Monday, February 01, 2016

Review: These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas (and Giveaway)

From Goodreads: England, 1882. Evelyn is bored with society and its expectations. So when her beloved sister, Rose, mysteriously vanishes, she ignores her parents and travels to London to find her, accompanied by the dashing Mr. Kent. But they’re not the only ones looking for Rose. The reclusive, young gentleman Sebastian Braddock is also searching for her, claiming that both sisters have special healing powers. Evelyn is convinced that Sebastian must be mad, until she discovers that his strange tales of extraordinary people are true - and that her sister is in graver danger than she feared. 

My Rating: 3.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: I first heard about Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas' These Vicious Masks when I attended Raincoast’s Winter + Spring 2016 TeensRead Preview. Pitched as “Jane Austen meets X-Men,” I was immediately interested in it because I love books set in Victorian England and novels where the characters have superpowers. 

The worldbuilding in These Vicious Masks was well-done, and I liked how the paranormal element was introduced and incorporated slowly. I thought the premise was quite believable because of the time period since people were starting to make scientific advances, and it was nice that attempts were made in the book to explain why some people developed superpowers. 

I also really liked Evelyn. She was so sassy, and I loved that she refused to follow the rules of society when her sister was kidnapped. Rather than staying home and pretending her sister was simply vacationing at her aunt’s house in order to preserve her family’s reputation, Evelyn decided to take matters into her own hands and investigate her sister’s disappearance. I did, however, think that Evelyn sometimes took unnecessary risks when she could have had backup in the form of either Mr. Braddock or Mr. Kent. 

Speaking of Mr. Braddock and Mr. Kent, it seems that there may be a love triangle in the future because both men appear to have feelings for Evelyn. I personally think the brooding Mr. Braddock is a better choice, but Mr. Kent did manage to surprise me a few times.

These Vicious Masks will be released by Swoon Reads on February 9, 2016. 

Comments About the Cover: Masks always promise intrigue!

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher for free via Xpresso Book Tours. 

These Vicious Masks can be bought from: [Amazon] [Barnes and Noble]
..................................................................................................

If you're interested in reading These Vicious Masks and live in the US or Canada, you can enter to win a physical copy by filling out the form below.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for hosting today! This sounds like a fun read and I already like the sounds of Evelyn! Glad you liked it! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well, I could do without this maybe future love triangle, but other than that, this one sounds fun! I feel like we've seen a lot of books set in Victorian England and lots of books with characters with superpowers, but never the both combined - so that's pretty fun :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was skeptical about picking this one up, but I think I'll give it a chance since you had enjoyed it for the most part, Z. I really hope the love triangle doesn't happen.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for sharing your honest thoughts. I am curious about this one. I like books set in Victorian England - and I need to read more of them. I'm a bit blah on love triangles, but oh well! Maybe I'll like this one well enough I won't mind. haha

    -Lauren

    ReplyDelete
  5. I lovvve this one's cover, but I'm not a fan of the writing. I'm wary of the love triangle, but I love that it's Jane Austen meets the X-Men! Fab review as always, Z!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This book sounds like so much fun! I can't wait to read it!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love historical and paranormal reads, so to have a historical paranormal read is even better.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This one sounds like a pretty good read overall but I did just get done reading a book where the main character didn't think her actions through and it was definitely annoying.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have to admit, the cover really turns me off (although I think i'm the only one), but the premise sounds fantastic. I have really been wanting to order a copy of Stars Above because I love the whole Lunar series.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This books sounds fun! I have been more and more interested in historical fiction lately. I like the sound of the paranormal aspect. While I abhor love triangles I am willing to see what this has to offer. I also kind of like the cover!

    ReplyDelete

I love comments and will reply back via either email or stopping by your blog. Please note that this is an award-free zone.