I am not overly impressed. I think the world, characters, and overall story has good potential, but I was confused for the majority of the book.

I think this is set in a land called Igna, though names like Nacea, Erlend, and Caracol flew around frequently. From what I pieced together (since there is barely any explanation or world-building), Erlend is a land (or people) that used Nacea (another land/people) as a shield when a great magical battle occurred. The Erlend mages who created shadow-monsters used Nacea to escape and save their own people, thus eradicating Nacea and then going on to live their happy lives. The Queen of these people, whom our main character adores for some odd reason (because, Sal hates the Erlends but this is the queen of the Erlends?), is looking for a replacement in her Left Hand - her royal guard - and is holding a tournament for assassins to find the new member. I didn't mind the similarities in plot to stories like The Hunger Games; I mean, really, are we saying that no one else can ever write a similar plot in a different setting? Plus, I didn't really think The Hunger Games was that great...*gasp!* Don't shun me.
Anyway, I didn't mind the plot line, and I thought the idea of the Left Hand all representing a different stone the Queen wears was interesting. We have a masked Amethyst, Ruby, Emerald, and Opal...though I wondered the entire time why it was Opal and not Sapphire. Sapphire just seems like the obvious fourth stone.
I also think that every time Sal refers to the Lady, he/she is talking about the Queen...though Sal looks at the stars a lot when praying to the Lady Bless, so it could be a goddess instead. I just don't really know about a lot of things that happened in this story - it was all over the place with new names thrown around, gods invoked, evil shadows popping up, and magic possibly still existing. The politics were a mess, I barely followed what was going on and Sal jumped from one thing to the next too fast to make sense of what track we were supposed to be on.

The other main aspect I thought was poorly executed was how Sal is supposed to be a gender fluid character. While I respect (COMPLETELY) why we should have characters like this in books, I thought there was way too much effort put into Sal explaining/defending every few pages why he/she didn't want to be classified as either gender. My first issue - if your intent was to create a world in which gender fluidity is completely accepted, then why do you need to have your character explain themselves over and over? Better to just write as if it truly is accepted and not something to get hung up on or in need of explanation, and the reader will accept them and fall deeper into the world you are trying to create.
My second issue stems off the first - there were several instances where Sal grew angry when someone addressed her/him wrong. Sal says, "Address me how I dress; if I'm dressed like a girl, she; if I'm dressed like a boy; he." Right, so you're saying the way people dress define them, number one; and number two, it's a little unreasonable to expect people to just change how they refer to you every day. If you meet someone and learn their name, call them that name the next few times you see them, and then they say one day "today I am *new name* and I'd like you to call me this whenever I wear this color," sure I think we could adjust to that for you since it's what you've asked, but cut people some slack if it's a little jarring to bounce around and remember to change our way of speaking depending on what you're wearing that day. People can get touchy about this all they like; it is a very controversial topic in which there's always someone saying "it's not about you, but about me and what makes me comfortable." Yes, and that works both ways, so let's just not forget that empathy on BOTH sides will get us a lot further than defensive argument. The author never gave any anatomical details one way or the other, and I will say this did help to keep Sal a fluid character in my mind, even though my impression leaned towards female.

All in all I was intrigued to read about a gender fluid character because I wanted a better understanding, and the plot had potential, but a lot of things fell short for me. More world-building, less defensive writing about what the main character is classified as, and clearer execution would have set this book above.

Thank you to Linsey Miller, Sourcebooks, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is an original and intriguing story about Sal, a street fighter and highway thief, who auditions for a place on the Queen's Left Hand, her trusted band of assassins.

She/He is given a mask with the number Twenty-three as identification for the audition. Sal has to learn to become a killer/assassin, but unexpectedly also falls in love. It's a battle to the death as there are very few rules. Unless stated otherwise, you may attempt to kill your rivals outside of the challenges.

The androgynous concept in this book is interesting and will appeal to YA readers. Although the plot was violent, it was full of clever intrigue. I really enjoyed reading this gripping story line.

I’m looking forward to the sequel!

An amazing new voice in fantasy! Enthralling from the start I loved the feature of a gender fluid character and he way that it flowed naturally through the story-as it should! Would recommend to teen and adults alike.

