Ep 13 | Masquerade: The Historical Fantasy Novel You NEED To Read!

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We're back with another episode of Flip the Page. On the menu for today is a historical fantasy novel, Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi. We'll be discussing love, power and power dynamics.
Masquerade is a historical fantasy novel set in a reimagined 15th century West Africa, loosely based on the myth of Persephone. Òdòdó, the main character of the story, is a young woman born into and belonging to the blacksmith guild; a societal status marking Òdòdó, her mother and other women blacksmiths in the guild as social pariahs and outsiders. At the start of the novel, Òdòdó’s hometown, Timbuktu, has been conquered by the warrior king of Yorùbáland, only worsening the living conditions of her and the other blacksmiths.

A chance encounter with a vagrant outside her home leads to Òdòdó being abducted; stolen away to the capital city of Ṣàngótẹ̀, where she learns the man who orchestrated her kidnapping is the vagrant. The vagrant, being the warrior king, Àrèmọ. It isn’t long before Òdòdó learns Àrèmọ had taken her to make her his wife.

Suddenly thrust into the upper echelon of society, Òdòdó touches power for the first time in her life. As dissension and tensions brew amongst the population, Òdòdó finds herself caught in political schemes, torn between her old life and new, risking everything she stands to gain from aligning herself with Àrèmọ.

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1. Disclaimer (00:00:00)

2. Intro (00:00:27)

3. Overview (spoiler free) (00:00:54)

4. Part I - An Imbalance (00:06:35)

5. Part II - Who's Doing the Bending (00:09:00)

6. Part III - The Tipping Point (00:12:53)

7. Flip or Skip (00:16:39)