Ep 13 | Masquerade: The Historical Fantasy Novel You NEED To Read!

We're back with another episode of Flip the Page. On the menu for today is a historical fantasy novel, Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi. We'll be discussing love, power and power dynamics.

Masquerade is a historical fantasy novel set in a reimagined 15th century West Africa, loosely based on the myth of Persephone. Òdòdó, the main character of the story, is a young woman born into and belonging to the blacksmith guild; a societal status marking Òdòdó, her mother and other women blacksmiths in the guild as social pariahs and outsiders. At the start of the novel, Òdòdó’s hometown, Timbuktu, has been conquered by the warrior king of Yorùbáland, only worsening the living conditions of her and the other blacksmiths.

A chance encounter with a vagrant outside her home leads to Òdòdó being abducted; stolen away to the capital city of Ṣàngótẹ̀, where she learns the man who orchestrated her kidnapping is the vagrant. The vagrant, being the warrior king, Àrèmọ. It isn’t long before Òdòdó learns Àrèmọ had taken her to make her his wife. 

Suddenly thrust into the upper echelon of society, Òdòdó touches power for the first time in her life. As dissension and tensions brew amongst the population, Òdòdó finds herself caught in political schemes, torn between her old life and new, risking everything she stands to gain from aligning herself with Àrèmọ.

Chapters

• 0:00 Disclaimer
• 0:27 Intro
• 0:54 Overview (spoiler free)
• 6:35 Part I - An Imbalance
• 9:00 Part II - Who's Doing the Bending
• 12:53 Part III - The Tipping Point
• 16:39 Flip or Skip

Transcript

0:00

Listen, I don't give a damn what book you currently got gripped up in your hand. Or whatever novel you got queued up on your list to read next. Respectfully, disrespectfully. I need you to scrap it. Put it on pause and tap into Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi. This is real literature, bitch.[Intro Music] Hey, y'all. Welcome back to Flip the Page. I'm your host, Zo. If you couldn't tell. Today, we're going to be talking about the gagstress of 2024 releases

