Jala’s Mask: Interesting world-building in this YA fantasy

Jala’s Mask by Mike & Rachel Grinti

I enjoy reading fantasy that stems from a different folkloric basis than the one I grew up in. Middle European, British, Native American and Asian fantasy tropes have been done a lot, so Jala’s Mask, by Mike & Rachel Grinti was a refreshing change.

Jala has grown up in a society similar in some ways to our Polynesian one. Her people can magically shape ships from the material that forms the reefs around their islands. They gather wealth by raiding the mainland. The Five Islands and One are ruled by a king and queen, but except for the One island, where sorcerers are exiled, each island is controlled by a particular family. Jala is part of the Bardo clan. The new king, Azi of the Kayet, is looking for a wife, and Jala’s father is sure she will be chosen. This seems unlikely, because Azi’s Kayet uncle doesn’t trust the Bardo, but Jala’s independent spirit piques the young king’s interest, and he chooses her as his queen. From there, though, nothing goes as expected.

Jala must leave her family and home and journey to the Kayet island. One of the wedding gifts provided by another clan, recently returned from a raid, is a strange thing, a book. Jala does not understand the purpose of a book. If you want things to be remembered, why not turn them into songs and story poems, as her people do? The book, though, is very important to some people on the mainland, and soon the islands are attacked by a bewitched army. More seriously, the raiders may have seized some of the ship-reef boats, the secret weapon of the islanders. Jala and Azi must decide what to do next. Their decision takes Jala to the mainland to confront a strange people who use masks to channel gods.

Jala is a strong character who has to face her new husband, his distrustful uncle, her people’s enemies and her own father in order to decide the right course of action. Her father has always assumed that as queen, Jala will make decisions that benefit the Bardo clan over others. When she does do this, early in the book, she earns the resentment of her people. She must decide whether to be loyal to her family or to her kingdom. Azi is strong and capable, but as a second son he was content to be a warrior and a sailor. The sudden death of his brother thrusts him into a position he never particularly wanted. He is attracted to Jala and admires her courage, but cannot ignore a promise he made to another woman before he was king. These problems have a direct impact on the response to the attack, since Jala and Azi must trust each other if Jala’s plan is to work.

The descriptions of island life, the food, the clothing, the use of messenger birds and the magical boats, is quite well done. Jala is a strong woman who is accepted as queen, if anything a bit too easily, especially after her early mistake, but her courage and willingness to risk herself for her people makes her an admirable character. The connection of the book to the mainland raiders, and the use of the masks, are great touches. At the end Jala makes a difficult choice that will make her people stronger.

I think young teens will like Jala’s Mask very much. Azi, Jala and Jala’s friend Marjani are well defined characters with a lot of life to them. If you are looking for the gritty, gory court politics of A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, for example, don’t bother looking here. I think readers up to fifteen or sixteen will enjoy this book. The beautiful cover art by Jacqueline Nasso Cooke is a bonus.