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Masquerade
Not everything is what it seems…
Secret identities, some kept hidden and others brought into the light. This collection explores the many ways one can masquerade. But you can only pretend to be something you’re not for so long…
A party with some unexpected guests; a spooky museum with secrets behind every door; a girl waiting for a kiss to break her curse; love that’s worth fighting for; interrupted heists; and seemingly harmless surroundings filled with danger and intrigue.
Secret identities, some kept hidden and others brought into the light. This collection explores the many ways one can masquerade. But you can only pretend to be something you’re not for so long…
A party with some unexpected guests; a spooky museum with secrets behind every door; a girl waiting for a kiss to break her curse; love that’s worth fighting for; interrupted heists; and seemingly harmless surroundings filled with danger and intrigue.
- GenresFantasy
About the author
Kelly Dowswell
2 books5 followersKelly Dowswell is an author from southwestern Ontario. She released her debut novel Written In Ink in August 2023.
She is currently working on her second novel, a prequel, for Written in Ink which she hopes to publish in 2024.
She is currently working on her second novel, a prequel, for Written in Ink which she hopes to publish in 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 18, 2022
With a title like that, I was expecting Masquerade to be a collection of Cinderella retellings, but although it does indeed have some of those, the overarching theme in this anthology isn't that fairy tale but hidden identities, masking one's real self, literally or figuratively, revealing it, keeping it hidden, dealing with it. Switched identities, hidden identities, and double identities are par for the course in all these stories and poems.
The amount of stories and poems included is a bit overwhelming for a book that's on the lower end of middle-sized; there are 29 in total, of which fourteen are short stories and fifteen are poems. I think fewer and longer would've been preferable, partly because quality over quantity is all the more relevant for anthologies with such divergent styles, and partly because a higher number of stories means a limited word count, that invariably harms a few stories that have to adhere to this requirement. There's several stories in Masquerade that read incomplete, half-cooked even, and that leave too much up in the air, end abruptly, or leave unanswered questions. I can think of at least two stories that read like they were a chapter torn from a novel, making you wonder what was all that about.
Another thing I struggled with was the quickness of bonding between characters, a. k. a. insta-love. I accept attraction at first sight and feeling comfortable and at ease after a few minutes with someone, but we're not talking about that here. We're talking about outright falling in love and declaring so. In some cases, like in "Swan Song" and "Midnight Masquerade," there's a background of the protagonists having known each other for years previously, off-page, so that makes their love declaration at the masquerade credible, diminishing the insta-lovey factor; but in other cases, like in "Forest Fiends," it isn't because they'd never met before and some minutes dancing and talking doesn't an enduring love create. Even Cinderella got more than one night with the prince, after all (ignore Disney, please).
Then there was the poems outnumbering the stories. It's become a trademark of this writers group's anthologies that they add in poetry, there's at least one haiku too, but they've never worked their magic on me. I must've been dropped on my head as a baby and am poetry-challenged since, so I'm not going to review them. Wouldn't be fair, and I'm sure others not as rhyme-deaf as me do like them just fine.
As to the positives, there's three sets of authors that somehow managed to write their own "anthology within an anthology," thematically speaking. First of them is Hannah Carter, who I'm convinced can launch anthologies on her own with her buddy cop stories. Only that you have a witch and a wizard instead of cops. She has two such stories here, "Princesses, Spies, and Other Modern Lies" and "Magnus' Magnificent Night Circus," my favourite being the latter, both being magical detective/espionage plots. I liked that both couples are really a team, and there's no artificial tension between them just because they're a man and a woman.
The second are the slapstick comedy duo, "Topsy Turvy Tiger" and "Retrograde," the first about a killer clown that refuses to kill a tiger for... reasons, and the second about a superhero called Epic that in reality is the anti-Superman and the opposite of epic. I laughed more at the clown story, but I think both would be funnier in visual format, as slapstick is better seen than read, at least for me. And, finally, the creepy duo, "Stolen Breaths" and "The Lost Museum," both by Kelly Dowswell. The two stories use the same device: an isolated place that has dark magic and bloodthirsty creatures living there, preying on unsuspecting travellers that arrive. I thought the former was more intriguing, but in general both left loose threads, and the second suffered from a bit of lack of buildup.
