Reviews

Master of One by Dani Bennett, Jaida Jones

radiergummi15's review against another edition

3.0

I'm one of those people wo constantly considered dnf'ing this book in the first 100 pages. The pacing just felt weird to me and I think it wasn't the best decision to have them be filled with so much internal monologue from a character who I personally didn't care about at this point in the story.
After the first 100 pages though, the story got a lot more interesting for me. I really liked the worldbuilding and the task the main group had to fulfill. I also enjoyed the dynamic between Rags and

Spoiler

Shining Talon

and the romance plotline was exactly what I needed at the time - a sweet slowburn with just the right amount of angst. However, I still found it very hard to enjoy the other perspectives, namely because a lot of the supporting cast felt pretty flat to me and they didn't have the chance to have any interesting interactions with one another. That being said, I still think a lot of the supporting cast have potential and I especially liked the perspective of

Spoiler

Somhairle

. I do want to address that the pacing in this story generally felt a bit weird, especially because a lot of the chapters were so short and, as other reviewers have already pointed out, the story does leave a lot of open questions at the end. This is not a big problem for me however, since it kind of added to the atmosphere of the book and prevented the ending from feeling rushed.
So in general, I do think this book has its weaknesses and no matter what you are into, you will probably dislike at least some parts of the story. I still recommend it though if the premise sounds interesting to you and I'd definitely be down for a sequel.

theeuphoriczat's review against another edition

3.0

Filled with magic, betrayal, heists, and near death experiences, I basically binged this book on a friday night.
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We follow Rags, a notoriius thief who was caught by the Queensguard and, more specifically, a powerful magician. He is forced to seek out and steal a powerful and ancient fae relic for the magician. The magician (whose name I currently can't remember) spells a mirror in Rags to monitor him.
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In trying to find this relic, many have died, and Rags will not be one of them. He is quite smart, I have to give him that. When he finds the relic, he happens to awaken a fae prince (Shining Talon). A prince that recalls how the magician decimated the royal family and his plans to control the kingdom.
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They both go on a journey to not just save themselves but the kingdom. We are introduced to a number of amazing characters who happen to each have one of the six fae relics.
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Overall, I really enjoyed this book. You will love this book if you
- love queer romance
-love fae fantasy packed with action and intrigue
- want a book with heists and friendships
- want a book filled with fantastic multiple POV
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Thanks to @pridebooktours for making a copy of this book available to me.

vaporization's review

4.0

It's a little bit too long but it's just a whole lot of fun

ecstaticrhubarb's review

2.0

DNF at 26%. May revisist when I'm out of things to try.
It lost me once we jumped to some of the other character stories.

starrysea98's review

mm. DNF. didn’t like the writing style

gperna01's review

3.0

I’d give this 3.5 stars. I am sad because this book has so much potential. I would read the next book if there was one because by the end I loved the characters. The story got better by 65% but I felt that this could’ve been a shorter book because half of it was a waste of time. I did appreciate the representation of people within the LGBTQ+ community.

arielwip's review

adventurous emotional funny tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

A lightly veiled and scathing critique on society and a call to arms for those of us who are marginalized by the ever-costly mainstream. I cannot put into words how much is means to see myself represented in media, and it's so rare, but I saw myself in more than one character in this book. And, yes, there is romance too, but it's in spite of the adventure, and not because of it. While it's a fantasy story set in a fantasy world, it's painfully real. I loved every second.

dorisxu's review

4.0

i respect that they wrapped up the romantic plot lines fully in the book but not the overall goal

serru's review

2.0

I hate to say it, but this book suffers from the exact same problems as two of the authors' previous novels, [b:Havemercy|2305862|Havemercy (Havemercy, #1)|Jaida Jones|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1428667976l/2305862._SY75_.jpg|2312276] and [b:Shadow Magic|5886131|Shadow Magic (Havemercy, #2)|Jaida Jones|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320488888l/5886131._SY75_.jpg|6058383]. It's a multi-POV story where I only really enjoyed 1 character's chapters and it's set in an interesting world with an intriguing premise. But after a strong start, the entire story plods on soooo slowly before ending in an action-packed final 80-100 pages. I wanted to like it but I was so bored for a good 70% of the book.

thebooklovingpanda's review

4.0

"What does it mean?" the fae asked... "'Pissing balls of f***ing fire'? Is it your name?"

This got off to a walloping start with a shockingly violent prologue (think 'Game of Thrones' level) opening up for a Chapter One full of sass, gallows humour and a protagonist (Rags the thief) who simply leaps off the page.

Rags was my favourite character, especially when we learn a little more about his past. There were some unexpectedly heartwarming and wholesome moments too, especially near the end. The other characters were interesting too all with distinct narratives leading up to when their lives irrevocably merge together. I really liked (the human) Prince Somhairle in particular! I wish we'd gotten a POV from the fae prince himself...perhaps in the sequel? (Please.) I'd love to read him recollecting his first encounter with Rags. Absolutely iconic scene and one of my favourite human/fae meetings I've read.

I'd say that the blurb's comparison to 'Six of Crows' is fair. You've got definite found family dynamics, grudging alliances, sarcastic humour and an epic heist sequence full of booby traps and close calls. Very Indiana Jones.

I really liked the high fantasy world, especially the names of the royal and noble houses. I'm intrigued - is there a specific reason why there are only (human) queens reigning, or is this whole society a matrilineal one? There's a whole variety of POV characters (gay, trans and disability rep), with a couple of characters of colour, though I'm pretty sure the vast majority of characters here are white. The fae I'm not sure about though!

The first 50% was super bingeable, flagged a bit in the middle as the POVs increased and the plot grew more complex, but it soon picked up again. I did sometimes get a little confused when the different POV chapters split focus during conflict scenes, as well as by the ever-growing cast, but overall it didn't really bother me.

There's less romance than I was expecting but I still shipped the main couple so much! Their budding relationship is sweet and earnest in a world full of nastiness, and peppered with cute and funny moments. I also really liked the platonic love in this. I don't want to spoil anything, so suffice to say that I had Eragon nostalgia and absolutely adored that aspect of this story.

Overall this was a fun, refreshing high fantasy romp and I'm really hoping for a sequel!

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours, HarperTeen and NetGalley for an eARC for an honest review.