The Mask of Mirrors cover art

The Mask of Mirrors

Rook and Rose, Book One

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The Mask of Mirrors

By: M. A. Carrick
Narrated by: Nikki Massoud
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About this listen

 '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

Darkly magical and beautifully imagined, The Mask of Mirrors is the unmissable start to the Rook & Rose trilogy, a rich and dazzling fantasy adventure in which a con artist, a vigilante, and a crime lord must unite to save their city.

Nightmares are creeping through the city of dreams . . .

Renata Virdaux is a con artist who has come to the sparkling city of Nadezra -- the city of dreams -- with one goal: to trick her way into a noble house and secure her fortune and her sister's future.

But as she's drawn into the aristocratic world of House Traementis, she realises her masquerade is just one of many surrounding her. And as corrupted magic begins to weave its way through Nadezra, the poisonous feuds of its aristocrats and the shadowy dangers of its impoverished underbelly become tangled -- with Ren at their heart.

'I was utterly entranced by this glittering world filled with masked vigilantes, cunning conwomen, and dark magic. A sheer delight!' Katy Rose Pool, author of There Will Come A Darkness

'The Mask of Mirrors is exactly the fantasy adventure novel you're craving: an escape into a vast, enchanting world of danger, secret identities, and glittering prose'
Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne

'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

'The Mask of Mirrors ushers you into the fascinating city of Nadezra, replete with complex politics, intricate magic, and mysteries that readers will be racing to unravel. Wonderfully immersive--I was unable to put it down'
Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter

'An intricate, compelling dream of a book that kept me turning pages, with a world and characters that felt deeply real and plenty of riveting twists and turns. I loved it!'
Melissa Caruso, author of The Obsidian Tower

'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)©2021 Alyc Helms, Bryn Neuenschwander (P)2021 Hachette Audio UK Action & Adventure Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Magic Heartfelt Dream
All stars
Most relevant
Really good start to the series, but the Russian accents for no discernible reason? Just threw me off and would’ve been more enjoyable if the narrator had chosen a less abrupt way to distinguish between characters/classes of people!

Very good but

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I loved this book, it has a well thought out culture and I’m still shocked I guessed wrong about who the Rook is! I’m confused that people are surprised that their are fantasy Russians in This? like the names and stories were all very Russian sounding. I don’t know if it’s changed since the reviews about the audio quality were poor, but I have no complaints about it

Fun political fantasy

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There were a lot of times during the first third of this book where I stopped and thought to myself why on earth is this author trying so hard to be unnecessarily complicated. The magic system, the government, the names of people, of the noble houses, of gangs, the police, of basically everything was eye roll inducing, bordering on the absurd. With that noted half way through I’d gotten used to it and the story’s flow improved significantly.

I did not really connect with most of the main characters however anytime Serrado or Tess were mentioned my interest/enjoyment instantly increased, everyone else was fine and had standard story beats, unfortunately the primary villain is as simple as they come.

Standouts were the setting and world building which are excellent once you start getting used to the terminology for everything. The plot is fairly straightforward but still an enjoyable fantasy romp.

My biggest problem is with the narration of the story, a lot of characters (usually males and baddies) are given inaudible whispered voices throughout and it makes the whole experience so frustrating, increasing the volume to still not really understand what’s being said only to be shouted at by other characters in the scene was annoying af. I gave up and just read the book instead.

The ending is satisfying with quite a few unanswered questions so I’ll be continuing the trilogy.

The Mask of Mirrors is a great read and a terrible audiobook

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DNF and will be returning. I can't really rate the story as I didn't get that far into it but I could not stand the narration. The volume is all over the place. I kept having to turn it up to hear the male characters and then turn it back down as the loud, grating exposition returned. Not for me.

Narration did nothing for me

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