THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. LOVED EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF THIS BOOK. SO SO SO GOOD. I RATED IT 4 STARS. I RECOMMEND EVERYONE TO READ THIS BOOK ASAP.

Wow! This book! This was a wonderfully crafted historical Yoruba fantasy. The storytelling is incredibly rich and layered . The beginning is a bit slow as the author sets up this complex and fully realised world. The worldbuilding is beautiful. Everything about this, from the people, the culture, the religion, the food, the traditions was beautifully told. The way this was written brought the world to life in such a vivid and beautiful way. That being said, despite how beautiful the world is, it took some time to get into it. I put down the book for a few weeks and only picked it back up when my netgalley access was about to expire and then it got soooo interesting. I stayed up all night devouring this book because I had to know how it ended. Went to bed at 5am and I have no regrets because this book delivered.

There were so many aspects of this book that I found compelling, It was interesting to see Ododo grow in confidence and fight for her right to be seen and heard. The strategy sessions and Ododo's tactical mind were my favorite things about this book. The toxic romance with AreMo was also really interesting to see unfold.

Despite how much I loved this book, there was one main thing that I had an issue with. Ododo's characterisation felt inconsistent and contradictory at times. For someone who grew up as an ostracised member of society her naivety felt unrealistic. There were certain things like her Mother-in-laws manipulative actions or her sister wife's secret plot were so obvious, it was laughable that Ododo didn't recognise it. Had their actions been more subtle then the reveal would have hit harder. At times it felt like Ododo's naivety was the main device used to push the plot forward.

4.5 rounded up to 5.

MASQUERADE BY O.O. SANGOYOMI is a loose retelling of the Persephone myth. Based in 15th century Africa this is a gorgeous story of deception, love, friendship, betrayal and politics. Ododo is abducted by a vagrant who had visited her guild a few days earlier, and once she is stolen away across the desert to another kingdom, she realizes he is not a vagrant, but the king, and he wants to marry her. Ododo puts off marriage with the condition that they must find her mother to obtain her blessing and the king is willing to wait. There is a lot of court politics and Ododo has many lessons to learn - including, most importantly, whom to trust. She also must learn and understand court politics and and the value of information. Ododo is quite naive at first but she learns quickly. what her value is and really to trust no one. Really well told story. I loved the audiobook narrator and the cover art is gorgeous. 4.5 stars. Thank you Net Galley and, Tor Publishing Group, Forge Books for my e-ARC and MacMillan audio for my advanced audio copy. Loved it!

Wow. WOW! This book blew my mind. I was hooked from the very first chapter. Any time I wasn’t reading this book I was thinking about it and when I could read what happens next.

This book is a Hades x Persephone retelling set in a reimagined 15th century West Africa. “A lyrical tale exploring the true cost of one woman’s fight for freedom and self-discovery, and the lengths she’ll go to secure her future.”

Our main character, Òdòdó, is a strong, fearless blacksmith, who is abducted and whisked away to the capital city by a man in love with her. I’m trying not to give much away. This book has romance, passion, political intrigue, and BEAUTIFUL writing. I’ve never been one to care much for clothing, but the way Sangoyomi describes the outfits and clothing had me enthralled. Òdòdó has been thrown to the top of the list of my favorite female main characters, she’s complex, tender, violent, caring. I can’t get enough of her.

I can’t wait to see what this author writes next, and absolutely astonishing debut.

