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Mask of Shadows #2
Ruin of Stars
The thrilling conclusion to the Mask of Shadows duology that weaves a tale of magic, shadows, and most importantly, revenge.
As one of the Queen’s elite assassins, Sal finally has the power, prestige, and permission to hunt down the lords who killed their family. But Sal still has to figure out who the culprits are. They must enlist the help of some old friends and enemies while ignoring a growing distaste for the queen and that the charming Elise is being held prisoner by her father.
But there’s something terribly wrong in the north. Talk of the return of shadows, missing children, and magic abounds. As Sal takes out the people responsible for their ruined homeland, Sal learns secrets and truths that can’t be forgotten.
As one of the Queen’s elite assassins, Sal finally has the power, prestige, and permission to hunt down the lords who killed their family. But Sal still has to figure out who the culprits are. They must enlist the help of some old friends and enemies while ignoring a growing distaste for the queen and that the charming Elise is being held prisoner by her father.
But there’s something terribly wrong in the north. Talk of the return of shadows, missing children, and magic abounds. As Sal takes out the people responsible for their ruined homeland, Sal learns secrets and truths that can’t be forgotten.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published August 28, 2018
135 people are currently reading
3764 people want to read
About the author
Linsey Miller
14 books1,107 followersOnce upon a time, Linsey Miller studied biology in Arkansas. These days, she holds an MFA in fiction and is the author of Lambda-nominated What We Devour. Her other works include the Mask of Shadows duology, Belle Révolte, The Game, the first three books in the Disney Princes series, and the upcoming YA fantasy That Devil, Ambition (spring 2025 from HarperCollins). She can be found in Texas writing about science and magic anywhere there is coffee.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 265 reviews
January 23, 2018
This is the sequel my soul needed!!! RUIN OF STARS has 100% more queers, stabbing, and sassy Maud, and I may never recover. Emerald is my everything. Sal deserves every hug in the world. My emotions are altered forever.
That epilogue. Is all I'm saying. *yodels into the night*
That epilogue. Is all I'm saying. *yodels into the night*
July 18, 2018
Sal can finally seek vengeance and retribution behind the mask of Opal. The seek and destroy mission is now a thing of reality and Sal will make them pay. But will the greater price be paid by Sal’s soul?
Enter the intriguing and dark world of Linsey Miller’s RUIN OF STARS as one young assassin will enter a world filled with deceit, magic and love, with little hope of coming out emotionally intact, just the last person standing. Is the magic of the world really gone or has it been hidden away, coveted by others?
Will Sal finally find peace of mind and a true purpose to a life stained with hatred and blood? Linsey Miller brings this duology to a close with the same bold strokes of her pen, filling this tale with rapid-fire action, brutality and even tender moments of love and longing with a uniquely drawn character that allows each reader to decide how they interpret who Sal is as they travel through the intricate world at Sal’s side.
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Sourcebooks Fire!
Duology - Mask of Shadows - Book 2
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (August 28, 2018)
Publication Date: August 28, 2018
Genre: YA Dark Fantasy
Print Length: 416 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Enter the intriguing and dark world of Linsey Miller’s RUIN OF STARS as one young assassin will enter a world filled with deceit, magic and love, with little hope of coming out emotionally intact, just the last person standing. Is the magic of the world really gone or has it been hidden away, coveted by others?
Will Sal finally find peace of mind and a true purpose to a life stained with hatred and blood? Linsey Miller brings this duology to a close with the same bold strokes of her pen, filling this tale with rapid-fire action, brutality and even tender moments of love and longing with a uniquely drawn character that allows each reader to decide how they interpret who Sal is as they travel through the intricate world at Sal’s side.
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Sourcebooks Fire!
Duology - Mask of Shadows - Book 2
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (August 28, 2018)
Publication Date: August 28, 2018
Genre: YA Dark Fantasy
Print Length: 416 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
January 31, 2022
4.5/5
A great conclusion!!
After the events of Mask of Shadows, Sal has been named Opal and has begun to hunt those on their list. Sal no longer has unwavering faith in the Queen and knows that if they want something done, they'll need to guarantee the outcome. Sal still has ties to their old life and when an old friend comes asking for help, they can't turn him away.
I love this duology so much. This was such a fun epic fantasy and I love Sal's character so much. I feel like we get full force Sal in this book. Their done with other people's expectations of them and they do and dress how they want, when they want. If possible, Sal definitely got more feral in this one. Not only that but we see consequences of Sal's previous actions. There's dissociation, anxiety attacks and so many other things that Sal goes through. It was incredibly visceral and a great depiction of generational and acute PTSD.
Besides the political intrigue, we get some magic and mystery in this one. I'm glad we got an expansion on how the Shadows worked/were created. There was so much explained in this one, I'm glad I finally picked it up. This book pulled no punches, there were so many times I felt my heart shriek in pain and I just want to protect all my babies in this.
Then there was that ending!! I had to reread it bc WHAT. So damn good.
Rep: white sapphic genderfluid MC with anxiety and PTSD, BIPOC bisexual female love interest, aroace white female side character, white nonbinary side character, white trans man side character, BIPOC male side character, male side character with one arm, deceased female side character is mentioned to have been chronically ill.
CWs: Blood, body horror, death, fire/fire injury, gore, injury/injury detail, mental illness (anxiety and PTSD), murder, panic attacks, self harm, torture (physical and psychological), violence. Moderate: child abuse and death, colonisation, confinement, genocide/mass murder, grief, kidnapping, medical trauma/forced medical experimentation, racism, transphobia/transmisia, war, xenophobia. Minor: sexual content, misogyny, sexism, acephobia/acemisia, biphobia/bimisia.
A great conclusion!!
After the events of Mask of Shadows, Sal has been named Opal and has begun to hunt those on their list. Sal no longer has unwavering faith in the Queen and knows that if they want something done, they'll need to guarantee the outcome. Sal still has ties to their old life and when an old friend comes asking for help, they can't turn him away.
I love this duology so much. This was such a fun epic fantasy and I love Sal's character so much. I feel like we get full force Sal in this book. Their done with other people's expectations of them and they do and dress how they want, when they want. If possible, Sal definitely got more feral in this one. Not only that but we see consequences of Sal's previous actions. There's dissociation, anxiety attacks and so many other things that Sal goes through. It was incredibly visceral and a great depiction of generational and acute PTSD.
Besides the political intrigue, we get some magic and mystery in this one. I'm glad we got an expansion on how the Shadows worked/were created. There was so much explained in this one, I'm glad I finally picked it up. This book pulled no punches, there were so many times I felt my heart shriek in pain and I just want to protect all my babies in this.
Then there was that ending!! I had to reread it bc WHAT. So damn good.
Rep: white sapphic genderfluid MC with anxiety and PTSD, BIPOC bisexual female love interest, aroace white female side character, white nonbinary side character, white trans man side character, BIPOC male side character, male side character with one arm, deceased female side character is mentioned to have been chronically ill.
CWs: Blood, body horror, death, fire/fire injury, gore, injury/injury detail, mental illness (anxiety and PTSD), murder, panic attacks, self harm, torture (physical and psychological), violence. Moderate: child abuse and death, colonisation, confinement, genocide/mass murder, grief, kidnapping, medical trauma/forced medical experimentation, racism, transphobia/transmisia, war, xenophobia. Minor: sexual content, misogyny, sexism, acephobia/acemisia, biphobia/bimisia.
April 16, 2018
Ruin of Stars? more like Ruin of Shenners 😭😭😭
April 21, 2020
OMG IS IT OVER? FOREVER?
Ruin of Stars was so fun! Ugh, I missed everyone from the first book so I didn't really think twice before diving into this audiobook. Not quite sure if I liked this one better or worst than the first one, I'm way too lazy to look it up, but I know that I enjoyed the crap out of it.
With each chapter, we get farther into the Sal's world. It is filled with so many things - magic, love, and a whole bunch of stuff you should worry about. Well, maybe not her because she's an assassin and such. That being said, I had no idea how things were going to turn out. Which is why I couldn't put this book on pause or down in any way, shape, or form. I just wanted to know what was going to happen relationship wise and everything else.
In the end, it was bittersweet. Yes, I was happy with how things went down and ended. Yes, I'm sad because now it's done and over with. I have no idea what I'm going to do with my life and I need help!
Ruin of Stars was so fun! Ugh, I missed everyone from the first book so I didn't really think twice before diving into this audiobook. Not quite sure if I liked this one better or worst than the first one, I'm way too lazy to look it up, but I know that I enjoyed the crap out of it.
With each chapter, we get farther into the Sal's world. It is filled with so many things - magic, love, and a whole bunch of stuff you should worry about. Well, maybe not her because she's an assassin and such. That being said, I had no idea how things were going to turn out. Which is why I couldn't put this book on pause or down in any way, shape, or form. I just wanted to know what was going to happen relationship wise and everything else.
