The Mask of Mirrors by M. A. Carrick Blog Tour

 Do you have a preference between stand alone and series when it comes to reading books?

I'll be honest I like both and normally with a series I like to wait until the whole set has been released before I read them but there are times when a novel sounds so goo when I'll make an exception and start a series when the initial book is out to buy.

One such series is the new magical fantasy from the duo of authors that make up M. A. Carrick.

The Mask of Mirrors is the first book in the Rook & Rose trilogy, a dark adventure that will lead you into the sparkling city of Nadzera.

Ren is a con artist who has come to the sparkling city of Nadežra with one goal: to trick her way into a noble house, securing her fortune and her sister's future.

But as she's drawn into the elite world of House Traementis, she realizes her masquerade is just one of many surrounding her. And as nightmare magic begins to weave its way through the City of Dreams, the poisonous feuds of its aristocrats and the shadowy dangers of its impoverished underbelly become tangled…with Ren at their heart.

In this beautifully imagined tale we follow a con artist, a vigilante and a crime lord. An unlucky trio who might just have to unite to save the city in which they live in.

This is adult fantasy at its very best!

An aristocratic world which is full of masquerades both in the literal and mythological sense. With an undercurrent of magic (not all of it good) flowing through Nadezra and its occupants - some of whom seem to be oblivious to the dangers that surround them.

The Mask of Mirrors is the unmissable start to the Rook & Rose trilogy, a dazzling and darkly magical fantasy adventure by Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms, writing together as M. A. Carrick.

Lets start with Ren. She is an orphan (and ex-street rat) trying to con her way into a noble family - the House of Traementis - to secure a a safer and more fruitful future for herself and her younger sister Tessa. This is until she comes to the realisation that she isn't the only one living a life of lies and she has in fact gotten herself caught up in a situation a whole lot bigger than the simple con that she'd begun.

Next we have the Rook, now he - well we presume a he- is a vigilante who is known more as a sort of feared yet charming outlaw. This character is a mystery, both to us as the reader and the people in Nadezra but it seems that he wants some of the same things that Ren desires. I feel like there will be more to this duos relationship in book two.

Then we have Vargo. A sort of crime lord who also has a good side about him. He's cunning yet caring. After things that will elevate his status amongst the houses but he appears to have a soft spot when it comes to Ren.

Fortune favors the bold. Magic favors the liars.

Now I'll be honest, this is a large book, over 600 pages long. And it isn't a quick read. The story itself moves at a slow pace but I didn't see this as a bad thing. This felt as though it was written this way to allow for each and every detail to be seen, to be digested.

There is a brilliantly, complicated world being built in The Mask of Mirrors with a cast of detailed and diverse characters. And refreshingly, every character had flaws. Made them much more likeable because they didn't claim to be perfect.

Each page revealed just a little bit more. 

And what I really enjoyed was that despite this story being written by two authors, you could not tell when one author's part ended and the other one began. Their style was seamless, blended wonderfully.

Nightmares are creeping through the city of dreams . . .

I'm beyond excited for the rest of the Rook & Rose trilogy.

The Mask of Mirrors surpassed my expectations. Filled with magic, mystery and manipulations, this is a fantasy novel like no other. With plenty of twists, this isn't a story that just reveals itself to you instantly. The more you read, the more you get sucked into their world and the politics in which they all find themselves involved in.

An added bit of advice from me is that if you have the choice then buy the actual book not the ebook. There are a lot of characters/ political houses to remember and at the back of the book there is a glossary which sets them out in detail. This is helpful to refer to when reading but much easier to access with a physical book.

The book is out now which you can find in any good bookstore (or at the moment online) and I highly recommend this to any fantasy fan.

If you aren't quite persuaded yet, do check out the rest of the blog tour detailed below: