Pick a face, pick a fate.
Judith Ban, former convent girl, courtesan, and failed thief, is on the lookout for her next identity. The daughter of a Vietnamese adventuress and a French naval officer, she’s no stranger to risk, but she’s unprepared for the secrets of New York’s legendary Four Hundred, or for the women who build their power at the city’s heart through blood-soaked, gold-etched rituals of demonic marriage.
In exchange for enough wealth to outrun her past, Judith strikes a deal with the matriarch of the powerful Howard family: she will stand in for the missing Howard granddaughter, who was poised to make her debut when she disappeared. With Miss Iphigenia Marshall’s face stitched over her own, Judith is white, rich, and about to risk body and soul in the deadly games that determine which girls will find a match—and which will be devoured. If she can keep her wits and her life, her reward will be a husband with undreamt-of power who will be hers to command…so long as she can keep his infinite hungers fed. But to survive the season, Judith will have to seduce a storm in the shape of a man, before the night to which everything has been leading—the Scarlet Ball where the demons choose their brides.
The Scarlet Ball by Nghi Vo is sinfully good, written with compelling characters and a story that explores power and the price of power as well as the price of freedom. As Judith wears a different face, she is slowly seduced by the power around her and the question becomes will she still be Judith at the end or will she become the face she wears?
The worldbuilding is unique, and if you love The Gilded Age, you will love this magical take on that world and how certain families accrue wealth and power. The idea that demons and magic tip the scales in this blend of urban fantasy and historical is entertaining and insightful. I also like how Judith explores her power over Sebastian and her friendship with Maille. Each of the other characters adds to the story. I also love how the magic is sharp, bloody and almost cruel in its application. It adds an intriguing element.
If you like historical urban fantasy with demons, The Scarlet Ball is sinfully good. The story explores power and freedom, the price of both and what one person might be willing to do to escape of life of poverty and hardship. I like how it also explores how different the world is for those who are white versus those who are a different race. I loved the story and especially the ending, powerful and compelling.
Rating: 5 out of 5 faces
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