I received this arc from Netgalley.

First, let me start by saying I requested this book because of the cover. It looked magical and I immediately wanted to know what this book was about. The second thing that hooked me was, "Perfect for fantasy fans of Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo," it was with that line that I knew I needed this book. Much to my surprise, I was granted a copy, it was my first arc and overall, I am glad it was.

Honestly, I was excited for the diversity with the main character. I have never read a book where a character identifies as gender fluid. It wasn't a concept I was familiar with and I just wish I had a better idea of who Sal is. I wish it had been better executed. Because I still don’t know them as a person nor do I know the full extent of their history. I want all of the details not just of the reasons why they want revenge.

This novel had so much potential to be something but it just fell flat. The entire concept of this book is the exact concept of Throne of Glass. A person must face other assassins to be the Queen/King's assassin. There is a competition, some romance, and a lot of training. The difference being that Sal isn't that great of a thief/assassin and has never actually killed a person before the audition.

So, comparing to Maas and Bardugo, it was lacking, big time. I didn't get attached to the characters because the author doesn't allow you too. I don't know what most people look like or their history. This is supposed to be a duology but I don't understand how things will come full circle in one more book.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it. I enjoyed Sal and Maud's weird friendship. I sort of enjoyed the romance, but I don't really think spending a few tutoring sessions is "falling in love." I will gladly read the second book and see how this story continues because I want to see the ending. I want to see how this plays out and if the author can prove me wrong.

I really enjoyed this. It gave me Robin Hood and Game of Thrones vibes. Sal the main character is female in body, but is gender fluid. Sal very clearly states that bodily appearance does not define "her" as today she may dress as him, and tomorrow them or her depending on their feeling for the day. I'll try to use they and them to describe Sal throughout my review but I may slip and use she and her. Sexual preference of all types are widely accepted in the world of the book. No one bats an eyelash. So from that perspective this book has good representation from some diverse characters from the LGBTQA+ perspective, and I haven't seen alot of that.

Onto the plot, Sal begins the book as a thief, stealing to make a living. Then Sal finds that one of the Queen's protectors, Opal, has died and there is a competition to fill the spot. Sal jumps at the chance to have a better life and kills the man she is working for in order to gain entry into the competition. Sal is known as 23 for most of the book, a masked competitor, as she must outwit and assassinate her competition to become one of the Left Hand, the Queen's four trusted protectors each identified by a gemstone. As Sal is "auditioning" for the role of Opal, she also has ambitions of her own as the nobility were responsible for the death of her people in Nacea and she wants revenge. Sal may be the only one to survive the magic that plagued her people before the Queen stopped the shadows and ended the use of magic. Sal loves the Queen and her love is part of her motivation to become Opal, but her undying love will be tested. As Sal goes through the competition, every part of them will be tested, physical strength, mental toughness, wit, friendship, all the while the members of Left Hand are watching and waiting to pick the best to be their fourth partner.

I felt each of the audition participants were different enough that you knew enough about them to be engaged. The side characters were well developed enough for my liking, though there were a couple that I would like to see flushed out a bit more. The romance between Sal and Elise was just enough, it didn't overshadow the plot, but it was there and there was no triangle or multiple participants. It was just I like you and I like you back, try not to die out there. I loved Sal's attendant Maud, she was helpful enough but definitely had her own agenda while trying not to get attached. I would have liked to get a little more backstory on the magic system and I want to know if magic will be restored, or if it is dead forever. You don't get much in the way of how magic was defeated, just that it was.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and can't wait for the next one. This is a violent book with some mature topics so I would recommend it for a mature young adult reader.

Adventurous with a modern twist. Really enjoyed the concept of the competition and the rules!

Sallet Leon is an orphan and one of the few survivors of her people. Sal makes a living as a thief but when the opportunity arises to try out for a position on the Queen's Left Hand, Sal sees an opportunity to finally get revenge on those who let the shadows loose in her country.

