When Wylla receives a strange transmission promising a big payout to scavengers, she knows she has to be the one to grab the prize, an ultra-rare mask that has the ability to modify its wearer's abilities to some unknown quantity. Other types of masks that do the same thing are much more common — Wylla has a Rabbit mask that increases her situational awareness; someone she encounters has an Ox mask that makes him super strong — but this is one that Wylla has never heard of. And when she gets it, she soon realize there's a reason for that — this mask has a person's thoughts and memories and emotions trapped inside it, making it an odd amalgamation of human and machine. Once Wylla comes to terms with her discovery, she and the woman in the mask, Sable, embark upon a revenge-fueled quest to destroy those responsible for putting Sable in this condition.
For a pretty short book, the worldbuilding in this story is phenomenal, and left me wanting more in the best possible way. Wylla is a trans-woman and her existence paired with Sable's not-quite-human-anymore existence (and Sable's incredible abilities with the mask) brings up an excellent examination of autonomy, identity, and consent, all while taking the reader on a rollicking adventure. A word of warning to readers: the book is told from Sable's point-of-view as she's speaking to Wylla, so much of the book is in second person. It takes a minute to get used to that, but makes sense for the story, and is well worth the read.
*This book will be published July 22, 2025.
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