sentence basis, and the setting of Nadezra was lush and descriptive. Cons: I couldn't connect with the characters fast enough, nor their stories hooked me enough to want to continue. Ren's story felt too familiar right from the jump. I'm giving it three stars on an objective basis because I think others might find a lot to like here, but this story just wasn't for me.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

The Mask of Mirrors, first book in the Rook and Rose trilogy, follows Ren, a con artist hoping to con her way into a noble house having them believe she is the daughter of an estranged aunt.

I went in to The Mask of Mirrors with high hopes. M.A. Carrick is the chosen name for two authors writing this together, one of whom is Marie Brennan, of who I am a big fan. So I went it expecting similar writing that I’ve experienced before from previous books. While I don’t know the second author, Alec Helms, I still had an idea in my head of what I wanted to get from this.
Unfortunately, with the two authors writing together, it wasn’t the writing style I expected, and it wasn’t a writing style that worked for me.

The synopsis hints at nightmare magic, and a city filled with secrets. This is true, but it took more than half of the book to fully get going with that storyline. I found the pacing incredibly slow for the set up. There is nothing wrong with a slow build, but a lot of the first half of the book doesn’t really feel pertinent or like it advances any character development. There is a lot of politicking, and setting up the noble houses as Ren makes her way through the city, tying herself to her chosen household, which should have helped created this city filled with secrets, but instead it just felt like it dragged on. You can see that there are many secrets to come, and there could be many interesting people involved in the nobility, but it never fully engaged me into caring about them or what was to come.

This is very much a personal view of the book, that I ended up skimming the last half. Despite this being where the magic came in, and things should have been getting very exciting, I just found that I wasn’t interested anymore and just wanted the book to be over. Again though, that is my view, because I’ve seen some people fall head over heels in love with this. It’s definitely a a polarizing read, as some may love the slow meandering start, and they’ll have a chance to feel more of a connection to Ren and the other characters than I did. While it wasn’t for me, if you think the synopsis is intriguing, it’s definitely worth checking out!

The world-building and writing of this book are extremely well-written. However, it's really hard to get into this book. There is not enough real plot happening during the first 300 pages, and the many names of people, places, and things are a little confusing without context. It is the type of book you can only read so much of at a time because it is slightly dense. The plot itself is really interesting and intriguing, as are the characters.