The Mask of Mirrors

by M. A. Carrick

Overview

"Lush, engrossing, and full of mystery and dark magic." —BookPage

"Immersive…a feast to savor slowly." —BuzzFeed News

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.
 
Fortune favors the bold. Magic favors the liars.

Ren is a con artist who has come to the sparkling city of Nadezra with one goal: to trick her way into a noble house, securing her fortune and her sister’s future.
 
But the deeper she is drawn into the aristocratic world of House Traementis, the more she realizes her masquerade is just one of many. And as corrupt nightmare magic begins to weave its way through the City of Dreams, the poisonous feuds of its wealthy and the shadowy dangers of its impoverished underbelly become tangled…with Ren at their heart.

Praise for The Mask of Mirrors

"For those who like their revenge plots served with the intrigue of The Goblin Emperor, the colonial conflict of The City of Brass, the panache of Swordspoint, and the richly detailed settings of Guy Gavriel Kay."
—Booklist (starred review)

"An excellent fantasy novel." —Los Angeles Review of Books

"Utterly captivating." —S. A. Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass

"This novel will catch hold of your dreams and keep you from sleeping." —Mary Robinette Kowal, author of The Calculating Stars

"Exactly the fantasy adventure novel you're craving: an escape into a vast, enchanting world of danger, secret identities, and glittering prose." —Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne

"A fantastically twisty read.” —Fran Wilde, author of the Bone Universe trilogy

"A tightly laced plot dripping with political intrigue. Carrick has built a strong foundation for things to come." —Publishers Weekly

"This book was like nibbling my way through a box of gourmet chocolates curated just for Reader Me. A large box of gourmet chocolates." —Fantasy Literature 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316539692
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	01/19/2021
Series:	Rook & Rose , #1
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	NOOK Book
Sales rank:	59,108
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

M. A. Carrick is the joint pen name of Marie Brennan (author of the Memoirs of Lady Trent) and Alyc Helms (author of the Adventures of Mr. Mystic). The two met in 2000 on an archaeological dig in Wales and Ireland -- including a stint in the town of Carrickmacross -- and have built their friendship through two decades of anthropology, writing, and gaming. They live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Editorial Reviews

09/14/2020

Marie Brennan (Driftwood) and Alyc Helms (the Missy Masters series), writing as Carrick, join forces to launch the Rook and Rose series with this intricately detailed doorstopper. Renata Viraudax leaves her backwater hometown determined to con her way into a noble house in the City of Dreams—but Ren’s plans bring her face to face with a dangerous crime lord and pit her against a vigilante called the Rook, her childhood idol. Navigating the glittering society of the City of Dreams, Ren soon discovers she is not the only one pretending to be something she’s not: her landlord, Derossi Vargo, controls the city’s underworld, while Capt. Grey Serrado of the city Vigil is seen as a class traitor for serving the nobility. Meanwhile, old religious beliefs prove to be more than just superstition, and a new drug floods the city’s streets offering hallucinations that turn all too real. The authors devote much of this volume to detailing the names, places, and belief systems of this sometimes tediously complex world, causing the pace to drag. But readers who persevere will be rewarded with a tightly laced plot dripping with political intrigue. Carrick has built a strong foundation for things to come. Agent: for Brennan, Eddie Schneider, Jabberwocky; for Helms, Paul Stevens, DMLA. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

From the first page, I was utterly entranced by this glittering world filled with masked vigilantes, cunning conwomen, and dark magic. A sheer delight!”—Katy Rose Pool, author of There Will Come A Darkness

“The richly layered city of Nadezra, combined with the deeply intertwined politics and rivalries of its residents, creates a perfect backdrop for the enchantment of Carrick's plot and characters. A fantastically twisty read.”—Fran Wilde, author of The Bone Universe trilogy

"Utterly captivating. Carrick spins an exciting web of mystery, magic, and political treachery in a richly drawn and innovative world."—S. A. Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass

"The Mask of Mirrors kept me up reading way past my bedtime. A web of intrigue, magic, and the art of the con this novel will catch hold of your dreams and keep you from sleeping."—Mary Robinette Kowal, author of The Calculating Stars

“The Mask of Mirrors is exactly the fantasy adventure novel you're craving: an escape into a vast, enchanting world of danger, secret identities, and glittering prose.”—Tasha Suri, author of Empire of Sand

“The Mask of Mirrors ushers you into the fascinating city of Nadezra, replete with complex politics, intricate magic, and mysteries that readers will be racing to unravel. Wonderfully immersive—I was unable to put it down.”—Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter

“An intricate, compelling dream of a book that kept me turning pages, with a world and characters that felt deeply real and plenty of riveting twists and turns. I loved it!”—Melissa Caruso, author of The Obsidian Tower

“The Mask of Mirrors is an absolute delight. A compelling tale richly layered with depth and complexity.”—Marshall Ryan Maresca, author of the Maradaine Saga

"The Mask of Mirrors has it all: complex, believable characters; a fast-moving, intricate plot; rich details of attire, cuisine, religion, and so much more, all of which lead the reader to believe that Nadezra exists in more than dreams. This novel starts off strong and only gets better."—Jane Lindskold, author of The Firekeeper Saga

“A terrific heroine, intricate worldbuilding, and a bewitching combination of comedy-of-manners and action hooked me from the start and never let me go!”—Sherwood Smith, author of Inda

"For those who like their revenge plots served with the intrigue of The Goblin Emperor, the colonial conflict of The City of Brass, the panache of Swordspoint, and the richly detailed settings of Guy Gavriel Kay."—Booklist (starred review)

"Lush, engrossing, and full of mystery and dark magic, The Mask of Mirrors is sure to please fantasy readers looking to dial up the intrigue....Jump in and get swept away."—BookPage

"A tightly laced plot dripping with political intrigue. Carrick has built a strong foundation for things to come."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

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