Becoming one of the Queen's Left Hand isn't an easy task. Since Sal was not invited to the competition, it is necessary to prove competence. Sal does that by assassinating the man who is the boss in the gang of thieves. Sal then carries his hand to the city as proof of competence. Sal is chosen as the twenty-third competitor. Now all that has to happen is that all the others die. They prove their worth by killing each other and not falling under suspicion of doing so.

Sal has a couple of allies. Maud is the attendant assigned to take care of Sal. Maud is ambitious. If Sal wins, she will get an advanced position and the she will have enough money to buy her younger siblings from an orphanage before they are sold off to be servants. Sal's other ally is Elise who is a member of the Erland -- those who Sal blames for the death of his/her people. But Elise helps Sal learn to read and write and they flirt and fall in love.

The descriptions of the training and things Sal does to finally get to the position of Opal are somewhat graphic. The story is filled with action. It is also interesting to watch Sal's growth from someone who worships the Queen because she defeated the mages and shadows that killed Sal's home to someone who recognizes that the Queen is human and as prone to error as anyone else.

One of the most intriguing things about this story is that Sal is gender fluid. Sal wants to be addressed by the pronoun that matches his/her appearance. She/he respects those who realize that and has disdain for those who don't.

This was an entertaining fantasy with an intriguing main character. The world building was interesting and the political intrigue nicely twisty.

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this young adult fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

mask of shadows (Linsey Miller)

Title: mask of shadows

Author: Linsey Miller

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Publication Date: TODAY! (Hardcover/E-Book)

ISBN: 978-1492647492

Source: NetGalley

So this novel is about a young gender-fluid adult in a competition to become a court assassin for the purposes of revenge. Should have been a perfect catch but ended up being such a disappointment that I hereby decree that this book must walk the plank! Be forewarned dark opinions abide below . . .

Now this book is getting comparisons to Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo. Now as I thought that throne of glass was an atrocity of storytelling only worth existing so I could read Liam @ heyashers!, snarky read-along, I was hoping it would fall on the Bardugo side of the spectrum. I can definitively say that it did not.

It certainly is a better version of throne of glass. I mean the assassins at least compete and the clothes and romance are not the sole focus of the main character. Sal is assured of her skills and does use her brain occasionally which is nice. But overall she is not a compelling character. She seems to have no other major thoughts except for revenge and comes across as rather flat. Also for someone with no major education except street smarts, her lack of real struggling to learn and adapt to the court world and political society seem unrealistic at best.

The politics and world building also fall rather flat. I know that there is a young-ish queen struggling to keep her kingdom going but all the interesting political wrangling seemed to have occurred before the novel takes place. As does the magic. Magic has been banished from the land and the hints we get of it seemed tantalizing but nothing is truly explained. The info-dumping that does occur just leaves more questions. There is no real explanation of how the court functions, how any of the laws work, etc. The world structure seemed superfluous. I was hoping for more than that.

I wanted to abandon this book many many times because it was so not what I wanted. I kept reading for three reasons:

1. Sal is gender-fluid. This is the first young adult book I have read with a gender-fluid character. I tend to see gender-fluidity dealt with a bit more in adult sci-fi. I wanted to see how this was incorporated for the main character throughout. I am not gender-fluid so I am not sure if this portrayal works for someone who is (and would LOVE to get that viewpoint) but overall I found this element lacking. I was glad to have Sal be gender-fluid. Inclusion of diverse elements is always wonderful. But with the exception of a couple of secondary characters, Sal spends most of the time being afraid of who she is. I would have liked to see more personal growth from Sal and those around them on this issue rather than just discussing how their outfit determined the pronoun used. Of course that may come in the next book . . .

2. I rather enjoyed the secondary characters of Sal's love interest and also Sal's assistant. In fact I wanted the story to switch from Sal's perspective to theirs. I knew it wasn't going to but I was happy every time I got to spend time with either of those secondary characters.

