Masquerade the Victorian-inspired, queer fantasy sensation set in a magical circus

I had a great time reading both Pantomime and Shadowplay, and so I was really excited to get to Masquerade as well. The past two books introduced a lot of threads and characters to follow, and I was really curious where this would eventually lead us. Tensions are certainly rising even more in this book, and Micah and Cyan keep receiving visions of the actions the Blurred Man is up to. Additionally, their troupe gets themselves invited to the royal palace, which further involves them in the world's politics, whether they like it or not. They gain some new allies and manage to get themselves into more dangerous situations. I'll add more spoilery thoughts down below so that most of this review is safe for reading, but let's just say that this book really has the best mix of action, drama, found family moments, and magic. My own wish would've been a bit more resolving information about the Alder, the chimaera's of the past, and the way magic has and will influence the world. We learned about so many snippets from the past through mostly Anisa's memories, but I still feel like I am missing some lore on the world's magical past. Some spoilery thoughts: - really glad none of the main cast died, ngl - loved Drystan's character arc and his struggles with feeling helpless - protect the princess at all costs - also very happy that Relean and Anisa got their own bodies in the end, though, where is their spin-off?! Thank you to DAW Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!