Now, on to my favourites:
THE PHANTOM THIEF by Julia Scott
5 stars
This was a heist story built on the Phantom of the Opera legend, but with different characters. Although the story is self-contained, it nonetheless begs on his knees to be continued. I'm in the minority in not liking Phantom, that creep, and am happy that Christine went with Raoul (better Blandy le Bland than McCreepo), so I loved this spinoff of the novel with different characters and want more. I already have a suspicion about how that damned mask works, too.
CECAELIA by Adella Quick
5 stars
This started like a Little Mermaid retelling but ended like Ursula's origin story. Ha! It totally caught me off guard and subverted my expectations. Wouldn't it be quite the biggest upset ever if the wicked Sea Witch had started off as an Ariel? Of course, it isn't that kind of story, but it definitely does feel as if it were.
My only complaint here is that I want to know what the merfolk were up to, they can't be as evil as the cecaelia say, there's two sides to this war but we're not given the other side of the tale, and Lady Cecaelia is in the perfect position to tell us both. I hope she doesn't end up like Ursula but more like Andersen's Sea Witch, who's ambiguous. Also, the author must've slipped, because the hero is called a prince at one point when he's introduced as an Earl. A mistake? This does need a continuation, too.
BLEEDING HEARTS by Adella Quick
4.5 stars
Oh, dear, was this dark! I hate werewolf stories with a passion because of Twilight and a gazillion crappy LRRH retellings, but I liked this one. Granted, I didn't know it had werewolves, so... Still, I'm mad at the twist by the end. Poor, poor girl, all she wanted was to be useful and protect.
On a side note, I'd like to know why that character hates werewolves so much. They killed his family? Jacob Black stole his girl? What? I needa know!
ONLY THE WIND by Beka Gremikova
5 stars
A genderbent Twelve Dancing Princesses, or rather Half-Dozen Prancin' Princes. It follows the fairy tale faithfully, and I liked the rapport between the eldest prince and the female soldier in charge of investigating where the royal brats go each night. The author really is good at writing nice and sweet male leads, it must be her specialty. I'd have wanted the ending to be a bit longer, expanding on how Elsi presented proof of the princes' escapades to the Queen, and maybe see Prince Youngest Turd suffer a little before he's caged.
I received an ARC from the editors in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
The amount of stories and poems included is a bit overwhelming for a book that's on the lower end of middle-sized; there are 29 in total, of which fourteen are short stories and fifteen are poems. I think fewer and longer would've been preferable, partly because quality over quantity is all the more relevant for anthologies with such divergent styles, and partly because a higher number of stories means a limited word count, that invariably harms a few stories that have to adhere to this requirement. There's several stories in Masquerade that read incomplete, half-cooked even, and that leave too much up in the air, end abruptly, or leave unanswered questions. I can think of at least two stories that read like they were a chapter torn from a novel, making you wonder what was all that about.
Another thing I struggled with was the quickness of bonding between characters, a. k. a. insta-love. I accept attraction at first sight and feeling comfortable and at ease after a few minutes with someone, but we're not talking about that here. We're talking about outright falling in love and declaring so. In some cases, like in "Swan Song" and "Midnight Masquerade," there's a background of the protagonists having known each other for years previously, off-page, so that makes their love declaration at the masquerade credible, diminishing the insta-lovey factor; but in other cases, like in "Forest Fiends," it isn't because they'd never met before and some minutes dancing and talking doesn't an enduring love create. Even Cinderella got more than one night with the prince, after all (ignore Disney, please).
Then there was the poems outnumbering the stories. It's become a trademark of this writers group's anthologies that they add in poetry, there's at least one haiku too, but they've never worked their magic on me. I must've been dropped on my head as a baby and am poetry-challenged since, so I'm not going to review them. Wouldn't be fair, and I'm sure others not as rhyme-deaf as me do like them just fine.