In the end, it was bittersweet. Yes, I was happy with how things went down and ended. Yes, I'm sad because now it's done and over with. I have no idea what I'm going to do with my life and I need help!
March 12, 2020
Read this review and more on the blog.
I don't think I'll be able to properly describe how much I loved this book. It meant so much to me.
Content warnings include: graphic violence and gore, torture, death, murder, panic attack, trauma/PTSD, graphic descriptions of corpses, queerphobia, xenophobia, misogyny, sex off-page, public executions, human experiments, child abduction; mentions of: genocide, death of family.
Ruin of Stars is quite a bit different to its prequel, Mask of Shadows. In some ways I want to say I liked it even more (which I didn't think was possible), but I'm not sure that would be true due to how vastly different - and heavier - the topic matters are.
While it would be true, if a gross simplification, to say Mask of Shadows is a book about killing people, Ruin of Stars cannot be summed up quite that easily.
First of all it plays on a much grander scale. While the prequel focussed entirely on the auditions for Opal, one of Our Queen's assassins, and took place on the palace grounds, now events happen all over several cities and countries and have major political and world-changing consequences.
On the smaller scale, Sal can finally execute their revenge on the people who ordered the murder of their people, but even that is closely intertwined with the war that broke out and is tearing the country apart.
I already loved how Sal being genderfluid was handled before, but here their gender identity is not only discussed more in depth, but conversations about queerness take a prominent role. My heart ached not only because these queer characters were fighting for their right to exist in peace and acceptance in the face of a queerphobic power trying to take over, but also for Sal on a personal scale. Thanks to their new position as Honorable Opal they meet a wide vareity of people, many of them queer, and their almost desperate eagerness to have someone to talk to, to share experiences with, to be able to ask questions and seeing queer elders thrive brough me so much joy but also sadness due to the surrounding circumstances.
Non-cis and often non-binary gender identity was often the focus of discussion about queer identities, but there was also a fair bit about asexuality. In contrast, bi- and homosexuality is discussed less in depth, which I found a refreshing change to most other books with similar topics that I've encountered so far - I feel like those two are often the most prominently handled ones, with a-spectrum or gender identities often pushed to the side or not mentioned at all.
Another big topic of Ruin of Stars was xenophobia and the genocide that was already brought up before. Sal's country Nacea and their entire people were erradicated ten years ago - or so they thought. They have never met another surviving Nacean and they were a child when the shadows decimated their family and everyone else living in Nacea.
There are many conversations about their self-doubt whether they are truly Nacean when they can barely remember their culture, and about what it means to go against what their culture teaches as a means of survival in a world that barely acknowledges or remembers its existence or that it was willfully destroyed.
Tied up in the revenge plot and the conversations about queer and cultural identity is also a lot of self-discovery. Sal has to reflect on who they really are, what they want, where they want to be and what they are willing to do to achieve their goals. There is a lot of growth and character development woven between the more action-heavy plot, and most of it is not driven by gentle self-exploration. Instead, brutal tragedy, well-placed lies and shocking discoveries continuously force Sal to reevaluate their priorities, their loyalties and their motivations.
Despite being very plot-driven, the characters are extremely important as well, and there are much more that play an important role than in book 1. Maud and Elise are obviously important figures - even if not always in the roles you'd expect. I was also happy to find Rath in the foreground again, and Dimas was a pleasant surprise. There are some new additions to the cast as well, but I will not spoil them.
I cannot repeat enough how much I loved this book. It had everything I loved and possibly even a bit too much in some of the darker corners - it definitely doesn't go light on the tragedies. But there is also so much healing, caring, open-armed welcomes and found families. The action is breath-taking and heart-stopping and the stakes are even higher than before, and I cannot wait to reread this absolutely stunning series and experience it all over again.
I don't think I'll be able to properly describe how much I loved this book. It meant so much to me.
Content warnings include: graphic violence and gore, torture, death, murder, panic attack, trauma/PTSD, graphic descriptions of corpses, queerphobia, xenophobia, misogyny, sex off-page, public executions, human experiments, child abduction; mentions of: genocide, death of family.
Ruin of Stars is quite a bit different to its prequel, Mask of Shadows. In some ways I want to say I liked it even more (which I didn't think was possible), but I'm not sure that would be true due to how vastly different - and heavier - the topic matters are.
While it would be true, if a gross simplification, to say Mask of Shadows is a book about killing people, Ruin of Stars cannot be summed up quite that easily.
First of all it plays on a much grander scale. While the prequel focussed entirely on the auditions for Opal, one of Our Queen's assassins, and took place on the palace grounds, now events happen all over several cities and countries and have major political and world-changing consequences.
On the smaller scale, Sal can finally execute their revenge on the people who ordered the murder of their people, but even that is closely intertwined with the war that broke out and is tearing the country apart.
I already loved how Sal being genderfluid was handled before, but here their gender identity is not only discussed more in depth, but conversations about queerness take a prominent role. My heart ached not only because these queer characters were fighting for their right to exist in peace and acceptance in the face of a queerphobic power trying to take over, but also for Sal on a personal scale. Thanks to their new position as Honorable Opal they meet a wide vareity of people, many of them queer, and their almost desperate eagerness to have someone to talk to, to share experiences with, to be able to ask questions and seeing queer elders thrive brough me so much joy but also sadness due to the surrounding circumstances.
Non-cis and often non-binary gender identity was often the focus of discussion about queer identities, but there was also a fair bit about asexuality. In contrast, bi- and homosexuality is discussed less in depth, which I found a refreshing change to most other books with similar topics that I've encountered so far - I feel like those two are often the most prominently handled ones, with a-spectrum or gender identities often pushed to the side or not mentioned at all.
Another big topic of Ruin of Stars was xenophobia and the genocide that was already brought up before. Sal's country Nacea and their entire people were erradicated ten years ago - or so they thought. They have never met another surviving Nacean and they were a child when the shadows decimated their family and everyone else living in Nacea.
There are many conversations about their self-doubt whether they are truly Nacean when they can barely remember their culture, and about what it means to go against what their culture teaches as a means of survival in a world that barely acknowledges or remembers its existence or that it was willfully destroyed.
Tied up in the revenge plot and the conversations about queer and cultural identity is also a lot of self-discovery. Sal has to reflect on who they really are, what they want, where they want to be and what they are willing to do to achieve their goals. There is a lot of growth and character development woven between the more action-heavy plot, and most of it is not driven by gentle self-exploration. Instead, brutal tragedy, well-placed lies and shocking discoveries continuously force Sal to reevaluate their priorities, their loyalties and their motivations.
Despite being very plot-driven, the characters are extremely important as well, and there are much more that play an important role than in book 1. Maud and Elise are obviously important figures - even if not always in the roles you'd expect. I was also happy to find Rath in the foreground again, and Dimas was a pleasant surprise. There are some new additions to the cast as well, but I will not spoil them.
I cannot repeat enough how much I loved this book. It had everything I loved and possibly even a bit too much in some of the darker corners - it definitely doesn't go light on the tragedies. But there is also so much healing, caring, open-armed welcomes and found families. The action is breath-taking and heart-stopping and the stakes are even higher than before, and I cannot wait to reread this absolutely stunning series and experience it all over again.
August 14, 2018
Thank you NetGalley for giving me a free, electronic ARC to review. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.
DNF at 60%
I wanted to like this book, but I just could NOT get into this. The first book, Mask of Shadows, was amazing! I was pretty excited to get this sequel, but I was pretty let down.
The story itself isn't that bad. It's a continuation of the previous book and explains a lot of backstory. Unfortunately, the writing is not amazing this time around. Many scenes have been too wordy, in the sense that I have to read them a few times to fully grasp what's going on. There were a lot of grammar mistakes (which will most likely be corrected once the final copy is released, but still).
I did not connect with Sal anymore. While it's important that Sal was gender-fluid because representation matters, it just became Excessive. I swear Sal mentions that they are gender-fluid in every chapter even when it's irrelevant to the plot. It gets mentions at the most random times, like the author's just sort of saying it to remind the reader of how ~unique~ this book is to others.
It'd be like
>fight scene
>no one cares about Sal's identity
>"I have no gender, no one understands here :("
>end fight scene
Obviously I'm exaggerating, but honestly not by much.
By all means, read this sequel if you love the story. It just wasn't for me.
DNF at 60%
I wanted to like this book, but I just could NOT get into this. The first book, Mask of Shadows, was amazing! I was pretty excited to get this sequel, but I was pretty let down.
