#the mask of mirrors

[aroaessidhe]

aro & ace books: ttrpg inspired

novella series with the vibe

Party of Fools (1, ongoing) - aroace & ace MCs

The Chronicles of Nerezia (4, ongoing) - 3 of the 4 MCs are aroace

Catastrophe Incoming (4, ongoing) - one of the MCs is demisexual

D&D players sucked into their game world

The Mages of Velmyra (1, ongoing) - demisexual major character

long fantasy series based on the authors' TTRPG home game

Isandor (4 books) - various ace, aro, aroace & aspec characters

Rook & Rose (3 books) - a major POV character is aro-bi (mostly word of god, but with a few hints)

#aspec books / aspec database / tumblr masterpost

[vaguelyaperson]

the worst part of being a voracious reader is reading all these amazing series that deserve a vibrant fandom and movie/show deals yesterday, but there are only a few passionate fans doing their best and like five fanarts. mother I crave more attention for my book blorbos

[alychelms]

I've been threatening to do a Rook & Rose version of that one Twelfth Night production photo for a while now... so guess what I stayed up waaaaay too late last night, finishing!

[malicedafirenze]

For the roughly seven other people in the Rook & Rose fandom on tumblr, please consider: Ren, Vargo and Grey but it's this picture

[airyfrasc]

The Mask of Mirrors, The Liar’s Knot (by M. A. Carrick)

A friend bought me the book The Mask of Mirrors for Christmas and I swear I didn’t emerge from it for three days straight. This is a SUMPTUOUS non-traditional European fantasy with some of the richest world building I’ve read in a while. The magic, the cultures, the history, the fashion, it all felt so tangible that I could mentally pop myself into Nadezhra pretty much from page one. It had the twisty-turny, political intrigue-y plot that really appeals to me - without the intense violence you might find in other series that often get recommended for their politically-driven plots. Secret identities, characters that make you feel things, a queer-norm society, truly detestable villains… I loved this book. So I had to draw the three main characters obv.

I was so shocked that I couldn’t find the sequel in stores anywhere! Had to order online, and gotta say, it was equally good or better than the first… The character moments in The Liar’s Knot felt like releasing a breath you’ve been holding for hours. You’ll know what I mean if you read it ☺️

Anyway, this series deserves way more hype than it has. I read a LOT of SFF and this one stood out to me as truly fantastic. If you love secret identities, slow (SLOW) burn romance, a puzzle-like plot, tarot, and general luxuriousness for your brain…. I beg you to pick up The Mask of Mirrors.

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

HOLY SHIT

[samduqs]

I hate when there's no content on tumblr about my new hiperfixation I can't live like this

[attic-mouse]

i recently finished The Liar's Knot by M. A. Carrick and it confirmed to me that the Rook & Rose series should be among my favourite books. it feels a bit wrong, in a way, because 70% of the time i'm so confused on who is who or what's happening, but at the same time it's just so good.

the world-building is so intricate, and i think that is where the majority of my confusion comes from, but you can really feel the dedication and care put into creating nadezra and its history. the characters are flawed and complex, and they are able to grow as individuals outside of the mc/main storyline. usually i'd drop a book that had me so lost (especially one so long), but i can't get enough of it! and the best part is that i'll probably grow to appreciate the intricacies even more on a second read~

[stormblessed95]

I just finished an AMAZING book. Like holy cow. Might have to force everyone I know to read it. Starting with Mr. Storm.... I now need to go get the rest of the trilogy IMMEDIATELY.

[aroaessidhe]

aromantic books: aroallo characters!

I've split this into 3 groups - because there's quite a few who are not the main character but they're part of a larger cast & do have some POV

Protagonists

Baker Thief / adult urban/high fantasy / 1/2 MCs is aro bi, genderfluid

Pluralities / contemporary/sci-fi / aro-coded nonbinary MC

Natural Outlaws and Fractured Sovereignty / 1/2 MCs is an aroallo girl

Compound Fracture / YA thriller / aro-questioning trans boy MC

Two Dark Moons / YA high fantasy / 1/2 MCs is an arospec girl

The Last 8 / YA alien apocalypse sci-fi /MC is an aro bi girl

In The Jaws of an Oak / horror/erotica / 1/2 MCs is aro coded woman

Take Me To Your Nerdy Leader / YA contemporary / aro-het girl MC

major characters - with POV

Rook & Rose trilogy / fantasy / one of the major POV characters is lightly aro-bi coded (and word of god confirmed)

An Accident of Stars / portal fantasy / secondary MC is an aro woman

The Oracle Stone duology / high fantasy / 3rd MC (who has her own novella) is an aro pan woman

Moonshine / historical fantasy / major side character who has some POV is an aro bi man

Bloody Spade duology / urban fantasy / a major SC (with POV) is an aro bi man

Dithered Hearts / adult fantasy romance / one of the major characters who has POV is an aro bi man

