This review and others posted over at <a href="http://milliebotreads.com/"><b>my blog.</b></a>

I was intrigued by the genderfluidity of the main character, but wary of the assassin competition aspect of this YA fantasy. I didn’t hate the book (which we know is kind of rare for me and YA) but I really wasn’t loving it either.

My first thought after reading is: why was Sal gender fluid? I liked the idea, but the way it was slapped into the story felt like it was an effort to check a box that’s not often checked in YA fantasy. Sal’s gender is reflected outwardly by how they dress. When they meet someone new, they explain that if they’re dressed as a male (I took this to mean pants and a shirt) they’re to be referred to as ‘he’ and when dressed as a female (a dress) ‘she’. If Sal’s outfit was more ambiguous (meaning...???) then it was ‘they’ – I didn’t pick up on this last one happening at all, so I’m not sure why it was mentioned.

All of this made sense to me. It also made sense to everyone in the book that Sal explained it to. No one questioned Sal’s motives or asked why they chose to live their life this way or even really insulted their choice (except the one exceptionally douchey competitor, because of course, he was being douchey so we’d hate him) – so my question is, why did this even need to be explained several times? If the world Sal lives in is 100% accepting of their lifestyle, why should Sal ever have to talk about it? Why couldn’t Sal just be referred to as he and she throughout the book without a long-winded clothing-based explanation that felt more for the reader’s benefit? I just wish this had been handled more naturally. I had no problem keeping my mental image of Sal androgynous and shifting genders based on the scene cues and I wish I’d been allowed to do so on my own.

Sal was an interesting character, but no one else really caught my eye. Obviously, most of the other competitors are shallow, as they’re expendable. The final few obviously weren’t going to beat Sal out of the top spot (or it wouldn’t be much of a series, I imagine) so they didn’t really matter either. One of the competitors, Four (they go by numbers), apparently did what he could to look out for Sal, for no apparent reason, and I assume this was to make me care a little more about him, but it didn’t. Why would people competing to be a royal assassin bother to make friends?

The same goes for the nobility whom Sal was dead-set on getting revenge on. Their names were rather similar and there were too many to keep track of and because Sal’s backstory was crammed into large paragraphs of dense, boring, infodumps throughout the book, I didn’t really care about any of them, or take them as a threat.

Sal’s romantic interest felt forced and I honestly don’t think there needed to be romance in this book. That’s not to say Sal can’t have a relationship, I do find that interesting, but amid trying to stay alive, killing other contestants, trying to plan how to exact their revenge and training in the arts of swordplay, archery, poisons and antidotes, healing, etiquette and reading and writing, they found time to fall in love too!? Spare me. Sal met this girl, decided they kind of liked her and then randomly decided (mentally, to themselves) that the girl liked Sal back and suddenly, lo and behold, the girl declared her romantic interest in Sal and added in the fact that while she’s supposed to be interested in men, she’s not only interested in men. Again, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with these aspects, but the way they were presented was awkward.

I knew the assassin competition plotline wouldn’t be fun for me – I already learned that thanks to Throne of Glass and my feelings towards the idea aren’t any different here. Why would any king or queen hold auditions for an assassin, let alone one that’s open to the general public? It made even less sense in this story (it pains me to say) because the queen specifically invited eight people to compete for the spot – isn’t that enough? And if they all failed to live up to expectations, then comb your list for eight more, or maybe then ask the locals and peasants to try out. But…still. No matter how you cut it, it doesn’t work for me.

Okay, I know it seems like I really didn’t like this book. But that’s not the case! I had issues with the characters and the assassin school, but I liked most of Miller’s writing and I especially loved that Sal actually killed people! What’s that? An assassin that assasses!? Why yes! Within 8% (was reading on my Kindle), Sal had already brutally murdered someone. Finally! Sal was certainly fairly badass and while most of the training was boring, they did seem to learn and they had some skills, to begin with. I believe Sal killed about eight people throughout the book and because this is a book about assassins, I felt like it delivered on that standpoint.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. All opinions in this post are my own.

This book was like a really weird combination of Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass Series and Jay Kristoff’s Nevernight Chronicles. On Goodreads this has been shelved as fantasy but I honestly did not notice a single fantasy element in this story. Something to keep in mind when you are reading.