The first book I have ever read with a truly genderfluid protagonist.
It was impossible to decide male/female/neither/both and, truthfully and as it should be, it didn't matter as it made no difference in the action, which was tight and nerve-wracking and kept me awake until the last word.
I want more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Over half of my friends didn't like this book but I freaking loved it! There was only one little aspect I didn't like but it wasn't too bad.



Sal gets into the Audition to become the next Opal a particular assassin for the Queen. Sal has other plans, Sal wants to find out all of the people involved in killing everyone in Nacea.

This book is freaking awesome if you like assassins and people going around trying to kill each other and blood and guts and what not.

There are a group of these assassins and they all wear masks with a number on them. They are known as their number. They can kill each other during trials, during the night, pretty much any time accept while eating with their trainers and while in training. It's pretty cray.

Sal is already pretty experienced in fighting since Sal has from childhood and in street fights. Sal's also a thief and knows how to do other cool things that pertain to that. I love how Sal is just telling them all, I'm going to be the Opal and does what has to be done to not get killed in the process.

I wanted to smack someone at the end of the book though because of that little aspect I don't like about the book almost gets Sal killed. But, that's all I'm saying about that. It doesn't matter, I already pre-ordered the book on Amazon =)

Not only does Sal have to learn training in the different kinds of fighting, they give Sal a tutor to learn how to read and write. And no one can try to kill Sal while in study time. Lol. This book is great. Oh, they also learn about poisons and other ways to kill people. Yay!

*I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.*

I received a copy through NetGalley.
Linsey Miller's Mask of Shadows takes us on a fast-paced, emotional, journey of Sallot Leon, a street fighting, pocket picking orphan of Nacea a country whipped off the map, by mage spells gone wrong. Unable to control their own creations the nobles of Erlend protected themselves, leaving the people of Nacea to be ravaged by wayward shadows. Sal still lives in fear of the last days of their homeland, haunted by what they witnessed. A robbery of a young noble woman sets Sal's life in a direction they could have never dreamed of, to an audition to become one of Our Queen's Left Hand, her elite and most dangerous assassins. The Queen has need of a new Opal, and Sal might be just the right person for the job.

Mask of Shadows does get off to a bit of a bumpy start, but if you can get past the first few chapters, your guaranteed to really enjoy the story and Sal. Sal was a fun curious read. Lindsey Miller made the understanding of Gender Fluidity very simple, you address Sal as they appear. In a dress: She, in male clothing: He, in a mix of both: They. I though Sal's character was very successful in conveying their feelings and point of view, it was pulled off very nicely. Sal is Sal, and that's just how it is.

Overall I enjoyed Mask of Shadows and look forward to seeing where Sal journeys next in this complicated world of court and conspiracies.

Reminiscent of all the usual YA-Dystopia tropes. Good debut effort by author Linsey Miller, however, character backstory and scene descriptions were lacking. Hoping the next entry in this series will be more intriguing.

<b>WrensReads Review:</b>

This was me when I read this:
<i>"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."</i>

<img src="http://i64.tinypic.com/xo0ahf.gif" border="0" alt="">

This was me about fifty pages in:

<img src="http://i68.tinypic.com/24zxczk.gif" border="0" alt="">

I'm not sure who decided to come up with that little quote about it being like Maas and Bardugo, but I just have one question: <b>have you read any Mass or Bardugo?</b> Like I understand the whole "fight and see who whens to be on this elite team" nonsense that is so wonderful in young adult books these days (Throne of Glass [which is a Sarah J Maas book], Red Queen, Hunger Games, Wolf by Wolf, ect.), but that's where the comparisons stop.

The only thing that I felt translated well out of this novel is the gender-fluid character, Sal. The author did a tremendous job with bringing to light gender-fluidation and showing it as a normal thing. I feel like if you aren't gender fluid, it might be hard to write about, but I feel as if Miller did a great job with that.

I also feel that Sal was the only thing unique about this book.

