The Mask of Mirrors

I have had this book on my TBR list, and my own personal bookshelf, for years. It’s chonky, which does mean I need to be ready for it (mood-reading and motivation vibes all in a row).Then, I put it off until the series was fully published, because you know I’m not a fan of a cliffhanger with no end in sight. So, just in case, I waited. And then, as per usual, time got away from me and now, finally, is the moment. A long moment – because this was not a particularly fast reading experience – but a great one!

The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick

“A mask – that was what she needed. […] …something to hide the fear and the fallible human beneath.”

Ren is a con artist, come (back) to Nadežra with her sister, Tess, with the goal of tricking one of the city’s oldest, but currently in decline, noble families. They’ve spent years setting up for this, in the hopes of securing their futures and leaving behind the tragedy and struggles of their pasts. But as Ren is drawn into the elite world of House Traementis, she realizes her masquerade is just one of many, and the “game,” as it were, is much bigger and more dangerous than she’d thought. With other rising stars manipulating for influence, the aristocrats that rule the city in delicate power balances with the native population (Ren’s own people…sort of), a mysterious vigilante, friends and nightmares from Ren’s past that (for good and bad) will not stay on the past, the myrid dangers of the underbelly of the city that Ren knows too well, magic weaving through the City of Dreams blurring the lines between awake/reality and nightmare/other worlds, and Ren’s own efforts to keep the con going while protecting herself and Tess and the city itself, things get intense.

OMG YES to this novel. This was complex AF, with layered histories and cultures and power structures and storylines and even Ren’s own narrative, as she is herself and “plays” at the high-born Renata and the local soothsayer Arenza. Like, from the very start, this had the feel of an epic tale. The many threads, separate and already overlapping, began and then built in a way that promised – and delivered – big things. There was a fantastic mix of world-building and exposition and side stories (that set up smaller characters that then come back to have larger or pivotal roles as the plot plays out) and character development; it was all there. And so well written and paced! I mean, it’s a long read, don’t get me wrong. But it was more in line, for me, with Shannon’s big books, like Priory and Fallen Night, as opposed to the more traditional (and IMO slower-to-read) classic epic fantasy like Carey’s Kushiel’s Dart. I love that kind of immersive reading experience, with fantasy, so it all really worked for me. The one thing I am sort of iffy on was the magic system. Similar to the way the jade magic in the Green Bone Saga didn’t feel fully understandable/clear to me until later books, the magic system in this series feels similar. I am hoping for more clarity on the magic (numinata) in the next books. On the other hand, magically, there was a creative variation of tarot and look, I am a sucker for that in fantasy (and contemporary lit, if we’re being honest). The take on it here was familiar enough, but with alterations that fit the world and aura of this story perfectly. I was into it. And I would love a short appendix to explain it in a bit more detail (I’m manifesting that I find something like that in one of the next books).

Alright, let me just say, again: the details and development! The build in mystery and intrigue that come with good story-telling/plotting, and the relationships that start to feel real the longer a con goes on, were woven together in spectacular fashion, to make this such a compelling read. Ren is tough and independent and prickly and (a bit) outside the law, which is my fav kind of female lead. But we also get to watch her grow and be vulnerable some, as her motivations and traumas come out, and that makes her so real. When she started to have conflicting feelings, as she meets people and puts actual humans behind the figures/marks she built up in her mind, I was like “yessssssss, I love how this is complicating everything!” But she still doesn’t necessarily “come clean” ever unless forced, and even then, only partly – I am so here for that narrative choice. The drama continues to build; no easy happy endings. And then the slower roll, plot-wise, into something so much bigger than her original con, but now she’s super invested (mostly against her will) because now she cares; it all happened so naturally and I was bought IN. Oh, and the Rook. It’s a trope for a reason. How is a masked Robin Hood style character always so sexy? And (small spoiler) is Ren maybe on the path to something similar? There’ll be two? Be still my bisexual heart. I mean, come on.

What else? Let’s see… the moving through dreams and dream worlds brought to life by ingesting magically infused mind altering drugs is trippy and meta and paranormal. It not only fits the vibe of the book, but is also used well in the plot. Ok, PHEW what a conclusion! It was satisfyingly tense and cathartic on its own, while also allowing myriad intrigues to remain for the next book (THAT’s how you do a series people! Make me invested enough to want more and I’ll pick up the next one without a ridiculous and fabricated and heartrending cliffhanger!) 

I just love a good con story and this hit all the highlights, plus some. There was so much going on all the time; it was one of the most technically complex and intricately detailed stories, plot and world-building, and character depth/breadth, that I have read in a while. Slow clap for real. I am going to take a small-ish break for a couple other books that piled up while I was working through this chonker, but I am excited and ready for more of Ren and Co.’s story soon!