City of Masks vs The Darkness That Comes Before: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Fantasy fiction, Science Fiction, Fiction

City of Masks Mary Hoffman · 2002 ★★★★☆ 3.9 344 pages · ≈ 6 h 22 m · Light Find on Amazon

The Darkness That Comes Before

The Darkness That Comes Before R. Scott Bakker · 2003 ★★★★☆ 4.0 589 pages · ≈ 10 h 54 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.9 vs 4.0 — either is a safe pick by score.
City of Masks is the quicker read — about 6 hours vs 10 for The Darkness That Comes Before.
City of Masks is the easier read (Light), The Darkness That Comes Before more demanding (Moderate).