If you want to know more about the plot, I say just read The Hunger Games or any other fight-to-live-or-be-on-this-really-cool-and-elite-team type book.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2035184529" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.twitter.com/wrensreads" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/wrensreads/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

This book started off strong and then I was just lost. The lack of description left me wondering what the scene looked like. I've never had that much trouble picturing a book before. There was a great idea and I wanted to see how the story played out but there was not much in terms of character development and I did not love any of the characters. Except maybe Maud. Maud was my favourite but there still wasn't enough interaction or character development. I didn't like how most of the characters were referred to by just a number and no name or any description. It left me not caring what happened to them and that part of the book was difficult to get through.

The plot was okay. It had a great idea but it bored me so much along the way that I wasn't paying attention. I almost DNF but kept going after taking a few months break in between. The end was just too long and I ended up skimming the last 15%.

The gender fluidity was really cool and it was probably the first time I ever read a book that touched on that. I found that it did nothing for the character or the plot though.

Overall I wouldn't personally recommend this book but maybe give it a try and see if you like it. It's definitely not for those, like me, who need an infinite amount of detail with characters you can fall in love with. It had potential but just fell through for me.

This is exactly what I was expecting. Nothing amazing, but another chance at a YA saga.

Mask of Shadows is Linsey Miller's debut novel, and I was so excited to read it. When I read the synopsis, I knew I had to request it. The idea of a gender fluid character auditioning to be a part of an elite group of assassins completely drew me in. Unfortunately, I didn't like Mask of Shadows nearly as much as I hoped.

Though Mask of Shadows has a great premise, its execution was unfortunately lacking. I can take into account that this is Miller's first novel, but nothing drew me in, and much of it had to do with the writing. Miller obviously has talent to be published, and I don't want to come off as rude, but there was nothing that grabbed me when I read this. The descriptions were dull, and the world-building shaky, confusing, and similar all at once. I felt as if I was reading just another fantasy novel, but if you actually asked me any specifics, I wouldn't be able to tell you any. Miller didn't grab me enough to pay attention to the story, and the world itself wasn't nearly as enticing as the idea of finally having a gender-fluid MC. Mask of Shadows never held my interest, and it didn't have it to begin with.

The one saving grace of Mask of Shadows is the gender-fluidity of Sal, the main character. As gender fluid, Sal doesn't identify as male or female, and uses pronouns they/them unless dressed specifically like one gender, and accepts the pronouns of that gender. Sal's gender-fluidity is shown as a generally accepted fact in the book, which I appreciated. There are only a couple characters that treat Sal differently due to their fluidity. I liked how being gender-fluid is normal (because it is) and how it was generally accepted (as it should be). However, I would say that I am pretty uneducated on gender fluidity, and part of the reason that I was looking forward to this book was because it would be a learning experience. The fact that Sal's fluidity was accepted and normal was great and an example of what we should strive for, but I don't think I actually learned anything from it. I don't know anyone who is gender fluid, and I would have liked to have learned more by reading this book. I think Miller missed a great opportunity by not delving into it.

The ending of Mask of Shadows was..good? To be honest, there was this (what I assume) huge reveal, and yet it had no impact on me. I had a hard time distinguishing among characters, as none of them were really developed. When there was a major character death, I wasn't affected and when some character was revealed to be evil, I didn't even know who the book was talking about. The slow pace and bland world building was what made all characters mold together.

In case you couldn't tell, I didn't enjoy Mask of Shadows. What I thought would be a unique fantasy was just another run of the mill novel that was pretty dull. I won't be continuing on with the series, and I just couldn't make myself care. However, don't use this one review as your decision! A lot of goodreads reviews are mixed. There are a lot of two and five star reviews and not a general consensus yet.
With that, I give this book
1.5 out of 5 Stars!

I won't lie...I really wanted to like this book but it ended up rather confusing and bland. It's not for lack of talent by the author as it was well written - I just found the characters difficult to connect with.
I feel like it follows too closely along to The Hunger Games minus the gender fluid main character, which I do love. It's always nice to see characters be different than the norm.

Oh. "Gender fluid". Never mind. Thanks anyway, I suppose.

Mask of Shadow was your average YA fantasy novel. It has been compared to Throne of Glass and the Hunger Games, and I can 100% see why. It has many similarities to other books in the YA genre, especially TOG. In this book, we meet Sal, a revenge-seeking thief, who enters a competition to be one of the Queen’s assassins.