Characters…

I’m honestly not sure how I felt about the characters. Gender fluid Sal was interesting. I have never read a book with a gender fluid character so it was cool to read about one. I don’t know how accurately they were portrayed but it was definitely informative. However, I felt the author put too much emphasis on this aspect of the character. I would have liked to have more of a backstory and how Sal feels and what drives him. We learn about Sal’s mission but we don’t get enough to really connect with Sal’s emotions. I know Sal’s gender fluidity was an important part of their character but I prefer when a character’s sexuality just is and they don’t have to constantly remind people about it. But that is just my personal reading preference. If the author’s goal was to show how important this was to Sal, then that was definitely communicated well.

The other auditioners were not developed at all. I know almost all of them died and maybe the author didn’t explain any of their backstories because of this but even if we never hear from any of them again, I still would have liked to be able to connect to at least a few of them. I feel like Sal’s relationship with all of the other characters were not very developed but not for lack of trying.

Maud, Elise, and Sal’s tutor (I can’t remember her name sadly) were the only other characters that really mattered to me. Ruby was interesting but I was confused a lot of the time by her role. I just wanted so much more from these characters.

Plot…

Like I said above, this is like a weird combination between Throne of Glass and Nevernight. There was a competition for the next Opal (one of the Queen’s right hands). The auditioners had to kill each other off and not get caught while participating in training and passing tests. There was a lot of action throughout the book but they were all short, fast paced scenes that lasted for three-four pages at the most. In fact, the entire book was so fast-paced that there was no suspense no time in-between to get to know the characters.

This book takes off within the first chapter. There is no build up to help the readers connect with the story and help them understand the world and what’s going on before all the action starts. Just like in the characters themselves, I wanted more.

I did enjoy the story, however. You give me a book with assassins and you can pretty much guarantee that I will love it. The premise of the story itself was interesting enough to make me want to love it. I also loved that the main character wasn’t the usual characters you normally see in young adult books these day. Is this considered young adult? Honestly, I’m not sure. Overall, if you read the synopsis and it interests you then I recommend giving the book a try. While it’s definitely not one of the best books I have ever read, I really did enjoy it and am looking forward to see where the series will go.

3.5/5 Stars

Being a fantasy fan I jumped at the chance to read Linsey Miller's Mask of Shadows. It's got revenge and assassins set in a kingdom that's on the edge of war. How could I not pick this one up? This book has go a lot going for it especially when it comes to Sal. Our gender-fluid protagonist is a thief trying to become the next member of The Left Hand, a super exclusive group of assassins serving the Queen.

And these trials are no joke folks. Competitors are out to kill each other while training to become the best they can be. From physical tasks like running, swordplay, and archery to the finer subjects like etiquette, literacy, and healing, Sal is under a constant barrage of attention and demands. Thankfully Miller doesn't shy away from the actuality of assassins with lots of violence and action.

Revenge is Sal's motivation and that's where the politics and worldbuilding come into play. The Queen has brought together two nations at odds with one another but not all members of society are pleased. Unfortunately Sal's home nation of Nacea was destroyed by shadow magic when this occurred and they hold a bit of a grudge. Given all this, being a member of The Left Hand may be the only way Sal can get what they want.

While I totally enjoyed this one I found a couple of issues that irked me. In the middle of the novel there was a lot of drag but then at the end everything hurtled at a break neck pace. I also felt like most of the side characters lacked any depth which is probably why I felt a disconnect at certain points. Plus I want to know about the magic that has disappeared. Hopefully in the sequel will get more.

Overall Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller was a compelling story with lots of action and emotion. While it may not be my fave fantasy ever, there was plenty to enjoy within these pages and Sal's journey was definitely intense. With political intrigue, assassins, and possible enemies at every turn, this one is a great choice for fantasy fans. Definitely recommend giving Mask of Shadows a shot!

I found this to be an enjoyable enough story, I found myself wanting to pick it up rather than putting it off. Since finishing it I have read several reviews which compare this story to others such as The Hunger Games and upon reflection I can see why however, this didn't bother me as I enjoy these types of stories. This book is about Sal who finds a poster asking for people to come and take part in a competition to be the new member of the left hand, which is the Queen's elite assassin squad. We follow Sal and the others who take part in the competition and all of the action and excitement that ensues. There are also some side plots which I will come to later.

