The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon

Title: The Mask Falling

Author: Samantha Shannon

Genre: Dystopian, Urban Fantasy

Series: The Bone Season # 4

Publication: May 14, 2024, 528 pages

Source: Personal Library, Purchase

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Paige Mahoney has eluded death again. Snatched from the jaws of captivity and sent to a safe house in the Scion Citadel of Paris, she finds herself caught between factions that seek Scion's downfall and those who would kill to protect the puppet empire.

The mysterious Domino Program has plans for Paige, but she has ambitions of her own in this new citadel. With Arcturus at her side, she embarks on an adventure that will lead her from the catacombs of Paris to the glittering hallways of Versailles.

As Scion widens its bounds and the free world trembles in its shadow, Paige strives to understand her bond with Arcturus, which grows stronger by the day. But there are those who know the revolution began with them--and could end with them . . .

MY THOUGHTS

Paige and Arcturus have fled London and are now across the ocean in Paris. To repay her rescuers, the Dominio Programme, Paige is sent to infiltrate and gather information on the Grand Inquisitor of the Republic of Scion France, Benoît Ménard. But as usual, Paige is never focused on just one goal, she’s also seeking an alliance with the Paris syndicate. What she discovers is just as disturbing: the Rag and Bone Man has fled London and set up the Grey Market in Paris.

While reading The Mask Falling, I kept experiencing a sense of déjà vu. At times, it felt like I was reading the same events over and over again; whether it was another Grey Market or Paige getting kidnapped yet again, even if it was intentional. Things started to feel a bit “same old, same old.” I also didn’t love the addition of a secret organization pulling the strings behind Paige, despite their shared goal of bringing down Scion. And unsurprisingly, Paige tries to play all sides, gets in over her head, and narrowly escapes with her life.

Maybe I didn’t notice it as much in the previous books, but Paige seems even more careless and reckless here. So many people depend on her, yet she constantly puts her life on the line. Her decision-making, or lack thereof was especially exhausting and frustrating to read this time around. What bothered me most, though, was how quickly and easily she gave up on Arcturus, assuming he was a traitor. I couldn't fathom how Paige couldn't see all the things Arcturus has done for her, down to the small gestures; like cooking for her, making sure she has a hot pad, to fighting alongside her every step of the way...just thrown out the window. In typical Paige fashion, she gets stuck in her own head and can’t fathom that there could be another Voyant like herself, despite it being hinted at multiple times. And by the time she realizes the truth, it’s too late.

That said, the world-building and writing are impeccable, as always. I can always count on Shannon for excellent prose, fast-paced action, and a brutal cliffhanger. While this wasn’t my favorite book in the series, I do plan on continuing, though I may wait until the sixth book is released.

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews

Title: This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me

Author: Ilona Andrews

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Series: Maggie the Undying # 1

480 pages, Hardcover

Publication: March 31, 2026

Source: Personal Library, Purchase

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When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy, and naked in a gutter, it doesn't take her long to recognize Kair Toren, a city she knows intimately from the pages of the famously unfinished dark fantasy series she's been obsessively reading and re-reading while waiting years for the final novel.

Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic, and mayhem? Her encyclopedic knowledge of the plot, the setting, and the characters' ambitions and fates. But while she quickly discovers she cannot be killed (though many will try!), the same cannot be said for the living, breathing characters she's coming to love―a motley band that includes a former lady’s maid, a deadly assassin, various outrageous magical creatures, and a dangerously appealing soldier. Soon, instead of trying to get home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes―and attentions―of dueling princes, dukes, and villains, all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the way she knows their stories will end: in a cataclysmic war.

MY THOUGHTS

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me was my most anticipated release of the year. I still remember hearing the authors talk about it, which feels like ages ago now. As excited as I was for their new novel, I also felt a little trepidation about starting a brand-new series from them because I didn’t enjoy their last traditionally published series or their recent self-published novellas.

Thankfully, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is unlike anything they’ve ever written, while still carrying their signature trademarks.

TKWNKM is billed as an isekai story with a mixture of Outlander and Game of Thrones, and while I normally take pitches like that with a grain of salt, I have to say, it’s an apt description. Similar in terms, like GOT, the world building and cast of characters are massive. As for Outlander, like Claire (Claire being from the 1900s and thrown back in time to 1700 Scotland she has information of what's to transpire historically), Maggie is thrust into a new world with prior knowledge of Kair Torin and the characters. 