3. It was obvious who was going to win the competition, but I wanted to see what the set-up for the next novel was going to be. While there were twists in the story, (mostly because the assassin competition rules made no sense) I kept hoping that the cliche setting and flat characters were going to redeem themselves somewhere. I wanted a powerful ending. It didn't happen for me.

So basically I will not be reading any further books in this series. The inclusion of diverse characters and me enjoyment of the secondary characters means that I may give the author's future series/works a chance. But this one did not float me boat.

Check out this review from me crew member Bentley @ BookBastion which explains many of the problems that I have with this novel better then I can. Arrrr!

So lastly . . .

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire!

Goodreads has this to say about the novel:

Perfect for fantasy fans of Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo, the first book in this new duology features a compelling gender fluid main character, impressive worldbuilding, and fast-paced action.

When Sal Leon steals a poster announcing open auditions for the Left Hand, a powerful collection of the Queen's personal assassins named for the rings she wears -- Ruby, Emeral, Amethyst, and Opal -- their world changes. They know it's a chance for a new life.

Except the audition is a fight to the death filled with clever circus acrobats, lethal apothecaries, and vicious ex-soldiers. A childhood as a common criminal hardly prepared Sal for the trials. But Sal must survive to put their real reason for auditioning into play: revenge.

Sal is a thief, and a good one at that. But gender fluid Sal wants nothing more than to escape the drudgery of life as a highway robber and get closer to the upper-class―and the nobles who destroyed their home.

To visit the author’s website go to:

Linsey Miller - Author

To buy the novel go to:

mask of shadows - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

Definitely not Sarah J. Maas.

Wow! This book was such an exciting read! I enjoyed smooth LGBT+ transition, because there aren't alot of YA books that have incorporated it into their stories. I also loved the fact that this books was gritty and real! Perfect for any game of thrones fan who didn't want as much political intrigue.

DNFed 50% in. Unfortunately after trying to read this book twice and failing both times, I decided to throw in the towel.

I just finished reading Mask of Shadows by Lindsey Miller. There has been a lot of discussion about the gender fluidity of the main character, Sal. I personally have no issues with this in the story at all. The struggle of Sal described in this novel is neither for woman or man. It is the struggle for survival and the desire to find answers and ultimately revenge for the death of one's people. Sal is auditioning to be one of the Left Hand of the Queen. It matters not his/her gender. The thing that stands out the most about this is the use of masks. Everyone is made equal with the masks. You can be anyone and nothing at the same time. A relationship develops between Sal and his tutor, Elise. They have met before under different circumstances. They have a respect for each other that is only superseded by class. Sal was nothing more than an orphaned thief. Elise is the daughter of a noble lord. Their relationship develops during Sal's tutoring sessions during the audition for the Left Hand position of Opal. The tenderness expressed during these sessions is beyond gender. Sal could be any gender at this point. Elise makes it clear that she likes Sal. She even states that when Sal is Opal, Opal can court whoever they choose. This would legitimize their relationship in the eyes of the Royal Court. Regardless of Sal's gender, this story is moving, tender and full of adventure.

This is the first book by Linsey Miller, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was a fantasy that started off slowly but did improve by the end. Mask of Shadows is the first book in a two book series. This is not a standalone and ends with a soft cliffhanger for the next book. There is graphic violence.

The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat that all info here. The author did a good job of explaining what is going on and describing the setting of the story. There are a lot of clues in the storyline that keep you guessing what twists and turns will be revealed next. The story was okay but it could have been better. I almost stopped reading partway through the book as neither the characters nor the story were engaging. I'm glad I stayed with it as it did improve. I will read the next book to see what happens next as they try to save the kingdom.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and chose to leave a review for other readers.

