I received a copy of Masquerade of Mirrors by Samantha Hartwood from NetGalley. This fantasy romance book has a lot of dark academia vibes. The story follows Taera, a young adult living with her grandfather and her brother. She has felt a pull towards the desert all her life. One day, Nikolai kidnaps Taera and takes her deep into the dunes to a different world.
Taera has always felt a pull towards the desert, but she is scared of it. During a fight with a mage, Taera is kidnapped by Nikolai and dragged deep into the dunes. Nikolai insists that Taera is very powerful and her magic needs to be trained. Taken into the Halls of Glass amongst illusionists to learn magic, Taera is not sure how to navigate this magicians’ world. For Taera, being around so many magicians who constantly create illusions and judge her is hard. Magic works in partnership, so she has to rely on Nikolai.
Taera is determined to find a way back home. She has always been told magic was dangerous, and especially after losing her mom, this belief has been reinforced. Now, she has to survive in a world full of magicians and learn to control her power. This is the portion of the story where the dark academia feel starts to set in. Nikolai is untrustworthy, but Taera has no one else in her corner. Nikolai is so secretive and mysterious; he is constantly under illusions, and Taera can never tell when he is lying or not. Their romance is a slow-burn with enemies-to-lovers elements mixed into it.
The best thing for me was the fantasy world created in the story. Since everything is new to Taera, we get to discover this world through her eyes, and I feel the world-building and setting seem fresh. The character arc of Taera was so satisfying. She goes from reluctant to accepting that she has magic to willingly choosing to learn how to wield it. Nikolai and Taera are drawn to each other, but she is suspicious of him because he hides a lot from her. I liked how their romance developed slowly, but Nikolai can be a tough character to get behind at times.
Masquerade of Mirrors by Samantha Hartwood is an interesting and engaging fantasy book. The pace of the story in the beginning is slightly slow, but once it picks up, the tempo is maintained. I loved the characters, world-building, their romance, and that this was a standalone book. Overall, I really enjoyed reading it.
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