Masquerade

De: O.O. Sangoyomi

Narrado por: Ariel Blake

Long-listed, Audible.com Best of the Year, 2024

Set in a wonderfully reimagined 15th century West Africa, Masquerade is a dazzling, lyrical tale exploring the true cost of one woman’s fight for freedom and self-discovery, and the lengths she’ll go to secure her future.

“[Ariel] Blake is adept at describing romantic moments, sumptuous palace finery, and bloody battles. Her characters have depth and personalities, and speakers are easily identified. Òdòdó is an original character, and Blake invests her with gravitas and dignity.”—LitHub

“A bewitching, thrilling and vibrant novel that had me enthralled with every twist and turn.”—Jennifer Saint, New York Times bestselling author

"This splendid romantic adventure, loosely based on the Persephone myth, receives a sterling performance by Ariel Blake"—AudioFile

Òdòdó’s hometown of Timbuktu has been conquered by the warrior king of Yorùbáland, and living conditions for the women in her blacksmith guild, who were already shunned as social pariahs, grow even worse.

Then Òdòdó is abducted. She is whisked across the Sahara to the capital city of Ṣàngótẹ̀, where she is shocked to discover that her kidnapper is none other than the vagrant who had visited her guild just days prior. But now that he is swathed in riches rather than rags, Òdòdó realizes he is not a vagrant at all; he is the warrior king, and he has chosen her to be his wife.

In a sudden change of fortune, Òdòdó soars to the very heights of society. But after a lifetime of subjugation, she finds the power that saturates this world of battle and political savvy too enticing to resist. As tensions with rival states grow, revealing elaborate schemes and enemies hidden in plain sight, Òdòdó must defy the cruel king she has been forced to wed by reforging the shaky loyalties of the court in her favor, or risk losing everything—including her life.

Loosely based on the myth of Persephone, O.O. Sangoyomi’s Masquerade takes you on a journey of epic power struggles and political intrigue which turn an entire region on its head.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Forge.

©2024 O.O. Sangoyomi (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A bewitching, thrilling and vibrant novel that had me enthralled with every twist and turn.”—Jennifer Saint, New York Times bestselling author

“With sweeping romance, an incredible setting, and a heroine who will stop at nothing to have the life she deserves, Masquerade is a triumphant blend of history and folklore that will keep you glued to the page.”—Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author

“Mixing political intrigue and slow corruption with a captivating heroine and gorgeously rendered setting, Sangoyomi delivers an incisive examination of gender, temptation, and the lengths people will go to hold power—a magnificent debut!”—Vaishnavi Patel, New York Times bestselling author

Never expecting the next outcome.

I love how this books shows you the true thought process of a woman that loves and loves hard. And the crazy down spiral of it all. And how she found herself within the chaos. Definitely can see myself as the main character. Very good for a group discussion.

Amazing story line

Suspense and wonder was constant throughout the story. I eagerly awaited the next chapter with excitement.

Wow, my first audiobook.

This was so well done. I felt immersed in the book and couldn’t stop listening. Ariel’s voice and accent were perfect and I felt like I was in Western Africa, just different than the voice I use in my head when reading by myself. The intro and ending music was divine and set the tone. The story was amazing, and it kept me guessing and intrigued done e tire time. The growth and change in the characters was well developed and believable. This is my first historical fiction and now I need more with this setting!

WOW

Arguably one of the best books I’ve experienced. The entire time I was so upset I waited so long to enjoy it

Simply Amazing

As a debut, this was well thought out and came together in way that seemed effortless. I will be looking for more to come from this author. Great job and execution. The storyline flowed so well. I’m typically not speechless but here…I am.

Excellent read!

4.6 stars out of 5 stars if I was to give it a true number rating! The narrator knocked it out of the park and not one minutes of the author's research was wasted. Maybe I'm naive - the ending surprised me...

wonderful everything!

love the story. love the performance. please write more books! i will read everything you write.

I couldn't stop Listening!

There are very few books that keep me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what happens next. This book is a beautifully written story of mystery, love, triumph, betrayals and power!! If you are thinking about reading this book... think no more. Just do it!!!

Fascinating book

Loved the plot twists, how the characters were written and the historical aspects. Beautifully written!

Disappointed

Picked this up because I thought the concept was interesting. Unfortunately that is only VERY loosely based on the story of Persephone. After the main character meets the person who had her kidnapped she pretty immediately goes full Stockholm syndrome. Throughout the book MC alternates between naive/dim to intelligent/clever and despite having been raised in a very isolated environment with no education or means to have developed this cleverness. The only thing that allowed me to finish was a great performance by Ariel Blake. Otherwise would have DNF'd at 50%.