The Mask of a Thousand Tears

by David Chauvel

[moraa]

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I decided to take a break from reading fantasy today and work through a few others books and The Mask of a Thousand Tears wasn't what I would call enjoyable. I wasn't scrambling to turn pages or wondering what will happen next and my headache (which has nothing to do with the book by the way) only made things worse.

This is a story about Masamura, a soldier who has survived a war he didn't think he would and Sadakyo a woman who lost her fiancé to that same war after making him a vow to bring him home no matter what. Masamura and Sadakyo are thrust together on a quest to find the mask and bring fulfil her promise to her fiancé.

Things I liked:
-the art: very well done
-the teasing hints as to certain characters' backstories
(what will it be: runaway royal or spurned royal, stay tuned to find out!)

Things I disliked:
-Sadakyo, you offered yourself in exchange for help to carry your dead fiancé's body back to the village... you offered yourself (as in your body) to a soldier?
-Masamura is too good to make good on the promise (and to be clear, I'm not saying he should have taken advantage of it but what are the odds that a soldier (who's just survived a war he thought he would die in) would not make good on such a promise made by an attractive woman? It's too convenient and there are too many hidden story elements (motivations being one of them)
-Sadakyo is... I don't know, her character arc seems to be built to compliment Masamura's and she's constantly thanking him for the littlest things. I mean, you can do these things too sis, just... try
*I'm not certain how much of it is a culture thing (because it's distinctly non-western) and how much isn't but something about it seems... strange (i.e. unlike much of the non-western comics I've read)
-length: I tend to prefer shorter graphic novels (especially when I'm reading them as issues) but I've read short issues before and loved them (Something is Killing the Children is a good example) but I think the problem with this ties in to point #3 in my dislikes, far too many hidden elements and not enough backstory:
*Sadakyo's relationship with her husband
*the mask (there was info on this but not enough)
*the war (I'm still not sure what was going on with that and why it doesn't have a little more bearing on the story)
*Masamura's motivation (a hidden backstory I can excuse but I'd like to understand why you're doing what you're doing)

All in all, good art but the story doesn't quite measure up