This Eternity of Masks and Shadows

by Karsten Knight

In a city of gods and mortals, secrets never die.

The gods walk among us. Some lurk in the shadows, masquerading as mortals; others embrace their celebrity status, launching careers from Hollywood to Capitol Hill.

One of them just murdered Cairn Delacroix's mother.

As Cairn sifts through the rubble, she uncovers a conspiracy two decades in the making: a cursed island, the fellowship of gods who journeyed there, and the unspeakable act that intertwined their fates. One by one, the members of that voyage are dying, and Cairn's investigations land her in the crosshairs of the rogue goddess responsible.

With the help of Nanook, a polar bear god turned detective, Cairn descends into Boston's underworld of supernatural crime and political aspiration. To avenge her mother and unmask her assassin, she’ll first have to reckon with a gut-wrenching secret that will rewrite the life she thought she knew.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mythology, Mystery, Urban Fantasy, Contemporary, Young Adult Fantasy

Paperback

First published June 2, 2020

About the author

Some say Karsten Knight’s writing career peaked at the age of six, when he completed a picture book about a sassy, adventurous worm. In the decades since, he’s tried in futility to live up to the high literary bar he set back during the first grade by publishing other novels such as:

• the mythological fantasy THIS ETERNITY OF MASKS AND SHADOWS
• the time-traveling thriller PATCHWORK
• the historical mystery NIGHTINGALE, SING
• the volcano goddess trilogy WILDEFIRE (Simon & Schuster)
• and the spooky BONEGARDEN series for young readers.

His books have been described as “exceptional” (San Diego Union-Tribune), “action-packed” (Publishers Weekly), “riveting” (VOYA), “sizzling” (Booklist), and “compelling” (School Library Journal)—but most critics would probably agree that it’s all been downhill since that worm book in ’91.

Karsten studied creative writing at College of the Holy Cross and earned an MFA in writing for children from Simmons College. A lifelong resident of Massachusetts, he lives for long walks in fall weather. For more information on Karsten and to keep up with his latest releases, please visit www.karstenknightbooks.com.

Reviews

[rebecca | velvet opus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book felt like binge-watching an entire first season of a Netflix show. It was action-packed. I read this over several days; baffled enough to keep putting it down or re-reading entire chapters but intrigued enough to continue picking it back up. The protagonist is eighteen year-old Cairn Delacroix, in a world where gods live among us, as she investigates the death of her mother Ahna, a reincarnation of the Inuit goddess and mother of the sea, Sedna. Set in Boston, this story is part murder-mystery, part detective-noir and part political thriller wrapped up in an urban fantasy, split between Cairn in the present, investigating her mothers death, and her mother, as Sedna, in the past, on an expedition to L' Isle du Sable Noir where it all began...

"... like watching a drop of ink diffuse through a glass of water, only in reverse, obsidian tendrils coagulating until a humanoid form took shape"

I enjoyed a lot of things in this book: Cairn’s romantic relationship with her best friend, Delaphine; the hard-nosed reincarnated polar bear god turned detective Nook; and, how mythology, geology and nautical references were weaved into the narrative. Ultimately, the plot was just too-fast for me. Cairn’s geologist father, Emile, and her pet arctic tiger needed more screen time as they were both adorable.

“Emile’s wistful eyes landed on his wife, ‘In my experience, it’s always the cutest ones that get you into trouble’”

This book is great if you’re looking for a fun, fast, murder mystery “whodunnit” with mythological gods and superpowered vigilantes.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for an advance copy to review!

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[Jim C · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book thru a Goodreads giveaway. I would like to thank the author and the publishing company for their generosity.

This book is a YA book that combines fantasy, superhero, and mystery genres into one story. In this one, the gods walk among mortals. Cairn's mother is a goddess of the sea and she suddenly commits suicide. Cairn looks into the circumstances.

First off I have to say I love the idea of the book. The problem was the execution. I believe that this book needed to be fleshed out more as we didn't receive much world building and often left me with many questions. One example is the gods are among us but it seems like they were weak versions of themselves at times. At these times they just seemed to be mortals with a special ability and I really couldn't see the difference between us and the gods. `My biggest problem with this book is the main character. She becomes a big Mary Sue when she starts looking into her mother's tragic demise. Cairn is an eighteen year old girl but can do everything. She is a font of knowledge, out detects detectives at crimes scenes, and survives encounter after encounter with gods. It got too much after awhile. I did like the antagonist and the motivation behind it. It works for this world. That was basically the only thing I did like besides the idea of this novel.

This book should have been right up my alley. The fantasy aspect about the gods, the superhero genre tie in, and even the location of Boston which is the city I have lived my whole life. But even that bothered me as he used a fictional night club and this name seemed disrespectful to me as it was the name of a Boston tragedy many years ago. This book bothered me from beginning to end even though the idea is something I could appreciate. It probably hit me the wrong way and I do believe readers might enjoy this. It just wasn't for me.

[Karen Hendry · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

This Eternity of Masks and Shadows is about a girl named Cairn's journey to discover the truth about her mother's death. In a world in which the gods from every Pantheon are being reincarnated when they die and walk the earth, she must discovery the truth before it is too late.

What I liked about this book
it's a murder mystery - at some points I felt like I was watching an episode of CSI.
it's full of twists and turns - there are plot twists throughout the book that are completely unexpected!
it's fast paced - in every chapter something happens that moves the story along and keeps you interested.
my favourite character is Ahna - she is extremely funny! I actually laughed out loud at some of her lines.
This book kind of reminded me of the Percy Jackson book series but for older readers. I would highly recommend it if you like books about gods and magic.

