gali's reading of "The Mask of Mirrors" by M.A. Carrick

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gali
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gali's reading of "The Mask of Mirrors" by M.A. Carrick

Post by gali »

The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick

Kindle book: 687 pages

Current page: 88

Genre: A combination of a political thriller and Fantasy, first in a trilogy.

Two authors: Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms

The story takes place in a city that is a fantastic (literally) version of Venice. The writers do an amazing job in telling the plot, describing the characters, and juggling several fascinating plots line. There is a spectacular description of fashion, diverse cast, and one of the magic sets is based on reading tarot cards.

The book has an amazing opening, reminding me of a Dickensian setting. The heroine is an orphan, con artist, and ex-street rat. Just like Oliver Twist, she spent her first years in a house run by a master criminal who uses her as a pickpocket. She escapes with her sister and then the action starts. Ren poses as a Nobel woman and tries to con her way into the noble house of Traementis.

I reached the part where the Rock (a kind of Robin Hood to the poor) is introduced and love it so far!

Have you read the book or plan to read it? The second book just came out, so there is no better time than now to hop on the bandwagon and start it.
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gali
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Post by gali »

Current page: 130

I love the pseudo-Venetian atmosphere, the mix of myth and magic, and the diverse cast. There is even a LGBTQ + representation which is cool. It is multi-pov which I like.

We got Ren, the con artist, and her sister, a Robin Hood vigilante (the Rock), a former thug trying to get respectable (Vargo), a Vrazenian-born police captain (Grey), Leato (from the house of Traementis), and a few other odd characters. Although there are a lot of characters, it is easy to remember them.

The magic system is a bit complex, but I like it from what I read so far.

In addition to the main plot, Ren is tricking her way into the noble House Traementis by pretending to be a long-lost relative, children are going missing from Nadezra's poorest streets which adds to the thrill.
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Michelle Menezes
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Post by Michelle Menezes »

Fantasy and Thriller are my top favourite genres, so I had a look at the blurb, and I love it! The cover is gorgeous too. I added it to my TBR list. Hope I get to read it soon. Thank you so much for the wonderful recommendation.
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Post by gali »

Michelle Menezes wrote: 15 Dec 2021, 01:20 Fantasy and Thriller are my top favourite genres, so I had a look at the blurb, and I love it! The cover is gorgeous too. I added it to my TBR list. Hope I get to read it soon. Thank you so much for the wonderful recommendation.
You're welcome! :)

If you start reading it, you can join me and we can discuss it here or on the Read-a-long forum. :tiphat:
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Michelle Menezes
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Post by Michelle Menezes »

gali wrote: 15 Dec 2021, 02:57
Michelle Menezes wrote: 15 Dec 2021, 01:20 Fantasy and Thriller are my top favourite genres, so I had a look at the blurb, and I love it! The cover is gorgeous too. I added it to my TBR list. Hope I get to read it soon. Thank you so much for the wonderful recommendation.
You're welcome! :)

If you start reading it, you can join me and we can discuss it here or on the Read-a-long forum. :tiphat:
Yes! I'd like that. :)
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gali
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Post by gali »

Current page: 285

The plot thickens. There are many political maneuverings, scheming, and intrigue. The pace is a bit slow, but I don't mind.
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gali
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Post by gali »

I finished the book and liked it. The pace was a bit slow, but it picked up toward the end. The book felt overly long and could have done with some tightening up. There are many adventures and twists along the way, and the authors juggled the multiple storylines well. The book focuses on a large number of characters that drive the plot. However, the characters are fairly memorable and easy to differentiate. The book ends without a cliff-hanger, but there are a few unanswered questions for the next book to address. I enjoyed the book but rated it 3/4 stars because of the slow pacing in the middle. This book is the first of a trilogy and the second one, Liar’s Knot, just came out. I plan to read it but may read another book in between.
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