The Mask of Mirrors

It has been a while since I’ve posted a book review! (Obviously because it also took me like, almost two months to read this book. Oops.) But, I’m happy to share some thoughts about The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick. It was a read where I thought I had an opinion during the first half of the book, that shifted towards the later half.

Let’s review!

An ARC copy was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Table of Contents

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Book Info

Publication Info

Content Warnings

Fortune favors the bold. Magic favors the liars.

Ren is a con artist who has come to the sparkling city of Nadežra with one goal: to trick her way into a noble house, securing her fortune and her sister’s future.

But as she’s drawn into the elite world of House Traementis, she realizes her masquerade is just one of many surrounding her. And as nightmare magic begins to weave its way through the City of Dreams, the poisonous feuds of its aristocrats and the shadowy dangers of its impoverished underbelly become tangled…with Ren at their heart.

On the Page

Animal attack
Captivity and confinement
Classism
Death of a sibling/friend
Depression
Drugging
Estrangement
Gang violence
Grief and loss depiction
Kidnapping
Knife violence
Murder and attempted murder
Neglect and abuse
War themes and military violence

Referenced

Abusive relationships
Blood and gore
Disappearance of a loved one
Nightmares and night terrors

Minor

Content warnings are written up by me, unless specified. Subject to being an incomplete list, though guided by referencing this list and trying to highlight as many as I can identify.

Bookshop

Raven Bookstore

Review

Likes

The intricacy of the plot. I couldn’t help but be absolutely fascinated by the layers of this scheme. Ren’s creativity and dedication to her characters she had to perform in order to fit into society was masterful.
Our characters. I thought the characters were absolutely fascinating. Ren in particular, as well as her relationship with her sister and brother.
THAT DEATH. Honestly, the whole time after [REDACTED] died, I was waiting for the, “Ha ha, just kidding, we wouldn’t do that,” reveal. I didn’t think it was possible [REDACTED] was actually dead. Yet [REDACTED] apparently is. Bravo, even if it hurt.

Dislikes

Worldbuilding, to a point. This is not to knock the worldbuilding, which is obviously rich, in-depth and broad. It honestly is a fascinating world. Yet it was so heavy-handed in parts that I struggled to stay interested and felt overwhelmed. Partly, this could be due to life stressors making this the wrong time to read a complex book like this. But, I would have liked a little less, honestly.

Rating

For me, The Mask of Mirrors was obviously a very in-depth, detailed world, with intricate plots, schemes and characters. While I did end up enjoying it by the end, the almost overwhelming amount of worldbuilding of the first half of the book had me almost DNF. While I’m glad I continued with it, as I will continue the series, I do wish it hadn’t cost me almost two months of reading. *shrugs*

A custom artowrk signature that reads, "Onward to Adventure, Nicole" with a feathered quill and inkpot bordering it.

Comments

Reg @ BookishInBed says

July 12, 2023 at 1:55 pm

Oh man, sad to hear this took you over 2 months to read. That is very fustrating. It does sound like a lot. I probably would have ended up dnfing. I do hope your next read is better!

- ThoughtsStained says
  
  July 16, 2023 at 5:21 pm
  
  I definitely normally would have, but for some reason, I was stubborn with this one. 😅
  
Reg @ BookishInBed says

July 12, 2023 at 9:05 pm

Oh man it’s such a shame that it took you two months I feel I would have DNF’d it. I hope your next read doesn’t take you that long.