The story itself isn't that bad. It's a continuation of the previous book and explains a lot of backstory. Unfortunately, the writing is not amazing this time around. Many scenes have been too wordy, in the sense that I have to read them a few times to fully grasp what's going on. There were a lot of grammar mistakes (which will most likely be corrected once the final copy is released, but still).
I did not connect with Sal anymore. While it's important that Sal was gender-fluid because representation matters, it just became Excessive. I swear Sal mentions that they are gender-fluid in every chapter even when it's irrelevant to the plot. It gets mentions at the most random times, like the author's just sort of saying it to remind the reader of how ~unique~ this book is to others.
It'd be like
>fight scene
>no one cares about Sal's identity
>"I have no gender, no one understands here :("
>end fight scene
Obviously I'm exaggerating, but honestly not by much.
By all means, read this sequel if you love the story. It just wasn't for me.
September 14, 2018
4 stars
I quite enjoyed this duology as a whole, with a very satisfying ending. I, actually, preferred this book compared to the first one as it was not completely focused on one thing/ one plot, like it was in the first book.
Would I re-read this series in the future? Perhaps but not right away;
Would I read other books by this author? Maybe, depending if the plot sounds interesting...
I quite enjoyed this duology as a whole, with a very satisfying ending. I, actually, preferred this book compared to the first one as it was not completely focused on one thing/ one plot, like it was in the first book.
Would I re-read this series in the future? Perhaps but not right away;
Would I read other books by this author? Maybe, depending if the plot sounds interesting...
July 28, 2018
This is the second and last book in the Masks of Shadows series by Linsey Miller. It starts right off where the precious book ended, so it is a good idea to read them together. I did, and it made it morw enjoyable since the last book ended with a bit of a cliffhanger.
In this book I finally made sense of what happened at the end exactly. That is my major issue with this book, both books really: the action scenes are really confusing. It’s hard to keep track of what happens and who’s involved, and I often have to read pages twice just to understand what’s happening. That really puts me out of the reading flow. The first book we were introduced to many different and wonderful characters but in this book they really shine. I love how we get to know more of the Left Hand: their fears, dreams and quirks. And other suprising characters as well. Also there is more background and worldbuilding that the first book lacked.
But the character development of Sal is even better. They really grow up in this book and realises the world is not so black and white as they make it out to be - and they’re willing to learn a lot, even on subjects they hated like magic. Revenge might be a bit empty after all. They also struggle with their conscience and killing and wonder what it does to your soul. I loved that internal struggle and the realisations. And Elise&Sal’s relationship is awe inspiring. I never met a couple so understanding and I love how they let each other be free and respect their choices and ask what the other wants. Relationship goals! And the LGBTQ+ rep was amazing, it is what sets this book apart. I especially loved the aro/ace rep since it’s so rare! And the ending is great too. There were twists and turns, some I saw coming and some I didn’t, and it was a very satisfying end to a series.
This copy has been given to me by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
In this book I finally made sense of what happened at the end exactly. That is my major issue with this book, both books really: the action scenes are really confusing. It’s hard to keep track of what happens and who’s involved, and I often have to read pages twice just to understand what’s happening. That really puts me out of the reading flow. The first book we were introduced to many different and wonderful characters but in this book they really shine. I love how we get to know more of the Left Hand: their fears, dreams and quirks. And other suprising characters as well. Also there is more background and worldbuilding that the first book lacked.
But the character development of Sal is even better. They really grow up in this book and realises the world is not so black and white as they make it out to be - and they’re willing to learn a lot, even on subjects they hated like magic. Revenge might be a bit empty after all. They also struggle with their conscience and killing and wonder what it does to your soul. I loved that internal struggle and the realisations. And Elise&Sal’s relationship is awe inspiring. I never met a couple so understanding and I love how they let each other be free and respect their choices and ask what the other wants. Relationship goals! And the LGBTQ+ rep was amazing, it is what sets this book apart. I especially loved the aro/ace rep since it’s so rare! And the ending is great too. There were twists and turns, some I saw coming and some I didn’t, and it was a very satisfying end to a series.
This copy has been given to me by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
September 8, 2018
As a conclusion to this series, I think this one did a good job.
The book started almost right where book 1 ended. Sal, our heroine, is now Opal, one of the members of the Left Hand. And they're now have the means to take revenge to those who ruined their home. In short Sal got what they wanted since it was the reason why they auditioned to be Opal. But they still have to work on the real identities of the 5 culprits who go by aliases. They only know three of them and the book opens with Sal taking care of one of them.
Why I liked this one more than I did the first book?
I learned more about the world and magic. Reading this, I finally understand the history that's been dumped to me in Book 1. Now it was easier to fight along with Sal and sympathize with them because I completely get the depths of their motives of revenge. With these discoveries, the plot, the whole plot of the series became more rounded and interesting. It's fascinating what a real strong motive can do to a story. I mean without it, the whole story would be dull.
And more importantly is Sal. They grew on me because as a character, they grew too. Their development was really shown and well-done. I thought I'd get a boring version of them again but thankfully, I got the best version of them. I liked how Sal's internal battles were fought and won. Like their thoughts about killing and revenge,what it's really do to everyone and most importantly to them as a person.
The side characters were great. Maud was still my favorite and I love that I got to know the other Left Hand members better. i found out that they are indeed great characters, And yes, it's good to have Rath in the story.
the Romance between Elise and Sal was amazing. I liked that the romance in this book kinda took the backseat a bit which put the main plot in spotlight. It's there but not to steal the spotlight from the main plot. I love how great the relationship between Sal and Elise, how understanding they are to each other.
My complain is about Sal's gender. To be clear, I don't have problems with LGBTQIAP characters. I love them and I liked Sal's character so much. What I didn't enjoy in this book is how often Sal's gender was mentioned. Like in every chapter Sal would say something about their gender. As if the author wants to remind the reader all the time about Sal's gender. I mean we already know and it can be shown with how Sal acts. It became 'telling' rather than 'showing'.
And sometimes, I got a problem with how the chapters end. They're bit abrupt. But I liked how the whole series was wrapped at the end. So overall, I still recommend this book.
Note: I received an ARC from the publishers thru Netgalley. Thank you.
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The book started almost right where book 1 ended. Sal, our heroine, is now Opal, one of the members of the Left Hand. And they're now have the means to take revenge to those who ruined their home. In short Sal got what they wanted since it was the reason why they auditioned to be Opal. But they still have to work on the real identities of the 5 culprits who go by aliases. They only know three of them and the book opens with Sal taking care of one of them.
Why I liked this one more than I did the first book?
I learned more about the world and magic. Reading this, I finally understand the history that's been dumped to me in Book 1. Now it was easier to fight along with Sal and sympathize with them because I completely get the depths of their motives of revenge. With these discoveries, the plot, the whole plot of the series became more rounded and interesting. It's fascinating what a real strong motive can do to a story. I mean without it, the whole story would be dull.
And more importantly is Sal. They grew on me because as a character, they grew too. Their development was really shown and well-done. I thought I'd get a boring version of them again but thankfully, I got the best version of them. I liked how Sal's internal battles were fought and won. Like their thoughts about killing and revenge,what it's really do to everyone and most importantly to them as a person.
The side characters were great. Maud was still my favorite and I love that I got to know the other Left Hand members better. i found out that they are indeed great characters, And yes, it's good to have Rath in the story.
the Romance between Elise and Sal was amazing. I liked that the romance in this book kinda took the backseat a bit which put the main plot in spotlight. It's there but not to steal the spotlight from the main plot. I love how great the relationship between Sal and Elise, how understanding they are to each other.
My complain is about Sal's gender. To be clear, I don't have problems with LGBTQIAP characters. I love them and I liked Sal's character so much. What I didn't enjoy in this book is how often Sal's gender was mentioned. Like in every chapter Sal would say something about their gender. As if the author wants to remind the reader all the time about Sal's gender. I mean we already know and it can be shown with how Sal acts. It became 'telling' rather than 'showing'.
And sometimes, I got a problem with how the chapters end. They're bit abrupt. But I liked how the whole series was wrapped at the end. So overall, I still recommend this book.
Note: I received an ARC from the publishers thru Netgalley. Thank you.
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August 30, 2019
two and a half stars
I don’t know how I feel about this book or this series. I was about halfway through reading Ruin of Stars and I wasn’t sure I was going to bother finishing it. Then I found out it was part of a duology rather than a trilogy or series and I thought I might as well finish it off.
Bad
Some parts were quite jumpy, but because I listened to it as an audiobook I can’t tell if those jumps were shown on the page with a space and the audiobook narrator didn’t mention them in the reading or if the writing really does just jump from one place to another with zero segue. Inconsistent writing is my bet because there were other sections where there was a leap in logic and little to know explanation.