2.5 ★
I have mixed feelings about this book and I think it's mostly cause this seems to be mis-marketed as a Hades-Persephone retelling. Instead this is a straight up historical fiction novel. Perhaps if you squint, the idea of Hades and Persephone is there, but the comp does an extreme disservice as the novels stands on its own without it.
I enjoyed the stunning prose, the court intrigue and highly dynamic power plays, the themes and the idea of a woman trying to survive in an extremely patriarchal society, and the vibrancy of the world that was built - I felt transported into 15th century West Africa.
However I didn't like that while the idea of the novel is about her fighting for freedom, her idea of freedom is changing hands from one abuser to the next. To the very end, there didn't seem to be a reason WHY she was fighting left and right to stay with an abuser she met all of one time that kidnapped her off the street - was it the potential of a crown? The promises she deluded herself in believing when no one else was promising the same? I don't quite know.
Overall, I was quite frustrated throughout the novel as I couldn't quite garner any sympathy for Ododo or the choices she made. I did really enjoy the spiraling of the plot towards the end of the novel.

Masquerade was a fast-paced, historical epic that I really enjoyed! I was expecting it to be more of a historical fantasy, but there were very few fantasy elements, although I appreciated the rich mythology that was woven through each page. This was more of a political fantasy than anything, which is also I subgenre I really enjoy. Ododo was such an interesting main character: her relationship with her mother was incredibly complicated, and I liked the way that relationship played out. While some aspects of this book were pretty similar to the myth of Hades and Persephone, Ododo's story and character arc was entirely her own. She reminded me of a lot of other morally grey characters from popular books, but her situation was so unique. I loved the precolonial African setting; I have never read a book based in that location during that time period.

Thank you Macmillian Audio and Forge books for a copy of this one!

Masquerade is a 15th Century West Africa retelling of Hades and Persephone. It was filled with so many twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat. It was dark and complex but such an engaging read with beautiful writing. I enjoyed it!

What You'll Find:
Strong FMC
Morally Grey characters
Political intrique
Immersive read
Dark love story

Thanks to Tor - Forge for the copy of this book!

"Men called us witches, they thought us demons, and yet, it was them who wished to possess us."

MASQUERADE is an immersive, compelling historical fantasy set in the 15th century that's based on African mythology but also has similarities to the Hades / Persephone storyline. If you're looking for morally gray characters or you love villains like me, look no further.

Òdòdó is a blacksmith from Timbuktu, shunned by society and deemed a witch. When the Aláàfin (king) of Yorùbáland conquers Timbuktu, she is captured and taken to Ṣàngótẹ̀ (in Nigeria) and told that she will be the Aláàfin's wife.

With a narrative centered on the place of women within society, O. O. Sangoyomi does a masterful job of writing enticing politics and drama and throwing in shocking twists that kept me wanting more. Did all of the characters make some questionable choices? Absolutely. Do I love some well-thought-out secrets and betrayal? Also yes.

Don't miss this this debut!

This is a difficult but rewarding read. It mentions that this is a twist on the tale of Persephone and it definitely leans into the darker aspects of that myth. The main character is naive and at first is swept away by her change in station, but she realizes quickly that her new position in society has it's own costs. This was an interesting read and really made me want to learn more about Yorubaland and the lands they conquered. As interesting as the story was, it was also very slow. I felt like the author often took too long describing the scenes instead of furthering the plot.

Okay this was darker than I expected and I have conflicted feelings about it. Masquerade is an interesting portrayal of a 19 year old trying to survive in a patriarchal society. She's a complex MC who makes decisions that serve her own interests which was difficult to see when it involved decisions that hurt other women to get ahead. I wish the author had chosen a more clear direction with their take on the Hades and Persephone myth. Many takes romanticize the relationship (a choice I've enjoyed many times before). Other takes subvert the story and point out the problems with that dynamic. The author confused me because she did both - she had our main character deeply in love with this guy while also showing us how toxic their relationship was. It was very uncomfortable to read. Many parts of this book were difficult to get through. I was waiting for a reason for the grittiness, for the suffering. I really wanted to see our MC triumph in the end or learn something as a result of everything that had happened to her. The ending felt a bit rushed and didn’t give me as much closure as I would have liked about where our MC is now and who she will be going forward. I'm struggling with my feelings with the book because I want female MCs to have the room to make decisions that are self-serving/be more morally gray but for some reason I found myself struggling with her more controversial choices. I still had a good time with the story and really loved how rich the world felt. I was very immersed in the story and I think that's part of what made the difficult subject matter hard to read about. This book is like nothing I've ever read before and I'm very glad I picked it up. It was an unusual reading experience but definitely worth the read.

