Dual Review: Masquerade & Before by Cambria Hebert
Masquerade is a novel that I learned about through a fellow blogger. When I saw the button for a readalong I was intrigued by the books cover. Masquerade is a book of many questions, that lead to some startling answers.When we meet Heven all we know about her is that she has survived a vicious attack. She remembers nothing of what happened to her since leaving the library late that night.
Cambria does a really good job with Heven's character. You can feel Heven's pain and insecurity about her looks. Things really begin to shift when Heven meets Sam. She is drawn to him immediately, feeling a deep connection. The only problem? He is dating her best friend. Sam also has some deep secrets as well as a surprising connection to Heven. What makes this book enjoyable is not knowing where its leading. I also loved hearing everyone's different opinions during the readalong. My one complaint would be that a lot of revelations in the book are all towards the end, and it feels a little jammed together. I'm sure with the pending sequel Charade more of the plot points will be fleshed out.
I deliberately put Before after masquerade despite this being a free e-book prequel. Before is literally a glimpse of Heven and Sam before her attack. I highly suggest reading this after masquerade.It was a little bittersweet seeing Heven in this light : happy and popular. Sam is so vulnerable and sweet, but I wouldn't like to have discovered this prequel first. Looking forward to whats next in the series.
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