2.5 stars
I was very excited at the beginning of Masquerade with the alternative historical fiction setting. I didn’t love the set-up of the book with Ododo’s kidnapping and the back and forth of deciding whether or not to marry her kidnapper for access to money and power. That decision dragged on for the entire book. Red flag after red flag but the money is too sweet. My patience ran out long before the ending. Fortunately, the narration was fresh so it got me to the finish line.
*Thanks to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance audiobook.

From the moment I picked up Masquerade I was absolutely captivated by O.O Sangoyomi’s level of storytelling. Inspired by the myth of Persephone, we follow Òdòdò, a blacksmith in Timbuktu, whose life takes a dramatic turn when she is kidnapped by the Warrior King. What follows is a journey of transformation and empowerment as Òdòdò navigates the treacherous waters of betrayal and the royal court in Șàngóté.

When I tell you Sangoyomi has a way with words, and immersing you into a world that felt both ancient and timeless. I was truly captivated by her writing. This story had me on my toes the entire time! I cannot tell you how many times I had to stop reading to digest the twists and turns of Òdòdò’s story!

Òdòdò’s journey was truly a testament to personal empowerment and resilience (personally would have given up a few times, Òdòdò was truly that girl).

Masquerade is a MUST READ. I finished the book a week ago, and I’m still thinking about it. And this is a DEBUT!! I can’t wait for whatever she had next!

Set in 15th Century West African this is a novel rich with African History and Mythology. Òdòdó is a strong female character thrust into royalty after she is kidnapped and I was always interested in how she would get through every trial thrown her way.

The writing was engaging and the characters, political machinations and action sequences makes this fast paced story that
had me hooked to the bitter end. I really enjoyed this and look forward to getting my own copy upon release.

Honestly blown away by how good this is; I’m not sure there were any aspects I didn’t love. Set in the late 15th century in Yorubaland (a time and region we don’t get enough stories about) MASQUERADE is fast paced, complex without being overly dense, and filled with nuanced relationships between characters who are neither always kind and right nor always monstrous and wrong. In particular, I thought the relationship between Ododo and Aremo (the king who has kidnapped her to be his brides) was so well done, as we experience Ododo’s ever shifting love and doubts about her husband-to-be, the more she learns about him and what it would mean to be his wife.

The audiobook narrator does an excellent job of voicing the characters and their emotions, as well as differentiating between the characters. As someone not overly familiar with West African culture, I also appreciated having the pronunciations of the different character names and places.

CW: animal death (a captive elephant is killed by humans, the death scene is depicted on page but is not overly graphic).

This book is simultaneously inspired by African history and mythology and the Hades & Persephone story. It sounds chaotic, but it absolutely worked. I loved our FMC, Òdòdó, and the way she grew into her strength, found her agency, and generally grew into an incredible woman. I loved how women were depicted throughout the book, particularly how they took advantage of how men underestimated them. As a bonus, we have lots of commentary on society, colonialism, and the patriarchy. The storyline was very engaging and I was sad to find the book had ended, despite being satisfied with the end of the story, because I wasn't ready to say goodbye. I read this one on audio and I highly recommend that - the narrator brought a richness to the story and I enjoyed it so much more because I was hearing the names and words pronounced correctly.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I found Masquerade to offer a vibrant and engaging setting coupled with characters that I just couldn't connect with.

Written in first person, we get a intimate look at what our MC, Òdòdó’s, is thinking and feeling throughout her journey...but despite the heightened insight, I just didn't feel connected to her in anyway. Without any stakes felt toward her, the beautifully imagine atmosphere is essentially what kept me turning the pages.

The quality of writing and atmosphere was at a caliber that does has me curious what this author will do next.

4.5⭐️

The novel introduces us to Òdòdó, a female blacksmith, living in 15th century West Africa. As her quality of life diminishes under new rule, Òdòdó is kidnapped by a man she had thought to be a poor traveler. In a twist of fate, he is revealed to be a warrior king. She is then forced to find her footing at the upper echelon of society.

What a masterful tale! This novel is perfect for fans of the myth of Hades and Persephone as well as The Arabian Nights. The writing, the narration, and Òdòdó’s character combined for quite an entertaining read.

Read this is you enjoy:
💠 poetic writing
💠 exciting action scenes
💠 a strong FMC
💠political intrigue

Thank you to @macmillan.audio @forgereads @netgalley for the ALC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙖𝙮. 𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨. 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙩.

Òdòdó has been kidnapped by a warrior king, who has chosen her to be his bride.

What we get from there is a beautifully written story about Òdòdó’s journey from subjugation to finding her own power.

I loved seeing Òdòdó learn how to win battles both political and violent, and I really loved how the story progressed, and that climactic ending was just perfect for her arc.

You can definitely see the connections to the story of Hades & Persephone, but O.O. Sangoyomi has done a fabulous job making this story its own. (I would also like to point out that the romance in this book is definitely not the main driver of the story, and I would definitely not describe this book as a “romance” book.)

I also felt she did a really great job transporting the reader to 15th Century West Africa; the setting really jumped off the page for me.

