Òdòdó is a strong blacksmith from Timbuktu where she lives with the other members of her blacksmith guild. Blacksmiths are already viewed as outsiders within the community, and now that the warrior king of Yorùbáland has conquered Timbuktu conditions have deteriorated for her guild even further. Things go from bad to worse when Òdòdó is kidnapped and brought to Sàngótè where she is forced to marry Àrèmo, the warrior king who is responsible for the conditions she and her guild finds themselves in. It seems that a simple kindness to a beggar, who was the warrior king in disguise, has lead to this predicament, but as tensions continue to grow between rival states Òdòdó sees an opportunity defy the king, but first she must repair the strained bonds that her new, unwanted position has created, or potentially lose her life along the way.

Masquerade is said to be loosely based on the myth of Persephone, which is what drew me in at first. The more pages I read the less I could see the comparison–the similarities are so very few–but I still found Masquerade to be a very entertaining story full of strong female characters. Òdòdó is a remarkable individual and I took delight in joining her on her journey. I loved watching her growth as the story went on. Sangoyomi is a masterful storyteller, using words to paint spectacular scenes and events, creating a page-turner that kept me hooked.

I also greatly enjoyed the audiobook. The inflection and changes of pace effectively conveyed the various feelings, emotions and experiences of the characters, creating a tone that fit well with the story, and the voices and accents used for the characters brought them to life. Blake’s presentation of the narrative greatly added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

Set in a reimagined 15th-century West Africa, when the warrior king abducts Òdòdó from her hometown and chooses her as his future wife, Òdòdó must tread carefully among shaky loyalties and ever-changing political alignments or risks losing everything—including her life.

MASQUERADE is a fast-paced and unputdownable debut based on the myth of Persephone. While there are fantasy elements, the story always retains its steam with just the right amount of world-building that eases the readers into this reimagined historical drama. Sangoyomi perfectly blends historical fantasy, thrilling plot twists, and character development into an adrenaline-filled story. I love following Òdòdó's journey as she navigates complex politics and hidden loyalties; I devoured MASQUERADE in a day and would happily read another 500 pages.

If you're tired of mainstream romantasy and want something different (read: more diverse), if you love reading about unhinged women, female rage, and morally gray characters, if you want to give fantasy a try, if you adore magical elephants (who doesn't?), then definitely don't miss MASQUERADE! I highly recommend this unputdownable debut to fans of KAIKEYI (Vaishnavi Patel) and THE POPPY WAR series (R.F. Kuang).

The audiobook was beautifully done. I didn't realize the story was a retelling of Persephone and Hades until about halfway through. The historical history was fascinating, but I still had trouble connecting with the characters, but that doesn't mean that this story isn't important. Sangoyomi gave a unique retelling of life for women in 15th century West Africa. I felt honored to read such an account and be immersed in a culture I am unfamiliar with. I have already begun to recommend this book to readers who love historical fiction and enjoy a story of a woman on the path to inner power and freedom. Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this story.

🎧📖 Audiobook Recommendation 💫📣 Masquerade by O. O. Sangoyomi

This unique historical fiction novel was released in July and I have to say it's not getting the hype it deserves.  It takes place in 15th century West Africa, is imbued with magical realism, and lightly borrows inspiration from the Persephone-Hades myth.  An ambitious concept for a debut novel and the author pulls it off. 

What I loved:
🏵 Our MC Òdòdó!  She's forcefully plucked from her sheltered life under the watchful eye of her mother and the woman blacksmith guild where she was raised, finding herself now navigating the dangers, delights, and courtly intrigue of the ruling class, all while being wooed into a toxic yet alluring relationship. She learns brutal lessons, is forced to make difficult decisions, and grows out of naivete into her badass self.
🩶 Did I mention that Òdòdó is morally grey?  There were points where I was like, really wow not sure how I feel about that.  But ultimately these internal conflicts and her responses made her more interesting.  This would make a good book club choice because it would be fun to discuss everyone's different reactions to Òdòdó and where the story goes.
🌍 The detailed setting in a time, place, and culture I haven't had much exposure to and thoroughly enjoyed becoming immersed in.  The lush descriptions made for a vivid reading experience without being over-wrought or dragging down the pace of the story.
💥 Daaaaaaang... that ending!  No spoilers here, but I'll just say I left this book saying WOW and feeling really satisfied.
🎧 Ariel Blake's audiobook narration was fantastic and kept me engaged.  Her beautiful intonation was captivating, and I appreciated hearing this story in an accent authentic to the story's setting.

Other thoughts:
✍️ Hard to believe this well-constructed story is a debut!  There were moments in Òdòdó's inner monologue that were a bit heavy-handed - I felt like I didn't need to be explicitly told what I can infer - but overall well-written.  Enjoyed it so much I bought the Aardvark edition! 