<i>Received as an e-galley from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Got a hard copy ARC at ALA for the hype</i>

I love me some assassins and thieves, but what really caught my eye with this one was the unique protagonist. Sal is a genderfluid street thief who auditions for the role of one of the "fingers" of the Queen's Left Hand. They see it as the opportunity to get revenge on nobles who have wronged their lands in the past by allowing them to fall to forbidden magic called shadows.

Sal's narration was the best part. They can be really obnoxious and cocky at times, but with a vulnerability that sucks the reader into their struggles. They don't have the same education or opportunities as the other auditioners, but they don't mope around that too much. They find a way to make it their advantage. In addition, the way Miller introduces Sal's expression of gender was nicely done and easy to follow without information-dumping in the middle of interactive sequences.

The side characters were also delightful. Maud and Elise rank in my top faves. That being said, the other characters could have been fleshed out more. The numbers were more of an acceptance than a following. Aside from the one involved in the final scenes, I can barely remember them for the life of me. it could have a been a limitation of the brevity of the book. I hope the sequel improves on that attention to detail.

Overall, I had fun with this read and I look forward to September when others have a chance to read it too.

I made it into the first five chapters, but it felt with the first-person POV that it threw the reader too quickly into the world. While I understand the POV choice because pronouns, it can make things harder for the reader to become adjusted to the world building.

Understandably, I'll try reading this again in the near future when I have less distractions going on around me.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Sal is a thief and wants to be more, so they try out to be an assassin, which would also allow them to revenge their people who were allowed to be killed by shadows. Sal works well as an assassin because of being a thief and because dressing in costume seems to come naturally, sometimes being male and sometimes female. The world seems underdeveloped, like there is a lot of backstory missing, and most characters are fairly under developed since they wear masked and are not trusted by Sal. A good idea, but I struggled to follow along with the details of the setting and world that it is set in. The timeline at the end, might have actually helped to read first. Not a quick read, but interesting because of the gender fluidity of the main character.

Amazing new YA fantasy. Character development was great, and the plot was thought out. I would certainly read/ buy this series.

In theory, Mask of Shadows, is an interesting concept and brings a diverse character into the world of young adult novels. The idea of a gender fluid main character fighting for revenge against the people who killed their entire family and destroyed their homes is definitely something we should all get behind.

In actuality, the execution fell flat. This would have been a great story, had it more originality than simply making the main character gender fluid. To me, that's the only thing that stood out from this book.

Sal is a thief and one day they steal a flyer from a passing coach and then decide to try and become one of the queen's most loyal assassins. Only until they see the flyer, Sal is only a thief and streetfighter, so the decision seems a bit impulsive considering they've been living this way for years.

Once Sal makes it to the audition they, and all of the other auditioners, are to be in some sort of a culling. They're supposed to kill each other, but don't get caught killing each other. Which was kind of confusing to me. The game plays like this for several chapters and scenarios as the characters are weeded out.

While they are auditioners, they are also only known as numbers, so it's a little hard to keep track of who is who. I didn't find myself interested or invested in any of these characters...except maybe Ruby, because he seemed badass.

This story gets repetitive as the auditioners keep trying to kill each other, the whole time Sal is trying to find their revenge on the elite of society. It just felt like we've seen this story so many times before (The Hunger Games, Divergent, Red Rising) and Sal just didn't fill the shoes of those characters.

Personally I would have liked the gender fluid aspect of Sal to be more prominent and made more of a main point in the book. To me, it seemed like a way to hook people in and not really focus on the main thing that was supposed to make this book special.

It was a struggle to get through this one. Even some of the language and dialogue felt stunted and unnatural. I fond myself rereading sentences over and over in order for them to make sense. Part of me is interested in finding out what actually happens with the rest of the series, but most of me is okay with it ending here.

This is a complete on-the-fence read for me. There were some things which were very well done and others which fell more than flat.

Sal, a thief, discovers a chance to jump in on the audition for the queen's new assassin. Being that the queen is Sal's idol, Sal soon makes sure to be a part of the audition. The catch, kill or be killed and don't get caught.