As to the positives, there's three sets of authors that somehow managed to write their own "anthology within an anthology," thematically speaking. First of them is Hannah Carter, who I'm convinced can launch anthologies on her own with her buddy cop stories. Only that you have a witch and a wizard instead of cops. She has two such stories here, "Princesses, Spies, and Other Modern Lies" and "Magnus' Magnificent Night Circus," my favourite being the latter, both being magical detective/espionage plots. I liked that both couples are really a team, and there's no artificial tension between them just because they're a man and a woman.
The second are the slapstick comedy duo, "Topsy Turvy Tiger" and "Retrograde," the first about a killer clown that refuses to kill a tiger for... reasons, and the second about a superhero called Epic that in reality is the anti-Superman and the opposite of epic. I laughed more at the clown story, but I think both would be funnier in visual format, as slapstick is better seen than read, at least for me. And, finally, the creepy duo, "Stolen Breaths" and "The Lost Museum," both by Kelly Dowswell. The two stories use the same device: an isolated place that has dark magic and bloodthirsty creatures living there, preying on unsuspecting travellers that arrive. I thought the former was more intriguing, but in general both left loose threads, and the second suffered from a bit of lack of buildup.
Now, on to my favourites:
THE PHANTOM THIEF by Julia Scott
5 stars
This was a heist story built on the Phantom of the Opera legend, but with different characters. Although the story is self-contained, it nonetheless begs on his knees to be continued. I'm in the minority in not liking Phantom, that creep, and am happy that Christine went with Raoul (better Blandy le Bland than McCreepo), so I loved this spinoff of the novel with different characters and want more. I already have a suspicion about how that damned mask works, too.
CECAELIA by Adella Quick
5 stars
This started like a Little Mermaid retelling but ended like Ursula's origin story. Ha! It totally caught me off guard and subverted my expectations. Wouldn't it be quite the biggest upset ever if the wicked Sea Witch had started off as an Ariel? Of course, it isn't that kind of story, but it definitely does feel as if it were.
My only complaint here is that I want to know what the merfolk were up to, they can't be as evil as the cecaelia say, there's two sides to this war but we're not given the other side of the tale, and Lady Cecaelia is in the perfect position to tell us both. I hope she doesn't end up like Ursula but more like Andersen's Sea Witch, who's ambiguous. Also, the author must've slipped, because the hero is called a prince at one point when he's introduced as an Earl. A mistake? This does need a continuation, too.
BLEEDING HEARTS by Adella Quick
4.5 stars
Oh, dear, was this dark! I hate werewolf stories with a passion because of Twilight and a gazillion crappy LRRH retellings, but I liked this one. Granted, I didn't know it had werewolves, so... Still, I'm mad at the twist by the end. Poor, poor girl, all she wanted was to be useful and protect.
On a side note, I'd like to know why that character hates werewolves so much. They killed his family? Jacob Black stole his girl? What? I needa know!
ONLY THE WIND by Beka Gremikova
5 stars
A genderbent Twelve Dancing Princesses, or rather Half-Dozen Prancin' Princes. It follows the fairy tale faithfully, and I liked the rapport between the eldest prince and the female soldier in charge of investigating where the royal brats go each night. The author really is good at writing nice and sweet male leads, it must be her specialty. I'd have wanted the ending to be a bit longer, expanding on how Elsi presented proof of the princes' escapades to the Queen, and maybe see Prince Youngest Turd suffer a little before he's caged.
I received an ARC from the editors in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Want to read
November 27, 2022Nov. 26th update: The ebook is on sale for $0.99 this weekend! So if you’ve been looking to snatch it up, now’s the time! :-)
ETA: It now has a release date! This beautiful anthology will be releasing September 27th, 2022!
I have two pieces releasing in this anthology, and I can’t wait to share them with you!
🍃 ONLY THE WIND - a gender-bent Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling, from the POV of a young soldier who has just returned from war and now must save the prince she loves from his reckless brothers. I went a bit wild while editing this one, and an expanded version now exists. The longer version won't be included in this anthology, but I will be releasing it later on. ;-)
🐅 TOPSY TURVY TIGER - A killer clown encounters an annoyed tiger in a circus, and mayhem ensues. It's as haywire as it sounds! This flash fiction was first published as a Staff Saturday story with @gohavok, and it was so much fun to write. Fairytale lovers may recognize some familiar tropes in the tale, but I won't say which ones because of #spoilers!
