These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks, #1)

by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas

Jane Austen meets X-Men in this thrilling Victorian adventure full of magic and mysticism, perfect for anyone who loves a confident, rebellious heroine, snappy dialogue, and a hint of romance.

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.

Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads, These Vicious Masks is an action-packed, genre-bending novel by debut authors Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas.

• ISBN10: 1250073898
• ISBN13: 9781250073891
• Publish Date: 9 February 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Evelyn was a girl who wanted to see the world, but she was oppressed by the obligations of society life. When her sister disappeared, Evelyn journeyed to London to rescue her. While seeking her sister, Evelyn found that there was a lot more beneath the surface of the world, herself, and the powers she possessed.

I kept seeing this book described as "Jane Austen meets X-Men". I was intrigued by this, and I was not at all disappointed by the book. These Vicious Masks combines the aspects of the society life in Victorian England with magic. The talents endowed upon some of the characters are quite varied and include: charming, healing, life force draining, portal creation, clairvoyance, and super strength. I found the talents reminded me a little bit of the show, Hereos, but it had a fresh spin, since this story was set in Victorian times.

I don't know what it is about the Victorian time period, but I always find the characters so delightful. (i.e. any Gail Carriger book) There is something about their formalities that never fails to make me smile. I also find that books set in that era, at least the one's I have read, are flush with witty banter. I absolutely adored the banter and snark in this book, and found myself continuously grinning while reading.

Evelyn was a fantastic heroine. She was so spunky and fierce. She didn't give up, even when it looked like she should. She made mistakes, but she learned from them. She was independent, but accepted help when necessary. There was just so much to love about her.

And who does she love? The authors set up a little love triangle for us. There is her very good friend, Mr. Kent, who is clearly taken by Evelyn. And then, there is Mr. Braddock, the dark and brooding hero with a multitude of secrets. I will admit, I totally shipped Evelyn and Braddock. There was something special between the two of them, and I really want them to get together. I adored the teasing and the banter between these two and the running jokes about him being a byronesque hero were quite fun.

Do you want to pull out your copy of She Walks in Beauty and spend the next hour acting moody?

But Kent is able to win my heart at times too. He's a traditional rake, so suave and charming, but Evelyn is so good at handling him.

I can't tell if you are joking, Mr. Kent
I'm not. In fact, I've been so sincere lately that I wouldn't be surprised if my name has magically changed to Frank.

I found the story fast paced, with new and important elements being introduced throughout. Going from the countryside to London, from society events to secret lairs. There was something to be found around every corner. The ending was quite tragic. I didn't know how to deal with all the losses, but knowing there was a sequel kept my anxiety in check.

Overall: a fun and exciting trip through Victorian England with a paranormal twist.

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[readingwithwrin]

“We do not remain the same each minute to the next. Every word you hear, every sight you see, every smell, every thought you have, every moment-it all changes you. We keep putting on mask after mask, layers over layers. That's how one grows.”
See reviews first on my Blog



Evelyn and her sister Rose, are nurses in time period where lady's of high class should be doing no such thing, especially in England's high society. With a mother who is trying to marry them both off, they feel somewhat trapped. With Evelyn making it almost impossible for her to find a suitor, and Rose's nursing career that she wants to do keeping her from wanting to settle down they appear to not really care what society thinks of them. That is until disaster happens and all Evelyn really has to use is her standing in society in order to find out who took rose, why they took her and how in the world she is supposed to find her and get her back. With the help of a Mr. Kent and Mr. Braddock she is able to not only learn a lot about herself, but also the society at that point in time.

“That’s just it. Perspective is a curious thing. One day, you see everything from one angle and you think you know what’s important,” he continued, looking out at the dancers. Then he turned to me, smiling wryly. “Then another day, from another angle, you see what’s really important, and everything else just . . . melts away.”

This book was such an enjoyable read and I loved it so much. While it isn't a new concept with people having special abilities added into the Victorian era, it is one that I am completely on board with. Add in a heroin that will do anything in order to save her sister, and who doesn't try to let men stop her or fall head over heels in love with and I am all yours. I mean really that doesn't happen that often in any novel let alone a young adult one. Sure there were love interests and you could tell she did care for them, you can also tell that she wasn't going to let it get in her way, or confuse her from what was really important.

“You are right about one thing, Mr. Kent. I don’t need a hero,” I said in a firm, even voice. “But I could never love a man who would not be my ally.”

The sarcasm that Evelyn uses as well to mask her true feelings of thing's is just spot on in my opinion as well. As for all of the special abilities, I found all of them to be really interesting, especially considering the time period and how strange things that they were able to do were seen as insanity in some cases and probably witchcraft for some of the more deadly abilities. (I wonder how this would work in a different society out of England? Or maybe even in England just with the lower class?)