This is a fast-paced novel with tons of tension, fight scenes, secrets and ninja like movements. There are a vast variety of characters, all with different personalities and agendas, and the layers of intrigue surrounding historic wars and this world's current politics are heavy. There is good, there is evil and there is a ton of grey in between.

The world building was fantastic on the surface. The scenes came to life, and I easily sunk into Sal's surroundings. The sequences were cleverly thought out and offered some surprises in how the contestants attempted to make their way through the process. The story grips and offers new twists all the way through with a promise of evil schemes still ahead in the rest of the series. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and I wondered who would die next or what problems Sal would run into next.

That was the good side. Now, for the negatives.

The plot isn't as deep as it seems. While there is a hidden, political agenda that Sal is being drawn into, this book focuses on the audition and Sal's attempts to get through. There is mention of more underlying evils, and Sal uncovers some of this with a promise of so much more to come. But the it's exactly this hidden intrigue where the the problem begins.

The general political unrest wasn't solidly laid out. Sal's got some vengeance issues, which are pretty clear, but what the leading families were really after during the war and what set it off (who was to win, lose or why it was even there) isn't clear. There's simply a lot of explanation and foundation missing, which could have brought more sense to what was going on in the world that Sal would soon be apart of (Sal's plan of revenge aside). This is especially true of the magic. It disappeared due to the horrible happenings of the war, but that's all that's said. And yet, magic was one of the moving factors behind the war and runes cover multiple characters. There are deep running scars, but the reasoning behind these is skimmed over with quick dabs of information which fail to hit the core they need to.

The gender fluid character didn't thread into the story as much as the blurb suggested, and actually brought more confusion than good. Sal never commits to one gender but flows between the two (awesome for an assassin, btw), but this also madeit hard to grasp the character. Not only does Sal's rough past lack depth...how Sal felt as a kid...how Sal could maintain gender fluidity among such harsh thieves (no mention of this whatsoever)...or even the lack of reaction by other contestants or court members. If Sal's gender fluidity was a norm in the book's society, this wouldn't be an issue, but it's not. Sal stands apart in his world in this aspect, and although it's hinted at that this might be difficult for some in the society to swallow, this intolerance never happens...not even knee-jerk or twitch. In other words, the gender fluidity comes across more as an added characteristic to fit publishing desires than an actual depth to a character. Too bad.

Although there was a lot to like in this book, there were other aspects which left much to be desired.

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and wanted to leave my honest thoughts.

Sallot ‘Sal’ Leon’s only motivation is avenging the loss of their family, friends, and country. As the last known living Nacean Sal’s primary motivations are survival…and revenge against the nobles that abandoned their country to the shadows. Petty thieves don’t have much access to nobility, but a chance carriage robbery garners a flyer advertising auditions for one of the Queen’s assassins, Opal, which could open the doors of the palace to a crafty, ruthless thief with an agenda.
Linsey Miller’s debut novel, Mask of Shadows, is a riveting read featuring a gender-fluid character, well-developed world, and a wonderful blend of action and intrigue. I finished the entire novel in 3 ½ days because the various twists and turns kept me riveted. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a new type of YA fantasy story that opens the door to non-cis, non-hetero primary characters.
Mask of Shadows features a lot of marketing on Sal’s gender-fluidity, but it truthfully never affects their choices throughout the story, which is amazingly deft characterization. A few other characters use it to insult or needle Sal, but their non-binary gender really is a non-issue in Miller’s society. The other members of The Left Hand, the Queen’s assassins, only address Sal’s gender fluidity by asking which pronouns they should utilize.
There is a romance in the novel between Sal and a young noblewoman, Elise de Farone that has to carefully side-step anything that would indicate the protagonist’s genitalia . Miller manages to get around it with exquisitely erotic but non-explicit encounters between the pair. At one point Elise says she is attracted to men and people who are not necessarily men, but she never uses a term for her own sexuality. It’s unclear whether she would identify as bi or pansexual, but ultimately it doesn’t really matter. Sal and Elise’s entanglement occurs between two human beings drawn to each other, and while I didn’t love this plot angle it sets up the events for the second book in the duology, so it plays an important part.
I rank Mask of Shadows as mature YA thanks to the violence and dark subject matter: the auditions involve several young people competing to kill each other and be the last one standing. However, like The Hunger Games I can see many of the more complex topics being great jumping off points to talk with teen readers about some of the harsher aspects of reality.
Some aspects of Mask of Shadows aren’t really a surprise, but there are enough twists and turns to be a highly engaging read. The story has stuck with me since I finished the book many days ago, and I believe its representation of gender-fluidity mixed with a riveting adventure plot will appeal to many readers.
4.5 Poison Testing Mice out of 5

