Masquerade

A book I’ve been looking forward to this summer is Masquerade, the debut novel by O.O. Sangoyomi. Set in 15th-century West Africa, it takes the myth of Persephone and breathes new life into it, with its politics, Nigerian mythology, and morally gray characters.

Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Review

Going into Masquerade, I wasn’t sure whether to expect realistic historical fiction or something more in the realm of fantasy. With that stunning cover, it looks like a fantasy novel, right? I’ll warn you now: This is historical fiction, with a few elements that feel surreal, but it’s not fantasy. It draws from the myth of Persephone as well as Nigerian mythology, setting it all in a reimagined 15th century West African empire. Òdòdó is a blacksmith in Timbuktu when she meets a charming vagrant. But he’s actually Àrẹ̀mọ, the Aláàfin (warrior king) of Yorùbáland, and he intends to make Òdòdó his wife. So he has her kidnapped. Before she’ll agree to marry him, Òdòdó wants him to find her mother to gain her blessing. In the meantime, Òdòdó becomes more and more involved with the politics and secrets of her new home.

Òdòdó is an interesting character; she doesn’t always see things the way I would, but she’s true to herself throughout the novel. At first she seems surprisingly okay with the fact that Àrẹ̀mọ had her kidnapped so he could marry her. Is this some kind of “dark romance” situation? But for Òdòdó, despite the problematic methods, she views this as an opportunity to improve her life. Instead of a poor blacksmith, distrusted because people see her as a witch, she’ll now have luxury and influence as his queen. And right away, Òdòdó wants to wield that power.

Masquerade becomes quite political, and we get to see Òdòdó relying more and more on her acumen. She may be naive at first, but she quickly learns who she can and can’t trust, how to gather information, and how to manipulate others accordingly. She must prove herself to Àrẹ̀mọ, and in so doing, hopes to achieve more power as his queen than most woman in her world ever could. There are numerous side plots and missions that she gets involved with and works to unravel—the blacksmith strike, a situation with elephants’ ivory, a rescue mission or two. Òdòdó is ready to take on real control, alongside her (soon-to-be) husband or not.

Readers might think Òdòdó is totally naive and has some Stockholm Syndrome. How can she trust, let alone love, the man that kidnapped her? This youthful innocence may be part of it for a while, but it largely reads as her making a choice. As bad as this option may be, she sees it as a huge step up from her life as a blacksmith. She wants the power and the relative ease of life, and she’s willing to sacrifice a lot to attain it.

I love the discussion of how much power a woman can have, even as queen. Òdòdómo is always in danger, with others trying to harm or even kill her. Despite his flowery language, Àrẹ̀mọ might never respect Òdòdómo or any woman, seeing them as inferior in some way. To have all she wants, Òdòdómo may need to choose a different path. Is Òdòdómo a likable character? Does she make the right choices? Hard to say. She, like most of the characters here, is morally gray. But the book is intriguing from start to finish!

Audio

Ariel Blake does an incredible job of narrating Masquerade. The accent she gives Òdòdómo makes it feel much more immersive, whisking me into 15th-century West Africa and the mind of a young woman whose life is drastically changing. Her narration keeps the book engaging throughout, both in the slower portions and in the more high-action sections. The audiobook elevates the book and makes Masquerade that much more enjoyable.

Final Thoughts

Masquerade is a captivating novel for anyone who likes historical fiction, different mythologies, politics, and a richly drawn West African setting. It’s about a woman seizing power in her life through unusual opportunities and a mind for politics. I loved this book and hope to read more from O.O. Sangoyomi.

Get the Book

You can buy Masquerade here – it’s available as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi
Audiobook Narrator	Ariel Blake
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Fiction
Setting	Western Africa
Number of Pages	352
Format I Read	Audiobook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	July 2, 2024
Publisher	Forge Books; Macmillan Audio

Official Summary

Set in a wonderfully reimagined 15th century West Africa, Masquerade is a dazzling, lyrical tale exploring the true cost of one woman’s fight for freedom and self-discovery, and the lengths she’ll go to secure her future.

“A bewitching, thrilling and vibrant novel that had me enthralled with every twist and turn.” —Jennifer Saint, New York Times bestselling author

Òdòdó’s hometown of Timbuktu has been conquered by the warrior king of Yorùbáland, and living conditions for the women in her blacksmith guild, who were already shunned as social pariahs, grow even worse.

Then Òdòdó is abducted. She is whisked across the Sahara to the capital city of Ṣàngótẹ̀, where she is shocked to discover that her kidnapper is none other than the vagrant who had visited her guild just days prior. But now that he is swathed in riches rather than rags, Òdòdó realizes he is not a vagrant at all; he is the warrior king, and he has chosen her to be his wife.

In a sudden change of fortune, Òdòdó soars to the very heights of society. But after a lifetime of subjugation, she finds the power that saturates this world of battle and political savvy too enticing to resist. As tensions with rival states grow, revealing elaborate schemes and enemies hidden in plain sight, Òdòdó must defy the cruel king she has been forced to wed by reforging the shaky loyalties of the court in her favor, or risk losing everything—including her life.

Loosely based on the myth of Persephone, O.O. Sangoyomi’s Masquerade takes you on a journey of epic power struggles and political intrigue which turn an entire region on its head.