Welcome Back, Booklovers! Masquerade was one of my anticipated reads for this year. The premise of a reimagined precolonial Africa just spoke to me as someone who has been asking for more of that in books for some time. I received an arc from Macmillan in exchange for review.
Ododo is taken from her home in Timbuktu after it is conquered by the warrior king of Yorubaland and chosen to be his bride. Ododo decides to lean into her new role and use it to her advantage to move up in society. But she soon discovers she's in over head and there are sacrifices she'll need to make on the way to the top.
This book was very mis-marketed. And thought the publisher and author took a gamble with that I do think people will go in expecting one thing and be disappointed. There was a lot of flip flopping with the promotion of it between if it was supposed to be a historical fiction or a fantasy and I feel like it lands somewhere in between. This world didn't fully immerse me in the time period it was supposed to be set in especially with modernisms slipping in. But it also did not have any type of magic in it to be considered a fantasy thought the world feels very similar to several African inspired fantasies I've read.
With the comp to The Woman King and the emphasis on Ododo being a smart and ruthless heroine I expected exactly that. However what I received was a naive young woman who believes she should be in power but her overly trusting nature despite being shown time and time again no one was her friend made it hard for me to root for her. She just never came across like the capable leader we were to believe she would be and I had a hard time believing people would easily fall in line with her. I can see why readers were saying this feels more like YA because we do have a sheltered teenage main character who is overly trusting pretty much down to the end.
However despite my frustrations with Ododo I do think the twists and turns of the story were compelling. The book is written in a way where you have to keep reading because you're wondering how Ododo is going to make it through. The court intrigue aspect is what really drove the story and I did like when she used gossip from the women to aid I would've liked to see her be more ruthless and calculated. Most books inspired by Hades and Persephone either go the romance route or point out how problematic the tale is while this one tried to play up both sides.
Ariel Blake's narration really elevates this book and brings the story to life. It's a good story but there's so much being held back.