I was so excited about this! As a genderfluid myself I eagerly wanted to see a story with one as the main character, and the summary did look promising. And for me, the promise was kept. 

Sal is a total anti-hero since all they care about is having their revenge plus getting a better position in life after all they have been through. They’re not a killer but since the trial is a death fight they don’t mind getting through it whatever it costs. But at the same time, you can clearly tell they’re a good person at the core.

For my part, I loved how the author treats the genderfluidity of Sal. Not making a big deal out of it since it doesn’t define them, but at the same time talking about it, making it visible. Sal patiently explains how it is for them and what pronouns the rest should use (they prefer you notice how they’re dressing for the day since that shows how they identify at the moment). Of course I was thrilled when some characters were like ‘Okay’ (JUST LIKE THAT IT WAS SO SATISFACTORY) but of course there are a few moments of ugly misgendering so there’s a trigger warning for you. Despite that, all within the book goes smoothly and you’re much more focused on the plot and its various and wonderful twists. Seriously, whenever I was convinced I had picked up the main things about the story I was surprised by something I didn’t expect. 

Sal and Elise are so beautiful together that honestly I don’t know what to say about them without ruining it; you should just read it and be delighted. 

All characters are a bit mysterious, all of them. As they should be, because that breathes more life into them, makes the whole thing realistic. We basically are seeing everything through Sal’s eyes and they know almost nothing about any of them. We get to know things through their experiences, and even only a little about Sal themself which is a good thing since you get hooked for the books that are to come after this one. 

I hope they are enough to answer all the questions I have!

So this novel was something I'd been hearing a lot about, and when I got accepted to receive an ARC of this novel I was ecstatic. 

I must admit that reading from a gender fluid character's POV was something very new to me and it did take a bit of getting used to. When I did get used to it, it was such an enjoyable experience. I got over my need to put the protagonist in a box and got to simple enjoy the plot of the story for what it was. 

Reading the premise of this novel was all I needed to get on board with it. Assassins. Competition. Death. Yes. Yes. YES. 

This novel had a slow start to it, but once we got into the meat of the audition it was action packed and super fun to read. 

It gave me Throne of Glass vibes and I really was not mad about it. 

Additionally, this novel had great characters which really made me look forward to reading of what they'd do next. Sallot was a character who's point of view I really enjoyed reading from. Sallot never took shit from anybody and always was confident in their skills - which I loved so much. 

The writing in this novel was also something that made the novel all the more enjoyable for me - there were times where I found myself getting a bit confused, but other than those moments I found myself enjoying the way Miller wrote.

All in all, I think this novel is one that everyone should keep their eyes out for! It's coming out on August 29th, 2017 and I have no doubt that anyone who reads it will enjoy themselves immensely.

The characters in this story are superb. I couldn't stop thinking about the story and hurried back to my reading at every chance I got. This was a refreshing twist on the plethora of queen and assasin-related fantasy ARCs this summer. I love the fact that the main character is gender fluid and the acceptance of it by the other characters. I can't wait for a sequel and to start recommending this book to all of my students! They are going to love it!