I was sucked in from the start by the writing and narration. This is this author’s debut, and I’m so excited to where she goes from here.

As for the narration, Ariel Blake was just fantastic, and really added to the immersive experience of the writing, and brought the characters to life.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for providing me an ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What this book is giving:
✅ Historical Fiction
✅ 15th Century West Africa
✅ Loose Persephone Retelling
✅ Politics
✅ Battles
✅ Betrayals
✅ Badass FMC

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ / 5

A blacksmith from Timbuktu, Òdòdó faces hardship under the oppressive rule of the Yorùbá king. Abducted and taken to the capital, she discovers her captor is the king himself, who desires her as his wife. Suddenly thrust into a world of power and intrigue, she navigates the treacherous court, forced to choose between her own survival and the fate of her people.

I loved this! The writing style is beautiful and immersive. Òdòdó is strong, resourceful, and resilient. Despite the dangers she faces, she never loses her humanity. The audiobook narration added to the enjoyment of the book.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This book was beautiful! The ending fell a bit flat for me so that made it a 4 instead of 5 star read. I still pre ordered the book. The cover is beautiful! The narration was gorgeous and I highly recommend listening to it. Still wanted a book trophy for my shelves! Will read it to see what I missed during listening to it.

Thank you, NetGalley!

This book was soo good. It takes political court intrigue, the struggles of women, complex love, and a woman trying to find herself story so well. The growth the MC goes through make the early chapters where she is so naive easier to deal with. I appreciate that the relationships with women are emphasized more than just the relationship with men. I also like that the "bad guy" characters were humanized.

I need to get a physical copy ASAP.

Masquerade
is an immaculately and vividly world-built, politically complex, and empowering piece of historical fiction.
On a prose level, Yorubaland as shown through Ododo’s eyes is cinematic and specific, deep without infodumping. Despite having no lasting speculative fiction element, Sangoyomi’s Timbuktu and Yorubaland teem with magic. There is a cultural understanding that witches are real (and they are, but their ability to blacksmith comes from practice, and their shunning from society comes from misogyny) and that the gods use men as their emissaries (they do, but they use women, too). We are brought into Masquerade through eyes both familiar with (the world proper) and new to (the life of wealth, influence, and privilege afforded to a ruler’s betrothed) it, so anything that might be unfamiliar to the reader can be demonstrated through character-establishing reminiscing or plot-building explication. Ododo’s position as a blacksmith witch turned alaafin’s betrothed gives her unique, multivalent insight, and allows us to see many angles of the world and of the other characters, providing emotional complexity and nuance.
Case in point: the alaafin Oremo is frightening from the start, though his affections make him seem (at the beginning) just an enthusiastic, lovestruck man who had never been told no. As Ododo makes choices that distance her from the idealized version of a wife he has in his head, the more his sinister, mistrustful nature comes out. He’s militaristically and politically competent, which makes him all the more threatening, and serves to make Ododo’s position (isolated, common-blooded, and all around new to court) all the more precarious. While I’m normally a champion for female friendships in books, having Ododo learn hard lessons about who actually is a friend to her was cathartic, despite the pain of it. It made narrative sense that she would be trusting of kindness and familiarity at first, which made her hardening and learning to trust her own canniness and strategy above the favors others could do for her sensical, emotionally rewarding, and tragic in turns.
However, equally as strong as the jadedness that palace life and political intrigue teach Ododo to wield is, is her instinct for kindness and optimism. As much as Oremo fails her, he still loves her, and she him. As much as the blacksmiths cause trouble with their strikes, Ododo still feels kinship and understanding with those women who, like her, just wanted to escape a life of toil and stigma however they could. It is rare that a protagonist is both the moral center of a story and the most ruthless player on page, but Ododo manages to be both. I found myself excusing even her less savory actions because she made them feel justified, and I was squarely on her side during her highest and lowest points. She’s a tremendously sympathetic character, and while the path she is placed on is unforgiving and hard, she does not waver on it.
I struggle to speak on the plot proper, both because there were so many interwoven threads that to pull on one would mean tugging on the rest, and I’d be left with a review as long as the book. Suffice it to say that the political intrigue and the ever-turning wheels of politics and progress were a delight to read. Not all of the elements therein are surprising when they come—to avoid spoilers, a betrayal by a friend and a sabotage by a foe who did not seem to have such sharp teeth—but I don’t think that was the point of the story. Ododo didn’t see those blows coming, even if a reader familiar with court politics stories would, but she learns from them and grows, and that transformation is electric and un-look-away-able. Her character arc, her taking power and securing her hold on it while others attempt the same around her, THAT is the point of Masquerade.
Ariel Blake’s narration brings all elements of the story to life. In addition to being a voice that’s easy and pleasant to listen to, Blake is tremendously skilled at embodying character in her narration. Reading as Ododo, she infuses the voice of the protagonist with a wonder that curdles to realism, but never loses its understanding of the security brought on by opulence and power. Her voice sounds young and old in turns, sometimes both at once, reflecting Ododo’s change through the narrative. At times I had to remind myself that I was reading fiction, and not listening a woman reminisce on a time when she was younger, more naive, and far less powerful than she is now. I cannot praise the audiobook enough.
Regardless of format, though, I recommend Masquerade for any reader who likes their worldbuilding decadent, their plots a tangle of conflicting political and personal desires, and their characters competent, ruthless, and always seeking to be more than they were the day before.

I very much enjoyed this audiobook and how immersive it was. The story its self was interesting although not always the most exciting. There were some slow moments in between the big climax moments that could have been skipped. I didn't really see the comparison to Persephone BUT I did appreciate how it was a story about a woman finding her power and voice. I would recommend this to people who love historical fiction with a touch of romance.

I really enjoyed this one. In this story, we meet Ododo, who is a Black Smith (a social outcast), and whose life is suddenly turned upside down when she catches the eye of an influential man, King Aremo. In this new world, she must choose between holding on to her old life or fighting to hold on to this new unexpected upgrade. It's not all smooth sailing. At every turn, Ododo is face with conniving opposition to her presence, and in the end, she is forced to wisen up and use her mental skills to save herself. There were so many times in this book where I was worried for her, but she rose to the occasion and handled her business. Ododo started off so sheltered and naive and evolved into a badass that took no prisoners. I support women's rights and wrongs. The only reason this wasn't a full 5 stars is because there was a huge incident that happened that I felt was kinda brushed away, and that needed a bit more attention!! All in all, this novel was one of my anticipated new releases, and I am very happy with my reading experience. I enjoyed the audio book but I wanted a bit more of the accents ro come through to really bring it home for me. Thank you to Netgalley and Tor publishing, Forge Books, for gifting the e-arc and audio arc.

I was so impressed by this debut! Masquerade is a historical fiction set in 15th century West Africa and is loosely based on the myth of Hades and Persephone. Ododo is a blacksmith who is captured by the warrior king of a rival tribe. The king wants her as his wife, and Ododo is unsure whether to embrace this new life or strive to return home.

This historical fiction had hints of fantasy lore and the world building was incredibly lush. I enjoyed the political intrigue and the development of the main character. Sometimes I felt like Ododo miraculously had abilities she shouldn’t have, conveniently knew what to say, and was able to accomplish things in a way that felt too easy. It was a little “not like other girls” in that way. There was also a point half way through where the story became like a fever dream and I got a little lost. But within a few chapters things picked back up and were action-packed.

Overall it was refreshing to see tropes we know and love (he trains her, he falls first, forbidden romance, secret identity, rags to riches, etc.) being used in a setting that felt entirely unique. Even though the story elements were familiar, I didn’t fell like I read this book before. And the ending was so satisfying! Solid four stars!

This was a satisfying read and the ending was perfect. It takes some elements from Hades and Persephone, but calling it a retelling is a stretch. The first half of the book is slow but once it picked up, I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend the book and audiobook.

This was a wonderful audio book and my second time reading it. I actually enjoyed the audiobook more because Ariel Blake is such an amazing narrator. I could listen to her voice all day and be happy with my life. Between O.O. Sangoyomi's breathtaking writing and spectacular storytelling paired with Ariel Blake's soothing but powerful narration, the story comes to life. This is loosely based on the story of Persephone and I really liked that aspect. But Sangoyomi takes the story in her own way, and she does it with complex characters and an even more complex society that our characters are forced to interact with. While reading, I also got to learn about these cities and cultures, which was one of the aspects I loved the most about the story. Òdòdó is a character I loved following and being in her head. She was a character that was constantly changing, and as a reader, I loved following her on her journey. This book was amazing, and I highly recommend the audiobook.

Bright, fresh, and beautifully read. Thanks for the publisher and NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.
The voice actor brought this book to life with her rich, indulgently decadent voice.
Placed in medieval Africa, the devastating and powerful story of Ododo is a treasure rich enough for any Alaafin. I highly recommend this book. It’s a standalone that stands powerfully on its own.

This fully delivers on the promises in the synopsis! If you're looking for historical fiction with rich world-building, intricate politics, and a slow-burn plot, this is a great choice. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook version, as the narrator did an excellent job. I felt more invested in the story as the plot unraveled, though it was a bit slow in the first half. I wished for more romance and mythological elements, but I understand that wasn't the focus of this historical fiction.
Overall: 3.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy of the audiobook.

What an interesting, captivating edge- of- your seat tale! Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi has the undertones of Hades and Persephone but is woven deep in 15th century West-Africa.

Without any spoilers, I must admit that I liked the ending to Masquerade better than most Hades and Persephone retellings. The FMC is an absolute badass... Òdòdó, even after everything she's been through is kind and loyal. Yet she demonstrates decisiveness and violence when needed. I love that in the end, her history of subjacation, battle and strategy training, and sheer will aid her in securing her future.

I am in complete awe that this is a debut novel! It is so engaging and well written and has all the elements I'd expect out of a seasoned author. Just take all my monies now cause I'm already in line for her next book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for an advanced copy of Masquerade in exchange for an honest review. It's definitely in my top five reads of 2024 so far! I'd also like to note that the narrator, Ariel Blake, did a stunning job. The rich tones of her voice and accent really were perfect for this story.