Honestly I'm afraid to say to much more because I don't want to give any of the abilities away because that is a big part of the story and figuring out how everyone is going to fit together in order to make it possible to find/save Rose.

“Well, when one door closes, another slightly more inconvenient, out-of-the-way one opens. Let’s be off, shall we?”

[liz089]

Read more about this review and others on my blog Freyja Eats Books

STANDALONE or SERIES.
This is the first part in the These Vicious Masks series, and I can’t wait for the next one to come out.. even though I have no idea when it will come. Hopefully soon, but I did see it is going to be a trilogy, hooray ^^

REVIEW.
From the moment I saw the description of the book, Jane Austen meets X-Men set in Victorian London, I wanted to have this one. To me, this is a perfect mix. I love everything Jane Austen, and combining that with the X-Men is just amazing ! Totally fangirling over the combination haha. Unfortunately, it was not released yet. So I kept waiting, and when it came out I got it as soon as possible.

I had some trouble with finding a new book that would stick to read after my last ones, Underwater and Illuminae. Sometimes when I read a good story it is harder to pick something new.. I try a couple ones, put them away again after a few pages, because I’m just not in the mood for anything. So after a few misses I remembered this one and decided to give it a try.

It is always a guess if it will be a good one or not. Even though the summary sounded amazing, the writers could still mess it up. But, luckily this was not the case. I really LOVED and thoroughly ENJOYED reading this book. The story enthralled me from the beginning and I wanted to read more and more. And of course, I could not stop reading until I had finished it.. so I had quite the late night yesterday haha.

I had quite the surprise at the beginning of the story. I just started to relax and get in the zone, sipping from my cup of tea, when suddenly something came by I really did not expect (it was quite funny) and I sprayed my tea all over ! Fortunately for me, I was alone at the moment haha XD But well, it made me like the book instantly, getting right over my mini reading block.

So basically this story is about Evelyn traveling to London to find her sister. She disappeared and nobody else believes she is kidnapped for her healing abilities. So, Evelyn will go herself and rescue her, to safe her sister and protect her reputation. Luckily she gets help from the charming and funny Mr. Kent, followed soon by Mr. Braddock as well. Of course, things do not go as planned and they seem to have no success in finding her. And not only that, but soon she finds out she has powers herself. Luckily they find some leads of her sister and end up on a wild chase all around London. But time is pressing when they find out some crazy doctor who wants to find the science behind their powers has her. And.. I don’t want to spoil more ^^

The story is set in Victorian England (London) and I love that time period. Women in beautiful dresses, going from one ball to the other, calling each other Miss and Mister.. It all seems so classy and pretty. Of course it wasn’t, and women were supressed a lot.. but nowadays everyone is so blunt and rude, I love how decent everyone was around that time, even though, below the surface, it was all fake.
Because it all happened in this time period, you have multiple things to consider when writing it. It is not all fantasy, but it has to be accurate in some ways as well. Society’s standard was everything around that time and you have to put it in consideration with everything you do, and how that might reflect on your reputation, and the reputation of your family.
The writers did a pretty good job shaping that world, and I felt, well, like I was in the middle of a spectacular Jane Austen novel, surrounded with all kinds of crazy powers.

So about those powers.. I liked how they wanted to give it a logical explanation, trying to do research and making it more into a science. It does fit with the time period as well, because science was making big leaps. Though I would have preferred other methods.

So for the romance. It was there. She had two suitors so to say, and both of them have some really good qualities.. but I’m team Sebastian. I adore him much more, and well.. he needs her more than Mr. Kent. Even though Mr. Kent is quite funny and I just love his bashful attitude. I had some trouble in the beginning who I wanted her to end up with.. But after a while Sebastian really grew on me and at the ending of the book, it is still not really clear who she will end up with, but I had my preferences clear.. so hooray for that one.
But, before you think “Oh no not another useless love triangle completely ruining everything”, this is not the case. Yes there is some romance, some flirting, but it is not the main event of the plot. Even though she has some feelings for them it really is not the main focus of the book, and I for one am very happy about that.

So, of course I want to talk a little bit about the main characters as well. I loved Evelyn, our narrator and main focus of the book. For someone of her time she was very progressive and active. I loved that she wanted more out of life then just being someone’s wife. How, when her sisters disappeared, she did not doubt for one moment not to go out and find her sister back. How, even though she is a woman in a difficult time, she still went places she should not go and threw herself in the middle of fights. She really is an admirable person. Oh, and how I loved her bickering with Sebastian (Yes I want to call him Sebastian and not Mr. Braddock). The sparks and attraction flew around my ears and damn.. how I loved them together. Sebastian was kind of a tortured soul.. happens with someone of his background, but he really tried to help and I felt so sad for him (and Evelyn) at the ending..

I do know that it was written by two authors, but when reading this book, it all fell in harmony and I noticed nothing of it. They fit really well together.