Sal is super militant towards people that disagree with his/her life (Sal is gender fluid and changes pronouns depending on the day so I think him/her works best for this review). Obviously this is a dystopia so violence is a daily occurrence and attacking people who disagree with you is almost accepted. However, I feel like it sends the wrong message if the only reason Sal keeps choosing to kill people is because they try to fit him/her into a gendered box. I understand that forcing someone to conform is awful and should be fought against, but murder seems a bit extreme. In this book it felt like Sal’s revenge for the death of his/her family is forgotten in comparison to the crimes of disagreeing with his/her gender fluidity. This is just my opinion. In the first book it was much clearer that Sal’s fluid nature was simply a matter of life and that he/she had to occasionally argue to be accepted, but that it was not a big deal for the people that cared about Sal. That calm acceptance worked better in the story than fighting every single person who looks like they might say the wrong pronoun.
Good
The narrator was pretty good throughout. There weren’t terribly done accents or poor sound quality. As far as the audiobook part went this was a fine book.
I loved the development of...
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I don’t know how I feel about this book or this series. I was about halfway through reading Ruin of Stars and I wasn’t sure I was going to bother finishing it. Then I found out it was part of a duology rather than a trilogy or series and I thought I might as well finish it off.
Bad
Some parts were quite jumpy, but because I listened to it as an audiobook I can’t tell if those jumps were shown on the page with a space and the audiobook narrator didn’t mention them in the reading or if the writing really does just jump from one place to another with zero segue. Inconsistent writing is my bet because there were other sections where there was a leap in logic and little to know explanation.
Sal is super militant towards people that disagree with his/her life (Sal is gender fluid and changes pronouns depending on the day so I think him/her works best for this review). Obviously this is a dystopia so violence is a daily occurrence and attacking people who disagree with you is almost accepted. However, I feel like it sends the wrong message if the only reason Sal keeps choosing to kill people is because they try to fit him/her into a gendered box. I understand that forcing someone to conform is awful and should be fought against, but murder seems a bit extreme. In this book it felt like Sal’s revenge for the death of his/her family is forgotten in comparison to the crimes of disagreeing with his/her gender fluidity. This is just my opinion. In the first book it was much clearer that Sal’s fluid nature was simply a matter of life and that he/she had to occasionally argue to be accepted, but that it was not a big deal for the people that cared about Sal. That calm acceptance worked better in the story than fighting every single person who looks like they might say the wrong pronoun.
Good
The narrator was pretty good throughout. There weren’t terribly done accents or poor sound quality. As far as the audiobook part went this was a fine book.
I loved the development of...
For the full review please visit https://www.literarydragonreviews.web...
Want to read
March 24, 2017Sequel to Mask of Shadows, about a gender fluid pickpocket. *cries*
I need this book. Like right now.
I need this book. Like right now.
August 9, 2020
DNF @ 76%, although I skimmed the rest of it. This book was such a disappointment considering how much I enjoyed the first book.
This one seemed much more sloppily written due to:
1) Glaring grammatical and spelling errors like using “their” instead of “there” and instances of missing entire words or punctuation.
2) Inconsistency and continuity issues. Characters would be doing one thing, be described one way, or be in one place, but then they would abruptly be doing something else, be described differently, or be located elsewhere in space with zero transition—from barefoot to wearing socks, from lying on a bed to standing somewhere across the room, etc. Action scenes, or actually any scenes with movement in them, often felt disjointed. Also, some sentences completely contradict one another! For example, in one scene, Sal’s hand is being examined by a physician, and she says, “I won’t have to stitch it up.” Then, in the very same scene less than a page later, she says, “I’ll have to stitch it up.” So..... which one is it? This just seems like careless writing or like a first draft that was never polished.
3) Choppiness—for the aforementioned reason with consistency, but also due to weak pacing and the transitions between chapters.
4) Redundancy. Seriously, while repetition CAN be an effective technique, sometimes it’s taken to an extent or used in a way where it just becomes tedious and overbearing. Unlike other reviewers, I’m fine with the issues around Sal’s genderfluidity being brought up again and again—when you’re trans, that shit is so often on your mind, and you’re faced with it again and again, everywhere. My issue is moreso how the author presents it; each time Sal’s gender and their struggles related to it are discussed throughout the book, it feels like the same lines repeated over and over—maybe with a few words rearranged or altered, but essentially the same. The repetition doesn’t feel like a natural, pervading force; it feels manually inserted, almost copied and pasted. After Sal’s first or second time being misgendered and having an inner monologue about how unaccepting Erland is with its gender binary, you don’t need to keep re-stating all that. A simple description of their gut twisting or their stomach dropping is enough to indicate their distress and bring all those previous thoughts back. The reader already knows Sal is fluid and Erland is unaccepting, and even more than that, the reader can SEE that from the descriptions and happenings in the book. Repeating something after you’ve already established and shown it, especially repeating it in the same way, weakens the writing and makes it tedious.
The plot was also plain confusing, which is the main reason I DNF’d this. I honestly loved the first book enough that I ploughed through 75% of this book despite the poor writing, which would normally turn me off. But after 75%, when I still was so lost, I realised that it wasn’t really worth it to me to spend more effort and time finishing this. Maybe my confusion is augmented because it’s been a while since I read the first book, but even plots and information only introduced in THIS book were unclear. I think the writing probably contributed to this, as I often had to reread things multiple times to grasp what was trying to be said. Like I’ve mentioned, a lot of the writing was very inconsistent or contradictory, jumping from place to place or thought to thought either without fleshing out the connections and relationships or—even worse—while conflicting with previously established facts. Another aspect that I feel inhibited my understanding was the doling-out of history and Very Important Imformation. That information didn’t seem gradually built up, especially towards the end of what I read; instead, it seemed like it was thrown at the reader without much time to process or understand it before moving on.
This one seemed much more sloppily written due to:
1) Glaring grammatical and spelling errors like using “their” instead of “there” and instances of missing entire words or punctuation.
2) Inconsistency and continuity issues. Characters would be doing one thing, be described one way, or be in one place, but then they would abruptly be doing something else, be described differently, or be located elsewhere in space with zero transition—from barefoot to wearing socks, from lying on a bed to standing somewhere across the room, etc. Action scenes, or actually any scenes with movement in them, often felt disjointed. Also, some sentences completely contradict one another! For example, in one scene, Sal’s hand is being examined by a physician, and she says, “I won’t have to stitch it up.” Then, in the very same scene less than a page later, she says, “I’ll have to stitch it up.” So..... which one is it? This just seems like careless writing or like a first draft that was never polished.
3) Choppiness—for the aforementioned reason with consistency, but also due to weak pacing and the transitions between chapters.
4) Redundancy. Seriously, while repetition CAN be an effective technique, sometimes it’s taken to an extent or used in a way where it just becomes tedious and overbearing. Unlike other reviewers, I’m fine with the issues around Sal’s genderfluidity being brought up again and again—when you’re trans, that shit is so often on your mind, and you’re faced with it again and again, everywhere. My issue is moreso how the author presents it; each time Sal’s gender and their struggles related to it are discussed throughout the book, it feels like the same lines repeated over and over—maybe with a few words rearranged or altered, but essentially the same. The repetition doesn’t feel like a natural, pervading force; it feels manually inserted, almost copied and pasted. After Sal’s first or second time being misgendered and having an inner monologue about how unaccepting Erland is with its gender binary, you don’t need to keep re-stating all that. A simple description of their gut twisting or their stomach dropping is enough to indicate their distress and bring all those previous thoughts back. The reader already knows Sal is fluid and Erland is unaccepting, and even more than that, the reader can SEE that from the descriptions and happenings in the book. Repeating something after you’ve already established and shown it, especially repeating it in the same way, weakens the writing and makes it tedious.
The plot was also plain confusing, which is the main reason I DNF’d this. I honestly loved the first book enough that I ploughed through 75% of this book despite the poor writing, which would normally turn me off. But after 75%, when I still was so lost, I realised that it wasn’t really worth it to me to spend more effort and time finishing this. Maybe my confusion is augmented because it’s been a while since I read the first book, but even plots and information only introduced in THIS book were unclear. I think the writing probably contributed to this, as I often had to reread things multiple times to grasp what was trying to be said. Like I’ve mentioned, a lot of the writing was very inconsistent or contradictory, jumping from place to place or thought to thought either without fleshing out the connections and relationships or—even worse—while conflicting with previously established facts. Another aspect that I feel inhibited my understanding was the doling-out of history and Very Important Imformation. That information didn’t seem gradually built up, especially towards the end of what I read; instead, it seemed like it was thrown at the reader without much time to process or understand it before moving on.
