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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Master of Crows is a perfect blend of fantasy, intriguing story and romance. But what really made it a 5 star book for me were the well developed and wonderfully likable characters. I fell in love with Silhara of Neith, his sort of servant and friend Gurn, Cael - his mage-finder hound who smells like a stinking refuse heap from rolling around with the pigs; and Silhara's unexpected love interest Martise of Asher.
Silhara is beset by the exiled god Corruption who once crushed the world and was imprisoned by the Conclave priests. Corruption now hangs as a star over Silhara's manor, recognizing him as the Avatar reborn; the vessel through which Corruption can manifest back into the world. The god alternately possesses him, attempts to seduce him and threatens him.
"I know your mind sorcerer, and your spirit. Your hate burns hot for the priests - these men who spit on a whore's get. Surrender to me and I will see them destroyed in your name".
Silhara however prizes his freedom above all the god's temptations; and despite the potency of his Gift and the skill with which he wields it; ultimately he simply wants to live the simple solitary life of a farmer, tending his precious orange grove with the company of his faithful friend and mute servant Gurn and his stinky mage-finder hound.
With his sarcastic wit he responds to the god; "I hate many things and many people; none are worth subjugating my will. You'll have to coax me with something better than a few dead priests".
But Silhara cannot resist the god indefinitely and killing the god Corruption will require acquiring knowledge often buried in dead languages or ancient scrolls. As a desperate measure he requests from Conclave an apprentice, a cleric-scribe versed in ancient tomes, one with knowledge of forgotten and arcane languages. Silhara seeks to kill the god, preserve his autonomy and save the world even knowing that Conclave will accept his request, eager to place a spy in his home in the hopes of uncovering his heresy and condemning him to death.
Into Silhara's dilapidated manor, surrounded by the woods of Neith blanketed in curse magic; comes Martise of Asher; the supposed "ward" of the Bishop of Cumbria and Silhara's nemesis. Martise is in fact slave-bound to the Bishop and hopes to gain her freedom by finding proof of Silhara's succumbing to Corruption.
Initially she appears "plain as a potato", passive, submissive, blending into the woodwork. However as Silhara comes to know her, he sees the vibrant and brave woman underneath the facade. Their relationship builds slowly based on a growing mutual
respect set against a backdrop of potent sexual tension. Martise concludes that while she "had mastered the art of submissive behavior at an early age, there was something about the Master of Crows that made her forget her training". Silhara comes to see her as "brave and surprising" and concludes that her abject passivity was an act.
"She was quiet, yes, and good at hiding her emotions when she wished. But that lowered gaze had far less to do with acknowledging him as superior and more to do with hiding the fact that she sometimes wanted to knock his teeth down his throat".
Along with the sexual tension and witty banter, there are some humorous interactions; especially as the pair start off as wary enemies.
"I understand you've been helping Gurn. A comfort to know that while you can't work a simple spell, you can at least milk a goat".
"Yes Master. I've worked among livestock all my life, including cows, pigs, goats...and asses".
Through their connection Silhara watches Martise blossom; and Martise watches an angry, isolated, traumatized man open his heart to love. There are some fairly explicit sex scenes which take place about halfway through; and by which time I have actually become invested in and come to care about the characters - so it is engaging from an emotional as well as an erotic standpoint.
There is a wonderfully emotional happy ending. I didn't want the story to end.
Silhara is beset by the exiled god Corruption who once crushed the world and was imprisoned by the Conclave priests. Corruption now hangs as a star over Silhara's manor, recognizing him as the Avatar reborn; the vessel through which Corruption can manifest back into the world. The god alternately possesses him, attempts to seduce him and threatens him.
"I know your mind sorcerer, and your spirit. Your hate burns hot for the priests - these men who spit on a whore's get. Surrender to me and I will see them destroyed in your name".
Silhara however prizes his freedom above all the god's temptations; and despite the potency of his Gift and the skill with which he wields it; ultimately he simply wants to live the simple solitary life of a farmer, tending his precious orange grove with the company of his faithful friend and mute servant Gurn and his stinky mage-finder hound.
With his sarcastic wit he responds to the god; "I hate many things and many people; none are worth subjugating my will. You'll have to coax me with something better than a few dead priests".
