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Masquerade Kindle Edition
PEOPLE MAGAZINE BEST NEW BOOK
NAACP IMAGE AWARD NOMINEE
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.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherForge Books
- Publication dateJuly 2, 2024
- File size5634 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
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!
“A bewitching, thrilling and vibrant novel that had me enthralled with every twist and turn.”
―Jennifer Saint, New York Times bestselling author
“With sweeping romance, an incredible setting, and a heroine who will stop at nothing to have the life she deserves, Masquerade is a triumphant blend of history and folklore that will keep you glued to the page.”
―Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author
“Mixing political intrigue and slow corruption with a captivating heroine and gorgeously rendered setting, Sangoyomi delivers an incisive examination of gender, temptation, and the lengths people will go to hold power―a magnificent debut!”
―Vaishnavi Patel, New York Times bestselling author
“A richly drawn world and tenacious heroine made this utterly transportive debut impossible to put down. I eagerly await any story O.O. Sangoyomi decides to tell next.”
―Genevieve Gornichec, national bestselling author
“A page-turning blend of historical fiction with a retelling of the story of Hades and Persephone, deftly interweaving West African culture with mythology in a way that keeps a familiar tale feeling fresh and new.”
―Kirkus, starred review
“Richly detailed worldbuilding and inspiration from the Persephone myth all lend to a layered, immersive storyline in Sangoyomi’s debut.”
―Library Journal, starred review
“[Masquerade] paints a vibrant picture of the people, the colors, and the sights of the era for the reader. And nothing is better imagined than the character Òdòdó, a female blacksmith by trade...Her growth into a leader is the highlight of the novel.”
―Booklist, starred review
“An immersive, one-of-a-kind story.”
―People Magazine
“Bristling with court intrigue and treachery.”
―Seattle Times
“A historical epic full of political intrigue, corruption, and self-discovery.”
―Paste Magazine
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B0CG4LWTNB
- Publisher : Forge Books (July 2, 2024)
- Publication date : July 2, 2024
- Language : English
- File size : 5634 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 343 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #135,646 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
![O.O. Sangoyomi](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/01Kv-W2ysOL._SY600_.png)
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I’m buying anything O.O. Sangoyomi Writes
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2024Goosebumps. This book left me shook, y’all. This is Game of Thrones meets Greek mythology meets West African culture, and I absolutely devoured it.
Firstly, I am not one who is big on setting descriptions and get bored easily. But in this book, I was completely entranced and swept up in the colors and textures and jewelry and… everything. I felt like I was right alongside Òdòdó unraveling the mysteries of the city. The book has a slower start because of the detail, but that works to set the stage for the suspense to follow.
As a loose retelling of the Greek myth of Hades & Persephone, I don’t think the reader’s familiarity or unfamiliarity with the classic myth is necessary to enjoy this book. It’s ultimately a story of female empowerment, and Òdòdó is the heroine I never knew I needed! Instead of spoiling it, I’ll just say that I am a mom of 2 small kids, and sleep is a rare luxury in my life. Fully aware of this fact, I chose to go without and stayed up all night to finish this book instead of catching a few hours of sleep before another long day.
Sangoyomi’s debut novel gets an easy 5 stars from me, and if anyone disagrees please don’t tell me.
Big thanks to NetGalley, Forge Reads, and the author for the gifted ARC!
- Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2024I received and ARC and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.
I haven't seen any TWs for this book, but there is attempted SA and an animal murder/death that I did not see coming.
I ended up really enjoying Masquerade! It took about to the half way point for me to be fully invested as everything began falling into place. There is a lot set up in the first half that you're wondering how this all comes together, and it didn't disappoint. Additionally, I enjoyed the African mythology woven into the story. I will definitely check out future works by O.O. Sangoyomi!
The FMC irked me a few times but towards the end she overcame her obstacles & paved her own path to freedom and be taken seriously. These kind of books where females are constantly put down / made inferior of the males upset me, but Ododo ended up being a really great FMC. A few of the mysteries set up I did not see coming at all and really enjoyed being glued to this book trying to read as fast as I could to see where things were going.
There were SOOO many characters named in 350 pages that it often became hard to keep track of & unfortunately I got over “little/my flower” being used constantly. Another phrase was repeated frequently but after finishing the book I believe it was used to show how little he noticed things around him.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2024Wow, I’m not even one for political intrigue, but this was too good to put down. Rarely do a I finish a book this quickly, but I just couldn’t put it down. I loved the characters, hated the characters, was shocked again and again with how the story was going, it kept me on my toes. The scene was so expertly set, I feel like I could easily let it play out in my mind. I absolutely loved it being 15th century Africa, it reminded me of the riches and wealth they had before colonization. I’ll read whatever O.O. Sangoyomi writes.
5.0 out of 5 starsWow, I’m not even one for political intrigue, but this was too good to put down. Rarely do a I finish a book this quickly, but I just couldn’t put it down. I loved the characters, hated the characters, was shocked again and again with how the story was going, it kept me on my toes. The scene was so expertly set, I feel like I could easily let it play out in my mind. I absolutely loved it being 15th century Africa, it reminded me of the riches and wealth they had before colonization. I’ll read whatever O.O. Sangoyomi writes.I’m buying anything O.O. Sangoyomi Writes
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2024
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2024Solid 3 stars. I enjoyed the world and the plot. There was a lot of politics and the fmc turned out to be a badass. BUT. Putting aside the fact that this wasn’t really fantasy… this book started strong. Then lagged a lot. Then sort of picked up in the end. Things did not go where I expected and not in a good way.
First of all, I didn’t understand the fmc’s motivations half the time. She was too quick witted to then be too dumb and it took more than 50% of the book for her to finally understand how to scheme in her favor. Then there was a character who I could have sworn she had romantic tension with but resulted in nothing like that. There was focus and detail on certain things that didn’t matter in the end. Unfortunately, it was tough to get through 50% of this book. But what kept me going was the world, the writing (at times), and I just really needed to understand where the author was going with so much politics. The ending was pretty badass but it kind of missed a certain gravitas.
Ps. I know there’s a reason the author mentions the mmc and his braids falling from his man bun SO MUCH because every time it was mentioned (which was a lot) I started expecting it to mean something in the future. But. It didn’t (unless I missed something).
Pss. The elephant storyline made me mad.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2024When an already outcast woman and her family's hometown are conquered, Òdòdó thinks what else could go wrong. Little does she know she's about to be abducted by the warrior king. But what she finds is a life of riches... maybe. With constant betrayals and strangers all around her, who can she trust and rely on anymore?
I absolutely enjoyed this politically driven West African fantasy. It's very loosely based on the Persephone mythology, which I didn't even know at first, but looking back, I can see the inspiration. The story was well written and exciting. Had very good world building that offered some vivid imagery.
The story was intense, had lots of action, forced marriage, war, and betrayals. I listened to this one on audiobook, and the narrator did an amazing job bringing the characters to life. Highly recommend.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2024I love a good story of women being clever and in control. Unexpected twists and well written complex feelings with a good pace.