August 3, 2018
I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Sourcebooks Fire. I very much enjoyed Mask of Shadows and its representation of a genderfluid main character in a kickass fantasy world, plus assassins (I have a problem, clearly. But there are so many, who’s counting?). There was a lot of fangirl screeching when I was approved for this title. There are spoilers ahead for Mask of Shadows. Trigger warnings: blood, death, violence.
Sal has earned their place as Opal on the Queen’s Left Hand, which means they’ll finally be able to exact revenge upon the people who killed their family and their entire country, Nacea, when the shadows tore through it. Revenge isn’t as simple as they thought though, as the decade-old country of Igna is balanced precariously on new ideals and old prejudices. Death weighs heavily on their conscience, but in order to make every past death mean something, they have to discover the identities of the three names left on their list among new betrayals and the seeds of a fresh war between Igna and Erlend.
A lot of fantasy novels end up looking alike, but I really love the world that Miller has created. Rather than fighting a dystopian government or trying to overthrow the monarchy, Igna is already in place with a good but flawed Queen, and its people are fighting for a lot of the same things we’re fighting for–respect, equality, the rights to decide our own identities, and the space to live them. As a genderfluid main character, Sal is better placed than most to critique the old Erlend insistence on heterosexuality and binary genders, among other things, and it looks a lot like issues we’re struggling with in the real world. While I’m completely on board with the message, there are places in Ruin of Stars where it begins to overwhelm the plot. At some point, Miller needed to step back and let it stand on its own rather than repeating it at every opportunity. (I know, I know. When you play Chutes and Ladders, do you complain about all the chutes and all the ladders?)
Mask of Shadows is fairly straightforward in terms of plot–Sal has a contest to win at any cost–and the plot of Ruin of Stars is quite a bit messier. It’s been almost a year since I read the first, so I had some difficulty relearning all the names of fantasy places and people, and Sal’s agenda isn’t as clear in this book. All the different threads of the plot do manage to come together, but it’s far from elegant, and I can’t help feeling it could have used a little more time on the editing floor to streamline things. I was also fully expecting a trilogy, not a duology, so I was surprised to see everything come together by the end of the book. After a rather lengthy climax, the end scenes felt a little rushed.
While Mask of Shadows had a few too many characters, Ruin of Stars almost doesn’t have enough. I love Sal; they’re complex and funny, deadly and guilt-ridden, and they feel the burden of every life they take. I didn’t feel we spent enough time with Rath, Adella, and Moira to really get to know them, and Sal is so much in their own head in this novel that they pay little attention to anyone else. I love Elise though, and for me to love both a main character and a love interest is practically unheard of. She’s clever, brave, and honorable, and one of the best things about this book is how Sal and Elise are forced to come to terms with each other’s flaws. I’m not much for romance, but it feels like a necessary (and usually sweet) detour from the blood and bodies of the rest of the book. I was satisfied with the ending, but I feel like I’m going to have to re-read them both to really get a handle on them. I’ll be looking for a copy for my library when the paperback comes out.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
Sal has earned their place as Opal on the Queen’s Left Hand, which means they’ll finally be able to exact revenge upon the people who killed their family and their entire country, Nacea, when the shadows tore through it. Revenge isn’t as simple as they thought though, as the decade-old country of Igna is balanced precariously on new ideals and old prejudices. Death weighs heavily on their conscience, but in order to make every past death mean something, they have to discover the identities of the three names left on their list among new betrayals and the seeds of a fresh war between Igna and Erlend.
A lot of fantasy novels end up looking alike, but I really love the world that Miller has created. Rather than fighting a dystopian government or trying to overthrow the monarchy, Igna is already in place with a good but flawed Queen, and its people are fighting for a lot of the same things we’re fighting for–respect, equality, the rights to decide our own identities, and the space to live them. As a genderfluid main character, Sal is better placed than most to critique the old Erlend insistence on heterosexuality and binary genders, among other things, and it looks a lot like issues we’re struggling with in the real world. While I’m completely on board with the message, there are places in Ruin of Stars where it begins to overwhelm the plot. At some point, Miller needed to step back and let it stand on its own rather than repeating it at every opportunity. (I know, I know. When you play Chutes and Ladders, do you complain about all the chutes and all the ladders?)
Mask of Shadows is fairly straightforward in terms of plot–Sal has a contest to win at any cost–and the plot of Ruin of Stars is quite a bit messier. It’s been almost a year since I read the first, so I had some difficulty relearning all the names of fantasy places and people, and Sal’s agenda isn’t as clear in this book. All the different threads of the plot do manage to come together, but it’s far from elegant, and I can’t help feeling it could have used a little more time on the editing floor to streamline things. I was also fully expecting a trilogy, not a duology, so I was surprised to see everything come together by the end of the book. After a rather lengthy climax, the end scenes felt a little rushed.
While Mask of Shadows had a few too many characters, Ruin of Stars almost doesn’t have enough. I love Sal; they’re complex and funny, deadly and guilt-ridden, and they feel the burden of every life they take. I didn’t feel we spent enough time with Rath, Adella, and Moira to really get to know them, and Sal is so much in their own head in this novel that they pay little attention to anyone else. I love Elise though, and for me to love both a main character and a love interest is practically unheard of. She’s clever, brave, and honorable, and one of the best things about this book is how Sal and Elise are forced to come to terms with each other’s flaws. I’m not much for romance, but it feels like a necessary (and usually sweet) detour from the blood and bodies of the rest of the book. I was satisfied with the ending, but I feel like I’m going to have to re-read them both to really get a handle on them. I’ll be looking for a copy for my library when the paperback comes out.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
July 28, 2018
is...is there a possible way to give this MORE than 5 stars? because 5 stars certainly isnt enough.
i literally just finished and i still cant believe what i just read. im still so RAW from this book. so much of it just ruined me that im having trouble putting my love for these books into words.
i am 100% going to be rereading this, and then a review will be up.
thank you to the team @ sourcebooks fire for sending the arc to me. it means the world to me.
reread 7/28/18: GODDAMNIT WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF
i literally just finished and i still cant believe what i just read. im still so RAW from this book. so much of it just ruined me that im having trouble putting my love for these books into words.
i am 100% going to be rereading this, and then a review will be up.
thank you to the team @ sourcebooks fire for sending the arc to me. it means the world to me.
reread 7/28/18: GODDAMNIT WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF
November 2, 2023
finished with this duology! i thought ruin of stars wrapped up sal's story really well, and enjoyed how realistic the story was, despite being a science/fantasy-esque novel. i especially enjoyed their determination on breaking the binary, so much of the world we live is in gendered into 2 categories, and when someone does not fit into one box or the other, society punishes us for it.
sal + elise's relationship underwhelmed me at first, but i think it was very realistic for them to feel the way they did after only knowing each other for a short period of time. i loved how they weren't sure they were in love, but were hoping to find out in the future.
my favorite part of the story was honestly sal + maud's friendship. sal was able to find a new family in maud after suffering great loss throughout their life.
i'm always here for the queer fantasy ✨🌈
sal + elise's relationship underwhelmed me at first, but i think it was very realistic for them to feel the way they did after only knowing each other for a short period of time. i loved how they weren't sure they were in love, but were hoping to find out in the future.
my favorite part of the story was honestly sal + maud's friendship. sal was able to find a new family in maud after suffering great loss throughout their life.
i'm always here for the queer fantasy ✨🌈
Want to read
December 2, 2019This is not a review.
I just wanted to drop some thoughts and the content warnings here to make them more visible. If you have any questions about anything or would like to know specifics, feel free to ask.
-Linsey
RUIN OF STARS CONTENT WARNINGS & NOTES
The world of MoS is not a monolith–before Erlend and Alona existed, Nacea and Lona were very different to the current world Sal occupies, and the driving force behind that was the arrival of Erlend’s ancestors. It’s why Sal always stayed in the south, away from Erlend, and it’s why RoS is a different book than MoS. Igna was created by Our Queen and her confidants to be a counter to the harmful ideologies that caused the civil war. In RoS, Sal travels through Erlend.
Like with MoS, I often speak of RoS and Sal lightheartedly, but I think RoS deals more directly with several of the issues touched upon in the first book and the aspects of the world that led to the war, shadows, and need for the Left Hand in the first place. Hopefully, this warning will make sure no one is caught off guard.
Many of the warnings are the same as in MoS. There is violence and death throughout, and there are multiple mentions of racism, abuse, war, mass murder, and genocide. Sal’s PTSD, anxiety attacks, and self-harm are shown on the page and discussed, and the use of physical and psychological tortures are mentioned and executed on the page. There are also mentions of (the villains’) hate toward multiple LGBTQIA+ characters (specifically aro, bi/pan, and non-binary characters). Sal is misgendered once (it’s dealt with then and later on). There are no mentions or occurrences of rape and sexual assault. There are several scenes that might be troubling for people with trypophobia and emetophobia.