But Silhara cannot resist the god indefinitely and killing the god Corruption will require acquiring knowledge often buried in dead languages or ancient scrolls. As a desperate measure he requests from Conclave an apprentice, a cleric-scribe versed in ancient tomes, one with knowledge of forgotten and arcane languages. Silhara seeks to kill the god, preserve his autonomy and save the world even knowing that Conclave will accept his request, eager to place a spy in his home in the hopes of uncovering his heresy and condemning him to death.
Into Silhara's dilapidated manor, surrounded by the woods of Neith blanketed in curse magic; comes Martise of Asher; the supposed "ward" of the Bishop of Cumbria and Silhara's nemesis. Martise is in fact slave-bound to the Bishop and hopes to gain her freedom by finding proof of Silhara's succumbing to Corruption.
Initially she appears "plain as a potato", passive, submissive, blending into the woodwork. However as Silhara comes to know her, he sees the vibrant and brave woman underneath the facade. Their relationship builds slowly based on a growing mutual
respect set against a backdrop of potent sexual tension. Martise concludes that while she "had mastered the art of submissive behavior at an early age, there was something about the Master of Crows that made her forget her training". Silhara comes to see her as "brave and surprising" and concludes that her abject passivity was an act.
"She was quiet, yes, and good at hiding her emotions when she wished. But that lowered gaze had far less to do with acknowledging him as superior and more to do with hiding the fact that she sometimes wanted to knock his teeth down his throat".
Along with the sexual tension and witty banter, there are some humorous interactions; especially as the pair start off as wary enemies.
"I understand you've been helping Gurn. A comfort to know that while you can't work a simple spell, you can at least milk a goat".
"Yes Master. I've worked among livestock all my life, including cows, pigs, goats...and asses".
Through their connection Silhara watches Martise blossom; and Martise watches an angry, isolated, traumatized man open his heart to love. There are some fairly explicit sex scenes which take place about halfway through; and by which time I have actually become invested in and come to care about the characters - so it is engaging from an emotional as well as an erotic standpoint.
There is a wonderfully emotional happy ending. I didn't want the story to end.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really terrible writing, continuous repetitive use of adjectives and so very many inconsistencies. I only continued the book because I didn't want to give up on my first book of the new year.
I only gave it the second star because the story was innovative.
I only gave it the second star because the story was innovative.
The arcane society picks have been more miss than hit for me. I'm just not a fan of this author's writing. I quit this one more quickly than the other one.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
The book had promised, but it was under-edited. Not only was there more typos than usual, but the a lot of interesting parts were erased with time jumps between POV switches. For example, what happens after a big moment is only recounted/summarized in the past through the next chapter when these were the pieces I was looking forward to. Like Silhara's first impressions of Martise, or what happened after the liche and at the tor. And though Gurn's reaction to Silhara hiring Anya was big moment, we never get to see Gurn's reactions to them actually getting together. Gurn was generally underdeveloped, when he could have been so lovable. We also are not given enough info about the enslavement and what it means.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
**4.2**
First of all, I’m obsessed with Grace Draven as an author. Her writing is beautiful and she has a way of being descriptive but not overbearing. She can really tell a story and for a fantasy standalone she is my absolute favorite author.
This book was well written but I just didn’t like it as much as Entreat Me. I loved our MFC but our MMC didn’t deserve her. He just wasn’t a likable character. Also, I’m finding the author writes woman in a more traditional way with traditional roles. This worked in Entreat Me but not in this particular story for me. There were some scenes that rubbed me the wrong way. However, this was still a great story if you’re okay with traditional roles and a slower start.
First of all, I’m obsessed with Grace Draven as an author. Her writing is beautiful and she has a way of being descriptive but not overbearing. She can really tell a story and for a fantasy standalone she is my absolute favorite author.
This book was well written but I just didn’t like it as much as Entreat Me. I loved our MFC but our MMC didn’t deserve her. He just wasn’t a likable character. Also, I’m finding the author writes woman in a more traditional way with traditional roles. This worked in Entreat Me but not in this particular story for me. There were some scenes that rubbed me the wrong way. However, this was still a great story if you’re okay with traditional roles and a slower start.
m/f - fantasy romance, enemies to lovers - 5 stars - Draven's always been a knock out for me in the fantasy romance realm.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There is just always something missing with Dravens books, the world feels so small, it ends up being two people and some people in a house that support their love. There's no sense of genuine adventure, i don't know! The romance is good but thats all I get... ugh