The Mask of Mirrors

De: M. A. Carrick

Narrado por: Nikki Massoud

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

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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

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!

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!

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.

Very political and complicated

I found there to be way too much invention to the point that understanding what the characters were talking about became a guessing game at times, (e.g.,, the confusing words for time and dates). So many invented words for simple items were distracting, and with the addition of the elaborate political machinations among the players and classes the story completely bogged down, IMHO.

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!

Not a typical set of heroes

Got this title during a sale and sounded interesting. Glad I did.

Narration and change of accents was very well done. As an audio book - superb - they chose well for that!

The heroes are not typical and are flawed. And stay true to their backstory. Vargo is both a good guy and a bad guy... won't say more not to spoil but is a great example of good and evil in one and that life isn't black and white.

It was a hard sale of a story I would say. Trying to keep track of characters, races, politics, and belief systems is where other reviews of not so good, etc I think come through. As an audio version I just went with it and kept listening and actually found the story likeable.

No sappy love tales. Yay! Sci-fi/ fantasy of the 21st century can obviously be good without throwing that in.

I was debating on 4 or 5 stars but it got 5 because I got through the book like the protagonist and do not know who The Rook is! Definitely will check out book two.

Slow and steady wins the race !!

Great story. I read multiple reviews before purchasing this one so I knew what to expect. The story is wonderful as long as you know going in to it that it unfolds slowly. Well worth the wait.

A Complex Maze

This unique alternative world fantasy has everything it needs to revolutionize its genre and reach beyond that to become a literary classic. It presents a world that in its own way is as complex as Tolkien's Middle Earth filled with complex, fully realized characters. But where Tolkien resorted to archietypes of good and evil, the writing partnership known as M.A. Carrick has filled this world with complex human characters all seen from a distinctly female viewpoint.

Where men might use brute force, the two female main characters must survive and ultimately thrive in a world of fully realized characters, each with his or her unique strengths and weaknesses, good and bad impulses, and the complex contradictions of real people. To do that they mish understand those people and. the pressures and desires that drive them. They must use that understanding of the forces surrounding them to find a place for themselves, manipulating others when they need to, balancing them against each other to expandd their own space, and carefully choose their own allies. They must form carefully chosen alliances and earn the trust, help, and protection of those people they have chosen, while preserving their own secrets. And ultimately they must play key roles in defeating an evil power that is seeking to destroy their city.

Nikki Massoud is the perfect story teller for this tale. She adds her own talent with multiple voices to bring the story to life znd present it clearly for the listener.

This is a complex book that demands the reader's full attention and deserves multiple readings. If it leaves the writer with a feeling of regret when the story ends, then the good news is that the second volume in this planned trilogy has recently been released and is available on Audible. I hope for many more equally fascinating, complex books from M.A. Carrick in the future.