City of Spires / high fantasy / many MCs, one is a demiro-allo man, and another (more minor) an aro lesbian

side characters

Daniel, Deconstructed / YA contemporary / MC's best friend is an aro bi girl

The Butterfly Assassin / YA dystopian thriller / major SC in book 2&3 is a aro bi woman

The Liar's Guide To The Night Sky / YA contemporary survival / the secondary main character/ “love interest” is an aro pan guy

The Last / apocalpytic/survival / aro woman SC who the MC is sleeping with

The (Un)Popular Vote / YA contemporary / aro bi girl SC

The Tale That Twines / urban fantasy / aroallo nonbinary SC

#aspec books / aspec database / tumblr masterpost

[mimisreadingnook]

thrift haul 📚

i found these three fantasy books at the thrift store today!! i haven't really heard much about any of them, are they any good? ☕️

[alychelms]

R&R wiki woo!

The Rook & Rose wiki is live! We created this wiki for our own reference, so there are spoilers galore. But with some help we arranged to archive our version and make a public version that people can edit, add to, etc.

Our original is almost the same length as one of the novels, so lots of robust content for folks to poke around and play with!

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Who's is That Face in the Mask?

So, it's rare when I pick up a book on the strength of a YouTube video, and honestly even rarer that I enjoy books selected based on that criteria. However, since Marie Brennan is one half of MA Carrick and the book is often described via *that* quote from The Princess Bride (and no, I'm not specifying even though Princess Bride is all *that* quote depending on context), I had hope. After all, I loved the Lady Trent memoirs and The Princess Bride. And folks, this book did not disappoint. Let's talk The Mask of Mirrors.

What do you get when hundreds of years of colonization mixes with a rogue vigilante for the oppressed population and a con woman who sets out for money but comes up with found family? Youu get some stunningly well written characters, intrigue that I frankly preferred to A Song of Ice and Fire, and just beautifully nuanced worldbuilding.

Ren--or Renata Viraudax or Arenza, depending on the day and location--grew up as a dirt-poor half-Vrazenian kid who was completely disconnected from her mother's people in a city colonized by the Liganti. She was a gang member under the objectively abusive Ondrakja until she watched Ondrakja beat her brother to death. Next thing we know, Ren has poisoned her Fagin and made off for another country with her sister, Tess. They end up serving in the household of Letilia--a disgraced member of House Traemantis.

Fast forward a few years, and Letilia being an absolutely irredeemable human gives Ren the idea to con the remaining members of House Traemantis in Nadezera. Mother and daughter are sufficiently estranged that Letilia won't out Ren, but other actors in the city might.

Those actors include Grey Serrado, captain of the Vigil (read police force) and Vrazenian slip-knot (read traitor to his people because he assimilated into Liganti society. He is running himself ragged trying to sort out why street kids keep dying of insomnia, track down the mysterious Rook, and running petty errands for the Liganti nobility. He does not get help from the rampant vanity and nepotism in the Vigil ranks, nor the racism of most Liganti hawks. Add to that his deep grief for his brother's recent murder and Grey needs a hug and a paid vacation.

Then there is Vargo Derossi, crime lord extraordinaire with an eye toward becoming too powerful to be ignored and choosing to pretend to go legitimate to achieve the dream. He is charming and deadly all at once, has someone else in his head, has a pet spider named Peabody, and some serious germophobia. Whether he is caught in Ren's con or she is caught in his web is an open question for most of this book. Vargo is 100% unanswered questions, and every single one is dangerous to ask and even more dangerous not to know the answer to. Especially since he is also SUSPICIOUSLY competent at numinatria...

We of course cannot neglect Donaia, Leato, and Giuna Tremantis. This remnant of a once proud family are an unusual bunch, but they're also different enough that watching their personalities mesh and clas ended up being one of my favorite things about this book.

Beyond the character work, the worldbuilding in this book is first-class. The Vrazenians and Liganti are culturally and visually distinct at a glance, and then for those who care to stay and look harder, there is depth and nuance. Both cultures feel real and vibrant, which makes the all-too-clear harms of oppression and colonization, as well as the messiness of navigating mixed-heritage identities, all the sharper.

It also highlights the different magic systems, religions, and ways of knowing and relating to your community based on those cultural differences. Patterning and numinatria are both valid, but neither quite likes the other and thy don't cross cultural lines. The Rook is a folk hero to the Vrazenians and a half-mythical, pain-in-the-ass vigilante to the Liganti. Even fashion is sharply divided.

Overall, the Princess Bride comparison is apt, but perhaps also mixed with some Leverage and some Batman. I loved this book, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next two.

[yellowraincoat]

Some authors should not be allowed major character death bc they don’t use it right

There’s a difference between a death that in some way enhances the story and one that’s meaningless/actively destroys the tone and cuts off interesting plotlines and character arcs