Thank you to the Macmillan Audio Influencer Program for my complementary copy in exchange for my honest review.

If your vibe is "I support women's rights... and wrongs," then this is the book for you. And that's exactly why it wasn't the book for me.

Òdòdó is a blacksmith, something that in this fantasy world based on the ancient West African kingdoms spanning Mali, Benin, Togo, and Nigeria, is seen as taboo and results in her being labeled a witch. Very early in the story, she is taken from her home and family and is thrown into a world of power - men's power.

Òdòdó is understandably very frustrated with the turn her life has taken - a turn that is unjustly out of her control. However, she sets out to make the best of it, spinning her forced marriage to a warrior king as a way to provide for her mother.

While at the court, before her wedding to the king, she encounters intrigue, plots, and shifty characters. How Òdòdó handled these issues was at first with a semblance of grace, but then quickly turns to ruthlessness and cruelty in her efforts to gain power. The story very much becomes a tale of Òdòdó grappling for power and respect in any way she can... leading to some unsavory choices.

I was engaged and raptly paying attention for most of the story, but I didn't enjoy how morally gray - not even that, just morally dark - Òdòdó becomes. I didn't like the ending, and the way Òdòdó lost her self in her chase of power. It was probably realistic, I'll give you that. But not very enjoyable to watch.

Other than that, the setting and world were richly described. As I mentioned, I was engaged. I even enjoyed some of the twists and turns. And lastly, the audiobook was truly stunning, excellently narrated by Ariel Blake! (If you struggle with accents in your audiobooks, be warned that this may not be the audiobook for you).

I do not know what I was expecting with Masquerade but it left me stunned. It is haunting and beautiful but also down-to-earth and pulls you into the reality of life at the time. Òdòdó, the protagonist, is strong and smart and politically shrewd despite having little life experience, and I think I loved her far more than I ever did Persephone. (And I do love Persephone.)

I’ve had a lot of people ask if they should read it if they don’t know anything about the history of West Africa, and to that I say, Sangoyomi’s writing will build the world thoroughly for you. I knew very little and almost immediately felt like I was there and learning about this complex political world along with Òdòdó. Sometimes royal stories get glossed over and romanticised, as do myths, but this story brings into a historical reality.

Ariel Blake’s narration for the audiobook was also wonderful. She brought such emotional and difficult situations to life and made me feel like I was there.

"Masquerade" by O.O. Sangoyomi, narrated by Ariel Blake, is a captivating journey through a richly imagined 15th century West African world. Ododo, a powerful blacksmith, is thrust into a whirlwind of political intrigue and romance when she is abducted by the enigmatic high king, Àrệmọ. The lush world-building and unique storyline kept me hooked from start to finish.

Ariel Blake's narration truly brings this story to life. Her accent and pronunciation add an immersive layer to the experience, making the audiobook a must-listen. While the plot has its dense moments and occasionally veers into unexpected territories, the overall story remains compelling and full of vibrant characters. If you're looking for a fresh and engaging fantasy with a strong female lead, "Masquerade" is definitely worth a listen!

This book was absolute fire!!!! O.O. Sangoyomi's debut book Masquerade is an epic tale set in West Africa, exploring a young women's rise from laborious poverty to lavish royalty. Born in a household of women blacksmiths where they are regarded as witches in their culture, 19 year old Òdòdó is suddenly kidnapped from her home in Timbuktu and transport to the royal capital of Ṣàngótẹ̀ to become the bride of the Yorùbáland's warrior king. Taken from her home, she is asked to marry the Alaafin right away and forget about her past life as a witch forever. While accepting the marriage would be a life of luxury and supposed respect as a former witch, Òdòdó will soon learn that the luxury lifestyle comes with a price. She soon finds that the city and court are a den of vipers out to test her resolve and must learn how to navigate in order to survive while sudden eruptions of blacksmith rebellions threaten her safety. Òdòdó also finds that although she is a lowly woman who will marry the Alaafin, keeping the favor and attention of her fiance and having a voice will be her biggest challenge of all. Is her new life worth the pain and suffering she must endure, or will she go back to her life as a witch in silence?

