Reviews with content warning for Death - Masters of Death

Masters of Death was as funny as it was charming as it was dark. I thought the humor was witty and unlike anything I’ve read before stylistically. Though, I have heard people compare Olivie’s pacing and style to Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchet’s “Good Omens” before (I’ve only watched and loved the show). So that’s honestly why I picked it up in the first place. That and the end pages (stunning!) Overall, really enjoyed this read. Only giving it a 4.75 because some of the set up of the world and concept went right over my head.

Still not entirely sure I know how the game works but still enjoyed how Olivie wrote about it

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fandomsandfiction's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

There is a game that the immortals play. There is only one rule. Don't lose.

read this if you want:
- multiple povs and timelines
- a colourful cast of supernatural characters
- found family!!! but they all hate each other (or so they say)
- lots of sarcasm, banter, and sardonic humour... all that good stuff!
- a reimagining of myths, legends and folkloric creatures from around the world
- the kind of complicated, tragic love that only immortals are capable of (especially when said immortal falls in love with a mortal)
- a nonlinear narrative that keeps you guessing till the very end

This is my first Olivie Blake book and I'm not sure if it was madness or genius. One thing I do know is that there's A LOT going on. And it's addictive.

I don't know how Ms Blake did this, but she somehow managed to combine as many mythologies, folklores, and belief systems as possible. As a nerd for all things mythical, I may have gotten a bit too excited.

The writing is slightly pretentious, but only for the pretentious characters - which just so happens to be almost all of them (they're my people). The plot itself is perplexing and unpredictable. I spent most of the time reading this in a state of "idk what's going on, I'm just vibing". A lot of it had me grinning from ear to ear, Olive Blake has a good way with dialogue!! However, at a certain point, the banter got a bit *too much* for me. I never thought there could be such a thing as too much banter and frivolity, but I started to feel that way eventually... Could just be a me thing. If you asked me to explain the 'game' to you, I would tell you to go read this book. Honestly, I still don't understand it completely myself. I might have to give this a reread.

If you're looking to take the spooky vibes with you now that spooky season is over, give this book a try! It's got an old-fashioned gothicness to it that makes for some good escapism.

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palmkd's review against another edition

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dark funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a story about Death. Or rather his godson. And an actual god's son. And a real estate agent who happens to be a vampire. As well as the ghost haunting the house she desperately wants to sell.
There's also her friend the fitness buff, who happens to be a demon, but she feels that's a bit of an unfair classification.

This motley crew of supernatural creatures provides a very entertaining adventure about a rather confusing game with incredibly high-stakes. If that isn't enough to peak your interest, how about some cameos from Gabriel and Michael, the pearl-clutching arch-angels?

Come for the humour and stay for the humour, this one will have you smirking and entertained throughout the story.

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thecourtofreading's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

i enjoyed this so so so much more than i enjoyed the atlas six. it's october, so i figured i'd read a book centred around the paranormal and death and whatnot, and this was SO GOOD. granted, there wasn't really much plot, it was a very character driven book with the bare bones of a plot, but the characters are what makes this book worthwhile. it was funny, entertaining and all of the characters genuinely seemed real and have minds of their own. my favourite had to be fox, or mayra. i would probably read this again, because i had such a good time reading it

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fran_buesa's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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