Our heroine, Maggie, wakes up in her favorite fantasy novel, and readers follow her journey as she navigates the world of Rellas and tries to figure out why she’s there. I think it’s fair to say that, like Maggie, many of us readers have dreamed about becoming part of our favorite story or stepping into a specific character’s shoes. I know I have. And that’s exactly what this book is about. I love the concept!

The world that House Andrews has created is so unique, complex, rich, and vivid. I love the idea of there being eight Great Families, each with a specific power. Even with the multifaceted magic system and large cast of characters, everything was written in a way that was clear and easy to follow. It was especially interesting to see the story as intended by the author, La Tour, and the changes Maggie made along the way.

Maggie is such a great character. In typical fantasy, the main heroine is usually someone with powers, combat training of some sort, or both. However, Maggie is just a regular person...no powers and no fighting skills. What she does have is intelligence and resourcefulness. Maggie uses her love and knowledge of the books to achieve her goals, and watching her maneuver and outsmart characters left and right was thrilling. Maggie is literally the epitome of “knowledge is power,” and I absolutely love it!

I loved the entire cast of characters, even the villains. Every single character was so well-developed, smart, and mature, even the children. What’s even better is that every character acted their age, which sadly can’t be said for many books published in recent years. A book may be marketed as adult fiction, yet the writing and characters often feel juvenile. There’s nothing worse than reading an adult novel with adult characters acting like teenagers. Thankfully, TKWNKM doesn’t have that issue.

There were so many unexpected twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and after some contemplation, I realized just how well done they were...the authors were brilliant! One of my favorite parts of the book was the yearning between Maggie and a male character. From subtle glances to the lightest touches, it was exactly the kind of slow-burn tension, yearning, I expect in all of my romance or romantic subplot novels!

It’s not even mid-year yet, but I think it’s safe to say that TKWNKM is the best book I’ve read this year. House Andrews introduced me to urban fantasy with their first series and cemented me as a fan for life, and this book is the perfect reminder that they still have so many stories left to tell and aren’t going anywhere. It’s wonderful to see the leaps and bounds of growth in their writing and storytelling over nearly two decades. I can’t wait until we get the next Maggie the Undying book...until then, a reread will definitely be in order.

Royal Pawn By K.N. Banet

Title: Royal Pawn

Author: K.N. Banet

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: Jacky Leon # 6

384 pages, Paperback

Publication: July 13, 2021

Source: Kindle Unlimited

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I’m Jacqueline, daughter of Hasan, ruling werecat of the Americas, the werecat liaison to humanity, and the lover of Heath Everson, Alpha werewolf. But I go by Jacky Leon and no one knows about the werewolf.

Some time ago, I met a fae and his family while on the run. They helped me, and for his own reasons, the fae had given me a gift. I never went looking for him. I knew the name he gave me and I did my best not to think too hard about it, him, or his family.

Life has a fun way of bringing things back because he's the lost king of the fae and now everyone knows. People who want him to take back the throne, people who want to kill him so he can’t, and people who want to hurt those he loves just to see him hurt.

And I’m the werecat he gave a gift, just in case he ever needed someone to protect his innocent human wife. I’m now a pawn in a deadly clash of fae powers the likes of which has never been seen.

Brin knows even a pawn can change the game.

Especially this pawn.

MY THOUGHTS

I took a short break from the Jacky Leon series and finally went back to it after a couple of months. Like the previous books, each installment focuses on a specific supernatural sect. In Royal Pawn, Jacky is going head-to-head with the fae.

Jacky and Heath have hidden their relationship for a long time, so it doesn’t come as a surprise when it’s used against them as blackmail. And that’s exactly what Brin, a.k.a. King Brion does, he blackmails Jacky and Heath into protecting his human wife, Fiona. Having met Brin and his family early on in the series and learning that he’s the long-lost king should have made me more excited and intrigued. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect.

I don’t particularly like blackmail as a plot device, but more so, Brin/Brion and his entire family were extremely unlikeable. Fiona, a human who is apparently 92 years old, sits on a high horse with a lot of opinions and prejudice for someone who doesn’t know anything about Brion’s previous life or Sidhe customs. My thoughts throughout the entire book were: why did they have to be blackmailed and called to duty over someone who is not only unworthy but also likely to die sooner rather than later?