This main plot line of the competition is what I enjoyed the most about this story. I liked the action and how fast paced the story was and although it was somewhat predictable this didn't bother me. I did however find that I was sometimes confused with what was happening and why things were happening. To me this happened more when we were reading about the side plots and Sal's reasons for joining the Left Hand. I found the writing jumped around a lot and this was sometimes hard to follow. I enjoyed the fast paced nature of the story but I feel that if some chapters slowed down a bit and offered some more explanation the side plots would of been easier to follow. I was also a bit disappointed in the world building. I would of liked some more depth to this. It would of been nice to learn more about the history of the lands, the magic system and the wars.

I loved the fact that the author included a gender fluid main character, any diversity is a hit for me, and I liked how it was accepted in this world. However, I would of liked to have seen a bit more about Sal growing up and dealing with their gender fluidity. I would of liked to see how they challenged others views, overcame difficulties and came into their own. To me this would of made Sal a stronger character. I did like the portrayal of Sal however, and I liked how feisty and kick ass they were.

I also wasn't a massive fan of the romance. This is one of the aspects of the story that I found to be quite confusing. I appreciated that there was diversity in the romance however, I didn't quite get how they went from competitor and teacher to a couple. Again I think this was due to the writing jumping around a bit.

Overall I did enjoy the main crux of the story but I did have some issues with some aspects of this book. Initially I wasn't sure if I was going to continue on with the series but since looking into it a bit more I have found out it is a duology so I think I might pick up the next one just to see how the story concludes.

I have eagerly awaited reading this book, especially since it was compared to two series I absolutely love, Shadow of Bones and Throne of Glass. Unfortunately that may have been the beginning of the down fall with this book, because knowing those series, I went in with very high expectations with this book. Unfortunately this book left me with a lot to be desired. That pains me to say that, because this book was one of my most anticipated reads this year.

While the plot, and world building were good, this book's biggest struggle for me was the characters. They may have been fun to read about, but in depersonalizing them for the story, something I understood for the plot, it also did that for me as a reader. Unfortunately that's what hurt the story for me. The characters were too important to not have a personal connection with. Even if the system they're training for wanted them to feel otherwise. Giving them numbers as names didn't work at all for me either. It started to feel like another popular YA series, and began to feel like an excuse to not fully develop the characters with the way they were written.

Props to a diverse book with a main character who's gender fluid. Sadly where this book could have shined with Sal's character, it failed to make that trait important to the character. Because of that, I felt like that was just thrown into the book to call it diverse. Aside from spending first half of the book confused on if Sal was a male or a female, I was most disappointed with feeling that Sal could have been such a great character. I wanted Sal to be a favorite character of mine. I wanted to feel like I understood and connected to Sal on some level. Unfortunately not only was Sal a character that lacked I connection with, they completely lacked any character development as well.

As a reader, one of the most disappointing things is walking away from reading a story feeling like it could have been so much better if only there was something more I got from the character. Especially when it's for one of your most anticipated reads. There was such an over emphasis on depersonalizing Sal for training, that like the other characters, they were all depersonalized to the reader. You can not write a book like this and not have any character development. This is complex story that should have thrived on character connection, and development. Instead it's completely fallen flat, and left me feeling like it could have been so much better. I'm frustrated by that. I wanted so much more from Sal and the characters. I wanted to see them thrive and grow as characters. I wanted to be excited to pick up Sal's next book and find out what was in story for the characters.

One of the many things I love about YA books, is getting to 'meet' characters whom you may have nothing in common with. I love that feeling when you finish reading their story, and walk away feeling a connection with them on some level. I've read countless books where this occurred, and have loved those books for that. I wanted that from Mask of Shadows. I love a well written YA fantasy/dystopian, but no matter how fun the story is to read, how well written the plot is, or how well crafted the world building is, without a character connection I end up finishing the book feeling like it was just okay, when I wanted to love it.

There are several different things that I want to applaud this author for because they tried to make it a point to include diversity within this book!!

Gender fluidity in a YA FANTASY although it could have been more prominent than what it was. There wasn't as much emphasis as their could have been! Miller did an amazing job showing the character and how gender fluidity was such a part of who they were. Diversity which included prominent People Of Color, People with disabilities, bi-sexual/pan-sexual love interest. Not always is there this amount of representation within a book, but also for a YA FANTASY!