Pros:
-Sal! I thought Sal was a strong, likable character. They are confident, but not overbearingly cocky. Sal is also genderfluid, which I thought the author handled well throughout the book. I had never come across a nonbinary character before, so the representation was important. Sal’s moral ambiguity was also interesting and developed throughout the book.
-The writing and storyline held my attention to the end. I was never bored or wanted to stop reading.

Cons:
-Because I have read so many books with similar plot lines, I was never on edge or anxious. Though the story wasn’t bad, it wasn’t anything new or exciting,
-The romance! One of my pet peeves is instalove and this book reeks of it. I cringed every time Sal interacted with Elise and wanted to skip over most of the romantic scenes. Honestly, she barely had a point other than to be Sal’s obsession.
-The characters (other than Sal) were flat to me. Their personalities were not developed, so I felt no connection to them. Yeah, I get the other assassins in the completion had to die, but that’s not an excuse for poor characterization. The Hunger Games and Battle Royale had most of their character die in a competition, but I felt for every death.

Overall, it was a good book with a strong enough ending to make me somewhat interested in the sequel. 3/5 stars.

I would like to thank the people at Sourcebooks Fire for sending me a copy of this book via NetGalley, as well as to Shauna at b00kstorebabe for sending me a physical ARC.

Books that blew me away are always hard for me to write reviews for. In truth, I went in with hesitant expectations. I wanted to love this book, but mixed reviews had made me cautious, especially with the genderfluid main character. I didn't want to be hurt with harmful rep, specifically with a book that seemed right up my alley. Diverse high fantasy is something I've been dreaming of, so when I got an ARC of this one, I didnt' know what to do. Jump in, and possibly be harmed, or wade in, and take it slow.

Mask of Shadows may seem like a stereotypical YA fantasy, and some may even say it's a carbon copy of Throne of Glass, but in my opinion, Mask of Shadows is so much more. The way the assassin competition was laid out was much more logical for assassins, compared to others that I've read. The set-up the Left Hand had allowed for them to see each auditioner as they were, what their strengths were, and what they needed work on. The amount of detail and care Miller took to the development of the process is comendable, and one of my favorite parts. Actually, I had a lot of favorite parts of MoS, in case I end up saying that a lot.

Speaking of the development, I loved the divide between the characters. Miller developed the ones that she needed or were necessary to the plot, and then just left the others as they were. Despite characters literally going by numbers all throughout the novel, I was never confused on who was who. Five was Five, Three was Three, and so on. My only confusion was when auditioners would randomly disappear--but I guess that's part of the who assassin vibe, right? The Left Hand themselves stole my heart. Literally all of them did. Even the previous Opal, who we literally never met. Emerald, Amethyst, and Ruby were all so engaging people, all so different despite how they're supposed to be seen as similar. They quickly became some of my favorite characters.

And the world building! Despite some info dumps, I found myself wanting more and more of them, needing to learn more about the history and the actions that brought Sal to where they were then. Miller wrote every scene with care, and didn't let info dumps be just info dumps--everything applied to the characters or the plot.

There were also quite a few plot twists that I wasn't expecting. So many scenes were painful or had me squealing with delight. Let's just say this: don't go in with the expectations it will be like Throne of Glass, because it's nothing like it. It's so much better.

five stars - Overall?

Beware, because Linsey Miller will rip your heart out and stomp on it by the end of this book. That's all I have to say about it.

Would I Recommend?

Yes, especially if you want diverse high fantasy. Not only is Sal genderfluid, but there is a background WLW couple, as well as implied aromantic and MLM rep. Oh, and maybe a pansexual or bisexual character! It's never specified, but they outright say they're "interested in more than guys".

Trigger warnings for gore/violence, misgendering, kidnapping, murder, self-harm, classism.

A fun, quick, and interesting read by Linsey Miller.

This was a very enjoyable book. I am always on the look out for books with genderqueer/fluid characters, and I was delighted to read the description of this book and knew I needed to read it ASAP.

It's a solid YA fantasy. The writing is engaging and the voice and narrative is interesting and compelling. It wasn't exceptional, but it was good. I really loved Sal and the trails they put themselves through to get what they wanted. It was bloodthirsty. The world building was great, constantly adding more to our understanding of the setting as the story develops.

