The Masquerade reading order

A plan for the whole series

3 volumes, 1,513 pages, about 30 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 5 weeks.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 3, “The Tyrant Baru Cormorant” (by 33%). Plan your break after volume 2, before the series plans it for you.

Stages

2 stages, with 1 short book from outside the series between them. You finish around December 20, 2026, 9 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 116 h21 daysby November 25, 2026

   • 1. The Traitor Baru Cormorant2015 · 399 pages · 7 h
   • 2. The Monster Baru Cormorant2018 · 458 pages · 8 h
2. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by December 4, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 212 h16 daysby December 20, 2026

   • 3. The Tyrant Baru Cormorant2020 · 656 pages · 12 h
4. The end of the series

   December 20, 2026

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: even. Volume scores differ by at most 0.2 points. You get the same level from the first page to the last.

Best volume: The Tyrant Baru Cormorant (8.1, 72 ratings). Weakest: The Monster Baru Cormorant (7.9). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 2 and 3: 33%. The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (8.1) scores close to the series average or above it.