ETA: It now has a release date! This beautiful anthology will be releasing September 27th, 2022!
I have two pieces releasing in this anthology, and I can’t wait to share them with you!
🍃 ONLY THE WIND - a gender-bent Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling, from the POV of a young soldier who has just returned from war and now must save the prince she loves from his reckless brothers. I went a bit wild while editing this one, and an expanded version now exists. The longer version won't be included in this anthology, but I will be releasing it later on. ;-)
🐅 TOPSY TURVY TIGER - A killer clown encounters an annoyed tiger in a circus, and mayhem ensues. It's as haywire as it sounds! This flash fiction was first published as a Staff Saturday story with @gohavok, and it was so much fun to write. Fairytale lovers may recognize some familiar tropes in the tale, but I won't say which ones because of #spoilers!
October 18, 2022
Smashing Pumpkins once said "the years burn". So maybe we just need something a little more timeless? Masquerade accomplishes this feat with a variety of authors and topics all uniquely fitting together. Whether it's trolls and magic in "Only the Wind" or supernatural delight of "Magnus' Magnificent Night Circus" there is something every reader can find enchanting and powerful. My favorite story "Topsy Turvy Tiger" is about magical curses and a killer clown. Honorable mentions include "Swan Song" , "Forest Fiends" , and "The Phantom Thief." But they are all beyond incredible.
Did I mention the poetry? Because that is also quite amazing. "I'm Here" by Naomi Karsudjono is deep and beautiful. "Cloak of Bone" by Erelah Emerson is short but enigmatic. "Heart of Gold" by Megan Dill tells the love story of a masquerade exquisitely. My favorite of course was “She Fell In Love With Ink” by @piperlwhite . Their words cut me like the scissors they travel with.
Favorite quote: "All I want, Els, is to go home and catch dragon-bugs in the garden with you"
Did I mention the poetry? Because that is also quite amazing. "I'm Here" by Naomi Karsudjono is deep and beautiful. "Cloak of Bone" by Erelah Emerson is short but enigmatic. "Heart of Gold" by Megan Dill tells the love story of a masquerade exquisitely. My favorite of course was “She Fell In Love With Ink” by @piperlwhite . Their words cut me like the scissors they travel with.
Favorite quote: "All I want, Els, is to go home and catch dragon-bugs in the garden with you"
September 7, 2022
I want to thank Adella and Kelly for giving me an e-arc of this brilliant anthology.
'Masquerade is a vivid collection that explores every corner of the word 'digsuise'. From masks to magic to shapeshifting, it has it all. This is not an anthology to miss.'
On a more casual note, I really loved Adella's 'Cecelia', Megan's 'Heart of Gold', Anna's 'Retrograde', Nathaniel's 'Forest Fiends', and Hannah's 'Princesses, Spies, and Other Modern Lies'. They are the pieces that really stuck out to me. The rest of the pieces were also excellent. I am so excited for this to be received by other readers.
'Masquerade is a vivid collection that explores every corner of the word 'digsuise'. From masks to magic to shapeshifting, it has it all. This is not an anthology to miss.'
On a more casual note, I really loved Adella's 'Cecelia', Megan's 'Heart of Gold', Anna's 'Retrograde', Nathaniel's 'Forest Fiends', and Hannah's 'Princesses, Spies, and Other Modern Lies'. They are the pieces that really stuck out to me. The rest of the pieces were also excellent. I am so excited for this to be received by other readers.
October 13, 2022
This anthology (which includes my poem, Masks) is terribly fun, atmospheric, and is nicely compiled with poems and stories that revolve really beautifully around some deep themes. And most of all, I promise, it will make you want to go to a masquerade ball.
September 19, 2022
Being involved with this collection was so much fun. As with every anthology, I read it and felt so incredibly lucky to be in it. Adella and Kelly did an amazing job of picking these stories and poems. This is an anthology you’re going to want to pick up when it releases. It’s not too long and every piece packs a punch.
September 19, 2022
This was my first ever anthology and I have to say I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
Reading different styles and types of stories was fun and made me look forward to reading every night before bed (my preferred time)
I really enjoyed Julia Scott’s short story—was the best in my opinion. Between plot, pacing, prose and concision I really enjoyed it.
