The Mask of Mirrors

By: M. A. Carrick

Narrated by: Nikki Massoud

Length: 23 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Fortune favors the bold. Magic favors the liars.

Ren is a liar and a thief, a pattern-reader and a daughter of no clan. Raised in the slums of Nadežra, she fled that world to save her sister. Now, she has returned with one goal: to trick her way into a noble house, securing her fortune and her sister’s future.

But in the city of dreams, her masquerade is just one of many. Enigmatic crime lord Derossi Vargo, stony captain of the guard Grey Serrado, dashing heir Leato Traementis, and the legendary vigilante known as the Rook all have secrets that could unravel her own.

And as corrupt 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.

"Lush, engrossing, and full of mystery and dark magic" (BookPage), The Mask of Mirrors is the unmissable start to the Rook & Rose trilogy, a dazzling fantasy adventure by Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms, writing together as M. A. Carrick.

Praise for the Rook & Rose trilogy:

"Immersive…a feast to savor slowly." (BuzzFeed News)

"For those who like their revenge plots served with the intrigue of The Goblin Emperor, the colonial conflict of The City of Brass, the panache of Swordspoint, and the richly detailed settings of Guy Gavriel Kay." (Booklist, starred review)

"Utterly captivating." (S. A. Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass)

"This novel will catch hold of your dreams and keep you from sleeping." (Mary Robinette Kowal, author of The Calculating Stars)

"Wonderfully immersive - I was unable to put it down." (Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter)

"Exactly the fantasy adventure novel you're craving." (Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne)

©2021 M. A. Carrick (P)2021 Orbit

Critic reviews

"Utterly captivating. Carrick spins an exciting web of mystery, magic, and political treachery in a richly drawn and innovative world." (S. A. Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass)

"The Mask of Mirrors kept me up reading way past my bedtime. A web of intrigue, magic, and the art of the con this novel will catch hold of your dreams and keep you from sleeping." (Mary Robinette Kowal, author of The Calculating Stars)

"A tightly laced plot dripping with political intrigue. Carrick has built a strong foundation for things to come." (Publishers Weekly)

excellent story and naration

Loved the character builds and twists in the story. kept me wanting more. Cant wait for the next book

This Book is Underrated!

Don’t let the synopsis of the story lead you astray! This is the beginning of a very promising series. Not to mention, the performance by the voice actor was phenomenal!

Super solid

This book starts off at a slow pace, it is mainly concerned with political intrigue and social maneuvering but don’t be fooled, there is so much more in store, and the first part of the book is carefully laid groundwork. It explodes from there. Really absorbing, great characters, imaginative, well written, captivating. Loved it. Off to read the second!

Took some time but then I was hooked!

It took me some time to sort through all the characters but once I did I was hooked! It was many different stories coming together at the end and wow!

Narration made this impossible

The narrator absolutely butchered the accents of the two main characters, going from what sounded vaguely Arabic, to Scottish, to Indian. Painful.

Just can’t get into it

Blah. Narration is okay.

Production issue: the volume difference between the narration and the dialogue is sometimes so large that I have to listen with my hand on the volume control.

Most like Lies of Locke Lamora

Like the Lamora series, the plots are complex and the characters are too. Another similarity is putting the artistry in con artist. That said, I found the series very original and fresh. The pacing was excellent. I pre ordered book 2 in the series.

Hard to hear some parts but great overall

My only complaint is that much of the dialogue, especially from male characters, was too quiet to be heard. The overall performance of the story was great, but I was shifting the volume up and down so often so I didn’t miss conversations.

Welcome to a world of the con artist

I love the way that the story unfolds and the characters are building with each chapter and the story is getting more creative and complicated and the depth of the characters are wonderfully told.

This is a hidden gem!

I'm so thrilled that I found this book. I can't believe this doesn't get more notice. It's a fantastic story, with great characters, and the narration is amazing. While this book is fantasy, I think it will appeal to readers and listeners who don't normally choose the genre. The world building is fantastic. It's true at the beginning you don't necessarily understand exactly how everything works but as the story progresses everything starts to unfold. I truly enjoyed every moment of this book and can't wait until the next book in the series is released at the end of the year!