I feel like the whole battle to the death thing has been used so much with Mass and Bardugo and many other authors I really didn't have it in me to read about another. Although I will admit it was good, but not on the level of Bardugo and Maas like it said in the blurbs.

For a debut novel there are things that would have made it better but with growth comes changes and there are other books set to come out in this series!

Mask of Shadows is an excellent to an elite fantasy group of assassins. In a world of intrigue and violence, Miller delivers a character you can respect and root for. This is the fantasy assassin story we need. (And the assassins DO kill people, unlike some fantasy assassins <side eye>.) Strong build-up for the rest of series and maybe more stories in the larger world. Ending is a touch abrupt and could maybe be called a cliffhanger (I'm neutral on that, but I know some people have strong opinions).

Strongly recommended if you enjoy Tamora Pierce, Hunger Games (the competition aspect), and maybe Throne of Glass.

With Mask of Shadows, Linsey Miller introduces readers to Sallot Leon, a young thief just trying to survive, on a quest to rise above their challenges and fulfill their dream of becoming a member of The Queens Left Hand.

It really is a fight to the death to even reach the level of being considered for the position - Auditioners are presented with challenges that they must accomplish, and taking out your opponents is both an accepted and implied challenge in itself. The only rules are to follow are the rules set up by the current members of the Left Hand, and they're not there to help you succeed. Provide guidance, lessons, yes. Protection? Each Auditioner is on their own.

Sal is inexperienced as far as many of the challenges go. They are a thief, not a trained assassin, which are worlds apart in these circumstances. They are accustomed to daily survival, fight to get the goods and get out quick as you came, and any death that happens at their hands is a last resort. With no weapons skills of note, Sal's journey is that much tougher than that of their opponents. Most everyone has some sort of skill, possesses some sort something that gives them an upper hand. All Sal has is their dream and the attached determination to be Opal, and often times, that's just enough. Of course, having revenge as a driving force is also a great motivator ;-)

The pace of Mask of Shadows is super-quick fast and often intense, and starts immediately on page one with nary a dull moment. Add to that, Sal comes close to biting the big one on several occasions, and all of the above made this tale so utterly addicting. My only complaint with MoS was the confusion I felt at the very beginning concerning the purpose of the masks and trying to keep everyone straight when they're assigned only numbers. And while the story progressed, reasons and explanations were given for the how's and why's of the masks, but it took quite a long time for it to fully be explained. Or perhaps it just took me too long to fully grasp the purpose, which isn't the fault of the author. But I still had a hard time differentiating between many of the Auditioners - without defining characteristics, it's not easy to remember who's who. Some personalities were stronger, easier to remember, while others only had subtle traits which made them easily forgettable. Overall, the adventure and the super-interesting world surrounding the Queen and her assassins was so rich and dynamic that any sort of grievance I had with any part of the story was easily forgotten in this fast-paced and compelling tale.

Overall, Mask of Shadows was such a fun story, steeped in adventure and danger, with a badass, gender-fluid main character. There's a little bit of romance mixed in with the murder and mayhem, and I loved, LOVED the flirty scenes between them. Highly recommended, and I certainly can't wait to see what life throws at Sal in the second book of this duology.

Mask of Shadows is thrilling and compelling, a tale of survival and revenge, of shaky alliances and unexpected truths.

Sal is a thief, but they're a determined thief. Willful, skilled but acknowledges that they have flaws and weak points. Maybe a little broken, a little lost and lonely. They're on a mission, they have a purpose. Revenge. To expose those who left Sal's homeland of Nacea a scorched ruin. But first, Sal has to make it through the audition, survive the plots and plans and poisons of their fellow hopefuls in order to make it to the top, The Left Hand of the Queen.

One important part of this story is that of Sal and their identity, their being gender fluid. In no way is this a coming out story. It's just how it is. Sal knows who they are, how they want to be addressed on certain days depending on what they're wearing or how they're feeling. Which is great to see, especially in fantasy. How Sal was accepted warmly (with the exception of a few who didn't care if they misgendered Sal) and how so much of the book's focus was Sal's revenge, their honing their assassination skills, and their struggle to survive to the end.

What is revenge? For Sal, it's important. It pushes them forward, drives them, but at times it blinds them. More than one plot is circling, and there are those besides Sal that might want to change things in Igna. This is a rather dangerous, rather complicated tale of a young thief looking for revenge and those around them, those who help and those who hinder. I would definitely recommend this to those looking for something different and diverse in fantasy, in a land drained of magic but rich in secrets and shadow.

