Oh gosh, I enjoyed this story! I absolutely love masquerades (sorry, Claudia!), and I feel like you captured the potential magic and romance of one really well... But I also love how you have two very different characters and viewpoints in Claudia and Joy, and how you show both their thoughts and reactions so clearly and in ways that don't make it feel like you're presenting either of them as wrong. Their back-and-forths and opposite opinions made this a really fun read!
Some of my favorite parts:
“It’s going to be so beautiful. All those embroidered gowns and decorations. And the mystery of the masquerade is so romantic.” “Romantic?” Claudia shakes her head. “How did you arrive at all these lofty ideals?” “I read,” Joy sighs. “And I listen to the stories that Miranda and Talia tell when they return from court. It sounds like a fairy tale.” “And you know how fairy tales end, don’t you?”
She starts to give her name instinctively before she hesitates. She gives him her hand instead but withholds her identity. “Perhaps we should keep with the theme of the evening? And not give that away quite yet.” His smile widens even further, before bringing her hand to his lips and nods. “Very well. Then can I ask my mysterious lady for a dance?” “The lady would like that very much.” He tucks her arm in his, leading her off to the dance floor, where they’re both swept away in a swirl of fabric and color.
and
“Why of all the creatures in the world, the Lord has seen it fit to bless me with sisters?” Claudia smirks as she settles her skirts across from him. “A curse from a past life.”
These are really fun characters that I'd be happy to read about again sometime! I love both Claudia's practicality and intelligence and wit and Joy's enthusiasm and romanticism, and the way you painted a picture of the masquerade was great.
no subject
Some of my favorite parts:
“It’s going to be so beautiful. All those embroidered gowns and decorations. And the mystery of the masquerade is so romantic.”
“Romantic?” Claudia shakes her head. “How did you arrive at all these lofty ideals?”
“I read,” Joy sighs. “And I listen to the stories that Miranda and Talia tell when they return from court. It sounds like a fairy tale.”
“And you know how fairy tales end, don’t you?”
She starts to give her name instinctively before she hesitates. She gives him her hand instead but withholds her identity. “Perhaps we should keep with the theme of the evening? And not give that away quite yet.”
His smile widens even further, before bringing her hand to his lips and nods. “Very well. Then can I ask my mysterious lady for a dance?”
“The lady would like that very much.”
He tucks her arm in his, leading her off to the dance floor, where they’re both swept away in a swirl of fabric and color.
and
“Why of all the creatures in the world, the Lord has seen it fit to bless me with sisters?”
Claudia smirks as she settles her skirts across from him. “A curse from a past life.”
These are really fun characters that I'd be happy to read about again sometime! I love both Claudia's practicality and intelligence and wit and Joy's enthusiasm and romanticism, and the way you painted a picture of the masquerade was great.