And always, again, forever, thank you, thank you, thank you for going on this journey with Sal and me.
Also, please use they/them pronouns for Sal. Don't be like Five. No one likes Five.
If you’re on the hunt for some more books to support, consider (these are MG, YA, and Adult): Lizard Radio, Chameleon Moon, At the Edge of the Universe, Dreadnought, When the Moon Was Ours, Not Your Sidekick, The Unintentional Time Traveler, Spy Stuff, Shadow Run, If Found Return to Astropop, If I Was Your Girl, George, Brooklyn Burning, Kaleidoscope Song, The Last Leaves Falling, Before I Let Go, I Wish You All the Best, Long Macchiatos and Monsters, The Brilliant Death, The Black Tides of Heaven, No Man of Woman Born, Juliet Takes a Breath, No More Heroes, and Once & Future.
(Previously, these notes were available on my sites and social media platforms because I was hesitant to review my own books in any capacity, but this feels more visible and helpful (even if late).)
I just wanted to drop some thoughts and the content warnings here to make them more visible. If you have any questions about anything or would like to know specifics, feel free to ask.
-Linsey
RUIN OF STARS CONTENT WARNINGS & NOTES
The world of MoS is not a monolith–before Erlend and Alona existed, Nacea and Lona were very different to the current world Sal occupies, and the driving force behind that was the arrival of Erlend’s ancestors. It’s why Sal always stayed in the south, away from Erlend, and it’s why RoS is a different book than MoS. Igna was created by Our Queen and her confidants to be a counter to the harmful ideologies that caused the civil war. In RoS, Sal travels through Erlend.
Like with MoS, I often speak of RoS and Sal lightheartedly, but I think RoS deals more directly with several of the issues touched upon in the first book and the aspects of the world that led to the war, shadows, and need for the Left Hand in the first place. Hopefully, this warning will make sure no one is caught off guard.
Many of the warnings are the same as in MoS. There is violence and death throughout, and there are multiple mentions of racism, abuse, war, mass murder, and genocide. Sal’s PTSD, anxiety attacks, and self-harm are shown on the page and discussed, and the use of physical and psychological tortures are mentioned and executed on the page. There are also mentions of (the villains’) hate toward multiple LGBTQIA+ characters (specifically aro, bi/pan, and non-binary characters). Sal is misgendered once (it’s dealt with then and later on). There are no mentions or occurrences of rape and sexual assault. There are several scenes that might be troubling for people with trypophobia and emetophobia.
And always, again, forever, thank you, thank you, thank you for going on this journey with Sal and me.
Also, please use they/them pronouns for Sal. Don't be like Five. No one likes Five.
If you’re on the hunt for some more books to support, consider (these are MG, YA, and Adult): Lizard Radio, Chameleon Moon, At the Edge of the Universe, Dreadnought, When the Moon Was Ours, Not Your Sidekick, The Unintentional Time Traveler, Spy Stuff, Shadow Run, If Found Return to Astropop, If I Was Your Girl, George, Brooklyn Burning, Kaleidoscope Song, The Last Leaves Falling, Before I Let Go, I Wish You All the Best, Long Macchiatos and Monsters, The Brilliant Death, The Black Tides of Heaven, No Man of Woman Born, Juliet Takes a Breath, No More Heroes, and Once & Future.
(Previously, these notes were available on my sites and social media platforms because I was hesitant to review my own books in any capacity, but this feels more visible and helpful (even if late).)
January 28, 2022
4.25 Stars
I love Sal. This book was kind of too slow paced for me, but I really liked it other than that. I love how dark it is and I love the morally grey-ness (is that a word?) of the main character and many of the other characters. It is really interesting in this book how the focus is so much on shades of grey and how things in the world are not black and white the way they seem.
Great book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, and Death
Moderate: Misogyny, Transphobia, Homophobia, and Sexism
I love Sal. This book was kind of too slow paced for me, but I really liked it other than that. I love how dark it is and I love the morally grey-ness (is that a word?) of the main character and many of the other characters. It is really interesting in this book how the focus is so much on shades of grey and how things in the world are not black and white the way they seem.
Great book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, and Death
Moderate: Misogyny, Transphobia, Homophobia, and Sexism
Want to read
August 7, 2018oh hey this is actually coming out pretty soon so yay for that!
October 24, 2018
It was really good. The end was my favorite part!
October 15, 2018
I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I wish I could say I enjoyed Ruin of Stars as much as I enjoyed Mask of Shadows.
Unfortunately, I didn't. In Miller's debut novel, we are introduced to Sal, a genderfluid thief who auditions to become a part of the Queen's Left Hand, a group of assassins who work for her, particularly for Opal. Sal hopes that with their success, they can get closer to the people who have destroyed their home.
Ruin of Stars continues with Sal successfully becoming a part of the Queen's Left Hand, which gives them the opportunity to find out and hunt down the people who killed their family.
Ruin of Shadows isn't as exciting or adventurous.
Reading the first novel, there was never a dull moment except for maybe the very beginning. But Mask of Shadows quickly picked up in pace and didn't let down. I expected the second book to be similar, but that didn't turn out to be the case. While the sequel provides plenty of action, it is definitely not as action-packed as the first novel.
The characters from Mask of Shadows return and are still lovable.
You'd think that being one of the highest parts of the court would change Sal's life completely around, which would mean new characters to meet. This isn't the case at all with Ruin of Shadows. While Sal meets new people who will either help or hinder their goal of revenge, Miller brings back the characters who played an important role in Sal's life as a pickpocket and thief. People like Maud (so much sass, that one), Rath (omg their friendship) and Elise (I really don't know how I feel about you), among others.
I especially loved the friendship between Maud and Sal, though.
There wasn't enough urgency in some parts.
Mask of Shadows constantly had a sense of urgency in every page and there wasn't a moment in time where I wasn't worried about Sal's end coming from another competitor. Somehow, though, that sense of urgency disappeared. Where there should have been urgency, there was talking and discussing of plans. In fact, it wasn't just about plans, but it was a lot of catching up as well.
Overall, while Ruin of Stars provided a satisfying conclusion, I had high expectations that didn't turn out as well as I hoped it would.
This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts
I wish I could say I enjoyed Ruin of Stars as much as I enjoyed Mask of Shadows.
Unfortunately, I didn't. In Miller's debut novel, we are introduced to Sal, a genderfluid thief who auditions to become a part of the Queen's Left Hand, a group of assassins who work for her, particularly for Opal. Sal hopes that with their success, they can get closer to the people who have destroyed their home.
Ruin of Stars continues with Sal successfully becoming a part of the Queen's Left Hand, which gives them the opportunity to find out and hunt down the people who killed their family.
Ruin of Shadows isn't as exciting or adventurous.
Reading the first novel, there was never a dull moment except for maybe the very beginning. But Mask of Shadows quickly picked up in pace and didn't let down. I expected the second book to be similar, but that didn't turn out to be the case. While the sequel provides plenty of action, it is definitely not as action-packed as the first novel.
The characters from Mask of Shadows return and are still lovable.
You'd think that being one of the highest parts of the court would change Sal's life completely around, which would mean new characters to meet. This isn't the case at all with Ruin of Shadows. While Sal meets new people who will either help or hinder their goal of revenge, Miller brings back the characters who played an important role in Sal's life as a pickpocket and thief. People like Maud (so much sass, that one), Rath (omg their friendship) and Elise (I really don't know how I feel about you), among others.
I especially loved the friendship between Maud and Sal, though.
There wasn't enough urgency in some parts.
Mask of Shadows constantly had a sense of urgency in every page and there wasn't a moment in time where I wasn't worried about Sal's end coming from another competitor. Somehow, though, that sense of urgency disappeared. Where there should have been urgency, there was talking and discussing of plans. In fact, it wasn't just about plans, but it was a lot of catching up as well.
Overall, while Ruin of Stars provided a satisfying conclusion, I had high expectations that didn't turn out as well as I hoped it would.
This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts
August 7, 2020
This review was originally posted on The Moonlight Library
Apparently I have a lot of thoughts about this book. Maybe you should get a hot drink or something before reading this. The TL:DR version is 'Overall this book had a great concept but was marred by poor/inconsistent writing'.
