A reimagination of pre-colonized West Africa, loosely inspired by the myth of Hades and Persephone.The MC, Òdòdò, is abducted by a warrior king who has fallen in love with her and desires to marry her.
The narrative is presented through Òdòdò's POV, portraying her as a naive, warm, kind, skilled, and strong young woman. While her naivety may sometimes make her an unlikeable character, it aligns with her portrayal as a humble girl from a lower class background, sheltered all her life and then thrown into a world of wealth, luxury, and intricate politics beyond her understanding.
Despite her initial innocence, she quickly adapts and undergoes significant character development, leading to her redemption by the story’s conclusion.
The story is captivating with well-developed world-building that is easy to follow. The author immerses you in Òdòdò's journey, allowing you to experience her desperation, frustration, and eventual triumph.

I was really looking forward to this one. Historical fiction with a feminist bent set in 15th Century West Africa? Sign me up! Despite the rich historical details, I just couldn't get into it. The story is told in first person, and despite being in her head for the entire book, I never ended up understanding main character Ododo's motivations or desires, or what relationship they had with her ultimate actions. There never felt like there was a plot, just a series of events until ... the book ended.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

In 15th century Africa, a young woman branded as a witch because of her trade as a blacksmith is kidnapped by a powerful warrior king to be his bride. The book starts off promising, but the main character's glaring ignorance in some instances conflicts with her inexplicable genius at strategizing and court politics. It felt like an even more implausible version of Kaikeyi.

I received a free ARC of this work in exchange for an honest review

Flowing. That is the first word that comes to mind when reading this tale. It flows straight off to the point that 30 pages in we had already gotten a taste of the world and an introduction to the main players and it did not feel rushed. The world is dangerous and filled with riches and danger as the lead is stuck to the side of an enemy [?] without giving anything away, the world is so strong it keeps you riveted even if you find the story formulaic in its light retelling format, I already know I will be subscribing to any of the author’s following works.

I fell in love with this cover and wanted to read this book because of that. Then I read the blurb and saw that it was based on Persephone. It does say loosely, but I would argue that it is so far removed it shouldn’t be mentioned at all. I think that this book should be marketed more towards those who enjoy dark fantasy. Without getting to far into the weeds, the FMC ends up falling for her kidnapper and doing unfathomable things in the name of “love”. I struggled with calling it a romance at all because of how twisted it all seemed. I also struggled with these decisions and had a strong distaste for the FMC as a result. I admit I struggle with fantasy; I went into this book expecting more historical fiction with veins of mythology, not what I got. I also feel that the pacing was too slow for this type of story and needed to be faster. I do think despite my troubles with this book that this author does know how to invoke some strong emotions.

Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi is one of those ARCs I thought that with a little bit of time my thoughts and opinions would settle, and they simply have not. My emotions and the frustrations have calmed, but not the overall take away opinion. And oh yes, did I feel the frustration after finish this book.

Let's get this straight, the synopsis is not right, or is right when they say this is "loosely based on the myth of Persephone," because do they mean it! When I think of Persephone, I think of kidnapped female who falls in love with antagonist and things turn out relatively okay. Masquerade, the FMC is problematic and I hate it. Sorry, hate is a strong word. I STRONGLY dislike it. I'm not sorry, but who in their right mind falls in love with the kidnapper? Stockholm syndrome much? SPOILER ALERT - who in their right mind then kills their own mother because it's the "right" thing to do in their mind? Someone who is problematic. Problematic is an understatement. Can't forget how she so conveniently doesn't relate this strike and mother's disappearance to her kidnapping!!!! And the two main enemies of the character, just right there in your face. Add the last main issue I have with this book, is the lack of character development/timeline. She goes from this "country" background with supposed minimal knowledge of the world beyond what her mother has taught and through storytelling, to this rather well respected strategist with some insight to her lessons? How?! HOW?! Did anyone read anything else that I missed? And tell me where they explained what the cowpea seed supposedly does to a person. Please.

Some readers could argue against everything I just said. You could argue that the author was keeping the FMC's main thoughts a secret from the reader, similar to how she kept a plan from others around her. I don't know. Maybe I'm just not the biggest fan of falling in love with your kidnapper. Maybe I'm not a fan of naïve main characters and lack of character development. Maybe, I am simply not a fan. I wanted to like this book. When you boil things down, this is NOT a retelling of Persephone and Hades, nor do I recall any "fantasy." The only connections to Persephone are the fact the FMC's name means flower, FMC is kidnapped, the MMC is called the demon, and MAYBE a love story. This is simply historical fiction.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Forge Books for allowing me to read this for a review.

I will be posting to Instagram, Goodreads, and Storygraph.

4 Stars

This was the most interesting book and was beautifully written. I felt transported into this world. It was like stepping back in time in a country I have read little about. This book was gripping, descriptive and very powerful. The ending was absolutely shocking!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

This is a GORGEOUS book. From the front cover to the characters to the plotline, I was obsessed every step of the way. Ododo is a force to be reckoned with, and I rooted for her every step of the way.