Ododo is a blacksmith, a group of women shunned as witches. When the warriors of Yorubaland conquer her hometown, no one is sure what will happen next. After being abducted, Ododo is taken across the Sahara to be the wife of the Yoruba king. Excited about her change in station, Ododo must learn to balance her fiancé's affection with her own desires.

This book was a story in contrast. The contrast between the lives of blacksmiths and royalty. The poverty of the people and the opulence of the court. The contrast between Odobo’s desires and her obligation to her mother and fellow blacksmiths. At times the book felt predictable and moved slowly. Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.

This was so good! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. We love an African mythology and a beautiful word built into the story.

This is how historical fiction should be told!! I seem to be obsessed with Hades and his obsessions, this is perhaps the 6th book about him I have read this year and this one is by far my favorite! West African retelling and the FMC is badass. Loved it!

“Masquerade” is an adult historical fantasy novel written by a O.O. Sangoyomi. A captivating, intriguing and engaging book, embellished by highly lyrical and evocative prose. A bewitching and intricate story full of court intrigue, power plays, deceptions, subterfuges, lies, secrets, alliances and betrayals. A tale developed against the backdrop of West Africa, described in an extremely vivid way. I loved this setting, I was completely absorbed in the events narrated, but in contrast the characters left me lukewarm. I don't know, they seemed a bit superficial and this unfortunately prevented me from fully connecting with them. However, despite the characters, I really enjoyed the novel!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In Masquerade, Òdòdó is abducted from her home of Timbuktu to the capital Ṣàngótẹ̀. She realizes her kidnapper is the king himself and she is now his queen. Òdòdó must adjust to royal life and navigate the political factions at court. Can Òdòdó win over the court, and her husband before her country, and herself, are destroyed?

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for an advance e-copy of the book. I was not paid to write this review and all thoughts are my own.

I absolutely love the West African themes throughout this book. The story was fantastic and kept me on my toes, and that ending!! I love a morally grey character and that’s certainly what the main character is. The writing is gorgeous as well.

I’m always in the search for a Hades and Persephone retelling to love but I fear Masquerade, though perfectly adequate will fade in with the rest of the bunch in my mind. The world seemed wildly interesting with a West African perspective to immerse you into the world but ultimately I found the character development, intention and personalities to be slightly lacking, not allowing me to fully connect with any of the characters. Most plot points were easily guessed and ultimately missed any kind of surprise.

This West African epic was such an interesting mix of African historical fiction and the myth of Persephone and Hades. I went into this expecting there to be more magic, but aside from the inspirational source work of Persephone and Hades, this reads much more like a historical fiction. That being said, it's a fascinating historical fiction about a woman who refuses to accept her lot in life and takes her destiny into her own hands.

The plot was a little slow to get off the ground for me, but Òdòdó’s journey hooked me eventually. I do think that the plot suffered a bit from info dumping about the court at the beginning. That being said, Òdòdó is a strong woman who is not afraid to take risks to ensure her safety and position. There's action, betrayal, LOTS of court politics. A slow start did not diminish the ultimate triumph of Òdòdó's story, and I was very glad of the resolution. I don't know how it could have ended another way and still have been satisfying!

Thank you for an early copy of "Masquerade" by OO Sangoyomi. I enjoyed this retelling of Persephone and love the character development of the plot. I also learned a lot about African mythology, which made me study more about African folk tales. Thank You again to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley.

stunning, beautiful, i love it !! I could feel the heat and the desperation, and I was swept along in the story many women in history share: to be seen as more than accessories to men’s ambitions. i'm excited to witness sangoyomi's literary career