5 stars

Find this review and others on my blog

[Heather Mood Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. This book was full of lessons and consequences of people's actions. It was also a great representation of learning who you are as a person and finding your way in the world.

I loved that it was based on a head strong female lead who wants to avenge her mother's death. You can tell Karsten Knight put an extensive amount of time completing research about all mythology origins, which I very much enjoyed!

The detective work in this was a nice surprise. I love reading detective storys. At first I thought having a polar bear God as a detective was going to be cheesy, but Nook ended up being my favorite character in the whole book! I love brooding characters who in actuality have a soft spot for their loved ones.

I thought the ending was a little predictable, but with that being said, I thought the wrap up of this novel was done very well! I really hope there's another book to this series, because I will definitely be reading it!

[(inactive) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thrilling. Diverse. Intricate.

This was such a fun read. I had no idea what to expect with this story, and for that I'm so glad because every twist, every turn- all of it was a complete surprise. And that really enhanced my reading experience.

I adored the fact that the main character was lesbian, and the way her sexuality was handled was so normal and real and was some great queer inclusion for the story. I also loved how strong the female characters in general were in this story without having to literally spell out the fact that they could kick butt. Although there were some overly convenient plot points and the main character was unrealistically good at everything (including fatal combat) right away, it was clear from the very first page that she--as well as many of the other women characters--were more than their skills and their bodies. And for that I was incredibly appreciative.

The world took a few chapters to get myself familiarized with, but by the end of the book I understood most of it and found it utterly enthralling. Also, the whole concept is just insanely cool and unique and it was super admirable how much this novel transcended typical genre boundaries.

The attention to mythology was fascinating, and I loved how mundane certain aspects of these gods were. The fact that you could just as well be a therapist as a vigilante when you have these godly powers is so awesome.

In the beginning, the names of everyone were hard to keep up with but I found familiarity in the main cast soon enough. I would have appreciated a larger focus on character development as our main character herself stayed relatively stagnant throughout the entire book. A character arc for Cairn and literally anyone else would have been appreciated.

The banter between the characters was very fun to read and read realistically enough, and the relationships between characters--although not incredibly complex or something we haven't seen before--were sweet and genuine.

I strongly believe that the strongest part of this novel was the adventure elements. When our main characters started to fight all of these gods and monsters, it was incredibly action packed and both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. I would have to stop reading at parts because the monstrous descriptions were truly violent and horrific and spectacular.

The plot was excellent, and the setting was unique and the world building was well done, but all that was lacking for me was in the characters. My favorite would have to be Vulcan, as he was very endearing. Besides him, I just needed more from this cast. The villain lacked nuance and a truly real objective, and the book definitely suffered because of that.

All in all, a super solid read that was not without its flaws, but was still something I would recommend for fans of superheroes, thrillers, and urban fantasy. Thank you NetGalley for approving me this advanced reader's copy, an I look forward to this novel's release!

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Eternity of Masks and Shadows was a fantastic read with an engaging plot and an intriguing world.

When gods walk among us, the concept of celebrities takes on a whole new meaning. With various gods in Hollywood and the Capitol in addition to those hiding in plain sight, mortals are never far from the divine. But after a god murders Cairn Delacroix's mother, she uncovers a conspiracy involving the gods decades in the making. As Cairn investigates those connected with her mother’s dark past, she quickly discovers those involved are dying one by one. And when her path leads her to her mother’s killer, she’ll stop at nothing to avenge her mother’s death.

I had previously read and loved this author’s Wildefire series, so as soon as I saw he had another book centered around mythology, I knew I needed to pick it up. This book is different from that series in that in this one, the gods and goddesses are known to the public. I found the concept of gods/goddesses living among us for normal human lifespans to be an interesting one and I liked that they wouldn’t have knowledge of their previous lives each time they came back. That second aspect is one this book shared with the Wildefire series and is one I particularly enjoyed.

The plot in this book centers around Cairn looking into her mother’s death and a disastrous island voyage in her mother’s past. The book includes flashback chapters from the point of view of Cairn’s mother while on the island and shows the events that happened there. I liked that the events in the flashback chapters lined up with events and information Cairn was learning in the present. The events on the island are completely responsible for what’s happening in the present and there were several twists related to what happened on the island that I didn’t see coming. Ultimately I really enjoyed the way the book ended and I liked that it ends in a way that there could be more books set in this world.

Cairn was an interesting character, the daughter of a goddess who chose to live a normal life with her status as a goddess hidden. Cairn’s grief over losing her mother is palpable and her need to understand what happened made complete sense. When her quest leads her deeper into the world of the gods, Cairn always stood out as a human among the other. I liked that Cairn was out of her depth in the world of the gods and how she paired up with gods to help balance that out. Nanook, a polar bear god turned detective, was one of the characters she worked with closely and I really enjoyed his character as well as the father/daughter-esque relationship they formed. Another character I really liked was Delphine, Cairn’s on-off girlfriend. Cairn and Delphine’s relationship was messy and real and I enjoyed it immensely.

Overall I really enjoyed This Eternity of Masks and Shadows and reading it has made me want to revisit the Wildefire series. I highly recommend this book for fans of that series or for anyone looking for a story centered around mythology.

**I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Everything began with the death of a parent...it's a classic trope to set in motion a chain of revelatory events for an adventurous young adult character. And for our 18-year-old protagonist Cairn Delacroix, reeling from the sudden death of her mother, she finds herself in the thick of a conspiracy involving reincarnated gods. Events that took place 19 years ago involving her mother are being hashed out in murderous ways today. The past appears to be catching up, and Cairn needs to figure out who is behind a revenge/murder plot. We get flashbacks of the past through her mother's journal, and vague scenes with nefarious side characters that hint at a villain. There were interesting twists but not enough to keep the pace from feeling slow at many points.

