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A review by booisacat
Masters of Death by Olivie Blake
5.0
So this is actually my favorite book I've read in a while.
The meditations on what it means to be alive, to love, to feel, were all so deeply meaningful to me in a way that so few other stories have managed to be.
The characters were so deeply layered, and they managed to keep a similar witty tone to the dialogue while still maintaining diverse, distinct personalities and perspectives.
Overall, I'd say some relationships and characters maybe needed some more time, but overall I'm very happy with the way everyone was connected and interacting.
To get into sorta-kinda-spoilers below this point:
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To start with what I loved: I felt that obviously, Fox and Brandt's relationship and characters were so well done, the best in the entire story- this is obvious, as Fox is the main protagonist in my eyes. I love the way everyone hinges on Fox, and I love his simultaneously mature -yet- petulant personality. His arc throughout this story is my favorite of any character, and I adore the discoveries he made in the final act.
Brandt's story is so beautifully painful and tragic that I literally felt an ache in my bones when his losses were revealed. To take a man so high above and humble him so heavily- that's how you breed a man who is willing to destroy the world for a chance at righting his wrongs- insane and beautiful.
I liked Mayra and Callix's relationship as well, and I think their ending fits them perfectly. I will say that I wish their relationship had a little more spotlight, but I will say that their interactions felt real and you could feel the history in their conversations.
Viola was my main disappointment- it felt like she was important in the beginning, and then when the story shifted to focus on Fox it never shifted back to her in a real way. Once the story progressed into the "other world" it felt like she had very little agency. I liked her though, and I thought she was the perfect demonstration of the themes, of how loss is necessary to humanity and she lost her humanity with her immortality. I just wish she had a bit more to do in the end. Her ending was lovely as well, however. I find myself wondering what will become of her and Tom- perhaps she'll remain a realtor, and he'll be a lawyer lol.
Overall, to end on a bright note, my favorite bit of this is how the story is inherently and repeatedly tragic, but in a gorgeous and wholesome not-actually-tragic type of way. I love that the thesis of loss and love is displayed in every page, every interaction. I love that there is pain in love, but really it's overall love.
10/10 book. Already planning a reread with annotation and highlighters.
The meditations on what it means to be alive, to love, to feel, were all so deeply meaningful to me in a way that so few other stories have managed to be.
The characters were so deeply layered, and they managed to keep a similar witty tone to the dialogue while still maintaining diverse, distinct personalities and perspectives.
Overall, I'd say some relationships and characters maybe needed some more time, but overall I'm very happy with the way everyone was connected and interacting.
To get into sorta-kinda-spoilers below this point:
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To start with what I loved: I felt that obviously, Fox and Brandt's relationship and characters were so well done, the best in the entire story- this is obvious, as Fox is the main protagonist in my eyes. I love the way everyone hinges on Fox, and I love his simultaneously mature -yet- petulant personality. His arc throughout this story is my favorite of any character, and I adore the discoveries he made in the final act.
Brandt's story is so beautifully painful and tragic that I literally felt an ache in my bones when his losses were revealed. To take a man so high above and humble him so heavily- that's how you breed a man who is willing to destroy the world for a chance at righting his wrongs- insane and beautiful.
I liked Mayra and Callix's relationship as well, and I think their ending fits them perfectly. I will say that I wish their relationship had a little more spotlight, but I will say that their interactions felt real and you could feel the history in their conversations.
Viola was my main disappointment- it felt like she was important in the beginning, and then when the story shifted to focus on Fox it never shifted back to her in a real way. Once the story progressed into the "other world" it felt like she had very little agency. I liked her though, and I thought she was the perfect demonstration of the themes, of how loss is necessary to humanity and she lost her humanity with her immortality. I just wish she had a bit more to do in the end. Her ending was lovely as well, however. I find myself wondering what will become of her and Tom- perhaps she'll remain a realtor, and he'll be a lawyer lol.
Overall, to end on a bright note, my favorite bit of this is how the story is inherently and repeatedly tragic, but in a gorgeous and wholesome not-actually-tragic type of way. I love that the thesis of loss and love is displayed in every page, every interaction. I love that there is pain in love, but really it's overall love.
10/10 book. Already planning a reread with annotation and highlighters.