But what I really appreciated with Mask of Shadows is that Sal's genderfluidity is never a plot point, it's not an issue for 99% of the characters in the books, and when it is an issue it's done in such a way that it's obvious the character is A Jerk and the others don't approve of what is happening. Sal's gender not sensationalized or exploited, and for that I loved this book.

Miller combines fiercely motivated characters, with a beautiful romance, and a mashup of fantasy plots which result in a slightly above average read in Mask of Shadows.

To begin with, Sal was my favorite aspect of the book. Not only is Sal nonbinary, but the romance aspect is superb. It is full of complexity, if not also some cheesiness, and genuine tender feelings. Additionally, Sal has a very interesting history behind them, one that will be even further developed in the sequel. At the end, all the actions sort of came together and I enjoyed the last 20 percent of the novel more than the entire bit before. I am still missing genuine quirks as Sal plays too much into the underdog hero role and loses a little bit of personality as they are busy trying to fight all the baddies and fulfill their duty. Don’t get me wrong, that honorable duty is compelling and made me enjoy the character, despite its flaws.

The only side character I genuinely liked was Elise because she was an intellectual. I am very much looking forward to seeing her in the sequel. But besides that, the others were difficult to hang onto (Except Maud, Sal’s attendant. Maud is a gem). It doesn’t help that for the majority her fellow competitors are wearing masks and defy you getting attached to them, but that’s where it fell short for me. I was missing something within the middle of the book. I wanted Miller to show us that these people behind the masks were also people.

But overall, the plot line itself just felt a little borrowed. A smidge from Six of Crows, a bit of Crown of Wishes, and a few others. However, I enjoyed those books much more. This just fell a little short. I liked the aspects it used: a competitive game, the gang dynamics, but none of it was done ‘enough’ to me. For example, the tinge of Kaz was just a mere shadow and serves only as a backstory element. The whole competitive game aspect, while interesting, felt by the end to be just a plot event that Sal has to get through, an explanation of why they end up where they do.

The whole book I had a roller coaster of feelings about the book from enjoyment to disappointment and everything in between. And in the middle I was merely cruising. I was invested in the whole competition aspect, but wondering when the next plot break was going to come. I am still intrigued by the sequel, because I hope we’ll get the chance to see Sal more, to see their identity during court, and for the plot to deliver on all the promise that develops at the very end.

When comparisons are drawn to Sarah J. Maas (one of my current faves) and the book is literally about a competition to become an assassin for a ruler (hello Throne of Glass), it can be hard to live up to expectations. I felt the competition in itself was rushed, Sal didn't have time to develop the necessary skills and instead lucked into success, and the backstory of the world didn't become compelling until the last quarter of the book.

Note: The author has content warning posted on her Tumblr, which you can find here. (https://linseymiller.tumblr.com/MoSContentWarning) Mask of Shadows contains violence, abuse, PTSD, displacement, misgendering, and self-harm. Please be aware of this before reading!

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the review copy!

After searching relentlessly for a fantasy that would capture my attention from beginning to end, I finally found it in MASK OF SHADOWS, an action-packed, diverse fantasy full of intrigue and action. This is an assassin book done really well, with a fast pace that never takes a break. I fell in love with Sal’s characterization and their journey of becoming the next Opal in the court. The politics in the world is rather in-depth as the author explores this newly created nation of Igna and the political machinations behind the formation of the nation. Sal is out to get revenge, and there is nothing to stop them.

The world is written with descriptions that capture a nation recently ravaged by war. The fear of entities called Shadows plague people, and magic is seen as a wary defense. When the countries of Erlend and Alona were at war, before the story began, the small country of Nacea was caught in the crossfire - eventually getting wiped out. Sal is one of the only people from that country who remembers the Shadows and what they can do. Now that Our Queen Ignasi took the throne after wiping out the Shadows, however, Erlend and Alona joined to become Igna and a new era of peace. Or is there? I love how there’s a subtle focus on female power in the hierarchy of this book, and in general. It’s not blatant, but there are many powerful women in the court (and among the assassins) – this detail is pretty significant though, as many fantasies would have just as many males in those positions of power.

