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arian_dragonelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
Minor: Animal death and Murder
misszoe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Now this has been a wild ride. There were points while reading it where I wanted to give it 4 or 5 stars, but in the end, I decided on 2 stars because the ending.. Wasn't for me. I'll elaborate on that later.
Spoilers from here on! Also: tw suicide
What I enjoyed: I liked the general idea and while I would have liked to know more about Annev's magic, it was a fun journey to be left in the dark just as much as Annev. The book kept making me want to know more, not only about Annev but also about what would happen next. I thought the world building with its religious system was super interesting! Also, MC with a disability was also a nice thing to have, it's not often.
What I did not enjoy: Generally, there weren't MANY things that I didn't enjoy, they were simply consistent and important for me.
Let's start with Myjun's and Annev's relationship. To me, it felt forced. They never really had any chemistry, Annev was like "alright, I suppose I will marry her now" and I mean, yeah, maybe kind of a teenager move. But still!!! Even when she's like "let's stone him", Annev is like "She's kind of pretty though".
Then, a major turn off: while there were competent women, none of them was very likable and none of them was a heroine or, if it wouldn't have fit, a main character like Therin, Titus or Fyn even. Then the conclusion to the monsters destroying the village is "the women were evil and then committed mass suicide". That felt kinda lazy, had no prior hints and also upset me. Why were the women evil, why did they simply kill themselves? Why is there not ONE good woman? I don't mind a female villain but this is a bit much. And the epilogue.. Hints at even more of the two problems I just mentioned. There may only be two issues I really had but to me, they were important and kind of put me off.
Spoilers from here on! Also: tw suicide
What I enjoyed: I liked the general idea and while I would have liked to know more about Annev's magic, it was a fun journey to be left in the dark just as much as Annev. The book kept making me want to know more, not only about Annev but also about what would happen next. I thought the world building with its religious system was super interesting! Also, MC with a disability was also a nice thing to have, it's not often.
What I did not enjoy: Generally, there weren't MANY things that I didn't enjoy, they were simply consistent and important for me.
Then, a major turn off: while there were competent women, none of them was very likable and none of them was a heroine or, if it wouldn't have fit, a main character like Therin, Titus or Fyn even. Then the conclusion to the monsters destroying the village is "the women were evil and then committed mass suicide". That felt kinda lazy, had no prior hints and also upset me. Why were the women evil, why did they simply kill themselves? Why is there not ONE good woman? I don't mind a female villain but this is a bit much. And the epilogue.. Hints at even more of the two problems I just mentioned. There may only be two issues I really had but to me, they were important and kind of put me off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Bullying, and Murder
Minor: Suicide
escapewithreads's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I found the story to be really slow-paced and focused a lot on the religion aspect of the story. The last 1/4 of the book really picks up with action which does help make up for the slowness. There is a lot of world building to get through, a lot of religious. However it will hopefully be a good set up for the next book to take off right away at the beginning.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
A large plot point in the religion is that anyone with any disfigurement, whether it be superficial or missing limbs, is looked at as evil and then killed for it.seanreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I enjoyed reading this book beyond words.
This book doesn’t feel like a debut at all. The writing is really well done, I loved the style, and it’s complex without being confusing. It’s a dark fantasy that’s rather brutal, with a complex world, god lore, and characters. In a strange but highly interesting twist, the Academy that Annievog (nicknamed Annev) attends is very strictly religious and anti-magic. Its purpose is to train Avatars who track down magical items for the sole purpose of locking them away forever. In the eyes of the Academy and the people who live in the hidden, isolated village (Chaenbalu) it’s located in, any sort of visible disability or permanent injury is considered a mark of Keos, labelled a dark god. If one is born with one, they’re executed immediately, and while scars and other (visible) permanent injuries don’t warrant such extremes, the victims are seen as ‘tainted.’
Annev is somewhat at odds with the Academy’s beliefs on obtaining magical items to prevent them from falling into the hands of evil individuals, regardless of whether the items are dark or light in nature. He’s often in trouble for questioning the Academy’s ways of teaching and going against their accepted ways of completing and passing tests (through teamwork, rather than thinking solely of the self). This is partially due to his upbringing by Sodar, the village priest. Sodar teaches him that all magic isn’t evil, that there is good in the world, to think for himself, and magic. But Sodar is also hiding things from Annev, things that will change his life.
