The book spans a few years as time in the masquerade has different meaning than mortal time. When Brice meets Raoul, he is attracted to him and feels a sense of belonging with him, but when Raoul tells Brice that he is a trickster, Brice should believe him. The masquerade is an illusion set up by dangerous fae to trap and prey upon mortals for the fae’s own entertainment and nothing is at it seems. The masquerade has been a story in their lives forever and Brice knows to resist the invitations he gets every year, but Charon is restless and when he attends the masquerade, Brice follows to protect him. Brice and his brother, Charon, were from a well-respected family, but after the death of their parents, their life is about debt and isolation. The book has a fairytale feel in a land far away and Nash excels in world building and dark atmosphere. The book opens with Brice and he is the narrator for most of the story, with a few chapters from Raoul. There isn’t an Ariana Nash book that I won’t read and The Final Masquerade is the author’s latest standalone novel. Brice wants to save his brother, but he might need to save himself as well. Brice now has to return to the one place he never wanted to go and place his trust in Raoul, a fae who’s intent is trickery and seduction. A year without Charon and a year trying to hide from the desires that Raoul unleashed in him that night at the ball. But when dawn arrives and the ball vanishes, so does Charon.īrice now has to wait a year for the masquerade to take place again. Brice has warned Charon not to attend the masquerade, but a stolen invite has Charon dancing with the fae and Brice following to save him. Now, Brice and his brother, Charon, live an isolated life weighed down by debt, but Charon is ready to get away from Brice and the estate. His parents have been gone for years now, a result of madness, and the once pristine family estate is now crumbling.

If a guest loses their mask, they must remain, as they will be cursed to dance forever for the fae host.įor as long as Brice can remember, his mother warned him about the evil that the fae bring.

As the solstice approaches each year, the invites go out for the ball where the fae entice the humans to drink and dance, but they must always be masked. Every year, Brice LeChoix gets invited to the masquerade.

The Final Masquerade by Ariana Nash