Sal’s revenge focuses on the Erlend nobles that let the Shadows destroy Nacea and their family. Sal grew up as a thief, and survival was always the main point of their day-to-day life. When the opportunity arises for Sal to become the next Opal, they don’t hesitate to become an auditioner and kill to claim that spot. Our Queen has a team of elite assassins called the Left Hand with names after jewels – the same ones she wears on her left hand. Not only do these jewels have influence with her, but they are at the top of the social hierarchy, interacting with nobles and merchants. This kind of interaction is exactly what Sal needs to exact their revenge and right the wrongs done to their country.

“Sal was gone. That was the point, wasn’t it? I wasn’t tied to anything, no one knew my face, and I’d no friends or family that could be held against me, no allies to betray me. I had inherited ghosts, and I would become one.”

I absolutely adored Sal’s characterization. They didn’t start the book as a killer, but to enter the audition of Opal, they had to get used to it quickly. Sal was direct, focused, and extremely quick-witted, all characteristics that made them enjoyable to read about. Although they join the auditions, they are by no means perfect. The audition itself take up the majority of the book as Sal competes against other people – labeled as numbers – to become the Opal. With it also comes training for archery, strength, and even learning how to write and read for Sal. Sal’s gender fluidity was added to the story very naturally. While some misgendering does happen, it’s quickly addressed and corrected by Sal (unless it’s in the form of a veiled insult). I liked how much the author made it a non-issue. Sal is gender fluid, yes, but the book doesn’t wholly revolve around this aspect of their character. It’s just another part of who they are.

“‘I dress how I like to be addressed – he, she, or they. It’s simple enough.’”

The audition is full of action and deception as Sal strives to stay alive. They make a great partnership with their maid, Maud, even as Maud has her own reasons for making sure Sal wins the audition. It’s a bit reminiscent of THE HUNGER GAMES, but instead of survival of the fittest, it’s the survival of the most fit and wit – especially in court. Not only do the auditioners have to fight to the death, they must learn poisons and royal etiquette. Each of the opponents are addressed as numbers, yet Miller still manages to characterize them. Whether it’s the vengeful Five, quiet and purposeful Eleven, or friendly yet deadly Four, I found myself enjoying their personalities – even if I didn’t know their names. I don’t think readers will have a trouble with keeping track of these numbered characters, as the author’s writing makes it easy to follow their actions and dialogue. The quick pace also works nicely, as each event Sal finds themselves in further reinforce certain characterizations of the other auditioners.

There is a lovely and exceptionally light romance that happens in the midst of these killings, with the tutor Sal has for reading and writing. Elise is an Erlend noble – everything that Sal is fighting against. But Sal finds their beliefs challenged as they take in Elise’s compassion, intellect, and empathy. Elise was so sweet and endearing. She knew Sal was a thief because of a past interaction but looks past their upbringing. When she accidentally insults Sal’s past, she immediately apologizes, making her a very empathetic character whose big heart is full of justice. Sal finds themselves enraptured by this Erlend noble, who feels so much compassion, despite their deep prejudice against the Erlends. I loved how this particular relationship developed, and the stolen, flirty interactions that they had.

“‘You shouldn’t kiss people who could kill you,’ I whispered, all the blood in my veins singing her name and urging me to kiss her.”

MASK OF SHADOWS had me captivated from start to finish, making it one of my favorite fantasies of this summer. Sal’s ruthlessness in the competition and awesome characterization made their first person POV extremely easy to read. Although the blurb says this book is great for fans of Sarah J Maas and Leigh Bardugo, it clearly stands out on its own with its intriguing plot, fantastic characters, and never-ending action that just sucks a reader in. I would love to see more of an exploration of the magic, runes, and Shadow that make up so much of the nation’s young history in the sequel – especially with how important it is to Sal’s past. Fantasy readers should not hesitate to pick this one up (I mean seriously – look at that cover!) if you’re looking for a fun and fulfilling read with plenty of cunning characters that will make you shiver with both excitement and dread. I absolutely can’t wait to see where Sal’s journey takes them next, and with the Left Hand at their side.