Goosebumps. This book left me shook, y’all. This is Game of Thrones meets Greek mythology meets West African culture, and I absolutely devoured it.

Firstly, I am not one who is big on setting descriptions and get bored easily. But in this book, I was completely entranced and swept up in the colors and textures and jewelry and… everything. I felt like I was right alongside Òdòdó unraveling the mysteries of the city. The book has a slower start because of the detail, but that works to set the stage for the suspense to follow.

As a loose retelling of the Greek myth of Hades & Persephone, I don’t think the reader’s familiarity or unfamiliarity with the classic myth is necessary to enjoy this book. It’s ultimately a story of female empowerment, and Òdòdó is the heroine I never knew I needed! Instead of spoiling it, I’ll just say that I am a mom of 2 small kids, and sleep is a rare luxury in my life. Fully aware of this fact, I chose to go without and stayed up all night to finish this book instead of catching a few hours of sleep before another long day.

Sangoyomi’s debut novel gets an easy 5 stars from me, and if anyone disagrees with me, I will strongly question your sanity.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Forge Books, Tor Publishing Group, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to Tor Publishing Group and Macmillian Audio for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.

Òdòdó is a young girl living in poverty in Timbuktu. Her family are blacksmiths who are looked down upon especially under the rule of their new king from Yorùbáland. She is kidnapped by a vagrant only to find out that he is actually the king who wishes to take her as a second wife. She quickly learns the dangers of a political life at court. She is intrigued by her betrothed but wields what little she powers she has to hold off the wedding til he finds her mother. When her mother is found, she realizes that there is much she does not know about her new king.

I don't know much of the myth of Hades and Persephone, and much of the criticism I have seen about this title is about that. So I think it's actually to go in blind expecting really interesting historical fiction set in Western Africa. I really enjoyed the story, the narrator's accent had me fall right into Òdòdó's world and enjoy discovering the new kingdom with her. I, of course, had the same reservations about him as she and yet was surprised and intrigued by how much deception there was around her at court. It amazed me how it reads like a Phillippa Gregory novel set in an English court and yet with the beauty and culture of Africa. The ending was fabulous!

O. O. Sangoyomi’s debut is an extremely well written imaginative take on the Persephone x Hades myth. The prose is lush and descriptive, the pacing is excellent, the story drips culture. This is one of my favorite books of all time. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Òdòdó has the more humblest of origins, the daughter of a blacksmith, a class of women who are rejected by men and their society. Her life is grueling, the only beauty is the flowers she makes from metal scraps. When she is abducted by a vagrant who takes a fancy to her to be his bride, she realizes that he is the King of Yorùbáland. Òdòdó is torn between love for her mother and the allure that being the bride of a king poses. She must make difficult choices, face political and court intrigue, physical danger, emotional devastation, and increasingly harrowing circumstances to realize her destiny.

Masquerade is an epic story of a young woman in the process of discovering who she is, the potential she holds, and the unexpected power inside of her. Readers will learn about the pre-colonial history of the Yorùbáland empire in an engaging and emotional tale. While this is not straight fantasy, there is a mythical feel to the storytelling, where gods subtly interact with humans and influence their events and society. The human drama is a central theme of this novel, as Òdòdó has to learn to navigate the uncertain environment where one’s life and wellbeing lies in the hands of a mercurial leader and those who have the most influence over him and in the court. Òdòdó emotions and thought processes, and character growth is vividly portrayed as she goes through the proverbial storm, where concepts of love, loyalty and devotion are put to the test in every way. Masquerade will take readers through a thought-provoking and emotionally impactful journey as they experience Òdòdó’s intense self-discovery.

4.5 stars.

Read for:
- Immersive Pre-Colonial West Africa
- Mythology Retelling
- Political Intrigue & Scheming
- Fierce Female Main Character

Summary:
West Africa, 15th Century, the region is amid internal civil war fueled by the Commander of Death, an ambitious warrior king set on building his armies, expanding his territory, and controlling the elephant ivory trade. When the king, known as Aláàfin to his people, sets his eyes on the beautiful Òdòdó, an impoverished metalsmith, he steals her away from her guild and his latest conquest will be earning her favor as his wife. But Òdòdó is not so easily won, and she must rely on her strength and cleverness to navigate this new world of political scheming and betrayal, all-the-while confronting her growing feelings for the ruthless king.

Thoughts:
This is a cultural and lyrical masterpiece of a debut! Vivid descriptions contribute to highly detailed worldbuilding, richly layered with West African culture and ties to the myth of Persephone. It is a love story- but not in the way you might expect. Òdòdó’s growing love for herself and determination to not only survive, but rise, culminates in such a fierce and breathtaking way. The investment in learning Òdòdó’s world is worth-while, character lists & the included glossary will maximize your reading experience.

Thank you to O.O. Sangoyomi, Forge Books, & NetGalley for the digital advance reader’s copy!

