Review: The Final Masquerade by Ariana Nash
SYNOPSIS:
The winter solstice. The darkest day, the longest night.
Every year the solstice heralds the return of the masquerade ball. Fae and human dance and drink and make merry, so long as they remain masked. But there’s a darker side to this night. Should a guest lose their mask, their life is forfeit, cursed to dance forever for the entertainment of the masquerade’s cold and cruel fae host.
Ever since he was a boy, Brice LeChoix’s mother had warned him of the terrible fae. But it wasn’t the fae who took his parents from him. Madness did that. Years later, now Lord of the crumbling LeChoix estate and buckled by debt, he has more important things to think about than fairytales.
Until the masquerade comes to town. Every year on the solstice it appears, and every year the townsfolk frolic with the fae. Some never return.
Brice warned his brother not to go. And when the masquerade vanishes like mist at dawn, it takes Charon with it.
Now Brice must return to the masquerade, the very place he vowed never to set foot in again. The fae know his desires, they know his weaknesses. Forbidden lust will lure Brice from his world, into theirs. To save his brother, he must survive the masquerade’s beautiful lies and avoid the host’s wicked ways.
But the fae have other ideas. One in particular has his eye on Brice… The trickster, Raoul, will stop at nothing to seduce Brice because he knows, more than anyone, that the masquerade is a trap from which no soul truly ever escapes.
The longest night is upon us. Can you hear their call? Take my hand, come with me, to the masquerade ball…
REVIEW:
Hmmm, it has been a few days since I finished this book and I still have mixed feelings as I try to write up my review. I was hoping some time away would give me clarity on my feels but I find myself torn. On one hand, I immensely enjoyed parts of the story, especially the fact that this is a fantasy standalone. But on the other hand, there were factors in the story that I greatly disliked and had me wanting to put the book down.
I shall start with the good, and that is Brice. After all the horror life has thrown at the LeChoix family, it is amazing to see Brice and Charon standing. They aren’t exactly thriving but the are most certainly surviving. This all changes when Charon goes to the ball and Brice is met with the harsh reality that he must finally attend if he wishes to save Charon. Yet, Brice unexpectedly meets Raoul, who is truly his match in every single way. As the story progress, the plot twists are bountiful and just when I think I have everything figured out, a surprise had me reeling.
On an emotional perspective, Brice went through it in this book. He loved, lost, and loved again as he couldn’t seem to catch a break from the pain and danger. But Charon was an absolutely horrid, selfish character. Even as the book ends, I find myself simmering with rage towards him, the things he did are most certainly unforgiveable in my mind. Charon’s character arc just went from bad to worst as the story progressed and there was a little moment of redemption at the end, but it was way too little too late by then.
As Brice finds himself in the masquerade, there are scenes where he has sex with other, multiple partners and this normally wouldn’t bother me, but it did. And this is a personal hang up because at the time, it felt like him and Raoul were already committed to each other. The whole thing just rubbed me the wrong way, once the characters are coupled together, I don’t believe in these dubious consent side scenes and they left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Overall I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the masquerade and fae, as well as Brice’s romance with Raoul. But these coercive rape scenes and Brice’s brother literally being the scum of the Earth took away a lot of my love for the book.
LINKS:
