"Mask of Shadows" is an intriguing YA fantasy about Sal, a gender fluid thief who wants revenge on Erlend for the destruction of Nacea carried out by Shadows (which destroy people horrifically). Sal may be the only surviving Nacean. While robbing some royalty, Sal finds a flier which advertises auditions for Opal, one of Our Queen's Left Hand members who recently died. Although Sal does not have an invitation, Sal decides to try to bring an appropriate invitation by killing the man who makes children rob for him (and cuts off their fingers if they keep anything from him).

Sal is soon Twenty-three and in the horrific competition to become Opal with 22 other killers. The competition is fierce and more complex than expected. Not to mention Sal's ultimate interest in getting back at the Erlend nobles who left the people of Nacea to die by the Shadows and the burgeoning friendships and love interest Sal has picked up along the way.

Overall, it's a really intense and intricate plot- one that becomes hard to follow if you look away for too long. The beginning and ending are very intense, and in the middle, it becomes a little less so as they work on character building/romance. I wasn't really sure how much I bought the romance, and I felt like there was so much else going on that it really detracted from Sal's missions of becoming Opal and bringing justice to the Erlend nobles. It felt a bit like a plot point/a little forced. However, it did give a reprieve from the fear/thriller aspects of the competition to the death that each contestant was facing 24 hours a day. This is an intense book with some dark themes of murder and death.

I think it was a promising start to the series and did read all the way to the end. I think the beginning and the character of Sal were really strong and then felt like it faded a bit by the end- however, I am very curious to see where this will go in the future! Regarding the gender fluidity, I felt like this was not the definition of who Sal is and was treated appropriately! It was a nice change of pace from the typical, and Sal was a fantastic character (motivated by a need for justice but not just death and patient/caring in Sal's own way)! Now I will just have (hopefully not too long) to wait until the next book in this interesting series...

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

4-4.5*
SAL. Omg, i loved Sal. I really enjoyed this one. The world building and the history was incredibly thought out and impressive. Highly rec this to fans of Sarah J Maas.
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this. Lengthier review to come.

This was the first book I’ve ever read with a gender fluid character and I thought Linsey Miller did a good job of capturing Sal’s identity as they were so much more than just what gender they identified with. I felt the author handled this aspect of Sal’s character with some sensitivity.

The story will get under your skin with its action packed plot line that engages the senses making you want more. Miller created a realistic world rich and vibrant in detail that included countries, cultures, politics, and a whole background of historical plot lines. It also has a layer of darkness that will grip you making you unable to put it down as you’re pulled deeper into the story. Thankfully there are moments of humor sprinkled about so you can get an emotional break.

The author’s characters that surround Sal become the kind that you can really dig into and would want as friends.

Miller not only has the ability to entertain but for all those who want to write themselves someday take not of her style because you can learn a thing or two.

Thank you, Netgalley for an ARC of this book. My views are entirely my own.

Action-packed, daring, engaging and romantic, Mask of Shadows was everything I wanted and more! I will definitely be pre-ordering my own copy of this one off of Amazon, and I already can't wait for the sequel!

Absolutely loved it. Was just what I needed for a read right now. Will have a more in-depth review when I can put together more of a thought than just pure excitement.

I was really interested in this one by the book description... The book wasn't even long, but it sure felt like it! Some parts were good and others were a big pile of cliches.