Petty theft pays little for Sal and the orphan street gang they've been with since they were eight years old, so when the opportunity to audition for the queens squad of assassins, The Left Hand, falls into their lap, and with nothing to loose but their own life they set off for revenge.
To become the new Opal Sal must overcome, physical and mental challenges and training, as well as learn to read and write with from the alluring young noble they once robbed at knife point. Plots hatch, nobles flirt, and almost everyone dies not hard in an assassin competition to the death.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for ARC in exchange for a honest review.
I requested this book because the cover looked pretty awesome. Am I right? I didn't realize that the main character was gender fluid but once I read the book it didn't bother me one bit. I absolutely love Sal and his wish to seek revenge on those that hurt his family and country. The book can be a bit confusing at times but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am hoping for a book #2 in this series.

When I first read the description of Mask of Shadows I knew I had to read it. It sounded absolutely fascinating and something just a little bit different than the normal Fantasy Young Adult novels on the market. The first thing that stood out to me was the gender fluid nature of the main character. It was well done. I loved the openness of this book and the fact that it wasn't highlighted too much. I loved how different Sal was and how the gender fluidity was there but more realistic in a sense.

The plot was intense and it kept my attention. I loved how it was Hunger Games meets Game of Thrones meets Selection. It was interesting to read and it had some twists and turns that had me on my toes.

Plot: I was sold on the idea of a competition to pick the next assassin; what I didn't expect was a multi-kingdom revenge story. I was really invested in the story for the first half - Sal was motivated and the competition was cut-throat. Slowly, Miller started adding higher stakes with different parties and something got lost in translation. I wanted more time to understand the world's politics and the intricacies of court life as well as the competition, but it all came across as shallow and underdeveloped.

Characters: Sal's personality was everything I expected: unsympathetic, though, and goal-oriented. Their wants and needs started to get muddled with the introduction of the love interest - Elise. Their love story was shallow and didn't really strike me as necessary. I wanted to know more about the other characters who were being killed off a la the Hunger Games.

And as the synopsis boasts, Sal was gender-fluid and they used the pronouns she/he/them depending on how they felt. I loved how respectful everyone was in terms of using the correct pronouns, but I couldn't help but see the irony in Sal assuming everyone else's gender.

Worldbuilding: For a fantasy world, the world of Mask of Shadows was run-of-the-mill, but in a good way. It had a lot of conflict with court intrigue - buzz words that I live for. Like I mentioned earlier, there could have been more explanation of the worldly conflicts so that I felt more involved had understood the stakes.

Short N Sweet: Mask of Shadows was everything I expected in a fantasy novel, but needed 'more' of everything.

I hate to say it, but I have to DNF Mask of Shadows. It has been sitting at 59% for months now, because I can't force myself further. I was excited when I found out what it had been about and that NetGalley had approved my request of an e-ARC. I felt on top of the world, excited to have this progressive YA fantasy in my hands with a gender fluid character (Sal) as its protagonist. Actually, of all things, that might be the only aspect I did enjoy: the gender fluidity was something natural to Sal, something that they summed up well by explaining that they dressed as they felt and sometimes they felt like wearing traditionally female outfits and sometimes they felt like wearing traditionally male outfits, and they did not identify with gender norms. I loved it, because the cis-gender dichotomy needs to go. I'm a firm believer that the existence of gender fluidity should be accepted, and that it isn't that difficult to understand or work toward inclusion/acceptance. Person X does not feel like either gender (or any known gender--there are many that I am still learning about), and they wish to be referred to as they/them/whatever pronoun they request. It isn't the highest level of math or science requiring years of study before understanding--it is learning the preferences of an individual, which you already do with the people in your life. This book works to show the naturalness of gender fluidity and how it doesn't change daily life, it just changes a very tiny portion of your perspective. Many kudos for this.

Another aspect I did enjoy was that it was made clear that knowledge and skills have power. Knowing what plants are poisonous, how to write, reading the intentions of others from their actions and the inflections of verbal language--among many other examples from the competitors training--I appreciated the emphasis of a strong body being just as important as a strong mind, because being weak in one or the other puts that individual at a disadvantage. Since developing knowledge and skills was incorporated into the competitors' training, it was more believable to me that the winning competitor, who becomes Opal, is the fittest. Ruby and Emerald, the other hands to the queen, tried to even the field by tailoring each competitors training to what they are weak in and lack.