thus far for me: 0:49

Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi. Masquerade is a historical fantasy novel set in a reimagined 15th century West Africa. Loosely based on the myth of Persephone. Òdòdó, the main character of the story is a young woman born into and belonging to the blacksmith guild, a societal status marking Òdòdó, her mother, and the other woman in the guild as social pariahs and outsiders. To clarify, the guild is all women. Right. Don't want that getting lost in translation. At the start of the novel, Òdòdó's hometown, Timbuktu, has been conquered by the warrior king of Yorùbáland only worsening the living conditions of her and the other blacksmiths. A chance encounter with a vagrant outside her home leads to Òdòdó being abducted, stolen away to the capital city of Ṣàngótẹ̀, where she learns the man who orchestrated her kidnapping is the vagrant. The vagrant being the Warrior King, Àrèmọ. It isn't long before Òdòdó learns Àrèmọ had taken her to make her his wife. One thing about a [redacted] he gon think he got a claim to you. Whoa! Where did that come from? Suddenly thrust into the upper echelon of society, Òdòdó touches power for the first time in her life, and it tastes sweet. It tastes sweet. As dissension and tensions brew amongst the population, Òdòdó finds herself caught in political schemes torn between her old life and new, risking everything she stands to gain from aligning herself with Àrèmọ. When I tell you this book put me through an emotional gantlet. I was fighting for my life. I laughed. I cried. I frowned. I cussed. There was a point in the story where something happened, a major turn in the story, and a pivotal moment for Òdòdó in terms of her development and future decisions. And I actually had to close the book, put it down and take a break because I couldn't believe what I was reading. This book was truly a gagstress. There are two major points of conflict in this story that are closely tied to each other, and the root that many other conflicts disseminate from. The first being the conflict between Òdòdó and Àrèmọ. and the second being the conflict within Òdòdó between her past life and the life Àrèmọ has brought her into. All of this overshadowed by political tensions and dissension brewing amongst the newly conquered population and within the palace. The conflict between Òdòdó and Àrèmọ arises from the power imbalance between the two, and the struggle between “love” and power. Love in quotations because... I'm putting it in quotations. Read the book and you’ll understand what I mean. Yeah. Òdòdó is someone from one of the lowest classes in society, that being blacksmiths, who are regarded as witches and treated horribly, even though the woman overseeing manufacturing of arms that supply the army and many other things in the Kingdom. They always want to tear bad bitches down. Òdòdó has never known power in her life, but she wants to. She wants to. She wants that ring bad. When she's taken away by Àrèmọ, she brushes shoulders with power, gradually realizing the bounds of power that are within her grasp. That she ultimately can never fully hold because she's a woman, even though she is now the future Queen. This is where a clash with Àrèmọ occurs, as she's whisked into the bowels of the Empire, with a man repeating and underscoring his love for her, yet also being the man who stands in the way of Òdòdó's desires outside the romantic, Òdòdó being fully free, and Òdòdó wielding real, tenable power. This book had so many twists and turns, and the prose? The prose was lyrically stunning. I was highlighting lines left and right, highlighting paragraphs down because they were that good. The different dynamics Òdòdó had with the characters in the story were, just too sweet. So sweet. From her relationship with her mom; how the book unraveled the complexity of a mother's trauma, and how that trauma manifests itself in a mother's relationship with their child to a Òdòdó's relationship with Àrèmọ, the author keeping me on the edge of my seat as Òdòdó danced with danger as she got swept up in the romance of it all. Like. The tension? Y’all know I love tension. The political tension, the sexual tension, the suspense, the betrayals, the depictions of love and thirst for power. The plotting, the schemes. The seeds carefully planted throughout the story, and seeing those seeds sprout and bloom into revelations that had me gagging and gripping the pages like this book was my lifeline. I need you to tap in. This is peak historical fiction if I ever read it. There are so many conversations that can be sparked from this book, and you just keep unearthing more as you reread it and see the complexities and the different themes and relationships that evolved in this book. I'm going to lock into just one of them in this episode, because I'm not trying to hold you hostage. That being the relationship between Òdòdó and Àrèmọ. In case you missed it, that was your spoiler warning. If you don't want spoilers, here is your cue to pause the video, read the book, and come back to this episode. If you're ready to get elbows deep in it. Grab some tea, grab your favorite pillow, sit back and get comfortable because I'm about to get into it. Part one. An imbalance.“I did not think it was completely fair. It was easy for Àrèmọ to love me. It cost him nothing. However, it seemed that I was expected to love him by giving myself to him.” This is a quote from a Òdòdó in Masquerade. A quote highlighting the root of the issue in Òdòdó and Àrèmọ’s relationship. A power imbalance. Put bluntly, power dynamics describe the ability for an individual in a relationship to exert control and influence within a relationship. Power dynamics help determine roles within a relationship and shows how these roles, spoken or unspoken, affect the behaviors, feelings, and satisfaction of others in the relationship. A power imbalance occurs when an individual within a relationship can assert their dominance in ways that disadvantage or aren't in the best interests of others in the relationship. Òdòdó and Àrèmọ’s relationship has a clear power imbalance, with Àrèmọ obviously holding the most power in the relationship, which is unsurprising given their social status and the more than questionable foundations on which their relationship was built. That being Àrèmọ kidnaping of Òdòdó from her home. Within their relationship, Òdòdó holds minimal power. She has no control over where she lives. Minimal control over who she sees and activities she can partake in. Nearly everything she does, she must seek out Àrèmọ’s permission and get his approval. Shortly after arriving in the capital city, for example, Òdòdó learns Àrèmọ has her under close watch with her movements and actions being monitored and reported back to Àrèmọ daily. Quiet as is kept, I think given the isolation, lack of agency big brother ass surveillance and taking of Òdòdó without her consent can raise arguments of grooming and abuse in this relationship. But I'm not going to get into that today. Regardless, throughout the story and for a good portion of it, you see how Òdòdó's power within the relationship is limited and almost abysmal in comparison to Àrèmọ’s. Power imbalances that occur in relationships like this can manifest in the form of unhappiness and mistrust in a relationship which you see starting to form and grow within Òdòdó. Part two. Who's doing the bending. When a power imbalance exists in a relationship, it typically manifests

