Fun little tale and had delightful ideas, but overall poorly executed.Why didn't the doctor realize he was looking at a burn that was hours old not scarred over? That bothered me the most.How did the Prince recognize fake Evie when she wore a mask he had never seen, spoke with a different voice, and acted OOC for Evie? He is such a fool.I appreciated the toned down romance and hopeful non-promises at the end, very believable.Chameleon could be a girl? Seriously? People only know how to look at a mask to determine gender? Also, whatever happened to the man falsely identified as the Chameleon Evie told Aiden about? She should have testified and gotten the man free, but noooo she lets him rot in the stocks.Evie seemed pretty useless, though bold. She is rather rude to Aiden, falsely assuming she can insult him constantly and call it friendship. Eh, no. True friendship has more depth to it. At least she knows how to apologize. And he doesn't always just ignore her insults.Surrounded and attacked by bad guys? Perfect time for love-confession and a kiss. Right?Aiden was too obviously the Prince. He was terrible at deflecting questions and coming up with excuses or a cover story. Then we learn his parents helped him plan an alternate identity. Really? Why did he never rely on the prepared fabrication and just act awkward the dozen times Evie brings up past/family?The King and Queen are so impressed with Evie (what, her frankness?) they speak directly to her. Seems . . . overly trusting, especially considering she was the last one to see their son alive.Evie only talks about her mask making mistakes, but somehow her teachers are impressed with her mediocre work. Hmm. I would have liked to see her actually doing work, not just making herself masks for free from palace resources. Or stealing masks from Iniga.Evie's first encounter with the Chameleon? She is utterly useless. He removes her mask and burns a specific mark on her cheek with her squirming or wriggling away, and he doesn't even have her pinned (she's pressed against a wall, but he spares one hand for the poker). I don't think she even screams.Still, the mask idea was fun, and Aiden and Evie trade off rescuing each other (he does more, but whatevs). They are fun together, and they do have at least two dimensions to their lives (Hatchi! Lacies), though three would be an overstatement. I finished it. Rather quickly. Ok, so I loved the atmosphere of the novel. And the fact that their masks were their identity. Different colors represented different ranks and occupations. I know on the book it says that this sort of a Cinderella story. I loved the interaction between the two main characters. Snarky, sassy sarcasm. My style. Even with the bad guy, the Chameleon and all his stuff, I didn't get annoyed. Skidmore didn't let that overpower any of the story. Others might say that she might have not had enough with the Chameleon. But I thought it was a nice change.This was a fast read for me. It held my attention, and since I've been in a "reading slump" that's saying something. I think Skidmore did a great job and I look forward to the second installment. So write on Skidmore!
What do You think about What Is Hidden (2014)?
This is an excellent book if you like fairy-tale twists. A goodread for 10-14.
—bellephothirath
