Masquerade of Madness

Okay, self-review of 4 stars by the author! I am pretty confident in my work this time, however, I still acknowledge its potential for improvement. Here are some things you need to know about this story- -> It is a horror/mystery thriller of the infinity genre. In other words, the Protagonist will have to go through multiple trials regularly in order to survive and get stronger -> This story involves dark themes so expect all sorts of cr*zy stuff happening. The tags don't lie. -> While the story may be dark at the start, one of the main themes of the novel is the protagonist using his grief and tragedies as his own source of strength. -> So for all those people who have it hard out there, I hope this novel cheers you up when you see the MC stand back up no matter what happens. -> Towards the later chapters MC will have enough strength to change into someone who creates horror rather than someone who just experiences it. -> Also yes I will be adding in romance into this story, there won't be a harem. However, it's not like there won't be other girls the MC will get involved with before he gets to the main heroine. -> Also as I am still a new author I strive to make each arc of the story better than the previous one, so as long as you like what you see even a little bit, then do stick around as it only gets better! Okay, that's the end of my tirade. To all my readers, you are the best. I am glad if you love the story, I will keep uploading more chapters for you guys! Also please comment here and there in the story, that helps me know what you guys think of the chapters and is really encouraging! TLDR: This story is awesome, if you don't read it you are missing out!

Book Title: Masquerade of Madness (ThePotatoKing) Rating: 5 Chapters 11/11 as of 5/26/22 Plot: Excellent The plot is excellent, the story is not straightforward but is laced with Mystery and horror, the slow reveals work very well with the plot. As the story is still starting the payoffs are still not yet visible but using only chapter 1 as a reference the details the Author inserts is very well thought and is part of his overall narrative Story flow: Excellent Normally for a complicated plot you either sacrifice the straightforwardness or use exposition to explain. ThePotatoKing used an excellent alternative, by using horror as a medium the uncertainty makes the reader focus as he delivers bits and pieces of exposition while making it straight forward. It impressed me so much I plan to do something similar in my novels. Favorite Chapter: Chapter 1 Happy birthday to me Hands down what seems to be a useless description of non sensical mundane details of Sebastian’s life turns into a major plot point. It was extremely well done as the chapter aims to invoke pity and sadness then drive it home by using horror as an attention grabber. 95% guaranteed to draw you in. If you look at the comments you can see everyone practically went from bored to extremely horrified, excited. It was extremely well done and showcases the Authors ability to lead you through a narrative. Favorite Character: Josh Dude is the only source of joy in this novel as the entire thing is supposed to draw out fear and horror. I am not sure if it was intentional, But Josh seems to be a symbol of Sebastian’s consciousness. As their journey through the story affect Sebastian heavily as the entire experience’s weights on his psyche. Well, that was what I found him to be, if this was intentional. The author has a talent for symbolism and prose. 3 things I liked 1. Chapter 1 I cannot praise chapter 1 enough; I already provided a brief explanation but yeah, its good. Any more would be spoiling it. 2. The overall suspense of the novel Normally the problem with suspense and horror novels is balancing urgency, danger, and relief. If you lack either it becomes too tiring to read, or too boring to be give suspense. I noticed ThePotatoKing doesn’t seem to have any problems throughout as even with the laid-back attitude of the MC, the sense of urgency and danger is every present. Wonderfully executed. 3. Sebastian’s slow descend to madness As mentioned earlier the novel has symbolism in it that show that everything is not what it seems, the experience in a nutshell involves repeating the past. And I like how each repetition takes a little bit more from the MC, it is so satisfying to see his slow decent to madness as his personality changes with each iteration. However aside from his psyche changes the knowledge he acquires per iteration is used against him. Preventing the novel from getting stale. Extremely Well done! 3 Things I didn't like 1. Teacher in 12B This person is touted to have done actions that are geared toward saving Sebastian when he appears to look and move like an NPC, the logic used to explain his actions seemed like a stretch to me. As none of his actions lead to his survival nor does he imply in any direction that he had a mind of his own. 2. Unnecessary details While I praised the details provided in the 1st chapter, the payoff was immediate thus the details could be seen as necessary and added depth to the execution of the twist. However, the same strength can be seen as a weakness when too many details are shared to not seemingly use whatsoever. An example would be the names of 20 students in Sebastian’s class, I was expecting them all to have interactions or roles in the story thus they were enumerated. 4 iterations later only 2 of them have a purpose. I don’t know if the others will have roles in the future. But to me it felt like unneeded info as it was not going to be used anyway. This is a personal gripe of mine, as I do not like unnecessary thing in the worlds I create. So, in my humble opinion if it has no use, does not fulfill a purpose or a role. Better to not include it in. however each writer has his/her own style thus I will leave it up to the author. 3. Sebastian’s approach to combat For the life of me, I cannot consider Sebastian a genius if I consider his choices in the novel, he was given 2 abilities, the ability to remember what happened when he dies, and the ability to see his progress. For someone who is given the mission he was, even if you had the ability to revive you would still choose the option that gives the maximum chances of survival. His choices leave much to be desired, as I’m not sure if the author was trying to make him appear analytical but it makes him look unintelligent instead as it takes him 4 iterations to choose the most optimal path. Baring trauma, no explanation was made why he didn’t choose the straightforward approach. Even if he wanted to see the possibilities after the 1st iteration, he should have chosen the most optimal path. The quickest way to survive an assault is to neutralize the attacker if possible. Escape, Evasion and Compliance are of lower risk in the order I listed with compliance being the riskiest. Actual review The Masqurade of madness is a very interesting novel as it combines a survival/fantasy/Game like scenario and uses horror and suspense to execute it. Completely unlike wish fulfillment novels, the suspense is griping as none of the things one expects to happen actually do. The only benefit of recursive lives seemingly negated by the game itself. It is a very refreshing twist on the genre. There were little to no grammatical errors, and the Author writes with such fluency that he seems to be able to guide the reader where to look and what to think. This ability is rare as teach to much and the readers will notice, do to little and the readers will get bored out of their minds. Chapter one is a testament to thePotatoKings skill. I expect the same level of misdirection and writing flair in future chapters. All in all the world is unique, and the symbolism if international are a stroke of genius. I don’t normally read horror/suspense stories but I’m glad I read this as it can show everyone what the entire genre makes money out of. More power to you ThePotatoKing Keep it up!