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Safe, recommended.
-
𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
Crazy roller coaster ride! I enjoyed it so much
This book had everything.Romance, mystery, intriguing plot, The whole universe. All characters have my heart 🫶🥹 Everything was fresh. I love it! And you all NEED to read this!!

3.5⭐️
I have very mixed feelings about this book. My issues that I have mainly come from the pacing. The beginning of the book was extremely slow and it took a long time to get to where we were going. But when we did get there it moved so quickly. Because the book did move quickly I felt that the story lacked where many things could have been fleshed out. however I LOVED Òdòdó! She was so strong and not your typical fantasy leading lady which I loved.

This book is a marketed as fantasy which it is but I do not feel that there are a lot of magical elements within this story, for example there is no magic system at all. It is also marketed as a West African Hades-Persephone retelling. If I had known it was supposed to be a retelling I wouldn’t have picked it up. And like many Hades-Persephone retelling as this was just not that.

I loved the audiobook narrator for this one. Ariel Blake does a fantastic job at immediately immersing you into the story with her voice. Blake’s cadence specifically really did it for me! I still cannot tell from the ending wether there will be a sequel or not. But, if there is I will be picking that up.

Thank you so much to @macaudio for the eALC in exchange for an honest review!

This cover and synopsis really caught my attention. I love reading books that aren't from a European setting. I enjoyed Ododo's character arc and her journey to taking control of her destiny. While she was naive, she also was intelligent enough to become a power player in the politics within the story. This story was also darker than I thought it'd be. For some reason I had the impression this was going to have a romantic subplot and it has a relationship but I most certainly would not consider this a romance. I also didn't get much sense of fantasy or even the Persephone myth that this has been marketed for. I did find some areas to drag on longer than necessary and other areas weren't fleshed out to my liking. This has a lot of good things about it but overall it won't leave a lasting impression.

I really like this book!
it was my first time reading a book inspired by African mythology and I was quite surprised at how great I love it! This is a fantasy novel with a lot of political intrigues kind of like The Cruel Prince by Holly Black ( which is one of my fav books so this is telling). So plot-wise I really like it and was easily set into the story when reading.
I also like the character even though I sometimes needed to remind myself on who was who. The FMC is quite badass and I really like it! She knows what she want and she'll do everything to get it which is so cool to read.
The only thing bugging me a little bit was the setting of the time, what I mean is that I could quite know how much time was spent throughout the book so I could really quite get how much time was passing throughout the chapters and the events that were happening.
Other than that small thing I liked it a whole lot and would recommend it to people who like a political intrigue set in a fantasy-ish world!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this opportunity!

I was really compelled to read this for the historical aspect and where it takes place--I feel like I haven't read a lot of stories that are based in West Africa, let alone 15th century West Africa. I found myself really enjoying the characters, and while I didn't necessarily connect with them on a personal level, I was compelled by their personalities and how their pieces fit into the story at large. I think my only real critique of this story was that, I think one of the reasons I found it hard to connect with the main character was that her characterization could feel at times inconsistent and a bit unbelievable. Even with that, I did still feel compelled by her presence in the story.
The writing (and the characters in general) was vivid, and I just really enjoyed the historical and setting aspects of this story. I don't often like stories with a historical setting or plot, but this was absolutely fantastic.

Genre: historical fiction
West Africa, 15th century

Òdòdó, a powerful blacksmith, is kidnapped from her home of Timbuktu by the powerful Aláàfin leader Àrệmọ. Even as she is shocked that this handsome and dangerous man wants to marry her, she recognizes the comfort and power afforded to her in her role as beloved by the king. Òdòdó refuses to marry Àrệmọ until her mother can be found to give her blessing, so she bides her time training as a warrior under Àrệmọ. Changing political tides and warring kingdoms give her a chance to utilize some of this power, giving her fiance strategic advice that he then passes off as his own.

I have mixed feelings on Masquerade. I loved the setting: a fantastical 15th century West Africa with lush worldbuilding that avoids being info-dumpy. But the story itself leans towards all-vibes with little overall driving plot in a way that didn't work for me, with side plots popping seemingly out of nowhere. We are in Òdòdó’s POV the whole book, and yet I didn’t understand her motivation for her choices, or Sangoyomi’s decisions to put Òdòdó in certain circumstances. It’s being marketed as fantasy, but there are not a lot of magical elements in the story itself. On the one hand, there’s no magic system to figure out. On the other hand, I was hoping for a little more of the fantastical.

There are elements of great storytelling, but it reads like a debut with the need for more well-rounded character development and one major plot thread. I'll be excited for Sangoyomi's next book, because her prose is strong, even as all of the elements aren’t there yet.

What intrigued me about Masquerade was its unique setting and historical aspect. I wanted to connect more to Òdòdó and her plight but it just didn’t manifest. The writing was good but I’m not a fan of first person POV, finding it limiting as to what can be shown to the reader.

Thank you to Forge Books for the review copy.