A young vigilante and a brooding polar bear god team up to solve a series of supernatural murders in this “action-packed urban fantasy” (Publishers Weekly) inspired by Inuit mythology, perfect for fans of Fonda Lee, Tamsyn Muir, and Rebecca Roanhorse.In a city of gods and mortals, secrets never die.The gods walk among us. Some lurk in the shadows, masquerading as mortals; others embrace their … mortals; others embrace their celebrity status, launching careers from Hollywood to Capitol Hill.
One of them just murdered Cairn Delacroix’s mother.
As Cairn sifts through the rubble, she uncovers a conspiracy two decades in the making: a cursed island, the fellowship of gods who journeyed there, and the unspeakable act that intertwined their fates. One by one, the members of that voyage are dying, and Cairn’s investigations land her—and the woman she loves—in the crosshairs of the rogue goddess responsible.
With the help of Nanook, a polar bear god turned detective, Cairn descends into Boston’s underworld of supernatural crime and political aspiration. To avenge her mother and unmask her assassin, she’ll first have to reckon with a gut-wrenching secret that will rewrite the life she thought she knew.
Shocking twists cascade toward an explosive finale in this electric new fantasy novel from Karsten Knight, author of the WILDEFIRE trilogy and NIGHTINGALE, SING.
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This Eternity of Masks and Shadows was a fantastic read with an engaging plot and an intriguing world.
When gods walk among us, the concept of celebrities takes on a whole new meaning. With various gods in Hollywood and the Capitol in addition to those hiding in plain sight, mortals are never far from the divine. But after a god murders Cairn Delacroix’s mother, she uncovers a conspiracy involving the gods decades in the making. As Cairn investigates those connected with her mother’s dark past, she quickly discovers those involved are dying one by one. And when her path leads her to her mother’s killer, she’ll stop at nothing to avenge her mother’s death.
I had previously read and loved this author’s Wildefire series, so as soon as I saw he had another book centered around mythology, I knew I needed to pick it up. This book is different from that series in that in this one, the gods and goddesses are known to the public. I found the concept of gods/goddesses living among us for normal human lifespans to be an interesting one and I liked that they wouldn’t have knowledge of their previous lives each time they came back. That second aspect is one this book shared with the Wildefire series and is one I particularly enjoyed.
The plot in this book centers around Cairn looking into her mother’s death and a disastrous island voyage in her mother’s past. The book includes flashback chapters from the point of view of Cairn’s mother while on the island and shows the events that happened there. I liked that the events in the flashback chapters lined up with events and information Cairn was learning in the present. The events on the island are completely responsible for what’s happening in the present and there were several twists related to what happened on the island that I didn’t see coming. Ultimately I really enjoyed the way the book ended and I liked that it ends in a way that there could be more books set in this world.
Cairn was an interesting character, the daughter of a goddess who chose to live a normal life with her status as a goddess hidden. Cairn’s grief over losing her mother is palpable and her need to understand what happened made complete sense. When her quest leads her deeper into the world of the gods, Cairn always stood out as a human among the other. I liked that Cairn was out of her depth in the world of the gods and how she paired up with gods to help balance that out. Nanook, a polar bear god turned detective, was one of the characters she worked with closely and I really enjoyed his character as well as the father/daughter-esque relationship they formed. Another character I really liked was Delphine, Cairn’s on-off girlfriend. Cairn and Delphine’s relationship was messy and real and I enjoyed it immensely.
Overall I really enjoyed This Eternity of Masks and Shadows and reading it has made me want to revisit the Wildefire series. I highly recommend this book for fans of that series or for anyone looking for a story centered around mythology.
**I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
The book is set in an alternate world where all the gods of all the mythologies live as humans among the general population, with some supernatural abilities, but with a limited lifespan. Once they die, they reincarnate with no memory of their past lives. A group of gods living around Boston start dying, presumably by their own hand. One of them is an Inuit goddess of sea. Her daughter, Cairn, believes her mother was murdered and wants to find out the truth.
The setting of the story is basic UF, but the execution is nothing like it. It lacks the energy and immediacy of urban fantasy, the point of view is very distant third person, and it relies heavily on telling, not showing. And worst of all, it has no humour whatsoever.
It’s not a bad book though. The mystery is interesting and told in two timelines, the present and twenty years earlier. There are enough surprises that the main baddie isn’t obvious until the great revelation. The pacing is slightly off however; there are two climatic scenes that both could’ve led to the end, but the book continues on to the final showdown. And then it goes on some more.
The main weakness of the book is its characters. I didn’t care for any of them. Cairn as a grieving daughter was initially interesting, but the reader learns nothing about her during the story. She is a person who has been formed by events before the book starts, and that’s all the reader gets. She doesn’t grow, she doesn’t change and she doesn’t get any sort of catharsis from avenging her mother. The supporting cast is a collection of cardboard cut-outs, and I didn’t care for any of the victims either.
Cairn’s relationship with Delphine was most annoying. The book starts with their romance, but it has already had its great formative moments before the book begins. Then it’s just a series of on-again off-again events that doesn’t make the reader believe that either of them care for the other, let alone love. One of the climaxes depends on the reader caring for their relationship, but it was just the same for me what would happen. Basically, I began to root for both of them to die.
All in all, this was a mixed read for me. The mystery was satisfying, the rest of it not so much. There was some setting-up for a series at the end, but I doubt I’d read more of this.