Jacky was frustrating in this latest installment. Anyone who has read this series knows she’s prone to recklessness and shows little regard for her own life, but this time around it felt more asinine than usual. She wanted to keep the relationship on the down low; she didn’t want to tell Heath she loved him because it made things too real… but she blew all of that within seconds. I normally praise Jacky for her maturity and clear, level thinking, but it was absent in Royal Pawn. I also thought Heath was a bit overkill in voicing his feelings, it started to feel like love-bombing… but with how the book ended, perhaps not? I do think it’s too soon for wedding bells, but we’ll see.

It saddens me to say this, but Royal Pawn is the weakest installment so far. I didn’t like the plot, I didn’t like the fae, and most, if not all of the characters were getting on my nerves, with the exception of Oliver, Dirk, and Landon. I hope this book was just a fluke and that the next one will be better. Otherwise, this might be the end of the series for me.

The Library of Amorlin by Kalyn Josephson

Title: The Library of Amorlin

Author: Kalyn Josephson

Genre: Fantasy

Series: The Age of Beasts # 1

417 pages, Hardcover

Publication: March 3, 2026

Source: Libby

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Former con artist Kasira expected to spend her life as a soldier, miserably working off her prison sentence by hunting down magical creatures for the fanatical kingdom of Kalthos. But when the Kalish ambassador arrives with a non-negotiable assignment, Kasira finds herself swept into the biggest con of her life: infiltrating the Library of Amorlin.

As the heart of all magic and the protector of magical creatures throughout the six kingdoms, the Library is historically politically neutral. Kasira is meant to pose as the new Assistant to spy for the ambassador and destabilize the Library from the inside, clearing the way to dethrone its Librarian.

But when she arrives, Kasira learns that the Library is not all she was told it would be. Neither is the prickly, handsome Librarian, Allaster, whose own monstrous secrets are about to catch up with him.

Swept into the enchanting world of the Library, Kasira’s reluctant con is jeopardized by her growing affection for the wondrous life the Library promises…and by her complicated, burgeoning attraction to Allaster. As the ambassador’s game closes in, Kasira must decide where her loyalties lie: to her newfound home, or to her own survival?

MY THOUGHTS

I consider The Library of Amorlin a fairly new book; it was published in early March. I should’ve known it wasn’t going to be good since it’s so new and I was able to renew my Libby loan after not finishing it within the borrowing period. Which rarely happens, if you're familiar with Libby and new titles. I always finish books well in advance, but this is the first time I didn’t, not because I was busy, but because I kept putting it down to read something else.

The premise sounded promising. Our FMC, Kasira, goes undercover as a spy to infiltrate the library. The beginning was decent, but as the story progressed, I found myself unable to connect with the plot or the characters. Despite being over 400 pages and taking place over the course of a month, not much really happens. Even the action scenes didn’t feel like they moved the story forward. The library, with all its magic and beasts didn’t feel particularly magical or fantastical. Instead, the kingdom’s politics played a much bigger role, to the point that they overshadowed every aspect of the library. I normally love a good political intrigue, but there was no intrigue in this book.

I love stories with thieves and con artists, it's what made me pick this novel up, but I hated Kasira. She isn't likeable at all. For majority of the book, she is, as she herself says, selfish. I mean, understandable because she doesn't want to get thrown back in prison. But it made for a frustrating reading experience because the entire time, all I can think is how much of a hypocritical selfish b- she was. Even at the end, when she saved Allaster, I didn’t think, “Wow, she’s so smart, she outwitted Vera and the king.” I just thought about how manipulative she was to pull it off. If I were Allaster, I would’ve kicked her out of the library after her first lie.

As for Allaster, he’s a typical brooding male character we’ve seen countless times. In my opinion, it wasn’t realistic for him to fall for Kasira so quickly, especially since, for much of the story, he didn’t even believe she had good intentions and was a spy. In which she was! And again, this book takes place over about a month, maybe two at most but I honestly don’t remember, nor do I really care.

I also want to note The Library of Amorlin has dual narration. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. I don't usually have any preference, but I didn't like the dual narration in this book, especially Allaster's POV which added nothing to the story.

I’m glad I borrowed this from the library. I didn’t enjoy it and don’t recommend it.