Book: The Unnamed by M. S. Masood
Reviewed by Weird | weird.reads.books
Rating: 4.5/5
The synopsis of this book immediately pulled me in. A Rumpelstiltskin-inspired story? Color me intrigued. Masood takes the bones of that tale and twists them into something that feels more like a haunting echo than a straight retelling, and it works so well.
In Vuor, names aren’t just labels. They’re power, protection, identity, and control. The Unnamed are the native people of the land—oppressed by colonizers, stripped down to something dangerously close to property. And at the center of it all is our FMC, Reim, a heroine I couldn’t stop thinking about. She’s the heir to the throne, raised to uphold her people’s rulebook, but there’s this constant, gnawing thread in her mind asking, “Are we the baddies?” Watching her wrestle with loyalty, denial, and dawning horror was messy in the best way of being human, complicated, and painful.
Her world starts to crack when her father’s health declines, and desperation does what desperation always does: it makes you reckless. Reim makes a deal with an Unnamed healer to save him, and that’s where the story kicks off.
And the healer? 😮💨 Clever. Unshakeable. Not to be played with. He balances ruthlessness and tenderness in a way that kept me on edge, and I loved that he knows exactly what he wants and doesn’t apologize for it.
Masood’s writing is also gorgeous. Lyrical without feeling purple, sharp when it needs to be, and packed with emotional nuance. The way she draws parallels between real-world cultural suppression and Vuor’s history is done with a poetic intention and bite.
There are enough twists here that I don’t want to say too much and ruin the experience. Just know: if you want a fresh fairy-tale spin, deeply layered social dynamics, and a slow-burn romance, pick up The Unnamed .
Thank you to The Nerd Fam and M.S. Masood for the ARC. All opinions are my own.