3.5 

Masquerade

By O.O. Sangoyomi
Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

> PEOPLE MAGAZINE BEST NEW BOOK
> BRITISH FANTASY AWARD WINNER
> NAACP IMAGE AWARD FINALIST
> CAROL SHIELDS PRIZE FINALIST
> GOODREADS CHOICE NOMINEE
> AUDIBLE BOOK OF THE YEAR
> INDIE NEXT PICK

Selected for best-of lists from Book Riot, Kirkus Reviews, Ms. Magazine, Electric Lit, Bookbub, and She Reads, PBS, Audible, Readers Digest, Amazon, and more!


Set in a wonderfully reimagined 15th century West Africa, Masquerade is a dazzling, 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.

“A bewitching, thrilling and vibrant novel that had me enthralled with every twist and turn.” —Jennifer Saint, New York Times bestselling author

Òdòdó’s hometown of Timbuktu has been conquered by the warrior king of Yorùbáland, and living conditions for the women in her blacksmith guild, who were already shunned as social pariahs, grow even worse.

Then Òdòdó is abducted. She is whisked across the Sahara to the capital city of Ṣàngótẹ̀, where she is shocked to discover that her kidnapper is none other than the vagrant who had visited her guild just days prior. But now that he is swathed in riches rather than rags, Òdòdó realizes he is not a vagrant at all; he is the warrior king, and he has chosen her to be his wife.

In a sudden change of fortune, Òdòdó soars to the very heights of society. But after a lifetime of subjugation, she finds the power that saturates this world of battle and political savvy too enticing to resist. As tensions with rival states grow, revealing elaborate schemes and enemies hidden in plain sight, Òdòdó must defy the cruel king she has been forced to wed by reforging the shaky loyalties of the court in her favor, or risk losing everything—including her life.

Loosely based on the myth of Persephone, O.O. Sangoyomi’s Masquerade takes you on a journey of epic power struggles and political intrigue which turn an entire region on its head.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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Masquerade Reviews

3.5
“A loose retelling of Hades and Persephone rooted in West-African/Yoruba lore. This leans more towards being historical fiction with a little magical realism, rather than fantasy. The political/royal court intrigue reminded me of another retelling, Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel. I grappled with the FMC being so morally gray, but then again, who could blame her in those circumstances.”
“It has a girl boss trope. If you are looking for a love story, look elsewhere. PS I don't hate strong woman characters, but make it believable. And don't make your enemy, side characters etc. stupid so you can move the plot forward.”
“I would consider this more historical fiction than fantasy, with a slight influence of Persephone’s mythology in character dynamics. I know now that this is considered cross-genre but really wish I had set better expectations for myself going in. The FMC really frustrated me… she was naive and clueless until the moment she needed to be a badass and suddenly blew through all obstacles? It was a fun ending, but the character inconsistency and pacing made it hard for me to stay invested in the story.”

About O.O. Sangoyomi

O.O. SANGOYOMI is a Nigerian American author with a penchant for African mythology and history. During a childhood of constantly moving around within the U.S., she found an anchored home in the fictional worlds of books. Sangoyomi is a graduate of Princeton University, where she studied English and African American Studies. Masquerade is her debut novel.

Other books by O.O. Sangoyomi

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