Thank you to Forge Books for sending me a copy of Masquerade in exchange for an honest review.
About O.O. Sangoyomi’s Masquerade
In Òdòdó’s hometown of Timbuktu, the warrior king of Yorùbáland’s conquest only worsens the already harsh living conditions for her and other women in her blacksmith guild. When she is abducted and taken to Ṣàngótẹ̀, she discovers her captor is Àrệmọ, the warrior king himself. After visiting her guild in disguise, he intends to make her his wife.
Suddenly elevated to the top of society, Òdòdó finds the power and intrigue of court life both alluring and dangerous. As political tensions rise and hidden enemies emerge, she must navigate and manipulate court loyalties to secure her position – and survive.
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A Dark Romance
Masquerade is being marketed as a dark romance loosely based on the myth of Hades and Persephone. “Loose” is definitely the word I would use. The main similarity in O.O. Sangoyomi’s debut is that a young woman is stolen from her mother to marry someone who deals in death. While the original myth is, ultimately, somewhat of a tale of love, this is a story of obsession and ambition.
As a result, the dark romance aspect doesn’t fully work. Àrệmọ is obsessed with Òdòdó to the point of kidnapping her, and she accepts this far too quickly. She’s completely passive and shows very little emotion about her situation. As a result, it was difficult for me to connect with Òdòdó and her story.
At first, Àrệmọ attempts to woo her through gifts and his battle skills. Once Òdòdó realizes the hypocrisy, however, she’s easier to like. The king wants her because she’s pretty, not smart or strong, and eventually, this wears on her. The idea that her voice isn’t worth hearing does change her view of her situation. While, at first, she isn’t sure where she fits into this society, she knows the wealth and security of her new society are just too much to give up.
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Still, her choices and actions are strange. While Òdòdó starts Masquerade sheltered and naive, this doesn’t match her background or experiences. She blindly trusts those around her, even the man who stole her away from her mother. Suddenly, however, her entire personality turns, and she’s a ruthless killer and master manipulator. I love a morally gray heroine, but I like to see how she gets there.
To Sum It Up
Ultimately, Masquerade didn’t work for me. I couldn’t follow the protagonist’s motivations or desires, which kept me from enjoying the plot.
Masquerade comes out on July 2 and is available for preorder from your local independent bookstore or Bookshop.org.
TW: animal death, blood, child death, classism, confinement, death, death of a parent, drug abuse, emotional abuse, fire/fire injury, gaslighting, gore, grief, infertility, injury/injury detail, kidnapping, misogyny, murder, sexual assault/violence, slavery, torture, toxic relationship, trafficking, violence, vomit, war
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