As a sequel, the timing in the book was all off. Sal kept insisting that they'd known the Left Hand and Elise for a year. But the audition for Opal only lasted 2 weeks. Then Sal took one or two months to recover from being pushed out the window straight after that. There is no way they spent a year being Opal, it just doesn't work out. Nor did the events of the second book take 10 months. But this timeline is mentioned a couple of times and it really threw me off, because even if the events of the second book did take 10 months, which it didn't, Sal mentioned the 'it's been 12 months' thing earlier in the book, and then again much later, when time had passed (but not ten months!). Besides, Sal was still so new to being Opal, so inexperienced, and often bested, or nearly bested, by their enemies. If it had been ten months, what had they been doing this whole time that we didn't get to see? I can't even buy that by the end of the second book it has been 12 whole months since the Opal audition. It just doesn't work.
Sal also insisted that Elise 'lied' to them when they found out Elise was used as bait to 'screen' potential auditioners, riding around and waiting for thieves to steal her purse and find the audition notice. Sal believed that this meant their becoming Opal wasn't their choice. They don't consider that choosing to travel for days, choosing the enter the competition, choosing every day to stay in it, choosing to kill other auditioners, and then choosing to accept Opal's mask from the queen as their own decisions. I can't even with this. It's like Sal thinks Elise hunted them down and forced them to accept the mask. But in reality, it was completely chance that Sal robbed Elise at all, so Elise didn't lie to them about anything. Yet, this argument seems to make perfect sense to both of them! 'I didn't choose to become Opal, despite clearly choosing to become Opal, because the inciting incident wasn't genuine' I mean really, Sal, it's just a ridiculous argument, and you're not right, and you have no right to be mad at Elise.
Then they had another fight because Elise said she was attracted to both men and women and Sal's all like BUT WHAT ABOUT ME I AM NEITHER like calm down already, you've gone from being genderfluid to no gender at all without telling anyone, this is new ground for Elise and she doesn't know what to label you! From that point on, Elise had to reference 'all genders' not just the dichotomous male and female, just in case Sal's feelings got hurt again. HOWEVER this led to a glorious 'will they/won't they' - I was kind of hoping they would break up and move on, because we don't see much of that in YA, let alone fantasy.
However, they came to terms with each other's flaws, and grew to accept each other, which I think was also very sweet. I liked how every character, even ones we thought were 'good', were flawed.
Another thing that annoyed me is that Sal kept going on about 'I've killed SO MANY people' like calm down sweetheart, you didn't murder the entire auditioner group, in fact I'm pretty sure you only killed maybe one or two directly! (maybe more. Can't remember.) I do remember that their kill count wasn't very high at all, but Sal keeps going on about how they're such a terrible person and makes it sound like they committed some kind of genocide or wiped out an army. Maybe that's what happened in the missing ten months.
I was almost halfway through the book when I made a note that the writing and plot seemed unfocused. Dialogue sometimes seemed a bit weird, jumping from topic to topic with no segue or context. I was sometimes confused in the first half of the novel with trying to figure out what was going on, who was standing where or doing what in any given scene - I didn't have the luxury of rewinding my audiobook, so eventually I just went with it and figured out that whatever happened, I would just accept the final solution.
I also found the second half to drag a fair bit. I actually got bored! I hadn't been bored at all in the first novel, and the plot of this second one should have been as straightforward and exciting as the previous novel, with Sal's end goal of ticking off each person on their kill list. However, they kept getting dragged into really boring, repetitive conversations. I'm not talking about Sal's genderfluid conversations - I don't have an issue with any of them. I mean other conversations about something other than plot - specifically droning on and on about Nacea. I think it bothered me because Sal so clearly saw themselves as Nacean but had no knowledge of anything Nacean, when in fact they should have been trying to think of themselves as Ignan (Ignish?), since that was the name of the nation the queen created to replace the old nations after the war.
And the very last kill, the final kill, the absolute climax of the story, the kill was downright vague - if there even was one! After getting lots of specifics on exactly how Sal killed people, I don't even know how the final person died. The chapter ended before confirming anything. I think the author was trying to lead the audience into thinking the victim died of blood loss, smoke inhalation, or maybe crushed by a falling building, but guess what? We just don't know. After all this time, after following Sal for two novels and rooting for them to tick each name off their kill list, I'm not even given the satisfaction of knowing what happened in the climax. I don't know how everyone died but Sal. How did they escape a burning building no one else could escape from? Why is Sal always the ONLY survivor?
Also, Sal was suddenly able to use magic without using runes! Again, I think the author wanted to show us that Sal didn't need magic to get their revenge (which had never been an option up until then), but there weren't any runes anywhere near them or the weapon that turned from a hilt to a full on sword before Sal tossed it aside. Sure, it may have been an attempt to show Sal's character growth, but it didn't fit in with what we'd been taught about this magic system: that runes are needed to activate and control the magic.
I didn't want to give up on this novel because I could see underneath everything it was really cool, with a really cool message on acceptance and bigotry, and a character who wanted to do bad things for noble reasons: but overall I was disappointed, you don't get bonus points for intention if you can't execute it, and that's why this is getting an agonised-over 3 stars.
Apparently I have a lot of thoughts about this book. Maybe you should get a hot drink or something before reading this. The TL:DR version is 'Overall this book had a great concept but was marred by poor/inconsistent writing'.
As a sequel, the timing in the book was all off. Sal kept insisting that they'd known the Left Hand and Elise for a year. But the audition for Opal only lasted 2 weeks. Then Sal took one or two months to recover from being pushed out the window straight after that. There is no way they spent a year being Opal, it just doesn't work out. Nor did the events of the second book take 10 months. But this timeline is mentioned a couple of times and it really threw me off, because even if the events of the second book did take 10 months, which it didn't, Sal mentioned the 'it's been 12 months' thing earlier in the book, and then again much later, when time had passed (but not ten months!). Besides, Sal was still so new to being Opal, so inexperienced, and often bested, or nearly bested, by their enemies. If it had been ten months, what had they been doing this whole time that we didn't get to see? I can't even buy that by the end of the second book it has been 12 whole months since the Opal audition. It just doesn't work.
Sal also insisted that Elise 'lied' to them when they found out Elise was used as bait to 'screen' potential auditioners, riding around and waiting for thieves to steal her purse and find the audition notice. Sal believed that this meant their becoming Opal wasn't their choice. They don't consider that choosing to travel for days, choosing the enter the competition, choosing every day to stay in it, choosing to kill other auditioners, and then choosing to accept Opal's mask from the queen as their own decisions. I can't even with this. It's like Sal thinks Elise hunted them down and forced them to accept the mask. But in reality, it was completely chance that Sal robbed Elise at all, so Elise didn't lie to them about anything. Yet, this argument seems to make perfect sense to both of them! 'I didn't choose to become Opal, despite clearly choosing to become Opal, because the inciting incident wasn't genuine' I mean really, Sal, it's just a ridiculous argument, and you're not right, and you have no right to be mad at Elise.
Then they had another fight because Elise said she was attracted to both men and women and Sal's all like BUT WHAT ABOUT ME I AM NEITHER like calm down already, you've gone from being genderfluid to no gender at all without telling anyone, this is new ground for Elise and she doesn't know what to label you! From that point on, Elise had to reference 'all genders' not just the dichotomous male and female, just in case Sal's feelings got hurt again. HOWEVER this led to a glorious 'will they/won't they' - I was kind of hoping they would break up and move on, because we don't see much of that in YA, let alone fantasy.
However, they came to terms with each other's flaws, and grew to accept each other, which I think was also very sweet. I liked how every character, even ones we thought were 'good', were flawed.
Another thing that annoyed me is that Sal kept going on about 'I've killed SO MANY people' like calm down sweetheart, you didn't murder the entire auditioner group, in fact I'm pretty sure you only killed maybe one or two directly! (maybe more. Can't remember.) I do remember that their kill count wasn't very high at all, but Sal keeps going on about how they're such a terrible person and makes it sound like they committed some kind of genocide or wiped out an army. Maybe that's what happened in the missing ten months.
I was almost halfway through the book when I made a note that the writing and plot seemed unfocused. Dialogue sometimes seemed a bit weird, jumping from topic to topic with no segue or context. I was sometimes confused in the first half of the novel with trying to figure out what was going on, who was standing where or doing what in any given scene - I didn't have the luxury of rewinding my audiobook, so eventually I just went with it and figured out that whatever happened, I would just accept the final solution.
I also found the second half to drag a fair bit. I actually got bored! I hadn't been bored at all in the first novel, and the plot of this second one should have been as straightforward and exciting as the previous novel, with Sal's end goal of ticking off each person on their kill list. However, they kept getting dragged into really boring, repetitive conversations. I'm not talking about Sal's genderfluid conversations - I don't have an issue with any of them. I mean other conversations about something other than plot - specifically droning on and on about Nacea. I think it bothered me because Sal so clearly saw themselves as Nacean but had no knowledge of anything Nacean, when in fact they should have been trying to think of themselves as Ignan (Ignish?), since that was the name of the nation the queen created to replace the old nations after the war.
