The Mask Falling

Paige Mahoney and Warden, aka Arcturus Mesarthim, take refuge in Paris after escaping the evil clutches of Nashira and the Rephaim rulers of Scion. Paige frequently flashes back to being waterboarded by the Rephaim, but doesn’t let that stop her from trying to build an alliance with the resistance. Much harder, though, is fighting her feelings for Arcturus. They must work together on honing Paige’s dreamscaping powers, which may be their only defense against Scion. As the fourth entry (after The Mime Order) in a projected seven-book series, this volume does suffer from the inevitable middle-book syndrome. Paige’s bold risk taking starts to come across as making foolish decisions and jumping to conclusions. Important plot developments only lead to more questions. However, Shannon’s worldbuilding remains strong, and Paige is still an appealing heroine.