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) 

exquisite

This is my first encounter with Nikki Massoud's reading and I couldn't have been more elated. She switches seamlessly between the multiple--I count at least six--accents required for this story, nesting them so perfectly that a character's exposition is presented in their original voice! even when they are presenting to other characters with an entirely different vocal profile. And Nikki neatly avoids the trap too many narrators fall into: of having vivid dialogue and wooden exposition; she brings so many vocal shades to the exposition it felt more like listening to a play than a book. I already had insanely high hopes for this book on a story level, which are more than being met and surpassed; but the way Nikki brings this to life made me feel as immersed as any full-cast audio.

This is what I come to the fantasy genre for.

If you love politics, sword fighting, glamour, magic, mystery, and underdogs this will be an enjoyable read for you to say the least. However if you like to be spoon feed the world you're in with exposition this might not be your speed. I for one love being dropped into complex fully formed worlds and slowly discovering it's fullness.
The characters in this book have stolen my heart. Every time I think I've pinned down my favorite, somebody comes out of left field and gives me a reason to love them even more.
The performance is good. No major sound editing problems. Not my favorite reader of all time but she does the job well and helps bring the story to life.

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.

Entertaining and occasionally breaks the mold.

I like that the main character is not some chosen one or in a love triangle. She just gets mixed up in things due to her skills as a con artist and the time she was conceived (a trait other characters share as well). It was not deep, but not fluffy either. I was occasionally board by long descriptions of the spiritual and political systems. However, the spiritual systems were slightly more unique than many fantasy books. Romance is minor, possibly laying ground for deeper connection in future books.

Great story

Great mystery and story overall. Did not understand the magic systems in the story. It was hard in the beginning to know who was who by the narrator.

Exactly what you need

I can not wait for the next book to come out in the series. What an amazing story with great characters and world building . I will admit it was a bit confusing at first following the world it is built around but even with that the story was so fantastic I didn't even care. Thats how great it was! I highly reccomend this book. The way it ends leaves you wanting more and a few unanswered questions but trust me it is worth the ride.

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.

so much better then expected

I enjoyed it much more then I thought I would. highly highly recommend to everyone.

Spectacular!!!!

This book has jumped to the top 5 books I have ever read/listened to!! The world building, richness of the characters, the full immersion into a completely new and complex setting, magical/religious & society structure is breathtaking!! And the narrator was absolute perfection. I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE NEXT!!!
Bravo to the author and narrator!!

Narrator whispers too much. Difficult to follow

I was irritated because the narrator whispers for the male voices, so I had to constantly raise and lower the volume.
The world was somewhat difficult to follow because the author didn't give explanations on basic things like why this group didn't like that group. So I was glad the bad person got caught, but unsure WHY he did what he did. But, all in all, once I got the rhythm of the story, I enjoyed it. Except the whispering. if there is a sequel I hope they use a different narrator.