B.D. Carpenter

★★★★★

A Story That Means Something

I have high standards for the novels that I read to have central themes that hit hard. To me, that’s what it means for a book to be relevant and worth my limited time and attention. I don’t normally read fantasy because I struggle to connect what’s going on in the story with what I see reflected in the world around me. I read to understand, not to escape.

This story, despite being an immersive, well-developed world that will surely capture the imaginations of fantasy lovers, is an apt portrayal of our relationship as human spirits with our differences and our sameness, how we cope with diverging perspectives and values. It deals with perceptions of “normalcy” and weirdness, of humanity and many of its ethical dilemmas. This book is the first in a series. I don’t even like series, as a rule, but I will be anxiously waiting each and every installment of this one.

If you are on the fence about this book, don’t be. It has a certain kind of magic that only indie novels have. It’s the punk rock DIY scene of books, and this one is an absolute treasure.

★★★★★

Great fun, quick read, intriguing worldbuilding

I am a fan of fantasy, but I’ve been ingrained in contemporary romance so much lately that I haven’t been reading a lot of fantasy. And sometimes, fantasy can be so heavy and difficult to get through with all the world-building, but B & D have done a great job with taking our world and making it more interesting without overloading the reader with a lot of world-building and lore on the front end. The characters are on a path of discovery and the reader is along for the ride with them.

The Masks We Wear is alternating POV between Beau and Meep, both of whom are non-humans hiding in human society under the pretense that they can’t reveal themselves to anyone. They independently encounter a mysterious little man and curiosity gets the best of them, sending them on a collision course with each other and other friends they drag into the mystery along the way. There’s a puzzle to solve, peril, friendship, found family, a hint of romance, and a fantasy world masterfully layered onto our own.

I highly recommend this book for a fun, quick read and, I personally can’t wait to find out what happens in the next book!

★★★★★

Wonderful world building and delightful characters

This was such a fun read with absolutely lovable characters who are much more than meets the eye. As a reader, or a listener because the audiobook just came out as well (And if you enjoy listening in audiobook format, this is definitely the book to get an audiobook), it’s enjoyable to watch these young characters try to figure out where they belong in the world while trying to solve the mystery of who the auditor is and what he wants. From an outside perspective you can see their shortcomings, see their character flaws, and understand their motivations, but the way that the characters are written it’s very hard to judge them because you understand how young they are and how out of place they feel in the world. It makes a really interesting dynamic between reader and characters that I haven’t seen in a lot of fantasy novels and it was really enjoyable. I laughed quite a bit at Beau’s obliviousness but also found him incredibly endearing. I found myself rolling my eyes at Meep’s stubbornness and quick temper, but found myself still wanting to give her a hug and tell her it was going to be okay. In this world everything is more than meets the eye and it is a fun world to explore with characters who are kind of bumbling around and trying to figure themselves out as well. I’m very much looking forward to the next installment in this series and I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys wonderful character building and intriguing world building.