The overall premise has so much potential, but one of the glaring things missing was an explanation of this world. Toss in a bunch of Greek gods everywhere, a Maori god here, a Norse one there, and a girl specially connected to a singular Inuit one—you have yourselves a new modern-day-fantasy hybrid world! I had to suspend a lot of belief as to why there are gods running lose in a city, beings who seem acknowledged to be "normal" but are simultaneously hiding in society. I think that's absolutely fine for an urban fantasy, but the lack of tension and exploration there felt like a missed opportunity to engage me mory fully with this world.

In tandem, I wasn't particularly invested in the characters, either. We have a friendship between Cairn and Delphine, childhood friends who become something more within the first few pages. It's a sweet romance that doesn't feel too overbearing, which I appreciated, but again, I have no emotional connection to Delphine nor can sympathy for Cairn's loss solely keep me going. There are some funny interactions with other side characters, but a lack of development left them forgettable and me underwhelmed. Nevertheless, I'm glad that Knight doesn't feel the need to imbue Cairn with special powers to keep the story moving—just a couragious and determined outlook to chase down the answers to her mother's death. For all the thrills that mixing magic and violence should bring, I wanted to be more excited but I wasn't.

[Lyn *Nomadic Worlds · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a world where Gods reincarnate as humans, Cairn is an 18-year-old whose life used to be normal and her worries that of a simple teen. Then she lost her mother in what looked like suicide. Her life fell apart and she spiraled into a dark place, hell-bent on self-destructing. Until she unearthed secrets her mother had been keeping. As she dug deeper, she found out there was a lot more to her mother’s death than she realized.

At first, the book was very slow and it took me a while to get into the story. But as I kept reading, it got better. The story shifts from past to present, revealing the plot twists little by little, and with maximum impact. Truth be told, I didn’t like Cairn’s attitude. But I enjoyed the plot-line so much, I couldn’t stop reading.

Karsten Knight crafted an extraordinary plot-line with a backstory that left you stunned. I found myself intrigued, with a voracious curiosity as to what secret would be revealed next. The villain was wicked and super cool when first met. But I was kind of disappointed with the later character development.

Despite not liking the main character, I enjoyed the different side-characters and all the Gods with the detailed backstories. The action scenes were well done with vivid descriptions. I enjoyed this book a whole lot more than expected and I’m still wowed over by the story. Plus, let’s not forget that gorgeous cover!

*Thanks to Netgalley & Karsten Knight for the ARC.

https://nomadicworlds.wordpress.com/2020/06/18/book-review-this-eternity-of-masks-and-shadows-karsten-knight/v

[Karsten Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I expect from this book?
Mystery, mythology, magic, and murder (the four Ms)

Did you say mythology?
The main character is the mortal daughter of the Inuit goddess Sedna, and throughout the book she encounters deities from the Egyptian, Norse, Greek, Roman, Māori, and [redacted] pantheons, among others

I can't figure out what genre this is from the description. Is this a fantasy, a murder mystery, a political thriller, or superhero fiction?
... Yes.

Do I need to have read any of your other novels to understand what's happening in this one?
Not at all--in fact, I'd prefer you start with this one! This is a standalone with a new cast of characters. Readers of previous books might enjoy a few Easter egg references, though.

How can I read this book before it releases?
As of April 9, it's available to read for members of Netgalley if you go here. We'll also be running Goodreads giveaways throughout April and May if you'd like to enter to win an advance copy that way. I'll update those links here as they become live.

[Mridula Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Power corrupts the best of us and in a city where Mortals and Gods co-exist, there's bound to be secrets and chaos. These Gods are from various mythologies, reincarnated into different mortal forms repeatedly. One such God is Sedna, the Goddess of the Sea and the Underworld. But when she takes her own life in what feels like a dream-like state, her daughter Cairn stumbles upon her mother's other secret identity, a vigilante who eliminated corrupt Gods.

Cairn's exploration and unearthing of the secrets is fascinating and thrilling. She is a naive child, but has a rage brewing within her heart and that is her driving force. Even after she loses so much, she stands strong in the face of every adversity and fights back stronger than before. But the story comes with it's own set of problems.

There's a story in there somewhere, that hasn't been explored to it fullest potential. I was fascinated by the concept of different Gods as Vigilantes or mastermind criminals and the underlying conspiracy but the author gave very little time to character development in a desperate attempt to turn this into a layered murder mystery. There are very few fantasy elements, mostly stories we have heard again and again. I felt detached throughout the book, as if a movie I am not invested in. The dialogues are sloppy at multiple places, Cairn is reckless and way too smart for an average girl with very little time to hone her talents.

This book is for readers who want a thrilling and fun ride, without investing much.

[Shauni · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book sounded so interesting to me. But as I started it, I realized that this just wasn't a good fit. While the writing was well done, the plot and characters didn't hold my interest. But I'm sure others will enjoy it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kami Boley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an author and a picky reader. This novel was my first selection to review on NetGalley.

During the first few pages, I was worried that this book would not hold my attention . . . boy was I wrong!

There was a line delivered by Cairn’s dad, Emile, explaining the dynamics of his relationship to a woman (Cairn’s mother) who has been coming back to earth like a boomerang since the dawn of humanity. This was such a fun and intriguing concept . . . I had to know more about Ahna Delacroix (AKA-Sedna-goddess of sea life).

I really enjoyed the characters, the mythology, and the modern X-men feel to the storyline.

The relationships featured, and the connection to relatable human emotions throughout, make this book an enjoyable pick even if Fantasy is not your favorite genre.

I highly recommend "This Eternity of Masks and Shadows" and look forward to exploring more titles by Karsten Knight.

[reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

I raced through This Eternity of Masks and Shadows, I couldn't' put it down! "The gods walk among us". This sentence in the description of this book intrigued me from the beginning, and the actual book did not disappoint. I loved the inclusion of gods from all sorts of different cultures and religions. So often stories with gods and myths are very European centric and it was great to see so much diversity.
The main character is the daughter of an Inuit goddess, who is trying to solve the mystery of her mother's murder. Cain is a great protagonist and I loved her spirit and her determination. Cain is also a lesbian! She has an adorable, and realistic romance. The bit where Cain tries to apologize to her girlfriend with a rock after breaking into her apartment made me laugh so hard!
A murder mystery, a fantasy, and superhero adventure, this book blends them all into an exhilarating storyline that keeps you interested until the end. This story is a fast, enjoyable read with awesome characters and has a unique and enthralling plot.

[Alaina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This Eternity of Masks and Shadows kind of dragged on and on for me. Which definitely makes this a disappointment because the synopsis made the book sound so freaking good. Now don't get me wrong, it had some interesting concepts and plots to dive into but it all just fell flat.

In it, you will meet Cairn Delacroix and Nanook. She just witnessed her mother being murdered and he's a polar bear god/detective. Sounds kind of interesting, right? The only downfall was the entire book after that. Cairn was just blah to me. It's weird that she's a god and stuff but knew next to nothing about all the other gods. Or heck, the history of them.

Other than that, there was just so much inconsistency throughout the book that just didn't make anything remotely believable. I get it, it's fantasy and such but dang - at least make the training and other stuff realistic.

The only good thing that came out of this book was the romance between Cairn and Delphine. Which I think is kind of sad to say that I wanted to dive into this book for the mythology and fantasy of it all.. but the romance took the cake? Eh, oh well. I tried the book I guess..

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I need to point out something about This eternity of masks and shadows it is that it reads fast !

Since I thought it was a more a fantasy focused book, with godly adventure with a small part of mystery, than I full on mystery book, I got a bit thrown off my reading when I realized that. I'm not a big fan of investigations books, but I kept pushing, and in the end, I happened to enjoy the story well enough, and finished the whole thing quickly.

Cairn is a really good character, even though a little too stubborn, and she makes the perfect team with Nook, part grumpy detective, part polar bear god. Their dynamic is really good, and the way they interact with each other was entertaining enough to keep me going through a mystery book.

Since I'm bad at knowing gods that aren't the classic Greek one, I was grateful to get to know different mythologies, and learn new things in general. The whole island ordeal also intrigued me a lot, and the flashbacks to the events taking place there are probably my favorite in the books, along with the parts where Delphine is around.

Delphine is Cairn's best friend, and has been around her forever. She really is an amazing character, who evolves a lot as the story goes, which is exactly why I would have wanted to read more about her. Maybe some chapters from her perspective would have been cool, but it was already nice to have her around.

I can't finish this review without saying how great the ending is. There is a lot of action taking place in the last 15% of the book, and I felt as though I was watching a Marvel movie. You can just picture the action, the characters, the general ambiance, you can feel it all !

Even though I'm still no big fan of this mystery genre, this one was a fairly good surprise, and it kept me way more entertained than I thought it would. It really is a cool discovery !

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This Eternity of Masks and Shadows by Karsten Knight sounded like it was going to be right up my alley. The concept behind it is pretty cool. In the end, though, it just wasn't for me. I was expecting something a little different than what we got. Plus, it could have gone through another round of edits or so and could have probably come through the other side and have made more sense. And I would have preferred to like reading at least one of the characters rather than actively disliking all of them. Thanks anyway, NetGalley.

[Tee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love free books. So it really breaks my heart, when I have have to write not-so-great things about a free book. But before I get to that,

I would like to thank the author and goodreads for this giveaway. I danced when I got the email that I had won it. Thank you so much.

Plot:

Every hundred years, the gods of all civilizations are reincarnated, and walk among humans. Some live normal human lives, despite their powers and some declare their godhood, creating business empires and living, well... as gods.

Cairn is the daughter of the god, Sedna. Sedna, unlike other gods, is living her life as quiet and as humanly as possible, even to the point of keeping her godhood secret. Cairn lives a normal enough life, quietly in love with her best friend, Delphine. Then one evening, everything changes.

Cairn, Delphine, Sedna and a few others are on a boat, when Sedna, Cairn's mother, wraps the anchor around herself and plunges into the ocean. Cairn dives in after her mother but is unable to save her.

In the wake of her grief, Cairn stumbles upon her mother's secret layer and begins to unravel her mother's other life. A life that began when her mother signed up to be a member of the Pantheon, along with five other gods.

It is not long before, other members of the Pantheon end up dead, from seeming suicides. Cairn knows there is more to the death that meets the eye, and sets out to find the person responsible for her mother's death.

Problem

The main problem with this book is the fact that the antagonists were impossibly powerful and as a result, very very successful. While the protagonists were extremely weak... so weak that the conclusion of the book felt inconsistent, like the author pulled it out of her ass last minute to wrap up the book.

To put things plainly, a god is possessing other gods and forcing them to commit suicide, what logical chance does a mere 18 year old mortal, with no powers whatsoever, have against this god. There is no journey for a great artifact that would somehow help Cairn protect her mind or level the playing field. There is no kick-ass god to bargain with for power. Cairn has no fighting skills, no investigative skills, and she's somehow supposed to catch a godkiller who makes puppet out of other gods before killing them?