And the very last kill, the final kill, the absolute climax of the story, the kill was downright vague - if there even was one! After getting lots of specifics on exactly how Sal killed people, I don't even know how the final person died. The chapter ended before confirming anything. I think the author was trying to lead the audience into thinking the victim died of blood loss, smoke inhalation, or maybe crushed by a falling building, but guess what? We just don't know. After all this time, after following Sal for two novels and rooting for them to tick each name off their kill list, I'm not even given the satisfaction of knowing what happened in the climax. I don't know how everyone died but Sal. How did they escape a burning building no one else could escape from? Why is Sal always the ONLY survivor?
Also, Sal was suddenly able to use magic without using runes! Again, I think the author wanted to show us that Sal didn't need magic to get their revenge (which had never been an option up until then), but there weren't any runes anywhere near them or the weapon that turned from a hilt to a full on sword before Sal tossed it aside. Sure, it may have been an attempt to show Sal's character growth, but it didn't fit in with what we'd been taught about this magic system: that runes are needed to activate and control the magic.
I didn't want to give up on this novel because I could see underneath everything it was really cool, with a really cool message on acceptance and bigotry, and a character who wanted to do bad things for noble reasons: but overall I was disappointed, you don't get bonus points for intention if you can't execute it, and that's why this is getting an agonised-over 3 stars.
October 7, 2020
DNF
I won't rate this, because I was not even close to finishing it, I still give my opinion to the point I read it and MAYBE, if I feel like a big masochist again, I will attempt reading it.
This is too much. I cannot handle the abuse of my braincells any longer. Forcing myself to finish it would take me a year. I don't know, why I thought starting the second book of a series, where I could not stand the first book would be a fun read.
Characters
Sal is such a flat and delusional character as ever. The side characters are all flat as hell. I am not vaguely interested in the mess that some readers call a plot. If you wanna see me rant on the MC Sal, read my review of the first book I guess. I do not want to waste a minute longer on writing what bad of a character Sal is.
Plot
It is not. I am deeply convinced that this book was a combination of random ideas the author had, what Sal could do, because in the first book the author would not establish the fantasy world we are dealing with in a way the reader (aka me) knows wtf is going on. So. I have no idea what is going on and I am not interested to find out what is, because frankly, I do not care and this book is torture.
Edit: I rate this, because I do not think this book is good and I am so spiteful that I want to lower its Goodreads rating, because today I feel petty.
I won't rate this, because I was not even close to finishing it, I still give my opinion to the point I read it and MAYBE, if I feel like a big masochist again, I will attempt reading it.
This is too much. I cannot handle the abuse of my braincells any longer. Forcing myself to finish it would take me a year. I don't know, why I thought starting the second book of a series, where I could not stand the first book would be a fun read.
Characters
Sal is such a flat and delusional character as ever. The side characters are all flat as hell. I am not vaguely interested in the mess that some readers call a plot. If you wanna see me rant on the MC Sal, read my review of the first book I guess. I do not want to waste a minute longer on writing what bad of a character Sal is.
Plot
It is not. I am deeply convinced that this book was a combination of random ideas the author had, what Sal could do, because in the first book the author would not establish the fantasy world we are dealing with in a way the reader (aka me) knows wtf is going on. So. I have no idea what is going on and I am not interested to find out what is, because frankly, I do not care and this book is torture.
Edit: I rate this, because I do not think this book is good and I am so spiteful that I want to lower its Goodreads rating, because today I feel petty.
March 7, 2018
(Disclaimer: I received this free book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
First off, since reading Mask of Shadows I've seen Miller speak, and wow - impressive. There's this quiet intelligence and quirkiness that I love - there was this secret kinship that I felt. (Even though Miller could probably kill me over breakfast and have my body dissolved by lunch - at the panel the decomposition of body parts was discussed).
My favorite part of Mask of Shadows was Sal. So getting to see more of Sal in this book was exactly what I wanted. Even more so, because a large topic explored in this book is - who is Sal really? This isn't about backstory, or history, this is about what drives Sal? Revenge can scoop a hole out inside of us and we don't know what to fill it with besides fury. And fury is pretty hot. I've seen this with my darling Greatcoats series, and so many books because revenge is this universal challenge and feeling we have. Grappling with that, Sal's journey in Ruin of Stars is even more moving to me. The question is - how sweet is revenge?
First off, since reading Mask of Shadows I've seen Miller speak, and wow - impressive. There's this quiet intelligence and quirkiness that I love - there was this secret kinship that I felt. (Even though Miller could probably kill me over breakfast and have my body dissolved by lunch - at the panel the decomposition of body parts was discussed).
My favorite part of Mask of Shadows was Sal. So getting to see more of Sal in this book was exactly what I wanted. Even more so, because a large topic explored in this book is - who is Sal really? This isn't about backstory, or history, this is about what drives Sal? Revenge can scoop a hole out inside of us and we don't know what to fill it with besides fury. And fury is pretty hot. I've seen this with my darling Greatcoats series, and so many books because revenge is this universal challenge and feeling we have. Grappling with that, Sal's journey in Ruin of Stars is even more moving to me. The question is - how sweet is revenge?
September 21, 2018
After reading Mask of Shadows I wasn’t sure if I would read the sequel. It was one of those books that I enjoyed while I was reading it but when I looked back to write my review I realized it had some issues with writing style and plot. Ultimately I decided to give the sequel a try because I heard good reviews and it is only a duology.
I only made it 50% of the way through Ruin of Stars before giving up. I found the writing had not matured and dialogue even more confusing than the first book. It was very choppy and the characters often change the topic without transition. I would reread passages multiple times just to understand where the transition was and what was now being discussed. There were also themes that were constantly mentioned and emphasized, such as Sal’s gender fluidity. I WANT to read books about diverse characters like Sal but I don’t want it to be the main focus. I want a book about a wicked good assassin who just happens to be gender fluid too.
To conclude, I felt like this was just more of the same. I didn’t get anything of value from the sequel and reading it was unpleasant.
This ARC was provided by Raincoast Books in exchange for my honest opinion.
I only made it 50% of the way through Ruin of Stars before giving up. I found the writing had not matured and dialogue even more confusing than the first book. It was very choppy and the characters often change the topic without transition. I would reread passages multiple times just to understand where the transition was and what was now being discussed. There were also themes that were constantly mentioned and emphasized, such as Sal’s gender fluidity. I WANT to read books about diverse characters like Sal but I don’t want it to be the main focus. I want a book about a wicked good assassin who just happens to be gender fluid too.
To conclude, I felt like this was just more of the same. I didn’t get anything of value from the sequel and reading it was unpleasant.
This ARC was provided by Raincoast Books in exchange for my honest opinion.
June 29, 2018
I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*
The action-packed ending to this duology had everything I love in a good fantasy; amazing characters, mysteries unveiled the wonderful Sal to root for and a finale which I didn't expect, yet I loved all the same.
With Sal trying to find the rest of the conspirators who want to destroy the Queen and hell-bent over revenge, they will have to deal with more than just their torturous past. Apart from Sal, Maud and Emerald were also my favorite characters and I can't wait for you to read this sequel too! I won't spoil much but you really have to read this one! And if you haven't even read the first book, do so!
The action-packed ending to this duology had everything I love in a good fantasy; amazing characters, mysteries unveiled the wonderful Sal to root for and a finale which I didn't expect, yet I loved all the same.
With Sal trying to find the rest of the conspirators who want to destroy the Queen and hell-bent over revenge, they will have to deal with more than just their torturous past. Apart from Sal, Maud and Emerald were also my favorite characters and I can't wait for you to read this sequel too! I won't spoil much but you really have to read this one! And if you haven't even read the first book, do so!
December 31, 2019
Maud is my favorite 💫
August 19, 2020
Audiobook reread August 2020: Yup, also still love this book, and it still means incredibly much to me.
Read my original review from first read in October 2019, which I very much still stand behind, on the blog.
Content warnings include: graphic violence and gore, torture, death, murder, panic attack, trauma/PTSD, graphic descriptions of corpses, queerphobia, xenophobia, misogyny, sex off-page, public executions, human experiments, child abduction, skinning, burning; mentions of: genocide, death of family.
Read my original review from first read in October 2019, which I very much still stand behind, on the blog.
Content warnings include: graphic violence and gore, torture, death, murder, panic attack, trauma/PTSD, graphic descriptions of corpses, queerphobia, xenophobia, misogyny, sex off-page, public executions, human experiments, child abduction, skinning, burning; mentions of: genocide, death of family.
June 24, 2018
My dudes, this book was absolutely amazing and fantastic, I would absolutely recommend.
September 7, 2018
Holy baldy-eyed cats. So much love for this book. My heart aches.
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