in one of three dynamics: 9:06

the distance-pursuer dynamic, the fear-shame dynamic, or the demand-withdrawal dynamic. Òdòdó and Àrèmọ's relationship exhibits

the latter of the three: 9:16

the demand-withdrawal dynamic. In this dynamic, one partner is unhappy with their position, feeling that the other person in the relationship is not prioritizing or considering their needs and demands. They are the demander in this dynamic, as they prod their partner to meet and satisfy their needs. In Masquerade, Òdòdó is the demander, while Àrèmọ’s trifling ass Can you not? Can you stay focused? While Àrèmọ is the withdrawer. The one in the relationship who intentionally avoids responding to the demands given by their partner. Oftentimes, this dynamic births feelings of resentment, malice and frustration, particularly from the demander. One major point of contention between Òdòdó and Àrèmọ in their relationship is Òdòdó's mama. Òdòdó wants to bring her mother to live with her in the capital city. Mind you, I didn't know Òdòdó's mama that long when Òdòdó initially brought this request up after being kidnapped, but from the few pages that I'd known that lady, I knew she wouldn't want anything to do with that lil lifestyle. Irregardless, Òdòdó wanted to bring her mother to live with her and told her Àrèmọ she wouldn't marry him until he found her mother, who had gone missing and brought her to the capital city. A reasonable demand, considering you've stolen my sister, uprooted her from her home and everything she knows, and thrown her into the city to live isolated amongst people who don't really mess with her at all, given her social status as a blacksmith. Initially, Àrèmọ hears this demand and promises he will fulfill it. But as the story progresses and you see his ever growing lackadaisical approach to the search for a mother, juxtaposed with his fervent pushing for an arrangement of their engagement ceremony and expediting of their marriage process. You realize, oh, he ain't got no plans to ever fulfill this demand. This is one of the many instances where Òdòdó requests something from him, however big or small, that he brushes aside, ignores or perpetually delays. And you see with each, no feelings of frustration, unhappiness, and anger starting to settle within Òdòdó. The embers of Òdòdó's anger, frustration and unhappiness are stifled time after time, however, by a multitude of things. The simplest but most significant being Àrèmọ's love for her. Òdòdó does start to fall in love with Àrèmọ. Unfortunately. And the displays of affection he showers her with, help her bare with, and overlook her frustration and anger at his inability to meet her needs and fulfill her desires. I can't even lie to y'all. I was yelling at my girl to stay strong. But then there would be these uber romantic scenes where the tension and longing was so damn tangible. I could taste it on the pages, and I had to slap sense back into myself. Like this one scene in the book with Àrèmọ training her in the rain. I was slipping. Bad. If I'm getting caught lacking in the face of Àrèmọ charms... I know my sister had to be fighting for her life. Àrèmọ’s love for her also helps keep a lid on the ever rising ambition Òdòdó feels rearing its head as she gets a taste of power held by people around her, particularly held by Àrèmọ, and feels herself thirsting for it. Àrèmọ’s love for her, and a few concessions he did make for her that brought her a little bit of power were enough for Òdòdó to accept the power imbalance in their relationship until shit hit the fan. Part Three. The Tipping Point. Àrèmọ brought Òdòdó something she'd never had. Power. When they first kiss, Òdòdó describes how the kiss tasted like power. And here we see how tightly wound Àrèmọ’s love and the small, small power Òdòdó's proximity to Àrèmọ brought her. Something we see as Òdòdó starts to serve as a right hand man of sorts for Àrèmọ, utilizing the people around her, what little resources she has to receive important information regarding possible societal uprest and upheaval and helping advise Àrèmọ with steps to take regarding the military or foreign disputes. While a Òdòdó longed for more of this power she had never held, she had somewhat resigned herself to the limits of power she could obtain within the constraints Àrèmọ had mapped out for her. It was a power that she would always hold behind the scenes. A power credited to someone else, leaving Òdòdó invisible. Not to say that she didn't push for more, but again, the power she received was always determined and regulated by Àrèmọ, and Òdòdó managed it. Until she nearly died. Calling back to the quote I brought up in part one of this video.