When a royal conspiracy topples the noble House Falco, Sofia must take up the burden of her father’s mantle and assume guardianship of his Greatmask. Yet the sentient bone mask, powerful enough to Compel those around her, will not speak, and Sofia, the first female Protector in a hundred years, is left defenceless.Hunted by the king, she is driven from the palace and must fight for survival, … survival, alone in the cold streets of Anaskar. There, she crosses paths with Notch, a bitter mercenary with problems of his own. Accused of murder, Notch is trying to clear his name while hunted by the city’s robed assassins, the very people who are now searching for Sofia.
To take back their city and cast down the tyrant on the throne, Sofia and Notch must face the blades of Anaskar’s assassins, the rage of a mighty sea beast, and the mysterious Lupo, a man with a Greatmask of his own, who has masterminded vicious terrorist attacks on the city that spurned him.
Their struggle threatens to tear the city – and the kingdom – into shreds.
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This was very slow going at first. As in “moving through sludge” slow going. It picked up thankfully, but it’s still missing that extra oomph that would make it an “I can’t put it down” type of saga.
The main characters weren’t fully developed (unless they were part of his first series, I don’t know) and the ending, at least for me, seemed very contrived. The secondary story line and characters could have used much more development. I’m assuming that comes with the additional books in the series, but this just didn’t grab me enough to want to go further in the series.
Notch, Sofia, Ain, are names the reader will follow. Notch is a name to hide an identity of a former soldier. Sofia, Royalty and has been named to be successor and wear one of the “great mask.” Ain, is a path finder. Really, He can feel where others have walked and thereby identify the path (road) he needs to follow.
Lots of plots to follow, creatures that pop up and the oddist times not to mention benefactors who turn out to be someone else. Follow Notch as he becomes protector of Sofia (as well as trying to clear his name) and they try to uncover a plot to overthrow the rulers of Anaskar. Opposing forces seek to kill them all before they can find the plotters. Think you read this before? It is different, enjoy.
Safe reading for all ages.
definitely a great series, read them all.
Lots of plot here…and I mean LOTS of plot. Characters are ok…driven by a ton of conversation that is often off and awkward. The story was interesting enough for me to muddle through and finish but not interested in a next book unless the author learns how to write at a much improved level.
I couldn’t get into this one.
Hard to follow
Starts off kind of sluggish but worth sticking through. Writer brings characters to life through hardship and joy.
This book was okay, the characters were interesting enough but overall was not enough for me to want to read the next one in the series
I haven’t read a lot of fantasy, but it was the cover that convinced me to buy this book and I was not disappointed. The author has developed a fantastic world, complex in detail, vividly described scenes that don’t bog down the story and a wonderfully intricate plot. I loved the idea of the masks and how some masks are almost living entities and convey a certain power to the wearer. Sofia, the heroine, is naive but strong, her character arc believable and satisfying. There’s enough political corruption and deceit plus battle scenes to engross any fantasy lover.
Note: I received this book in exchange for an honest review, however all thoughts and opinion are my own.
Ashley Capes has a cool voice and some pretty impressive world building. Its got enough complexity and originality to keep you engaged with a liberal dose of action to keep you turning pages! I’m looking forward to the next book! And good news for you if you have Kindle Unlimited because the whole series is on there!