Masquerade was a Macmillan audio pick, and I was so excited to read a historical fiction set in West Africa! This book had me so surprised at every turn. I did not know what to expect from Òdòdó, but immediately was taken with her drive to survive. Watching her grow a thirst for power and freedom was like a villain-era story, but there is nothing villainous about a woman’s quest for autonomy! Òdòdó begins with the expected naivety of a girl who has been sheltered by her elders, but her natural intelligence is fed by her experiences, and she grows to outwit those who would keep her down or harm her. She has become a favorite FMC of mine; I would love to know what she is doing after the events of the book!
It was interesting to watch Òdòdó fall for a man who loves her but was so clearly sexist and power-hungry. Every aspect of her relationship with Àrẹ̀mọ had me on my toes; I never knew if things would get darker or lighter between them. Meanwhile, Òdòdó’s relationships with other characters, like Rótìmí, Kọ̀lọ̀, and Ọmóṣẹwà, were so fascinatingly nuanced, and I found it exemplary writing when Òdòdó would have “silent conversations” with such characters; Sangoyomi’s ability to write interactions between characters that had little to no dialogue and consisted mostly of body language is truly a skill of great talent!
In the end, Òdòdó’s actions did not surprise me, I only found myself cheering for her, and, as I mentioned, wanting to see what she’d do next and after, so her story wouldn’t end! This book was definitely five stars for me, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in women taking hold of their power (which should be everyone!)!
As for the audiobook aspect, the narrator Ariel Blake has so many books under her belt, but this was my first by her, and I’ll definitely be looking out for her from now on!
It was interesting to watch Òdòdó fall for a man who loves her but was so clearly sexist and power-hungry. Every aspect of her relationship with Àrẹ̀mọ had me on my toes; I never knew if things would get darker or lighter between them. Meanwhile, Òdòdó’s relationships with other characters, like Rótìmí, Kọ̀lọ̀, and Ọmóṣẹwà, were so fascinatingly nuanced, and I found it exemplary writing when Òdòdó would have “silent conversations” with such characters; Sangoyomi’s ability to write interactions between characters that had little to no dialogue and consisted mostly of body language is truly a skill of great talent!
In the end, Òdòdó’s actions did not surprise me, I only found myself cheering for her, and, as I mentioned, wanting to see what she’d do next and after, so her story wouldn’t end! This book was definitely five stars for me, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in women taking hold of their power (which should be everyone!)!
As for the audiobook aspect, the narrator Ariel Blake has so many books under her belt, but this was my first by her, and I’ll definitely be looking out for her from now on!