Information:

• Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller
• format: eARC and print ARC and hardcover
• source: NetGalley and Julie and Books of Wonder
• pages: 352
• genre: Fantasy???
• amazon
• goodreads
• stars: 4/5

Summary:

I Needed to Win.
They Needed to Die.

Sallot Leon is a thief, and a good one at that. But gender fluid Sal wants nothing more than to escape the drudgery of life as a highway robber and get closer to the upper-class—and the nobles who destroyed their home.

When Sal steals a flyer for an audition to become a member of The Left Hand—the Queen’s personal assassins, named after the rings she wears—Sal jumps at the chance to infiltrate the court and get revenge.

But the audition is a fight to the death filled with clever circus acrobats, lethal apothecaries, and vicious ex-soldiers. A childhood as a common criminal hardly prepared Sal for the trials. And as Sal succeeds in the competition, and wins the heart of Elise, an intriguing scribe at court, they start to dream of a new life and a different future, but one that Sal can have only if they survive.

Review:

Fam. THIS BOOK. GENDER FLUID ASSASSIN. You heard me. GENDER FLUID ASSASSIN. The reason I only gave it 4 stars was because I was confuzzled by a lot of the plot and world building, but it got the 4 because, you guessed it, genderfluid assassins.

The rep was amazing and Sal is my smol murder child. They are great at killing people but I love them so much. I want to give them so many hugs.

The worldbuilding and plot were highkey confusing but like I still sort of got what was going on.