Reviews with content warning for Gore - Masters of Death

I recently finished reading "Masters of Death" by Olivie Blake and had a mixed experience with it. Initially, I found it difficult to get into, with the pacing feeling bogged down in places. However, the book won me over in the last third as the plot picked up pace and character dynamics deepened. The intrigue of the character dynamics and their stories are ultimately what drives this story forward.

The first third of the book spends a lot of time on character introductions and world building that does not necessarily pay off with depth or complexity. The main cast of characters are interesting, flawed and enjoyable but there are many superfluous characters that add little to the plot and are not well or clearly developed. I found their inclusion slowed pacing and clogged up the plot's arteries.

Another aspect of book that stood out to me was the writing style. It's quite stylized, with a very loud authorial voice that sometimes broke immersion for me. The witty banter, particularly between Fox and Brandt, often felt like it was trying too hard. In other dynamics such as between Tom and Viola it felt more authentic and natural.

I enjoyed the diversity in the characters and by the end of the book had connected with most of the main cast of characters, although that process certainly felt slower than typical for me. The tone of the story was generally witty, humorous and philosophical which I think contributed to it feeling quite cerebral and head-lead rather than heart-lead.

Despite these issues, I appreciated the good vibes, overall aesthetic and satisfying ending. If you're a fan of stylized writing and witty dialogue, you might enjoy this book. It took some time, but ultimately, I was glad I stuck with it.

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thestarsaresad's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense 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

4.75

I'm honestly shocked. I picked this book up off the library shelf because I couldn't find the other book I wanted, but I absolutely flew through this book. In TWO days. That's unheard of for me in recent years. I absolutely adored the characters in this book, and the world that Olivie Blake built.

The angst between Fox and Brandt, the underlying longing between Vi and Tom, and the love between Mayra and Cal was SO SO good. Definitely not what I expected from the blurb on the cover of the book (I definitely thought it would be Fox and Viola), but I am so pleased with the way the story turned out. I was happily satisfied with each of the character's endings; the portrayal of their emotions and backstories throughout the book really lent to that.

I absolutely loved the writing style in this book; the smallest things were written with the funniest remarks and made me absolutely laugh. I honestly don't understand how someone can come up with stories like this because I barely pieced together understanding even at the end of the book. To be honest, I wish I could lift myself out of this life and plant myself into this world, or any world where these characters are real.

I'm going to be truthful, if I had read this book at any other time, I would have immediately given it a 5/5 without any doubt. Unfortunately, since I read this on the wake of reading Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, my mind still compares it immediately to the feeling I had reading those two books, so for no other reason, this book gets a 4.75/5 from me.

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keishlavz's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

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aliyachaudhry's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense 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

4.75

a villain motivated by FOMO you love to see it

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