All of those comps, however, don’t really get to the heart of this novel–which, to Miller’s credit, is a unique animal all to itself.

The debut novel from Linsey Miller, Mask of Shadows reads at first glance like a hybrid of many awesome things: there’s a dash of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising and Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games there’s a little bit of the Throne of Glass and Six of Crows thing going on as well. But what’s a little murder to a thief with an all-consuming mission of vengeance? Sal–now known simply as twenty-three–has their work cut out for them. If Ruby, Emerald, or Amethyst catch the killing, the auditioner is disqualified (or worse) for their lack of tact if the auditioner hurts any bystanders, their audition is over. Each auditioner is given a mask, a number, and the directive to kill one another as quickly and as subtly as possible. For Sal, making the jump from thief to murderer isn’t ideal, but they’ll do whatever it takes to ensure their place in royal court to accomplish their true goal–seeking out and killing those nobles who let Sal’s home country, Nacea, be overrun by monsters called Shadows in order to save their own skins.Īfter buying their way into the trials–by way of killing their former boss and severing his hand as their entry fee–Sal discovers just how cutthroat the competition is. The Queen’s Left Hand, trusted assassins and protectors each named for the Ruby, Emerald, Amethyst, and Opal rings on said hand, are deadly, cunning killers with unique positions of power–and Sal will do anything to pass the audition to gain this power and access. So, when Sal discovers a flyer announcing the deal of the previous Opal and open auditions to become the next, Sal takes it as the opportunity of a lifetime. Having learned the hard way to take advantage of every opportunity, Sal has no qualms with getting their hands dirty. Sal Leon is a thief, a ruffian, and, if all things go their way, a killer. How did I get this book: ARC from the publisher Stand alone or series: First book in a planned duology

And as Sal succeeds in the competition, and wins the heart of Elise, an intriguing scribe at court, they start to dream of a new life and a different future, but one that Sal can have only if they survive. A childhood as a common criminal hardly prepared Sal for the trials. When Sal steals a flyer for an audition to become a member of The Left Hand-the Queen’s personal assassins, named after the rings she wears-Sal jumps at the chance to infiltrate the court and get revenge.īut the audition is a fight to the death filled with clever circus acrobats, lethal apothecaries, and vicious ex-soldiers. But gender fluid Sal wants nothing more than to escape the drudgery of life as a highway robber and get closer to the upper-class-and the nobles who destroyed their home. Sallot Leon is a thief, and a good one at that.

The way of shadows