I literally have no words to explain how I felt when I read the novel. It is just starting and it is already really good. From chapter 1, it had me hooked. The writing is to die for. The horror and tension could be left and I was left very concerned for the main protagonist. Because I had no idea on how the story might progress and what will happen to him. The story had its mix of horror, thrill and mystery and the book had done justice to those genres. There were also some humorous lines here and three, which helped a bit to calm me down in the tensed situation. The story development also really well paced. The characters are also well designed and well written. They really do seem lifelike. The conversations are well thought out, it was not forced. The world background is really interesting and mysterious. Amazing work Author! I am looking forward to more!

This was an absolutely enjoyable read, the author has a beautiful way with words that creates vivid imagery in mind. There is not only a well-made system, but also some intriguing themes that revolve around mystery, and the fragility and strength of the human mind. The writing style is unique and easy to follow. It's a must-read for anyone (unless you are hesitant about dark themes)

Suspense has always been one of the things I loved about horror. This book has a whole buffet of suspense and I can hardly wait to devour it all... the suspense is killing me. Keep it up. I'm glad I came for a review swap. Expecting yours. Nice book, already collected. Expecting more updates.

A great read. I haven't read much in the horror genre on Webnovel, now I am wondering what other hidden gems I have missed out on! I love this story so far. The descriptions are beautiful, the misdirection and moments of denial are amazing. The first chapter (chapter 1, not the prologue) was one of the best things I have read on WN. It took such a beautiful turn and in such a way that it touches the readers heart and leaves them with a sense of sadness and fear combined. There are places here and there where the metaphors and descriptions get to be a bit much, but over all it's not to distracting. Note to the Author, I would say one thing, don't leave authors notes inside the story. It's very distracting. I understand the desire to make your thought clear but your readers will figure it out. If there is something that needs explanation, leave a foot note.

So good!!! I was expecting another random novel, but this completely blew away my expectations. The author uses such descriptive metaphors that you can actually feel all the emotions that they're trying to convey. My only qualm is that sometimes, the metaphors are too descriptive that they break up the flow of the story by making the reading chunkier. But, overall, a great book!

The story seemed interesting at the beginning with the MC near psychosis and his horrible grief but the story is takes a sharp turn to the supernatural which I love. However, the story does have a few hiccups with story beats and grammar but they can be easily improved. Other than that, good story!

the book is actually great. just a little too dark for me. the first chapter itself almost drive me crazy. the scene which changed all of a sudden was way too sad

I love everything about this novel... everything but the updating stability

Wow, I honestly don't know how to describe how amazing this story is. The world background and character design was amazing.

Hi PotatoKing! So, emm, this was the first time I had ever read a story like this, so I was caught unprepared. The first chapter started off bright and sunny, but as readers read there is a certain horror that weighed heavier and heavier because of the striking contrast that was depicted in the chapter. I don't want to spoil, but let's say that the MC went through A LOT of trials in his life and ended up in another kind of trial, if not worse. A purgatory system that sent him on loops with a set of expectations on how to end them. The storytelling style is remarkable with impeccable grammar. You can literally picture what is happening before your eyes as you read on. A very unique story with an even more unique setting. It keeps the readers curious for what is going to happen next. Very engaging. I trust that I am not the only one who feel this way 😁. Absolutely recommended for those who want to have a taste on purgatory. You shall not be disappointed.

I just wanna let all of you know that this book is really awesome, interesting, and I whenever I reach the end of the chapter I feel the thirst of reading more and more. I could not believe that I read a whole a lot of chapters in an hour. Thank you so much for bringing out the school incidents which also made me take a look of my own school memories 😢 though it really is a very happily ever after memory to cherish I really miss my friends and myself 💔 Well, that's not the case here, it is about the book that I'm saying. I just can't find the right word to express it. Like adding some sugar, spices and everything nice, Author gives us the taste of happy, sad, comical, pretty awesome description, thrilling and what not. Hats off dear author ❣️🤩 All the best with your future works. I'll try my best to support the book wholeheartedly with much love❤️ The story think of several types of scenarios and always concludes with different type as in its just unexpected. Once again, hats off 🎩 Thank you ❣️

I like the MC, I mean most of the character is well designed. I haven't caught up to the latest chapter but I do enjoy a bit of the suspense. The tension is there and it provide some expectation to what's gonna happen. Looking forward to how to story develop :D