Another book as of late that has made an excellent exploration when it comes to African mythology. A very thrilling and enjoyable read.

Incredible!!! The world and culture is so engaging and seeing how the MC changed in reaction to her environment was perfect. The ending still left me shocked in the neset possible way. Absolutely fantastic,!

In Masquerade is a story about survival. It's about a reversal of power and perspective. For Òdòdó, her entire life has changed in the blink of a moment. And who will watch out for Òdòdó? Who will make sure she's safe in the eye of the storm? For Òdòdó, she's sort of thrown headfirst into the water. She has to figure out these new dynamics, power plays, and power. How can she influence with subtle touches and invisible hands? Masquerade explores both the brutality of warfare, but also one woman's journey to discovering her own power and survival.

Òdòdó has followed in her mother's footsteps, becoming a blacksmith in Timbuktu, despite the social shunning and poor living conditions that come with the vocation. After the city is conquered by the king of Yorùbáland, Òdòdó is kidnapped and only realizes when she arrives in the capital city that she's been picked to be the king's wife. Her rapid escalation from the bottom to the top of society is not a popular change among many (including the king's mother and many of his advisors), but Òdòdó is determined to make the most of it without losing track of her past.

Very loosely based on the myth of Persphone, Masquerade is a fascinating tale that brings to life western Africa before the transatlantic slave trade. As with all books that take place so far in the past, and in a culture with which I'm not particularly familiar, I wonder how much of this is based on actual traditions and events, but really, it doesn't detract from the story at all. It's an excellent book, and I highly recommend it.

(Note: why this book was ever marketed as fantasy is beyond me. Is it just because it's non-Western and the names are hard to pronounce and spell for us? I hope not.)

This was such a rich, inventive story, immersive in the West African setting and powerful in the themes it explored.

It would've been hard for me not to like this. 15th century West African fantasy!!!! I mean WOW. And this was GOOD. I want this book to get so much more popular than it is because it's told so interestingly. Lots of politics and cool lore and lots of interesting relationship dynamics. Loved this one a lot.

Such a fantastic book!

I’ve gotten into the fantasy genre recently and I absolutely loved the world in this one. And the perspective.

History and African myths in a Game of Thrones style book. It’s just so good. As a debut, I am so excited to see what this author comes up with next.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

First, a thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.

I really waffled between 3 and 4 stars - I think in the context of just a book, I would give it 3 stars. In the context of creating a space where more books like this one get recognition, where more are published, where we lift up the voices, histories, and mythologies of people who often don't get a seat at the publishing table - I would give it 4 stars, so that's where I'm landing.

I was really excited to read something that had similar roots as Skin of the Sea, which was part of a duology I immensely enjoyed. I haven't read nearly enough books 1) set in Africa & 2) books that are based on African folklore/mythology. So I was really excited to see talk of this one, even if it was described as being a Persephone/Hades retelling (is it though? I guess, loosely?).

Here is what I will say: the world-building is amazing. The details of the lives of the characters is amazing. But the characters themselves? I had a really hard time relating to them, especially to our main character, Òdòdó. Sure, I felt sympathy for her, I felt anger when she felt anger, but I still didn't feel that spark of connection that I typically really look for and need out of a story. And I can't really pinpoint why I didn't relate to her. It wasn't the writing, it wasn't necessarily the plot.

I will say, the ending was originally unexpected (although I wasn't totally surprised), and it did feel very satisfying.

All that being said, Sangoyomi is an author to watch. I will happily read any other book she publishes. While I wasn't blown away by this book, I do recognize its importance and how it deserves a space at the table for an epic historical fiction. I also really wish I had listened to the audiobook of this, even though I tend to have a hard time with fiction audiobooks, because I hear the audiobook narration is really good and it would be nice to have the correct pronunciation in my head.

I don't regret reading this book, and I eagerly await what Sangoyomi will write next.

I wholeheartedly agree with this from the Acknowledgements:

In Yorùbá culture, true death occurs when something or someone is forgotten. In this sense, I believe the undertold histories of precolonial West Africa are dying. This was my primary motivation for writing Masquerade - to help breathe life into these rich histories by sharing them. Thus, first and foremost, to whoever is currently holding this book: thank you for reading this story, giving it life through your memory.

This is definitely not what I would call a Persephone and Hades retelling but that doesn't make it any less interesting. The magic part is also quite subtle which makes it mostly historical fiction.

But if you like stories featuring resilient women that use men's underestimation of them to stab them in the back then this is definitely the story for you. Watching our main character, Òdòdó, adapt to her new surroundings by trying to make her own place in it felt realistic, and had me rooting for her to succeed. I really felt for her at every single turn whether good or bad.

The setting was written with a lot of detail that made it immersive. I enjoyed learning more about the history of the region. The politics went a little over my head once or twice but for the most part it was easy to understand what was going on. A few twists were obvious but some a little shocking, especially that ending. Phhewww!

This was a great story! Mad at myself for waiting so long to read it! This story as full of complex characters, adventure, betrayal, deception, and so much more. I find I really love African mythology and this one was interesting and immersive. The story had great political intrigue as well.

While marketed as a Hades/Persephone retelling, I personally don't think that's totally accurate - as this book went beyond the typical framework of a Hades/Persephone retelling, However, I still enjoyed reading this book. The story is also a historical fiction, set in medieval, pre-colonial West Africa (15th century), which was a nice change of the fantasy I typically read. The ending leans far into the fantasy realm though.