“I did not think it was completely fair. It was easy for Àrèmọ to love me; it cost him nothing. However, it seemed that I was expected to love him by giving myself to him.” I didn't finish this quote from Òdòdó in part one of this video for dramatic effect, because I'm a storyteller first. Òdòdó’s thoughts do not end there, but continue.“I had already given him my hand; how much more of me must I give? What would I have left?” A series of uprisings, betrayals and missights results in Òdòdó, quite literally hanging on by a thread, facing death in the afterlife, and losing her hand when a close friend, Àrèmọ's first wife, Kolo, a bad bitch, I must add I fear, pushes Òdòdó into a collapsing building that is on fire. Yeah. When Òdòdó ultimately returns to the capital city, the unsubtle accusations of insanity and distrust from Àrèmọ she is met with regarding the culprit of her attempted murder, compounded with subsequent accusations from Àrèmọ that she's conspiring against him with her mother and the other blacksmiths that ultimately leads Àrèmọ to force Òdòdó to kill her mother. All these events where a daughter finds herself being tested due to mistrust felt by the man who loves her, allegedly; proving herself in her devotion to him, time and time again, all coming to a head when Àrèmọ denies one final request Òdòdó makes to him to allow her to sit on his council. To give her and her accomplishments some visibility. A request he denies. A denial that pushes my sister over the edge. It's after this denial, Òdòdó realizes Àrèmọ's love for her is not the type of love that can be placed over her own ambitions for herself. Àrèmọ's love is selfish. He takes and takes and takes. And if Òdòdó hadn't done something it’s quite possible, Àrèmọ’s love would have been the end of her. So she beats him to the punch, and she kills him. Then proceeds to take over his spot. Òdòdó struggled with this power imbalance within her relationship until she had enough and found a way to take back power in her relationship, the only way she deemed possible. Through Àrèmọ’s death. So, class, what did we learn today? Yes, Sylvia? Exactly. Don't ever let a man come between you and your bag. I'm actually joking. Or am I? Moving on. Flip or Skip. In case you couldn't tell from me raving about this book at the beginning of this episode, like the author got me on payroll. This book is a flip. When I tell you this book gagged me. Gagged. Hands down. My favorite read of 2024 and I fear I don't see anything knocking it out of the top spot. I mean, y'all can try. I just don't see it happening. I just feel so giddy and vindicated too, because it was one of my most anticipated reads and it delivered. Do you know what it feels like when a book you're anticipating serves this bad? What else is a girl to do but nod respectfully and give a bad bitch the five out of five rating she deserves? Y'all need to get into it. I breezed through the events that occurred in this book but if you are to take anything out of this episode, I just need it to be a desire to go out and pick up this book. If you're a lover of historical fantasy, I promise you actually, let me not make promises, because the last thing I need is people yapping in my ear that it flopped. I strongly believe you'll enjoy this book. This is my classroom, and I'm giving out homework that's due before that last second of 2024 hits. Go read it. That's it for me for this episode. Go read Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi. I hope you enjoyed it. Go read Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi. Don't forget to like and subscribe to the pod. Go read Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi. And I'll catch y’all in the next one. Which I'm actually really excited for. So let's hope the book doesn't flop. Anywho, buh byyeeee.