Reviews with content warning for Child death - Master of One

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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ailsaod's review against another edition

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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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jrlittlejohn97's review

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adventurous dark funny tense medium-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

4.5

This is by no means a perfect book, but I LOVED it. I think the blurbs oversell how central the romance is, and the "heist" aspects are more a) Tomb Raider style puzzle based murderous escape rooms and b) desperate last second rescue. The comparisons to Six of Crows are apt in that it's an ensemble character-driven medium fantasy, but it handles the diversity much better and really isn't a heist book. Rather, it's a set up for a revolution which I WAY prefer. I would compare it to Crier's War, with a bit of that Voltron-type magic super robot with a mystical bond to a person flavor. So if you want a heist book, you won't find it here. It's a revolution set-up, and it's delicious.

As a physically disabled person, I really liked how this book handed disability, and the authors did a really good job at making the world building itself feel diverse. I loved the characters, really really liked the story and the prose, and the end was an absolute banger. I enjoyed the audiobook, though it was a bit robot in the first few chapters.

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therainbowshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

I picked this up because of Rainbowcrate Book Box and I enjoyed it quite a bit (Rainbowcrate included a silverware set for this book and a silverware set in the book is an actual character!). I love the chosen ones trope, and it was fun seeing everything start off with a theif forced to break into an ancient ruin. There's some unaddressed ableism in here related to one of the main characters, which I was hoping to see more discussion about but that didn't come up. I don't think I enjoyed the audiobook as much as I would have enjoyed reading this one for myself.

📘The Gist 📘: A thief under duress by a wizard breaks into an ancient ruin and wakes a sleeping fae who starts them on a quest to find 6 chosen ones linked to a powerful weapon.

📒Representation📒: BIPOC mc, disabled mc, mlm mc, mtf sc

💕 For readers looking for 💕: adventure, chosen one trope, fun dialogue, entertaining situations between layers of tension, quirky metal animal companions

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emily_mh's review against another edition

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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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