Now, aside from those aspects, the writing wasn't terrible. It was actually pretty good, right up there with other YA fantasy books that I enjoy. What failed in this book, however, was characterization and clarity.

-Characterization: I didn't find Sal likable or believable. They were a know-it-all constantly, and I give that personality typecast out rarely. Why? Because everyone at some point acts like a know-it-all. However, once in a blue moon there is a person who becomes the epitome of this typecast, because they eat, sleep, breathe omniscient thoughts, words, and actions--can't go a moment without something big or small occurring and that person interjecting to explain. We don't need the explanation 24/7. We just don't. With Sal I noticed that the inner monologue consisted of them explaining left, right, up, down, in, and out what they were doing. They were like a magician with how they knew things about other people, or knew of key political members that caused the desolation of Sal's people. They also knew things that didn't make sense for them to know, or they suddenly (and conveniently) brought up information that worked to their favor but left me wondering why that tidbit suddenly came to light when it was relevant to something previous (nor do you find out how Sal found it out)... Let me just end this part by saying--I would have been more appreciative and finished this book if this character was portrayed in a way that left me wanting to see where their story went. Since Sal knew everything, there really wasn't much of a story for me to stick around for. The way the book had been going up until 59%, Sal was sure to know how to deal with everything that came their way without any of my concern.

-Clarity is my biggest issue with this book, and it all comes down to keeping track of all the participants in the competition determining the next Opal. I understand why each competitor was assigned a number and given a mask for anonymity, but daggone if I didn't spend more time flipping back and forth, back and forth trying to figure out who is who than I did enjoying the story. By giving the competitors numbers for reference, it was so hard for me to remember who was which number. Yes, there were physical descriptions given, theories as to where someone might be from based on speech and behavior...But a name is really important and is meant to be the first memorable thing you are given to identify one person from another. By using numbers instead, you lost that memorability. With the memorability lost, the story becomes difficult to navigate and leads to frustration. And in my case, not finishing the book. The author would have been better off having Sal create arbitrary names throughout for reference based upon who he thinks each competitor is (in terms of their background, at least).

Overall guys, I'm greatly disappointed. The premise was SO PROMISING, and I'm bummed that I can't get myself to go on. Once it no longer felt rewarding and I had to force myself to continue, I knew it was time to call it quits.

I suggest giving it a try, see what happens. It is possible that there were fantastic improvements made. I haven't decided if I'm going to pick up a published copy. It's also possible that the book is more up your alley than it is mine. We shall see.

2 bitchin' stars from me.

I could not finish this book, I could barely start it. I got to chapter five and didn't see myself reading 44 more chapters of this. I went in with really high expectations because of comparisons to Bardugo and Maas, which is probably why I just couldn't bring myself to continue when that expectation wasn't met. I'm sure if I do come back to this story with a fresh mind and different expectations it's something I might be able to finish, but that's not now.

Let me just say that this book has a beautiful cover. That’s what initially got me to read the book. I really hoped I would love it.

Mask of Shadows was an interesting, well thought-out story. With a game to become Opal and be right next to the Queen. Now I thought it was cool that the writer, did something not really done before (If it has I haven’t read it) making a gender fluid character. Sal identified as whatever they were wearing. Which, really didn’t give me a clear picture of who this character was. I wasn’t able to relate to the character, so I was kind of in limbo.

Honestly, I’m not sure why anyone would sign up for something, knowing they would die. It kind of had a Hunger Games feel but they volunteered for the game. The writing was done well, but I didn’t have that pull to finish. So it did take awhile to really get there.

Overall, I have to give this Two Boundless Stars. It was ok but could have been better.

Sallot Leon is a thief. But Sal wants more from life. After robbing some nobles, Sal finds an announcement that there will be an audition to replace The Opal, one of four powerful assassins that work for the queen. They are represented by four jeweled rings the Queen wears on her left hand - a Ruby, Emerald, Amethyst and Opal. But, auditions to be part of The Left Hand are fights to the death, and only those who prove themselves worthy can participate.