Because this was the situation, every time the protagonist struck, the book just felt dark. I love books with heroes who are basically the underdog. Mostly because page by page, you start to see a glimmer of some success. The ending slowly shifting from being improbable, to being possible, though with infinite dangers. Cairn's success in this book was firmly impossible from the beginning. It kept solidifying as impossible, never once straying into being probable, and then suddenly, you get to the last two chapters and are like what the hell?

A lot of things are so choppy by then end, that it just hurt to read.

Also the child neglect in this book is just wow. Cairn's dad is spectacular.

I also didn't like the dual timelines in the book. In order to establish how the gods and the pantheon were connected the author essentially wrote the book with two parallel timelines. One timeline in the past to explain what went down on the island and the second in the present. Everything on the island, trying to explain how the gods were connected was basically fluff, especially considering how the book ended. The island did nothing to explain the antagonist's motives. In fact, if you delete all the chapters of the Island expedition, the plot will still be intact.

Boy, do I hate hate fluff!

So that's how I arrived at 2 stars.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Eternity of Masks and Shadows is a standalone young adult fantasy adventure by Karsten Knight. It is almost impossible to pinpoint the genre on this bad boy of a book. This Eternity of Masks and Shadows is a mash up of so many different genres. It is part romance, part fantasy and mythology, plus a ton of adventure...of yea...and a murder mystery! I love fantasies, mythology and murder mysteries, but I don't really read too much of that mash up. And I have to say, after reading This Eternity of Masks and Shadows I am really digging it! This book was great!

In This Eternity of Masks and Shadows we meet our main character, Cairn, who also happens to be the daughter of the latest reincarnation of the the goddess Sedna. Sedna is the Inuit goddess of seal life and marine animals. I loved the diversity in all of the cultures gods and goddesses that were represented in this novel. It didn't just focus on Greek or roman gods, but rather I saw a ton of gods and goddesses that I have never had the pleasure of reading about in a young adult fantasy story, all mingled together in this world that Karsten Knight created. Cairn finds herself thrown in the middle of a big mystery between the Gods as she tries to figure out who killed her mother and why. Joining her is her best friend, and romantic interest- Delaphine, along with plenty of characters that they meet along the way. The romance in this book was very sweet, but it felt overall secondary to the action and mystery plotline. I also kept hoping we would see more of the ever cute and adorable pet Squall. I loved him!

The action in this book was pretty much non-stop from chapter 2! There is so much going on in this book, and with so many characters, I will admit that I had a tough time keeping track of them all at first. But don't worry, if that happens to you, just keep reading. By the end of the story you will have a better handle on who everyone is and their roles. It got easier for me to catalog everyone as we progress on trying to solve the mystery. As far as the plot goes, it oscillates  between present day and various past events and the flow works out nicely as Carin is trying to piece the whole puzzle of the mystery together. Obviously, I don't want to give anything away, but I will say this was one totally epic journey. The Gods themselves were so diverse, not only in culture but on the spectrum of good to totally completely evil. This book also has a broad spectrum of completely light fun moments all the way to moments that felt honestly very scary and violent. I loved how diverse this book was in so many different aspects.

I will say that I was able to predict some elements of the story, but overall I was swept away in this vast tale and murder mystery featuring all kinds of gods and goddesses. I was enthralled. I loved all the different aspects and jobs that the gods have. It was unlike any other depiction of gods in fiction than I have read in the past. For instance, the detective on the case was a Polar bear god! I have always really enjoyed Karsten Knight's books, but it has been some time since I have picked one up. This Eternity of Masks and Shadows was a great reminder of how much I enjoy his writing and story telling abilities. If you are looking for a book that truly does feel unique, fresh and different look no further than This Eternity of Masks and Shadows. This book was one heck of an awesome ride!

[Evelyn Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I acquired a copy of this arc through Netgallery

Carin is the daughter of a reincarnated Goddess, Sedna, the Inuit goddess of sea and marine life. For in Carin's world gods and goddesses walk among humans and are reincarnated into new lives and bodies. But Carin's world changes forever when another God murders her mother and she is left to pick up the pieces and sift through the mysterys of her mother's life. She discovers a journey took in her youth with other Gods may be the cause as the other members of that trip begin to die one by one, and she is left to seek justice not only for her mother but all of them.

I think the concept for this book is incredible, the idea of gods and goddesses walking amongst us as they are reincarnated into new bodies. I appreciated how Knight chose to focus on mythologies from all across the world instead of just one, as we all have seen too many books based soley on Greek mythology. I aso thought it was cool how this was set in our world and in modern times, so the author could explore how this may influence celebrity culture but also politics and therefore democracy.

However, I do think these ideas lacked some depth. I would have liked to have seen how the god's heritage impacted how they felt in modern society. For exmaple, Ahna, Carin's mother was a reincarnation of a goddess from Iniut mythology, but there was little mention or exploration of how connected she felt to that culture or heritage. As well as this, I would have liked to have seen a greater anaylse of how the knowledge of reincarnated gods existing in the modern world influenced how we behaved in a greater depth.

The plot was complicated and there were many reveals woven into the story, and whilst I think it was an extremely interesting idea I feel like most of it was rather told than shown to us. Many of the plot twists and reveals landed flat to me as I was told about them, and it often felt like there wern't enough hints left for the reader to be able to guess it, or understand where the plot twist had come from even with hindsight.

As well as this, I struggled to connect with any of the characters in any meaningful way as none of them felt complex or fully fleshed out. Carin felt like a blank slate so she could be read as relatable, but honestly it left me feeling largely bored of her character.

Overall, whilst the ideas and premise of this was ambitious and promising not enough of it was well executed enough to carry it off.

Read my full review here: https://moonlitbooks.home.blog/2020/0...

[Brinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a big surprise to me. I hadn't read the blurb, so I definitely wasn't expecting a somewhat urban fantasy that featured Gods from multiple religions. I would say that I'd rate this a solid 4.5, but I don't feel right bumping that up to a 5, because I wasn't emotionally invested in the characters or story.

The plot of this was actually super fun. It was a pretty normal murder mystery, but with a drug and Gods. I found it super interesting how so many of the Gods were like normal people, albeit with powers. The plot of this was action packed, and kept me guessing until the end. I never wanted to put the book down, which is always a good sign.

Now, the Gods in this stem from several cultures. We have Egyptian, Norse, Inuit, and I think Aztec Gods all shoved into one story. We get small pieces of myths, which were always super interesting, but that was about it for the culture aspect. Our main character was Inuit, but her culture was never acknowledged, which was slightly disappointed. I would've loved to learn something about a group of people I know nothing about.

I really liked all of the characters in this, with Nook being one of my favorites. They all felt real to me, and everything they did was somewhat logical. (they weren't getting powers conveniently added the entire time) I loved the way that Knight wrote Cairn. Instead of heaping blessings and powers onto her like so many fantasy books do, she left Cain with only her wits and a few friends. I felt like that really added suspense, because Cairn couldn't just burn her way out of any problems.

The romance in this was pretty lackluster, but that may just be because it doesn't receive much page time. Most of the it was just Cairn apologizing to Delphine. Delphine seemed pretty useless until the end, but then it made sense as to why she'd been included. I would definitely recommend this to any mythology lovers, because this spotlighted some religions that don't get much representation!

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Lana (Lore & Lullabies) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This YA urban fantasy murder mystery with myths of SO MANY cultures, ticked all of the boxes for me before I even read the first page.

The story kicks off quickly with love professed, death of a loved one, and an action scene. It set the pace of the book (fast. It is super fast) I do love not having to sit through a fifth of the book being world-building info dumps. I would've like to have seen a couple more chapters of relationship and character building between Cairn and Delphine, and with her mum though.

The sapphic relationship between Cairn and her best friend wasn't specifically stated. It just was. This I appreciated as it didn't feel like the author was just adding it into the book because lgbtq+ representation is the "in" thing to do these days.

I liked that the pantheons in this story are lesser-known or minorities. To see my own pantheon (Maori) represented in this was more than amazing. I have never seen my culture showcased in a fantasy that is not solely about New Zealand or Maori so that was refreshing.

It took me a while to warm to Cairn. This was because she was different than the usual YA protagonists I'm used to reading but that didn't make her a bad character. As I stated earlier, I would've preferred to know her better, her pov. It is very rare we get an insight into her head which made it hard to connect with her.

The murder mystery aspect was cool to have in a book like this. It is definitely something I haven't read much of. However in saying that, I am only recently getting back into reading. I liked it. I am usually pretty good at picking who the bad guy was, it was NOT who I thought it would be and that was pleasantly surprising.

I found this was fast-paced and fun. It was easy to read and I would love to see these characters again. Especially Delphine! So I do hope it becomes a series.

[⊹ Gabriela | Asternyx ⊹ · Rating 3 out of 5]

We have superheroes, reincarnated gods, and a 18 years old human girl, Cairn, whose mom, a goddess herself, is murdered. After her mom takes her own life in strange circumstances, Cairn realizes that she knew very little about her and wants to find out the truth. And along with it, the answer to the question : what drives a person to do such a thing?

I'll share with you a few things that got stuck in my brain :
• What's with these strange names?! Cairn, Delphine, Tane, Vulcan ...
Add-on : Cairn means "pile of rocks" .... right, because this makes it better 😂

• This girl's attitude tho. Speaking with everyone like they are equals. No, I'm wrong! Everyone's speaking with everyone like they're all equals ...
And not to mention the explicit language (in the first 100 pages of the book)

• There were moments when I felt lost. And I also noticed that sometimes the author pressed the "suspense button" (too often if you ask me)
I get that sometimes we need the suspense, but not THAT often 😅

• The end battle of 6 full pages ... I was bored.
____________________
That being said, this book wasn't a bad read. It was kind of a mythological, urban fantasy, mistery thriller.
⇢ Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review

[Gabriela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

A fast-paced, thrilling, diverse superhero/ crime show. I enjoyed my time diving into this world, where all the gods are real and we are introduced to a very wide spectrum of mythologies. It was well-written, had good pacing and a cute f/f romance. I liked the mish-mash of genres, it felt refreshing and different. I would recommend this if you enjoy mythologies and/or superheroes and/or crime shows.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an absolute delight to read. It follows the story of a young woman named Cairn who is the daughter of the Inuit goddess of the sea and sea creatures. She is living in a world where gods and goddesses from every pantheon live among us and are reincarnated every hundred years or so. After disaster strikes and Cairn's mother is killed, she is left to pick up the pieces and figure out who has been going after gods and goddesses, all while dealing with her intense grief.

As an avid lover of myth, I instantly gravitate toward any book featuring mythology, so I've read many, many retellings over the years. This Eternity of Masks and Shadows approaches it in an entirely new way, though, and it fascinated me throughout the entire book. I loved the intersection of all of the different faiths and belief systems, and the idea of the gods walking among us in our modern society is such an interesting take that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Something else that really stuck out to me was the casual queer relationship featured in this novel. Cairn, the protagonist, is in a relationship with a singer named Delphine, and while she is very clear and unashamed of her identity, it is not the focal point of the story, and I love that. While, as a queer reader, I always appreciate any well-written representation, to have it be treated as any other relationship, as it was in this book, normalizes LGBTQ+ relationships in the real world as well as in fiction. Having gay characters does not always need to be a major statement- they can be treated as regular people without having to focus on making them "different" from anyone else. Cairn is a fully fleshed-out protagonist who's relationship and queerness is not her only personality trait, and I find that makes her so much more realistic and relatable not only to a queer audience but to any reader.

