Reviews tagging 'War'

Master of One by Danielle Bennett, Jaida Jones

5 reviews

_kayla_marie_'s review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Slower than slow burn. The main character is consistently and asshole and unlikeable

I kept reading hoping this book would get better and it took roughly 400 pages to get good. That's the only reason I gave it 3 stars, otherwise I would have given it 2.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Torture, Slavery, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Chronic illness, War, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore

ailsaod's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 This book was surprisingly good - I do not usually read YA or books about fairies and I only really picked this up because it was available at the library and I needed something to read on the train. I think the main reason I liked this book is that this book doesn't describe fairies in the mainstream fashion - these fairies do tick some of the usual boxes (think a bit like Tolkien elves) but there is an added eldritch element that I really enjoyed. The settings are described vividly and this only makes it more effective when creepy magic things happen. This book is what you would get if you combined Indiana Jones and the snow white film Mirror Mirror (2012), make of that what you will!

The one downside is that the book just sort of ends. There is no proper resolution, just a dip in the action and then it stops which is rather unsatisfying when there is so far no sequel announced!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Police brutality, and Murder

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Suicide, Confinement, and Child death

Minor: War, Genocide, and Death of parent

magpi3's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring 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 such a fun read, I loved every chapter of it.

The worldbuilding was excellent and revealed such a rich and complex world which is matched by the character development and the descriptions used to make them even better. There was an extended break during my reading but I was able to pick it back up easily and was able to return to the story without hesitation.

I'm baffled that this book hasn't gotten more attention and praise as it is deserving of both.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Grief, Torture, War, and Classism

Minor: Death of parent

jupiterlee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Gore, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Torture, and War

emily_mh's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

There are lots of things I liked about this one. The plot got going right away - by the literal 60th page I was deep in an Indian Jones type mission along with the main character, Rags. I liked the writing style and loved the concept of the Great Parable and the direction this gave the story. The magic - mirrorcraft - was unique and fascinating and was deeply intwined in the plot. Finally, for the most part, the main romance was written well.

There were, however, some kind of important things I didn't like. The middle section of this book was BLOATED. The pacing was incredibly slow, which was a huge disappointment after the firecracker start. This book really didn't need 500+ pages to tell its story. I would have liked the characters to feel a little more rounded, especially given the time we spend with them. The side romances felt a little contrived. Finally, and perhaps most jarringly, this was written as a standalone but does not feel like one. Everything felt so unfinished by the end that I felt like I had another two books to go. I understand that the authors have more ideas for more books in this world, but I think this should have been the first in a planned series from the get go. 

Overall though the book was fine and I look forward to what the two authors bring out in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death, Violence, Murder, Blood, Cursing, Child death, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Infertility, Ableism, Body shaming, Torture, Death of parent, Gore, Body horror, Grief, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Slavery

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Confinement, Alcoholism, Vomit, Cannibalism, Excrement, Drug use, Animal death, War, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment