Masquerade

* WINNER OF THE BRITISH FANTASY AWARD 2025 ** FINALIST FOR THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD, CAROL SHIELDS PRIZE AND GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD * * A BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR PEOPLE, AUDIBLE, AND INDIE NEXT LIST *’An immersive, one-of-a-kind story’ – People ‘Bristling with court intrigue and treachery’ – Seattle Times’Paints a vibrant picture of the people, the colours, and the sights’ – Booklist’A page-turning blend of historical fiction with mythology’ – Kirkus ReviewsHER RISE TO POWER, PAID IN BLOODÒdòdó’s home city of Timbuktu has been conquered by the warrior king of Yorùbáland. Under their new oppressive ruler, conditions for Òdòdó and the other women in her ostracised blacksmith guild grow even worse.Then Òdòdó is abducted and whisked across the Sahara to the capital city of Sàngóte, where she is shocked to discover that her kidnapper – the apparent vagrant who had visited her guild just days prior – is none other than the warrior king himself, and he has chosen her to be his wife.Òdòdó soars to the very heights of society, and into a world of battle and politics. As tensions with rival states grow, revealing elaborate schemes and hidden enemies, Òdòdó must defy the cruel king she has been forced to wed and reforge the shaky loyalties of the court in her favour, or risk losing everything – including her life.Loosely based on the myth of Persephone, O.O. Sangoyomi’s Masquerade takes you on a journey of epic power struggles and political intrigue which turn an entire region on its head.