BOOK REPORT for These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks #1) by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas
Cover Story: Heading to the Masquerade
BFF Charm: Heck Yes
Swoonworthy Scale: 6
Talky Talk: The Austen School for Gifted Individuals
Bonus Factors: Sass, Shades of Darcy
Anti-Bonus Factor: Love Triangle
Relationship Status: Will Call Again Soon
Cover Story: Heading to the Masquerade
This book is totally ready to head to the masquerade ball. All it has left to do is put on the mask.
The Deal:
In the late 1880s, a person or family’s reputation is the most important thing about them. Evelyn Wyndham, the eldest daughter of a decently well positioned English family, knows this, but chafes at the restraints of society—particularly those that come with being of marrying age. Evelyn, and her sister, Rose, would much rather spend their time nursing the sick and wounded, a hobby that has made them well-known in the village of Bramhurst.
When Rose goes missing, Evelyn can’t get anyone to believe that she hasn’t just run off to start a career. So Evelyn takes the search into her own hands, and heads off to London to investigate. She soon finds herself in completely over her head, particularly when she learns that certain people have super human abilities, and she might be one of them.
BFF Charm: Heck Yes
From the very first line of These Vicious Masks, I knew that I adored Evelyn Wyndham. She’s a total Jane Austen-esque heroine, someone who’s totally tired of the pressures of society and isn’t afraid to think it, but maintains a pleasant facade for appearance’s (and her mother’s) sake. She’s also supremely loyal, and smart to boot. She knows that her sister’s disappearance isn’t a simple runaway case, and she’s willing to do what it takes to bring her home, even if that means putting her own reputation at risk. She also has a ton of common sense, and a logical mind; when faced with the impossible, Evelyn seeks out the truth, and trusts herself to believe in facts, regardless of how crazy they might seem.
Swoonworthy Scale: 6
There are two eligible gentlemen in Evelyn’s life, but neither is who they seem to be at first, and both have some a variety of qualities that make them appealing and a handful of ones that don’t. Evelyn herself is pretty confused as to who’s the better suitor, or who she actually likes, and waffles back and forth throughout These Vicious Masks.
I have a pretty solid assumption who Evelyn will end up with in the end, but—as this is the first in a series, and nothing is really resolved—we’ll just have to wait and see if I’m right.
Talky Talk: The Austen School for Gifted Individuals
These Vicious Masks is being marketed as “Jane Austen meets the X-Men.” On the surface, that phrase is somewhat accurate—the book does have a main character who's a precocious woman ahead of her time, and features characters with a myriad of superpowers, some who use them for good, some for bad. But Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas have written a book that takes the best of what’s come before and molds it into something unique. There are strong echoes of Austen and her contemporaries’ plots, but that just goes to prove how far-reaching and relatable such plots are. Even when they’re not exactly deep, which is also the case with These Vicious Masks. (But that’s not a bad thing!)
Shanker and Zekas’ characters are more modern versions of their predecessors, but they stay true to the restrictions of the time period. Evelyn feels like someone who I’d hang out with today, even while she’s lamenting having to go to balls and being shamed for being in a man’s house without a chaperone.
If you’re looking for a group of costumed superheroes battling costumed supervillains, however, you’re out of luck. The breakdown of the novel is more like ¾ Austen and ¼ X-Men. There may be spandex in books to come—this is the first in a series—but, again, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Bonus Factor: Sass
I’ve mentioned this multiple times already in the review, but Evelyn is awesome. Take this exchange for example:
“[Mother] leaned in confidentially. “Evelyn, see there. The eldest from the Ralstons. I hear they have a lovely collection of stained glass windows.” Ah, yes, just my type: a stiff prideful lord-to-be with impeccable, cold deportment to prove his perfect breeding.
“Set a date,” I declared solemnly with a wave of my hand. “I shall marry him immediately.”
Rose choked back her giggle, but Mother was far less amused. “Not this childish behavior again,” she said through her teeth, which were still arranged in a polite smile for guests. “You will give these men more than a second’s thought or deeply regret this attitude in a few years’ time.”
“Yes, when I’m crying next to, God forbid, a plain window,” I said with a sigh.
You do you, Evelyn.
Bonus Factor: Shades of Darcy
One of the young men in These Vicious Masks shows up at a ball and Evelyn immediately can’t stand him, thanks to his sullen demeanor and poor manners. However, first impressions can be deceiving, and you can’t be sure of people’s true intentions until you get to know them. Sound familiar?
Anti-Bonus Factor: Love Triangle
Like I mentioned in Swoonworthy Scale above, there are two men in Evelyn’s life. And although it’s not entirely clear if either of them have marrying on their mind at the start of the novel, it is clear that there is an animosity between the two that Evelyn’s stuck in the middle of, and her feelings ebb and flow as the story progresses.
Casting Call:
Daisy Ridley as Evelyn
Relationship Status: Will Call Again Soon
I had an absolutely delightful time with you, Book. Your story, although not the most original or intense, was both engaging and engrossing, and the people you surround yourself with are more than simply pleasurable. I look forward to the next time we are together; feel free to call on my home any time you’re in the area.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Swoon Reads, but got neither a private dance party with Tom Hiddleston nor money in exchange for this review. These Vicious Masks will be available Feb. 9.