Secondly was probably Adella’s Bleeding Hearts. (I also beta read this and helped with it a bit so I may be a bit biased) but her story was 🤌🏻 solid, unpredictable and exciting.
Issues:
1. All the insta-love and romance was stacked at the front end of this anthology and me, not a romance fan, was struggling trudging my way through.
2. So. Much. Poetry. I am super picky about poetry and honestly ended up skipping most of it.
3. Considering this was my first anthology I have nothing to compare it to—however I was assuming all the stories would be similar in length. But they varied greatly and it made it a more difficult read.
All together each story held the theme of masquerade, the stories were entertaining, the writing was decent and the formatting was great. 4 out of 5 stars.
I was given a copy of Masquerade in exchange for a review.
Reading different styles and types of stories was fun and made me look forward to reading every night before bed (my preferred time)
I really enjoyed Julia Scott’s short story—was the best in my opinion. Between plot, pacing, prose and concision I really enjoyed it.
Secondly was probably Adella’s Bleeding Hearts. (I also beta read this and helped with it a bit so I may be a bit biased) but her story was 🤌🏻 solid, unpredictable and exciting.
Issues:
1. All the insta-love and romance was stacked at the front end of this anthology and me, not a romance fan, was struggling trudging my way through.
2. So. Much. Poetry. I am super picky about poetry and honestly ended up skipping most of it.
3. Considering this was my first anthology I have nothing to compare it to—however I was assuming all the stories would be similar in length. But they varied greatly and it made it a more difficult read.
All together each story held the theme of masquerade, the stories were entertaining, the writing was decent and the formatting was great. 4 out of 5 stars.
I was given a copy of Masquerade in exchange for a review.
September 12, 2022
I learned after reading my first anthology, they should be read slowly, and savoured, and certainly not in one sitting. When I got my ARC copy of this it was hard to not want to just rush through and read them all together. I'm happy I took my time. I love being able to read each story and poem, in the morning with coffee, or during a coffee break, or in the evening before bed. This anthology was so well put together, the flow is perfect, each story unique, and the formatting stunning! I liked so many that it would be silly to list all of the ones I liked best--I may as well just hand you the book-- But I will share a few thoughts. My #1 is The Lost Museum by Kelly Dowswell, I don't know what it is about this story, but I dream of the day she'll tell me all of it's secrets. Cecaelia by Adella Quick is an origin story that I now completely accept as true, and will forever change how I view a certain story we all know. Forest Fiends by Nathaniel Luscombe left me wanting a sequel, So It Seems by Kristen Bazen was a clear echo. Oh I could go on... Masquerade was fantastic!
October 10, 2023
I am one of the authors who selected the pieces in this anthology and we are so happy with the collection we've compiled!
There are a few retellings (with some major twists), some hidden identity stories, lots of ballroom drama and gowns, beautiful poetry, misunderstood or underestimated characters...
I'm just so excited about how it's all coming together and can't wait for everyone else to read it as a whole!
Thank you to all the authors involved! This is such a fun project and you all make it ten times better. 🥰♥️
There are a few retellings (with some major twists), some hidden identity stories, lots of ballroom drama and gowns, beautiful poetry, misunderstood or underestimated characters...
I'm just so excited about how it's all coming together and can't wait for everyone else to read it as a whole!
Thank you to all the authors involved! This is such a fun project and you all make it ten times better. 🥰♥️
April 22, 2023
Worth the read. There are a lot of good stories and poems in here. I hope to see more from Adella and Kelly in the future.
June 27, 2023
Masquerade was such a fun anthology!! Every story had twists and hidden or "masked" aspects to it, and the poems were beautiful. There really wasn't a story I didn't like and it was nice to read one every few days. My favorites in order of appearance in the book are "Swan Song" by Moriah Chavis, "The Phantom Thief" by Julia Scott, "Midnight Masquerade" by Kaitlyn Emery, "Cecaelia" by Adella Quick, "Stolen Breaths" by Kelly Dowswell, and "Only the Wind" by Beta Gremikova! 😍😍😍
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews