The Masks: Our Origins

by Payton Balog

The first book in a series inspired by the Arrowverse, Gotham, and Agents of Shield.


Susan Johnson used to be Height City’s protector. When she died, her daughter, Alice, was left alone in a city filled with secrets and sin. Plagued by nightmares, Alice navigates her way through grief, friendship, and understanding her powers.

For two years, she has been going through the motions. She wants to disappear. Would anyone care if she did? Her father is too wrapped up in his own misery to notice hers. Her best friend is oblivious to the truth and moving forward with her life.

One day, Alice takes her camera and heads to her favorite diner. There, she meets Casey, a girl with a checkered past and a violent present. She’s the Crime Queen’s champion.

Worlds collide and lives change as the two become friends and Alice starts questioning her future.

Will she choose to follow in her mother’s footsteps or will she leave Height City to erupt in flames?

Follow Alice, Casey, and their friends as they try to survive high school, mean girls, secrets, relationships, murder, fire, friendship, and their parents in this first installment of The Masks series.

543 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 12, 2024

Reviews

[Hayes Bennet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, I’m curious to see where the series goes. I love Casey. Definitely worth a read.

[Cary Fenton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Payton Balog writes a compelling novel about the daughter of a superhero taking on her mother’s mantle. A storyline and trope present in the entire superhero genre, from comic books to movies to novels. In her book, The Masks: Our Origins, Balog explores the commencement of someone who once looked up to a hero now taking on that mantle and living up to the name that looked so heavy to them before. Balog does a great job getting you into the mind of the main character, Alice, and how she is forced to grow quickly into the role her mother once occupied.

This book follows many characters, and each of them are very well fleshed out and interesting in very diverse ways. Each of them struggle with their environment, and the tension of watching them try to overcome that is penned very well by Balog. I felt the struggles and concerns of each of these very realistic characters and found myself invested in their diverse stories. Each of them contributed to the complex tapestry of the overall narrative that Balog has spun with an expert level of skill. Every character has realistic and genuine motivations, all of them understandable and intrinsic.

If I was to level a criticism that may seem a bit of a spoiler (granted it occurs in the opening chapters so take of that what you will), it would be the aftermath of the superhero’s death. The death of Glisin, mother of the main character Alice, had a huge impact on our main character but there seemed to be less focus on how the world responded to such an event. The city did not seem to be worse off for her death, at least not in the immediate chapters following the event in the prologue. I would have loved to see the stark contrast between the idealic excitement of watching Glisin kick supervillain butt and the devastating aftermath of the hero’s failure. What are the immediate effects on society without a hero to protect them from the main villain?

All of that is personal preference, and the narrative is more focused on the individuals who drive the plot forward. These characters are the meat and bone of the narrative, and they are all so well thought out that you will have a great time reading The Masks: Our Origins. This is a book that I would highly recommend to all fans of any kind of superhero story. If superheroes are your thing, this book will scratch that itch!

[Nicole R Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have had the incredible chance to read her book The Masks: Our Origins. This was my first read in a while that the FMC held Superpowers and that the MCs were high school age as it was a YA novel. I was really intrigued by the book's description when I came across Payton's page and needed to know more. Payton Balog created a group of very diverse characters that I enjoyed following. I liked how the book split off and had multiple POVs for the multiple main characters so you could get glimpses of each of their individual lives until it all came together and they started webbing into each other's lives. One of my favorite things was how some of the most unlikely pairs ended up coming together throughout the story whether it be as acquaintances on the same side, friendships, or romantic relationships. Throughout the book, I loved piecing parts of the story together as it all unfolded around me and I felt like it flowed on a very natural timeline so I could follow easily. This story held adventure, danger, grit, suspense, secrets to be unfolded, pasts to be detangled, and futures to be put back together all while trying to survive through the vulnerable high school age. I can't wait to see what comes next for these characters. A book for YA fans with a love of superheroes, urban fantasy, an engaging plot, and diverse characters.

[im.booked.on.a.feeling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much Payton Balog for the ecopy of The Masks: Our Origins. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fans of Riverdale and the Marvel Universe, you’re not going to want to miss this book! The Masks combines the gritty town and complex relationships of the hit tv series with the superpowers of the legendary comic books and movies franchise. The Masks: Our Origins is dark, yet hopeful, and I believe you’ll be enthralled until the very last word.

One of my favorite parts of The Masks: Our Origins is the multiple points of view the story is told from. Although it took me a bit to get the hang of who everyone was and how they were connected, once I did, I throughly enjoyed reading the book through so many different perspectives. I thought this was a really smart choice on author Payton Balog’s part because it gave the story so much more depth than if it was told from a single perspective.

I also really liked how this first installment is clearly setting things up for future books in the series. The book does end on a cliffhanger, so be prepared to want to dive into the next installment immediately! I know I can’t wait to see what happens next!

*The Masks: Our Origins is closed door, but does contain storylines that feature violence, alcohol, and drügs. Please check out the trigger warnings before you begin reading.*

In the pages, you will find:

⚡️Superpowers
🤝Found family
❤️Romance
❌Multiple POV
🩶Everyone is morally gray
🏫High school
🤫Secrets
📕The first installment in the The Masks Series!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5

[Anaid Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Payton's book is a really fun one. Her story really made me connect with the world and its characters, care about what happened to them, cheer and struggle with them. Also their dynamic is wonderful, she entwined their stories in a very interesting way, and each of them have their time to shine. I can't wait to read the next adventure, because the ending is very interesting and now I care enough for them to want to know what's next.

Personally, I would have loved more development on Cole's character because I found myself enjoying him very much. Also, I think the storyline with Dave's dad kinda ends a bit abruptly, I would have loved more development between him and Dave because I also liked the latter as a character, but in general it is a really compelling story and wonderful characters.

If you are into teen superhero stories and are looking for a found family development, this definitely is a great recommendation!!!

[PrettyLadyMaine Writes · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC read
I can’t wait to see what comes next for Casey I love anything superhero’s

[Rebekah Eckard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what happens next for Casey.
Thank you Payton for the ARC!

[Tara Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got the advance reader copy with an agreement to read it and post a review. The review is all mine. Once I got past a dozen or so interruptions I couldn’t put it down. It was a fun read. Superhero stories are among my favorites.

[Anna Greenwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book and all of the POVs. I cannot wait for book 2. Amazing debut!

[Nupur · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a lovely superhero villain story in a small town in a modern world. A bunch of High School students sounds simple yet so much fun. It was like reliving School life. But with the mix of powers and dark sides. The twists and turns were amazing. I loved how it started with a town losing its superhero and a small glimpse of the Villain. Alice was my favorite and how there were multiple POV's helped understand each character.
Oh and the end, it was amazing, more like intriguing, wanting me to know more. The Villain is back and it would be amazing to see the action that will set next.

[Cindy Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun superhero story set in modern day with a high school cast!

This book made me remember all the fun/tiring times of high school while getting to experience super powers and dark side of a city.

This book had lots of twists and turns that made unsure what the next chapter would bring.

I love that it was told with multiple view points so you got to know every character just a little bit more!

[Ryan Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read the ARC for this, and while I think star ratings can be arbitrary, the biggest tell here is that I do want to read the next one and find out what happens!

The characters are compelling, and this didn't feel like a re-telling of something else. The plotline and desire to know what happens next overcame any misgivings I may have had about plotholes (we all have them, and these aren't story-ending!)

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of powers and experiences in high school, This is the book for you. It was a nice read, very cool characters (you have plenty to choose from), a nice way to remember how high school life was only difference we didn't have powers lol recommended!