I absolutely LOVED this book! At first, it was a bit slow in pace when it was describing a lot of the setting and scenery when it came to the vibrant life of West Africa cities, but it picked up the pace when Òdòdó arrived at the capital. The vivid and vibrant descriptions read out by the narrator really brought the audiobook to live when it talked about the colorful backgrounds, the city markets and just the beautiful way each character was dressed in the book. When I first started the book, the story reminded me of a more intense version of Beauty and the Beast, but then I realized that it closely reassembled the story of Persephone and Hades. That was my bad. Listening to Òdòdó 's story about her struggles in court, trying to understand the culture around nobility and finding people to trust in the cutthroat setting made me feel like I was right beside her witnessing everything. The characters were well-written in slowly showing their deceptive personalities and then hearing about their actions against Òdòdó made me hurt for her, but I was excited when she started triumphing so well. I was completely rooting her to stay strong and become the phenomenal woman she was meant to be. I understand how the culture presented in the book degraded women and labeled every woman a witch for almost every little thing, but damned if I did not want to choke the life out of people for Òdòdó. Author Sangoyomi brought out so many emotions out of me that made this book even better than what I thought it would be. I was also absolutely floored by the ending being so good, and Òdòdó came out of the whole situation like the phenomenal Queen she was destined to be. I swear I jumped up and did a happy dance for all her victories but her last was the best one yet. I wish I could rate this book higher than 5 stars because I will say that this is the absolutely best book I have read this year! Truly an amazingly brilliant story!!

Thrilling adventure especially via audiobook. From the stark imagery to the dips and twists of the story, it did not disappoint.

Immersive and detail rich historical fiction with a memorable, morally grey heroine, MASQUERADE is a loose Persephone retelling set in 15th century Yorùbáland. Highly recommended for fans of court intrigue, rise to power tales, GRRM, and THE WOMAN KING. Hopefully the first of many books from Nigerian American O.O. Sangoyomi.

Òdòdó is a blacksmith in Timbuktu. Blacksmiths in this world are shunned as witches despite their valuable skill, as they are primarily single women and mothers who reject or have been rejected by men (it's sort of unclear which). A mysterious stranger buys one of Òdòdó's signature metal flowers, and it's not long before she finds herself drugged and abducted, whisked to Yorùbáland, and her whole world is turned upside down. She quickly accepts that her fortune has changed dramatically, and she must learn how to adjust to a host of new dangers.

This book had a lot of potential. The writing was enjoyable, and the world was incredibly vibrant and interesting, set in what would be a modern day Nigeria. However, the plot and characters fell flat to be point of frustration. There were moments that were unclear and needed more explanation, and some of Òdòdó's decisions were really hard to understand, which made it challenging to connect with her journey. She simply didn't have any qualities that I appreciate in a protagonist, and I wasn't really given a reason to believe that she basically a savant at court politics, strategy, etc. while being simultaneously so uneducated and naive in regards to court life. It just didn't make sense.

Lastly, if you're going to be on the wrong side of a slave revolt without any reflection or growth, I'm going to root against you. The only thing that kept this from being a 1 star read for me was the end, but even that was pretty unbelievable.

The narrator Ariel Blake was fantastic, and I would definitely listen to more of her work.

15th century west Africa, Òdòdó’ is a blacksmith in Timbuktu. Blacksmiths are all women, and are shamed as witches. She has an interesting encounter with a vagrant and afterwords is kidnapped and taken to the capital city of Yorùbáland, Ṣàngótẹ̀. Here she discovers that the vagrant is actually the warrior king, and his encounter with her has left him smitten and he wants to take her as his second wife. After her life as a social outcast with poor conditions, she is beguiled by her new lifestyle as a powerful member of high society. She begins to have feelings for him as they get further into the relationship, even as she realizes how cruel and heartless he can be. Learning to navigate her new world, she begins scheming to satisfy her hunger for even more power.


I highly recommend the audiobook because the narrator is an amazing story teller.

It’s fun, engaging, and I will recommend it to anyone who enjoys a little historical fiction mixed with mythology. I was a little nervous about the kidnapping-turned-lovers vibe but it all worked out in the end (tee hee).

I do have a couple bones to pick with the story though. Òdòdó’s questionable decision making skills were frustrating, but I guess that’s part of her character. The pacing is weird, the story stagnates a little in the middle and the end feels super rushed. Those these two things were minor issues though because the storytelling was so good and I still had a great time reading it.

Ododo is a complex, compelling, relatable heroine that will stick with me for a long time. I finished this book several weeks ago and keep thinking about its imagery, plot, and character arcs! I'm telling everyone I know about this book.

This was gorgeous! What an impressive debut!! I really enjoyed this "Hades and Persephone retelling" set in 15th century West Africa.

When I saw I was going to be on a panel at ALA with O.O. Sangoyomi, I sneaked onto Netgalley and requested an audio ARC (thank you Netgalley and the publisher for approving me). I'm so glad I did. I was blown away by the beautiful writing and the strong female characters. The main character has definite GoT Sansa vibes, and I loved that.

