Emily’s having a strange day. A stranger shows up at her apartment carrying an unconscious woman. The man says the woman is Emily’s twin sister from a magical dimension and she’s been put under a sleeping spell. The only way to save her life is for Emily to travel to the magical realm and pose as her sister so the spell caster will reveal themselves…as well as a cure.
MASK by Andrea Fink won’t win any awards for originality, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a fun, paranormal romance. Imitation is the highest form of flattery and Fink borrows freely from Disney plots and classic fairytales alike — even the “modern“ Disney twist where the female lead must rescue the male hero. Emily endures several treacherous solo missions because Will–Emily’s sister’s fiance–is unable (or too tired) to help her. Despite his engagement to her sister, romance blooms between Will and Emily. But not before irresistible vampire Wit catches her eye. Torn between a hunky demon and a charming vampire — what’s a young witch to do? For every girl who grew up on a diet of fantasy romance novels, Fink offers a delightful indulgence.
In some ways, MASK is a coming-of-age novel. Emily is already an adult when the action starts, but she needs to make her way in a new, challenging world, as well as harness her developing powers as a sorceress. It doesn’t take long for her to realize her new home is her true home. The romance is PG as are the action sequences and Fink keeps readers engaged by focusing solely on Emily’s mixed-up emotions and her realization that the magical world is far more interesting than the human one. It’s no fun being a Muggle (see Harry Potter), which makes the ending of MASK both disturbing and inevitable. Emily not only saves her sister’s life, she steals it, ending up with her sister’s boyfriend and princess title. But Fink gives us a character worth rooting for — a hero willing to sacrifice her humanity to save a sister she’s never met.
Andrea Fink’s MASK is a fun paranormal romance in which a Plain Jane pretends to be a princess in a world of vampires, demons, and magical elves.
~Rob Errera for IndieReader