Masquerade is an entrancing story of freedom, ambition, and courage from a dynamic new voice. O.O. Sangoyomi's debut speculative novel is set in a patriarchal reimagined 15th-century West Africa and features lushly described world-building and complex, nuanced characters.
Based loosely on the myth of Persephone, the novel follows the journey of a young woman, Òdòdó, as she rises from an outcast living in poverty to royalty with almost unlimited power. As the result of Yorùbáland's seizure of her home city, Timbuktu, Òdòdó, her mother, and the other aunties in the blacksmith guild begin to fear for their lives, since "any woman deemed unnatural in the eyes of society was called a witch, but the word was especially associated with blacksmiths."
When Òdòdó is kidnapped from the marketplace, she is taken far from home to Yorùbáland's royal capital and discovers that she is to become the wife of its great warrior king, who swears his undying love to her and vows to patiently earn her heart in return.
Although she is provided every luxury, life is not easy in the royal court, and Òdòdó needs to keep her wits about her to survive--psychologically and physically. She must navigate secrets, shifting allegiances, and dangerous intrigues. To further complicate matters, Òdòdó must also choose what she should do with all her newfound power. Because she grew up in poverty, these riches are not without allure, making Masquerade a mesmerizing novel about Òdòdó's dilemma over where her allegiances lie. --Grace Rajendran, freelance reviewer