The story follows Òdòdó, who works as a blacksmith with her mother. She's kidnapped by the king of Yorùbáland to become his second wife. The love story is complicated (as it should be, given the circumstances) - this is not a romantasy, but historical fiction with a hint of fable. Òdòdó learns to find her strength and come into her own power as a woman, and it's thrilling to watch. MASQUERADE is a deftly told tale with rich characters and setting.

Sangoyomi is going to be a big name in fiction. Five stars from me!

I was looking forward to this book and really wanted to like it, but was unfortunately disappointed.

Things I liked:
- The imagery was BEAUTIFUL, from the fictionalized settings to the clothing and riches of Ṣàngótẹ̀!
- The elephants!
- The concept was really strong - a young working woman gets kidnapped by the warrior king to be his new wife, and must navigate the sudden plunge into high society, political scheming, and her growing relationship with her future husband.
- The narrator Ariel Blake was excellent and really brought the characters and imagery to life.

Things I didn’t like:
- It felt like there were too many plot lines going on here, and it was hard to both keep them straight and get invested in them.
- The pacing wasn’t great, and it felt like some of the plot was filler and could have been shortened to keep the story moving along.
- The chemistry was not there between Òdòdó and the king
- I did not identify with or like the main character Òdòdó. She started out ok, but her personality and naivety started to drive me crazy, and her thought process/decision making didn’t make sense to me at all 😂

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

In a reimagined 15th century west Africa, this is a spellbinding tale about young Ododo, the main character, who is abducted from her blacksmith guild in Timbuktu and forced to marry the warrior king of Yorubaland. But Ododo learns fast and she swiftly begins to navigate the political environment of her husband’s court. A fierce and strong personality, Ododo gets involved in intrigue, rivalry and warfare. I loved the setting - so richly described that it visually comes alive. There’s tension, suspense and surprises and I loved the ending. I enjoyed the audiobook and narrator Ariel Blake did a great job. The book gets a 3.5 rating rounded up to 4. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Now this is a historical fiction/myth! The beautiful cover drew me in, but the story itself was what kept me there. The action starts on the first page and does not stop until the last - there are no slow parts, but nothing feels rushed. The characters are realistically complex - people do dumb things, but this isn't like so many other stories where the heroine is unbelievably oblivious to things around her to put herself in peril and advance the story. Sure, Ododo's choices and reactions (or lack thereof, sometimes) reflect her limited life experience prior to the events of the book - but as the story progresses and she gets to know the players and politics of the royal city, she learns from her mistakes. The slice of 15th century Africa we see through Odobo's eyes is wonderfully described in all of its diversity of terrain, wildlife, cultures, etc. without the European framing common to too many African stories. The audiobook is a special treat - the narrator's voice is lovely, and it is the kind of tale that should be told aloud (of course not by a griot - they're not storytellers, you know!) and savored.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed Masquerade, especially the second half of the book when things started to become more exciting. I do think it was a little on the long side and the first half dragged a bit. This book is a very loose retelling of Hades and Persephone, set in 15th century West Africa. Òdòdó is likeable enough as a main character and narrator, but she is sometimes incredibly naïve and honestly, unbelievably stupid. At times, she is quite clever and inventive and brave, but then will fail to see how she is being lied to or deceived or just doesn't put two and two together. While she sheds some of her naivete as the story progresses, she still has these moments of being dumb later in the novel. It takes most of the story for her to fully realize whom she can truly trust and how far.

The details and descriptions of her life, the royal city of Ṣàngótẹ̀, and the action scenes are good, and boy, is that ending compelling! Overall, Masquerade is worth the read, even if Òdòdó is sometimes really stupid. The narration by Ariel Blake is quote enjoyable.

Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this book.

MASQUERADE by O.O. Sangoyomi is gorgeously narrated by Ariel Blake and graciously provided to me by @macmillan.audio via @netgalley. Published on July 2nd, this was a stunningly immersive tale into the 15th century world of West Africa.

I loved following Òdòdó and her journey from a social outcast, to kidnap victim, to future bride of the King of Yorùbáland. I found myself lost in the deeper struggles she has while discovering her strengths and slowly imparting her voice. As all great tales seem to have, a betrayal surprised me while her somewhat impossible choices forged the hardness she needed to survive.

I was ready for a change of scene in my usual reading and this story took me away. The subversive strengths of women are themes I always love, and laugh to see how witches are the name for strong women everywhere, and this audio was gorgeous. I loved being able to hear these beautiful names pronounced in the smooth and correct way that I might stumble over. Blake captured all the characters well and I was transported.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A recommended audio choice for all who want a fresh take on strong African women in a rich, historical setting with mythological tendrils.

I don't read historical fiction much but I enjoyed this book very much. I'm glad I read the synopsis before starting it and didn't expect a bunch of fantasy and magic. I also really enjoyed the narration as well. This book is great for people who love historical fiction set in west Africa.