The book started off a bit slow but quickly picked up. The pacing was really good; a lot of action with some needed rests between. The stories of the gods are introduced both through being explained to Annev and through ‘excerpts’ from centuries-old books on the divine beings of their world. I usually skip over these when they appear in books because they tend to be boring, but these were pretty interesting! These excerpts are from Sodar’s translation of an ancient text. They reveal the truth of the gods, who truly is or isn’t evil, who was truly wronged, a stark contrast to the Academy’s chosen teachings and sermons for the village.
Call quickly sets the scene, laying out the isolated village in which Annev lives and the beliefs of the people and their actions in regards to those beliefs. The Academy is a lot darker than one expects, with secrets, surprising enemies and allies both. The events of the book happen over the course of a few days, though it feels much longer due to all that happens. Most of the characters are really interesting, with a few outliers. Even the more minor characters who only appear a few times add a bit of life to the world that Annev lives in. I also really rooted for Annev the entire time because he’s such a great and interesting character! The magic system is also complex and shown to be gray rather than painting it all in dark and light— or, in the Academy’s case, just dark.
The disability representation in this book is amazing and I really liked it. Annev doesn’t understand why having any sort of physical disability makes him a ‘child of Keos,’ tainted by the supposedly dark god, especially since he was welcomed into the academy like the others are able-bodied. Annev has some minor negative feelings about his missing forearm but he works through it with the help of Sodar. He wears a magic prosthetic arm that helps him hide his disability to keep from being killed for it. It looks, acts, and feels like it’s a true flesh and blood forearm and hand, though it bleeds a dark liquid when cut.
Annev is a really great protagonist because he’s very human; he makes disastrous mistakes and right decisions that really screw him over. His abilities are put to the test in unexpected ways that he quickly adapts to or doesn’t handle well. His beliefs, his approach to his tests, his views of his friends, enemies, love interest, the Academy, the village, and even Sodar are all challenged in numerous ways. How he reacts falls in line with his character arc. He’s inquisitive and quick on his feet. He questions things, rather than blindly accepting them as fact just because his elders and Masters present them as such. I really enjoyed his character.
I found Annev’s relationship with Myjun to be uninteresting, though it did cause a lot of tension for a few reasons including Myjun having the strong belief that any visible disability or permanent injury was a sign of taint. Myjun was a very flat character and seemed to exist just for tension and to set up important plot points for the future books.
Kenton was a good minor antagonist. When questioned about his past betrayal of and hostility towards Annev, Titus, and Therin, he claims to be ambitious and not wanting to be held back by them. Later, he explains exactly why he betrayed and stopped being friends with them. His hatred for Annev is shown through actions in the last third of the book, but I’m still undecided whether Kenton’s hatred was enough to drive him to do what he did during their task. His blindness to his ex’s prejudices mirrored Annev’s own, and he’s a good example for how Annev could have turned out if he’d gone down the path he’d considered taking during the trial to become Avatar.
Fyn is a somewhat delightfully brutal antagonist, though his character arc felt far too quick and unnatural.There’s no real explanation for why he targets Annev and his friends explicitly, which also makes his sudden shift during their task in the last third of the book very sudden and unlike him. I wish he’d had more character development and that there was more plausibility to his sudden change.
There’s so much going on in Master of Sorrows, but it’s in no way overwhelming, which is what I love about it! Too much going on often makes me put a book down because I can’t keep up. There’s so many layers to this book and the world in it. I’m really excited for the sequel!
This book doesn’t feel like a debut at all. The writing is really well done, I loved the style, and it’s complex without being confusing. It’s a dark fantasy that’s rather brutal, with a complex world, god lore, and characters. In a strange but highly interesting twist, the Academy that Annievog (nicknamed Annev) attends is very strictly religious and anti-magic. Its purpose is to train Avatars who track down magical items for the sole purpose of locking them away forever. In the eyes of the Academy and the people who live in the hidden, isolated village (Chaenbalu) it’s located in, any sort of visible disability or permanent injury is considered a mark of Keos, labelled a dark god. If one is born with one, they’re executed immediately, and while scars and other (visible) permanent injuries don’t warrant such extremes, the victims are seen as ‘tainted.’
Annev is somewhat at odds with the Academy’s beliefs on obtaining magical items to prevent them from falling into the hands of evil individuals, regardless of whether the items are dark or light in nature. He’s often in trouble for questioning the Academy’s ways of teaching and going against their accepted ways of completing and passing tests (through teamwork, rather than thinking solely of the self). This is partially due to his upbringing by Sodar, the village priest. Sodar teaches him that all magic isn’t evil, that there is good in the world, to think for himself, and magic. But Sodar is also hiding things from Annev, things that will change his life.
The book started off a bit slow but quickly picked up. The pacing was really good; a lot of action with some needed rests between. The stories of the gods are introduced both through being explained to Annev and through ‘excerpts’ from centuries-old books on the divine beings of their world. I usually skip over these when they appear in books because they tend to be boring, but these were pretty interesting! These excerpts are from Sodar’s translation of an ancient text. They reveal the truth of the gods, who truly is or isn’t evil, who was truly wronged, a stark contrast to the Academy’s chosen teachings and sermons for the village.
Call quickly sets the scene, laying out the isolated village in which Annev lives and the beliefs of the people and their actions in regards to those beliefs. The Academy is a lot darker than one expects, with secrets, surprising enemies and allies both. The events of the book happen over the course of a few days, though it feels much longer due to all that happens. Most of the characters are really interesting, with a few outliers. Even the more minor characters who only appear a few times add a bit of life to the world that Annev lives in. I also really rooted for Annev the entire time because he’s such a great and interesting character! The magic system is also complex and shown to be gray rather than painting it all in dark and light— or, in the Academy’s case, just dark.
The disability representation in this book is amazing and I really liked it. Annev doesn’t understand why having any sort of physical disability makes him a ‘child of Keos,’ tainted by the supposedly dark god, especially since he was welcomed into the academy like the others are able-bodied. Annev has some minor negative feelings about his missing forearm but he works through it with the help of Sodar. He wears a magic prosthetic arm that helps him hide his disability to keep from being killed for it. It looks, acts, and feels like it’s a true flesh and blood forearm and hand, though it bleeds a dark liquid when cut.
Annev is a really great protagonist because he’s very human; he makes disastrous mistakes and right decisions that really screw him over. His abilities are put to the test in unexpected ways that he quickly adapts to or doesn’t handle well. His beliefs, his approach to his tests, his views of his friends, enemies, love interest, the Academy, the village, and even Sodar are all challenged in numerous ways. How he reacts falls in line with his character arc. He’s inquisitive and quick on his feet. He questions things, rather than blindly accepting them as fact just because his elders and Masters present them as such. I really enjoyed his character.
I found Annev’s relationship with Myjun to be uninteresting, though it did cause a lot of tension for a few reasons including Myjun having the strong belief that any visible disability or permanent injury was a sign of taint. Myjun was a very flat character and seemed to exist just for tension and to set up important plot points for the future books.
Kenton was a good minor antagonist. When questioned about his past betrayal of and hostility towards Annev, Titus, and Therin, he claims to be ambitious and not wanting to be held back by them. Later, he explains exactly why he betrayed and stopped being friends with them. His hatred for Annev is shown through actions in the last third of the book, but I’m still undecided whether Kenton’s hatred was enough to drive him to do what he did during their task. His blindness to his ex’s prejudices mirrored Annev’s own, and he’s a good example for how Annev could have turned out if he’d gone down the path he’d considered taking during the trial to become Avatar.
Fyn is a somewhat delightfully brutal antagonist, though his character arc felt far too quick and unnatural.
There’s so much going on in Master of Sorrows, but it’s in no way overwhelming, which is what I love about it! Too much going on often makes me put a book down because I can’t keep up. There’s so many layers to this book and the world in it. I’m really excited for the sequel!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
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