All in all, I found this to be such an enjoyable read. The plot was fast-paced and full of tension, leaving me constantly guessing what was coming next. The characters were well-developed and very loveable, and I found myself rooting for them throughout the entire book. I would definitely recommend this to any mythology lovers, or anyone looking for a murder-mystery style novel with a fun and exciting twist.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Eternity of Mask and Shadows was brilliant. This was my first ARC read through NetGalley and it is going to be hard to beat. Mystery, mythology and murder - what more could you ask for in a book?

I stormed my way through this, finishing it in just one day. As soon as I put it down I itched to pick it back up again, I was reluctant to do anything else; my mind constantly returning to the story of Cairn, daughter of the Inuit goddess Sedna, and her quest for justice. Eternity does a brilliant job of taking popular genres (mystery and crime) and then flipping it on its head, delivering something truly original fantastical and absorbing.

In this world the god and goddesses of every conceivable religion; Egyptian, Norse, Greek, Roman and Māori amongst others. Karsten Knight creates a rich and vibrant world, one in which I desperately wanted to spend more time. (If Karsten reads this, consider this a plea for this to spark a series of Cairn and co's adventures).

A strong, hilarious, gay protagonist, surrounded by strong women, flawed characters, morally challenging decisions and diverse and equally hilarious characters - I don't think I'm going to stop gushing about this book for a while. I was well and truly enchanted by the characters in the book, the entire idea is genius but the execution is *chef's kiss*.

This Eternity of Mask and Shadows will be released Jun 2nd 2020, or if you're desperate to get your hands on it (and you should be) keep an eye on GoodReads for upcoming giveaways of advanced copies. Get yourself a copy of this book - I know I'll be getting myself a physical copy, this book needs to be on any self respecting book lovers shelves.

[Lindsi (Do You Dog-ear?) · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 30%

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I think This Eternity of Masks and Shadows could have benefited from a few more rounds of editing. One example would be when the characters were exploring an uncharted island, but then "crash-landed in front of Sulfur Gulch," which made it seem like someone had been there previously to name that part of the island. Small inconsistencies like this one kept jumping out at me, which was distracting and disrupted the flow of the story.

I also disliked the main character, so that's always a huge negative for me. She wasn't understandably unlikable, despite losing her mother, so I had a hard time excusing her behavior. Additionally, she made inappropriate comments all the time. A guy dies after falling from 35 stories (at least, I think it was 35), and lands in a truck. Do you know what our lovely MC says? "That's a hell of a way to hitchhike." Really, Cairn? Her own mother just died by apparent suicide, and she's going to crack totally inappropriate jokes at another dead person's expense? Someone her mother was friends with?

Oh, and this gem: "...when she saw a bloody corpse that had been torn to shreds by a wild animal. She pursed her lips disapprovingly. 'Why is it always the sexiest ones who have the longest rap sheets?'" REALLY, CAIRN? That's where you're mind goes? She also had a bad habit of going from calm to RAGING in the blink of an eye. Other times she would be crying, but then stop suddenly when something else happened. It was hard to keep up with her emotionally.

I also thought the story was overwhelming with its information. There were sooo many gods and deities being tossed into various conversations, that it was hard to keep track of them all. I did like that the author shared some of their individual myths and backstories, but I'm unsure of the accuracy (I'm unfamiliar with Inuit folklore). The gods themselves don't remember their past lives, so the stories they've collected are from what they've picked up during their current lifetimes.

This Eternity of Masks and Shadows had an interesting premise, but in the end it failed to deliver. The story progressed a little too quickly (giving readers very little time to process new information), and the characters were either uninteresting or unlikable. However, I did like the dual POVs (Cairn in the present, her mother (Sedna) in the past). It just wasn't enough to keep me invested in the story or its outcome. Normally, I'm all over a book with mythology, but I think the author may have tried to tackle too much within one story, or the world-building needed some serious work. (★★☆☆☆)

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[Megan (Bookish_Raider) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Received an ARC through Netgalley. *

This Eternity of Masks and Shadows is definitely a jam-packed story with so many different genres all working together wonderfully. If I would sum it up, its a superhero murder mystery where the heroes based on all the different gods and goddess from mythologies around the world. It really is original and spectacularly unique. I loved how these gods and goddesses used their "powers" and what their jobs were in our modern world. For example, Cairn's mother, Sedna, is the Innuit Goddess of the Sea and marine animals... and worked as a Marine Biologist.

The main character, Cairn, is a teen who is in love with her best friend and the beginning really opens up beautifully with so much hope... and then immediately crushes your heart. I loved the scenes with Cairn and Delphine and they might have been my favorite part of the story.

This was a great story... and the ending and epilogue left me wanting to find out more in this world...

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, fast paced enjoyable read on this bank holiday.

Pros:
Well blended mix of genres - Fantasy, Superhero, whodunnit & LGBTQ romance.
Great pacing throughout, it was hard to put down.
Main characters were interesting - wish there was more about all of them.
Fantasy elements blended well into the modern world

Cons:
Secondary characters lacked character development
Ending/Epilogue left me wanting far more from these characters and this universe.

[Mika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This Eternity of Masks and Shadows was such an enjoyable read. I honestly have no words on how to describe my love for this book because it was such a thrill. It had a mix of genres I liked: mystery, fantasy, action, and romance. The book was written so well that each chapter kept me wanting more. The plot was just amazing. I love how it started off as a young girl trying to cope with the loss of her mother and then you suddenly fall into something greater and more complex as you join the protagonist in solving the mystery about her mother's death.

