Books › City of Masks
City of Masks
545 pages
A bittersweet portal fantasy that trades the sterile reality of a hospital bed for the vibrant, dangerous canals of a magical Renaissance city.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like slipping through a velvet curtain into a world of shimmering canals, masked balls, and hidden daggers. It balances the heavy, melancholic reality of terminal illness with the breathless wonder of portal fantasy, creating an atmosphere that is both deeply sorrowful and intensely alive. The pacing is steady, allowing the lush, sensory prose to build a parallel Renaissance city so vivid you can almost smell the salt water and spun sugar. As the political intrigue deepens, the emotional stakes rise, anchoring the fantastical elements in genuine human vulnerability. It is a perfect escape for readers who love their magic tinged with bittersweet reality, offering a poignant exploration of found family, sacrifice, and the enduring power of the spirit.
- Mood
- atmospheric
- bittersweet
- enchanting
- shadowed
- Tone
- earnest
- melancholic
- wondrous
- suspenseful
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- escapism and chronic illness · found family · political intrigue · duality of life and death · finding strength in vulnerability
- The writing
- Lush and sensory, the prose paints a vivid, immersive tapestry of a parallel Renaissance world.
- The arc
- The journey shifts from the suffocating despair of terminal illness to a bittersweet, empowering embrace of a magical destiny.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave deeply emotional, portal-fantasy escapism anchored by rich, historical world-building and high-stakes political intrigue.
Content notes
- terminal illness (cancer)
- grief
- death of a child
- political violence
About the book
Lucien is very sick with cancer and struggles with his parents' worry every day. But each night, through a magical gift from his father, his mind is transported to an enchanting city, Bellezza, a parallel city to Venice of our world. In Bellezza, Lucien discovers that he is a Stravagante, a rare person able to travel through worlds while sleeping.
Befriended by a local girl and protected by an older Stravagante, Lucien uncovers a plot to murder the city's beloved ruler, the Duchessa. But to save the Duchessa and the city Lucien risks his only chance to return home to family and his real life.
Description from Open Library.
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