Release Day Review – Master of One by Jaida Jones, Dani Bennett (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 544 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: November 10, 2020
ISBN-13 : 978-0062941442
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Master of One series
Source: eGalley from Edelweiss
Rating: 5/5 stars
“Rags is a thief—an excellent one. He’s stolen into nobles’ coffers, picked soldiers’ pockets, and even liberated a ring or two off the fingers of passersby. Until he’s caught by the Queensguard and forced to find an ancient fae relic for a sadistic royal sorcerer.
But Rags could never have guessed this “relic” would actually be a fae himself—a distractingly handsome, annoyingly perfect, ancient fae prince called Shining Talon. Good thing Rags can think on his toes, because things just get stranger from there…”
Series Info/Source: I got a copy of this book to review through Edelweiss. This is the first book in the Master of One series.
Story (5/5): This was a really unique fantasy story that I enjoyed a lot. It starts off with Rags (a thief) who gets caught in the middle of a crime and is forced by an evil magician to go tomb diving in search of a mythical fae relic. Little does he realize the “relic” is actually a fae man. As things unfold we find out that the evil magician is looking for parts to a destructive weapon. The weapon consists of six parts that look like sentient metal animals and these animals are desperately searching for their masters. As the story continues more Masters are found and more steampunkish animals/weapon parts are joined to their masters.
This is a long book but I was never bored. The premise is fun and the book is action packed. There is a lot of adventure in the first half of the book and then the second half of the book is more political (but still action-packed). I really hope there are more books in this series. On Goodreads Jones said that they are planning for sequels to this first book, which is good because I didn’t really feel like this book tied up the story well.
Characters (5/5): I really loved all of the characters in here. Rags is especially endearing and funny, but the other characters were just as amazing. Shining Talon is interesting because of his unfamiliarity with this modern world (modern to him) and his dedication to Rags is intriguing. The other “masters” were really well done too. Somhairle is disabled and disfigured but is a very thoughtful and caring exiled prince who is way smarter than anyone gives him credit for. Inis is a noblewoman who has survived the slaughter of her family and has hardened herself to never be caught unawares again. Cab is an army deserter and natural leader who is trying to make up for all the pain he caused when he was part of the Queensgard.
In addition to the amazing characters whose POV we hear from, there are numerous other side characters that have just as much depth and are just as amazing. Characterization was top notch, sometimes the number of characters can get overwhelming in epic fantasies and I never felt overwhelmed here. Characters are introduced at a good pace and are memorable enough that you never forgot who is who.
Setting (5/5): The world building in this book was well done. I love the story behind the current Queens rule and how the fae played a role in it. The mirror magic is well done and designed and I enjoyed it. The setting itself is pretty typical fantasy in style with some steampunk overtones. The world could have been filled out a bit more and the characters were definitely more complex than the world itself, but I don’t mind that at all. There was enough world-building here to satisfy my curiosity, create a good image in my mind of where we were, and keep things interesting.
Writing Style (5/5): This was very well written. The writing flowed well, it was engaging, hard to put down, and easy to read. Rags has especially witty dialogue throughout, but all the conversation was well done. The book moves at a good pace too and is full of excellent action scenes. This book is told from many different POVs, which worked well for this book. We start off mainly with Rags’ POV and then gradually other characters start to come into the story. It was a very well done format and kept the story from being overwhelmed by too many characters too quickly.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this and it’s one of the best straight-out fantasy books I have read in some time. I loved the unique story and interesting world, the amazing characters, and the fast pace. This is a long book and it took me a while to read, but it never felt long…I enjoyed every minute of it. I would recommend to those who enjoy adventure fantasy with some interesting magic and some politics.
