Mel is a Mask – someone who wears a mask that completely hides their face so their expressions can’t be betrayed. Masks are unbiased arbiters whose opinion is the law of the land. Their judgment in matters of arbitration is final and respected.
in the opening scene Mel is kidnapped by a vicious troll… and then is subsequently rescued by a masculine stranger. Nothing wrong with that, you might say. In fact, sounds a bit like a romance should! But as a Mask, Mel is not supposed to have feelings as this is part and parcel to being a Mask. The first thing that Mel notices about her rescuer hero is that he smells… well, wonderful – to the point where it lights a fire between her loins. Literally. No, not literally, but to the point where she immediately attacks her rescuer with kisses. Hot steamy kisses.
The seed is planted there between them and they can’t forget each other, no matter what happens to them in the book. Disasters, trolls, kidnapping, murder, heartbreak, and intrusive parents. Mix in a little inter-species breeding and you have a very interesting story.
It’s a good book. At its heart this is a book about a girl wanting her life to go in a different direction than her parents planned. Layered over top is an epic adventure. I liked the concept of the Masks, how they are the judicial system in Ms. Kaplan’s world she created. I think a lot more could be done with their backstory in future books.
TJ Richie’s performance was very good. She did a great job with the male voices, and was fantastic with the dialog.
This audiobook was gifted to me by the author in exchange for an unbiased review.