As somebody who grew up reading myths, I loved how the author incorporated all these different mythologies from different cultures. It introduces readers to knew mythologies and delves them deeper into such a vast topic. I also liked how smaller myths and gods had great roles and I really appreciate the author's attention to detail as he built this world.

Also I highly appreciate how Cairn is a member of the LGBT community and how it just feels so natural. I really liked Cairn's character. I admire her strength, courage, intelligence and most of all, her love for her friends and family. Her relationship with her mother makes this book feel relatable and even with all the gods and how grand the world is, the mother-daughter dynamic is never overpowered by something else. I feel like a lot of people can look up to Cairn and relate to her.

Overall, I just loved this book, the characters, all the gods, and the plot twists. The only problem I had was that the book's ending made me want for more, especially with all the possibilities created by the inclusion of all these myths.

[emily- mossyreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

E-ARC received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

2.5 Stars Rounded Up To 3 Stars

There was so much potential for this to be such a great book, but instead I got minimal world building and almost zero character development. I hate having to rate a book below three stars because for the most part I enjoy just about everything that I read unless there are themes that are extremely off putting. This Eternity of Masks and Shadow was just kind of disappointing to me, especially when I could see the incredible story it could have been with just a little more development. 

Things I Liked:

So even though I was mostly disappointed in how this book played out there were a few things that I did like. 

This book was told in a kind of dual timeline, one with Carin in the present and one with her mother and her crew in the past. The flashback chapters were so much more thought out and developed than the present chapters. I really loved reading about what happened to Carin's mother in the past to make her who she was. I really enjoyed reading those. If the book had just been Carin's mother's adventures on that island, this book would have had a much higher from me. 

Things I Didn't Like:

I wouldn't go so far as to say that I out-rightly hated anything in this book, but there were more than enough things that frustrated me throughout it to keep me from truly enjoying the story. 

This book felt like a zero draft rather than a published novel. It needed revision, fleshing out, and maybe some reconstruction on how the plot points were revealed. This was a story that told me rather than showed me, which made it kind of a boring read. There wasn't much emotion or description and I didn't have to engage my brain at all to read it. It was just kind of dry.  There was a lack of world building that made it very difficult for me to understand what was happening in the book. I couldn't understand what the dynamic was between the reincarnated gods and the mortals. There wasn't much explanation in way of why gods are reincarnated or how it effects the incarnations of those gods.

I felt like I didn't have any idea what was going on plot wise through most of this book. I knew Carin was trying to solve the mystery of her mother's death, but everything else was so murky with the plot. Again there wasn't enough world building for me to understand all the dynamics and why things were occurring the way they were through out the story. I got to the middle of the story and I almost gave up because I didn't understand who anyone was or what their relationship was to the plot or to the other characters.

The characters were another thing that lacked quite a bit for me. 

I think this book was supposed to be some sort of found family trope but it didn't really work out for me. For one, Carin's dad, who was grieving and a mess, suddenly gets better and conveniently goes off on a work trip. I didn't like this. Carin supposedly had a good relationship with her dad and I would have liked to see them work through their grief together rather than him just getting shipped out of the picture for the convenience of the story. 

Carin herself is kind of a two dimensional characters. Her personality is as plain as the paper that the words are written on. 90% of Carin on page is her talking to another character. There is no insight in to the kind of person she is or her personality. The book is written in the first person, so I felt like there should have been more of an internal monologue happening to give me more of a look inside Carin's thoughts and feelings. There were a lot of things that just seemed out of place when she'd say something about her past life. At some point she says something like "I made a career out of party crashing in high school," but I got zero clue from her personality up to that point that partying in high school was something that she did at all. She would just have outbursts of what I think were supposed to be pent up emotions and apparently I was supposed to just accept that as character development. Except that there was no context and I had no idea she had been feeling any of those things leading up to her outburst. I think Carin as a character was trying too hard to be the stereotypical heroine, but there was not enough development to her beyond that to make me connect to her as a character at all. 

So Carin teams up with all of these people from her mother's secret other life. I'm told over and over again that she forms a tight bond with all of these characters, but I'm never shown how those bonds form. There is no chemistry, there are no bonding scenes. Just one minute they are all strangers and the next Carin is treating them like they saved her life and adopted her into their clan of tight knit members. I think Carin's relationship with Nook is the perfect example of this. Like he has really strong feelings of protectiveness of her, kind of like a father figure, but there was no deep connection between the characters. 

I think that was my biggest problem with this story. Everything was told to me. Either the characters said it or it was spelled out word for word in the text. I couldn't learn anything about these characters organically. They didn't have any defining characteristics that made them feel like more than just little paper dolls. I was just left wanting more and being unsatisfied. 

One more thing I want to touch on before I sign off because this book doesn't deserve me going on and on about the things I didn't like. 

This book has a F/F relationship, but I really was not a fan of how it was put down on paper. I am not a queer person, so I have no personal experience of being in that sort of relationship, but this couple didn't feel natural at all.

Supposedly, Carin and Delphine have been best friends for thirteen years, but it doesn't feel like it at all. There is not chemistry. There was no familiarity. I had a hard time believing that there was any spark for a romance at all between these two girls. This is kind of harsh, but it really felt like this relationship was originally written as M/F and then switched at the very end without reworking the dynamic around it. This could just be because it was a F/F romance written by a male author, but there was just a lot of really off putting things about how it was put down on page that I didn't really enjoy. Things like Carin calling herself a prick in an argument. There were just moments where  I almost forgot I was supposed to be reading about two girls in love instead of a poorly written couple from a bad romance novel. 

This book really had a lot of potential, but it didn't live up to my expectations.