FAVORITE QUOTES.
“Good, for I can see my mother getting ready to arrange a dance with Mr. Braddock.”
“I see.” Something lit behind his eyes as they landed on Mr. Braddock, and I couldn’t tell if it was amusement or jealousy. “Would that be the fellow over there? He certainly seemed to have gathered quite a following.”
“Indeed, it is.” And Mr. Kent was right. It wasn’t just my mother and a few young women. Every mother in the county was eyeing him, fans fluttering and bosoms quivering. Simpering misses subtly pinched their cheeks and smoothed down their hair. How absurd.”
.
“Before I understood anything, a rough large hand brushed my chin, my face tipped upwards, and his mouth caught mine, and suddenly my entire body was on fire. Whatever odd sensation had thrummed between us before was just the stroke of a violin bow to this clash of an orchestra. I felt the world pass between our lips, tasting champagne, hunger, and something indefinably darker, while his hand ignited sparks down my cheeks to the nape of my neck. He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer, forcing that elusive essence to run deeper than my skin, deeper than my veins, until my very bones vibrated.”
.
“We do not remain the same each minute to the next. Every word you hear, every sight you see, every smell, every thought you have, every moment – it all changes you. We keep putting on mask after mask, layer over layers. That’s how one grows.”

FINAL THOUGHTS.
I REALLY REALLY loved this book and the world they shaped around it. I love how action-packed this book was, so many things were happening and it was all really exciting. You just flew right through the pages, going from one event to the next, never really standing still.
At the moment I am totally bummed I have no idea when I can dive back into this world, because I miss it already. So, I would like to give this one *surprise* 5 Freyja’s, because it is worth all of them. And, if you are like me and love this time period and humans gaining powers, I would absolutely recommend this one to you. It is really worthwhile. If you would excuse me now, I’m going to watch Pride & Prejudice (for the hundred time) because it really made me ache for more !

[Eve1972]

I ran across this book the other day and just knew I was going to pick it up! First, because that cover is awesome, and second because it is billed as...

Jane Austen meets X-Men

So really, I had no choice but ti buy it!





This was a thoroughly delightful read! The plot was engaging and kept me interested. The characters, both main, and secondary were well written, and intriguing. Evelyn was funny, and feisty. Sebastian was broody, and mysterious. Nicholas was charming and also mysterious.

This book is set in 1882 London, and Rose, Evelyn's sister has gone missing. Evelyn leaves home and with the help of Mr. Kent (Nicolas) and Sebastian Braddock, she sets about trying to find out what happened to her. Of course during all this she discovers she and others around her have these secret supernatural powers.

Overall I really enjoyed this one. My only small complaint was the ending. I assume that there will be a book two, but I was hoping for more of a resolution with the romance, slight love triangle, plot but I have my fingers crossed I will get that closure in the next book (if there indeed is one)

Just read this is going to be a trilogy!!

[reveriesociety_]

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

In a world where book blurbs tend to be effectively deceiving, a book that actually delivers what the blurb promises is rare. These Vicious Masks is one of those lucky guys. I couldn’t agree more with it being considered at mix between Jane Austen and X-Men. Actually, the description is spot-on.


SOME THINGS I LOVED


The Heroine

The story introduces us to Evelyn, who is a witty brat, and she deserves all the love! Seriously, take notes everyone. Although she comes off as frustrating a lot of times, my favorite trait of hers is how she just refuses to give up even when she has two guys that are falling over themselves to do the work for her (for varying reasons).

In some cases, this really annoyed me because she was stupidly throwing herself into dangerous situations. Although, on the other side, I kind of understand why she did it. Her parents had stopped supporting her. Her sister’s reputation and hers in line. Two men who aren’t entirely trustworthy. I guess I could easily see myself saying ‘consequences be dammed, I gotta find my sister’ in her position.



The Backdrop

Victorian London. Not a fun place to live in if you have problems with following society’s rules. Regardless, the entire thing was so well-written in this aspect that I almost forgot I do not like Victorian London. From how the characters spoke, to of what they spoke and place description.

In addition, it’s amazing how the supernatural element is woven in without representing a whole other aspect. It’s all part of the setting.



WHAT I DIDN’T LOVE AS MUCH


Romance? Or the Lack of Romance?

This isn’t normally a problem. I do like romance in my books, but if there isn’t any, well, I won’t throw a fit because of it. But it is a problem if there are too many things pointing at the existence of significant romance, and then being disappointed.

The synopsis doesn’t state that Evelyn might end up with someone, but I kind of feel deceived by the story itself. I'm not saying I make any sense, but it still didn't sit right with me, that there wasn't any closure on this matter.

Even if she didn't end up with anyone (hey, that is totally cool too!), some closure about her thoughts on her feelings would've been great.

More reviews and bookish discussions at A Writer's Tales :)