I enjoyed the action in this book. The plot was exciting, and kept me reading. The pace was on target -- fast enough to keep the action going, yet suspenseful enough to add some urgency to things. I also enjoyed reading a book with a nonbinary MC. Sallot is gender fluid, but that was not a main, forced focus of the plot. It's part of the character....part of who Sallot is. The character isn't portrayed as melodramatic or conflicted about life. The book isn't written like the MC was an added "hey look I'm adding in a diverse character!'' forced plot point. WOOT!! That made me extremely happy. I felt that it was done perfectly. Better than other books I have read that seem to want to toot horns and march around trying to prove they are publishing a diverse book. This book is diverse, but not at the cost of the plot or focus of the book. It was a natural part of the character. Loved it!

My one issue with this book is......it has been done before. The plot, that is. There are so many stories about fight-to-the-death tournaments -- Hunger Games being the main one that popped into my head. It's one trope that really has been done to death. I really wanted the plot to be something new and fresh....something to wow me. But, it really is sort of a re-working of things I've already read. A mix of that, and a bit of this.....nothing new. I was a bit disappointed. Not that the action, characters and story weren't good -- this is a good book. I just wanted something, anything really, that jumped out at me as belonging only to this story. Besides Sallot being nonbinary, the rest was pretty much recycled.

So, I'm really middle-of-the-road on this one. I enjoyed it. I thought the MC was outstanding and well done. But, I am left a bit disappointed. That, however, is just my opinion.....many others really love the plot and don't share my feelings. So, read the book and form your own opinion.

This is Linsey Miller's debut novel. A second book is due out in 2018. I'm definitely going to read the second book to see how the plot and characters progress!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Sourcebooks via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.**

Mask of Shadows was one of those books that I wanted to like. An assassin competition, a gender fluid protagonist, YA fantasy at it's finest, sounds like the perfect fit. Unfortunately this book was really nothing more than average for me. 

Let me start with Sal. Miller's main character is gender fluid, preferring he/she/they pronouns depending on the situation, which is clearly stated in the story (though not until a little over 10% in). To be honest, I don't know much about gender fluidity and that alone had me intrigued as to how this character would interact with the world. I think normalizing Sal's gender fluidity in the text really worked here and the way in which Miller did it made less confusing for me, a reader who isn't very familiar with it.

My biggest issue with this book came down to, well, everything else. Sal had potential to be an amazing character but fell flat for me. I wasn't invested in Sal's story and part of that is because I've read it before. Sal could be any of the stereotypical protagonists I pull off my shelves and that made them a forgettable character. Which I think it really unfortunate because I haven't read about a gender fluid character in YA fantasy more and it seems that despite that, the execution of the character (and story) wasn't enough to sell me on this book.

Don't get me wrong, familiar plots aren't anything new but this one read far too much like a mash-up of Throne of Glass and The Hunger Games. An assassin competition last-person-standing style? I've seen it, I've read it, I'm no longer interested in it. Not unless it's done in a way that really stands out and this didn't. 

Maybe I read a different book from everyone else but I was missing the world-building. This book had too much of so parts, not enough of others, and left me feeling like I read a summary of what could be a much longer book. I wanted more depth. The whole beginning part felt very rushed and then when Sal goes to audition to be one of the Queen's assassin's, everyone gets a number and suddenly loses whatever made them unique. It might sound odd but I couldn't really visualize the characters in this book. They were voices and personalities in my head as I read but I couldn't describe them to you if I wanted to, not clearly at least. I want people, not numbers. 

In the end, the info dumping, the descriptions, the things that fantasy is known for (unfortunately) did this book in. I was bored reading it. Nothing kept me moving through except a self-induced obligation to read the book from start to finish for the sake of this review. Mask of Shadows had SO much potential but fell on familiar tropes and left me with a story I've read before, but done. . . better, frankly. Yay for gender fluid protagonists but can't cheer for predictability.

I thought Sal was a great, complicated protagonist, and I loved having a genderfluid main character! I liked watching their character develop as they realized that they had more to live for than just revenge. I thought the competition aspect was really well done, and I didn't think it was too reminiscent of the Hunger Games at all. I would have liked a little more background on the shadows and the runes that people had on their skin, I thought that was a bit underdeveloped. But I'll still definitely recommend this to my teens who enjoy fantasy! Thanks a lot for the ARC.