Masks and Shadows

2.5 Stars

I've been stewing on how to rate this one for a bit now. It was good, and kept me interested. It just never WOWED me. First I felt it was a bit too long, and by 75% I was starting to lose interest. Second, there were a ton of different characters and at times it was hard to keep track of who was who. And out of those tons of characters there wasn't a single one that stood out as being particularly engaging.

Still, the time period and setting (backdrop) of the story was interesting. I enjoyed the little details, and court intrigue. The details about the costumes, and the behind the scenes look at the Opera were enjoyable also. And that cover...amazing.

The ending though was a little too much. I found it hard to believe that the widowed sister and the castrato would become lovers. In any case, overall it was an OK read.