Ododo is a blacksmith who has to marry a King who fell in love with her. The political intrigue was top-tier and kept me engaged throughout the whole book. Ododo grew into her strength and agency, and I loved seeing all of the women of the book take advantage of the way the men of the book underestimated them.

I loved this debut from O. O. Sangoyomi, and will look out for more books to read from her!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC copy.

I really enjoyed this book, and I couldn’t believe that this was the author’s debut! Òdòdó was a wonderfully written morally grey character, and I loved seeing her journey throughout this book. The book was a slow burn, and it was absolutely worth it. There were some plot points that were predictable, but I do not think it took away from the story at all. I would have loved to see some of the fantasy elements explored a bit more because I loved the snippets we did see. I highly recommend this book!

In a slightly fantastical 15th century West Africa, Òdòdó is a blacksmith. She’s stolen from her home by a mysterious stranger and discovers he’s the king. As Òdòdó acclimates to her new home, she’s surrounded by dangerous political machinations on all sides.

I didn’t care for this one. Even though the story is told from a first person perspective, I could never understand why Òdòdó acquiesced to her situation or any of her decisions– many of them were remarkably short-sighted or silly, and it made her eventual move into politics just not fit.

To be fair, I wasn’t set up for success by the book’s marketing. The book is described as a loose adaptation of the Persephone/Hades story, and that “loose” adjective is carrying a lot of weight. Yes, the love interest steals the main character from her home and it turns out he’s a king, but that’s about it. It was also billed as a fantasy, but there are minimal fantastical elements.

On the positive, I loved the lush descriptions of clothing and buildings in the story and the mythology.

I ended up really enjoying Masquerade! It took about to the half way point for me to be fully invested as everything began falling into place.

The FMC irked me a few times but towards the end she overcame her obstacles & paved her own path

There were SOOO many characters named in 330 pages that it often became hard to keep track of & unfortunately I got over “little/my flower” being used constantly. Another phrase was repeated frequently but after finishing the book I believe it was used to show how little he noticed things around him.

This story was well-written and engaging to read. But I couldn't get into the story because I'm not a huge fan of first-person writing styles. Also, some of the minor details were repeated way too many times. How many times do I need to be told that Àrèmo could put his hair up correctly and he never noticed? There wasn't any real chemistry between any of the characters not even the love interest so that fell a bit flat.
Òdòdò is a morally gray character who feels more selfish than someone who did bad things for a good reason. Her motivation felt only self-serving.

I might have to do a reread to fully connect but this first read did not meet my expectations.

I was going in one direction and Masquerade kept changing paths to the point of my frustration. Although, twists were nothing compared to the character of the protagonist and her choices. Deeper into the book, more and more writing became sloppy and chaotic. The MC made no sense after some time - it’s either she went into madness or just became unlogical beyond Stockholm syndrome. Constant repetition took me out of the story, and although I felt there might be a very sensual romance brewing, it ultimately left me unsatisfied. It started so strong, it finishes dragging. I would say that the potential for the best book of 2024 was there for me, but fell short.

A gorgeous reimagining of 15th century West Africa, this historical fiction is dripping with lyrical prose and boasts a detailed world that will have you transported between the pages in no time.

An outcast woman is stolen away by a warrior king and must learn to survive in a world filled with betrayals and political intrigue.

What I loved…
- dripping with political intrigue and machinations
- gorgeous prose
- feminine rage
- a dash of magical realism
- standalone
- dark themes and difficult decisions
- spectacular character arcs/development

What I didn’t love…
- the world building felt a bit info dumpy in places
- the classification as a loose Hades + Persephone retelling is VERY loose if you go in expecting that you may be disappointed.

Overall this was an enjoyable read, perhaps a bit less fantasy than I was hoping for but I think if you’re a fan of historical fiction (and like a sprinkle of magical realism) this is a great choice for you. The author builds a stunning world with rich prose that makes the word jump off the pages. I am excited to see what else this author writes in the future!

I will absolutely be keeping in eye out for more books by this author in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group (Forge Books) for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I am always on the hunt for more fantasy written by BIPOC authors, so I was extremely excited for this book and it did not disappoint!! A Hades x Persephone retelling set in the background of Nigerian customs and culture? YES. ABSOLUTELY YES. This was a great story of morally gray characters with a lot of political intrigue that kept me on edge wanting more. Though at times I did feel like the story read more like a YA Fantasy than an Adult Fantasy, I did thoroughly enjoy myself while reading this!

Masquerade, a historical fiction by O.O. Sangoyomi, follows Ododo's journey in the fictional Oyo Empire. Set against West African history and inspired by Greek mythology, the novel explores feminism, power, and culture. It features strong female characters and Ododo's complex development, blending political intrigue with cultural authenticity.

The story follows Ododo, a complex anti-heroine, as she navigates political intrigue and personal growth. The book features strong female characters and explores themes of feminism, power, and West African culture. Sangoyomi's prose effectively delivers a fast-paced narrative while painting a rich cultural and political landscape. Despite some character simplifications, the novel successfully weaves together historical elements, mythology, and personal drama, ultimately telling the story of a woman's journey to power.