Masquerade - Paperback

by O. O. Sangoyomi (Author)

PEOPLE MAGAZINE BEST NEW BOOK
NAACP IMAGE AWARD FINALIST
CAROL SHIELDS PRIZE FINALIST
GOODREADS CHOICE NOMINEE
AUDIBLE BOOK OF THE YEAR
INDIE NEXT PICK

This paperback edition includes an unpublished, previously-cut scene from MASQUERADE, with author commentary, and a reading group discussion guide!

Masquerade is an "immersive, one-of-a-kind story" (People Magazine) set in a reimagined 15th century West Africa that explores the true cost of one woman's fight for freedom and self-discovery, and the lengths she'll go to secure her future.

Òdòdó's hometown of Timbuktu has been conquered by the warrior king of Yorùbáland, and living conditions for the women in her blacksmith guild, who were already shunned as social pariahs, grow even worse.

Then Òdòdó is abducted. She is whisked across the Sahara to the capital city of Ṣàngótẹ̀, where she is shocked to discover that her kidnapper is none other than the vagrant who had visited her guild just days prior. But now that he is swathed in riches rather than rags, Òdòdó realizes he is not a vagrant at all; he is the warrior king, and he has chosen her to be his wife.

In a sudden change of fortune, Òdòdó soars to the very heights of society. But after a lifetime of subjugation, she finds the power that saturates this world of battle and political savvy too enticing to resist. As tensions with rival states grow, revealing elaborate schemes and enemies hidden in plain sight, Òdòdó must defy the cruel king she has been forced to wed by reforging the shaky loyalties of the court in her favor, 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.

Author Biography

O.O. SANGOYOMI is a Nigerian-American author. During a childhood of constantly moving around, she found an anchored home in the fictional world of books. She is a graduate of Princeton University, where she studied literature. Her debut novel, Masquerade, was an Indie Next Pick and has been featured in media outlets such as PBS, People Magazine, and more. She was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree for 2025.