Masters of Death: A witty, spellbinding fantasy from the author of T

I have read some of Olivie Blake's works before, but finding out that she had written full-length novels made me so excited that I bought two of them straight away. Master of Death is the first story I read and honestly, IT IS AMAZING. Olivie Blake has a style of writing that seduces you and puts you in a trance, and when you finish reading the world seems so much less than before. Key quotes will stick with you due to the beautiful and lyrical way they are presented to you. My favourite characters were Archangels Gabriel and Micheal, alongside the supernatural Alcoholics Anonymous pysedo affair going on (they NEED their own book!!!) and I keep rereading the sections they're in. Folklore and mythology and artfully woven in, and has made me extremely curious about the other forms of supernatural creatures there are in the world which differ from the mainstream ones. This is a book which is both heartbreaking and hilarious simultaneously - though I would say I was not invested in the main two pairings, that is more my preference than anything else - and the Immortal Game just... blew me away. Once I understood completely that is (a quibble which I address shall address now.The Immortal Game. An amazing conception, almost well executed. It makes totally sense why it was conceptualised, and why Immortals would play. And now, I understand why the only rule is "Not to lose".After reading the end section a few times, I mostly understand it. MOSTLY. I believe Blake has a background in philosophy, which really enhances her writing, but I think it would have been nice to have one precise down-to-earth (see what I did there) explanation that wasn't so artfully said that it was hard to fully comprehend. In other words, have one dumbed down explanation so us mortals understand! I love philosophical debates as much as the next person, and I totally get being very excited about your passion (I do the same with mine which is linguistics) but it slightly detracted from the amazing finale of the book where I STILL wasn't sure what exactly was happening. But tbf, I also was extremely stressed at the time with little sleep, so it is equally possible that I was just being stupid. Still.Another "criticism" (although this is more personal preference) is that (no spoilers) that one of the pairings seems a tad forced for me. I understand how it's nice to have a happily ever after ending (as that'll be a nod to the fairytale stereotypes) but I felt that two particular characters would be better off as friends. Perhaps if their relationship was expanded upon, the book was longer or there was a sequel (I don't think a direct sequel is needed, but one set in the same world with some of the background characters like Micheal and Gabriel, or the full story of the angel and the reaper? HELL YEAH!!!!!) then I would be okay with it, but I felt it was a tad too matchy-matchy. Male and females can be besties without romance!But honestly, disregarding those slight quibbles, this book was extremely good fun to read, and one that will stick with you for a while. Blake's humour is infectious, and it was full of laugh out loud moments whilst not diminishing the emotional rollercoaster characters will embark on. Also, whilst the front cover art confuses me (I'm not too sure what it depicts and I would have like to have a bit more cover) the character art inside is AMAZING. Seriously. And the way the key character had a portrait at the end of each chapter really did help for me to imagine the character, so thank you Little Chmura!In conclusion BUY THIS BOOK! You will NOT regret it :)

I knew Olivies writing style before and just fell in love with it so I decided to buy this book and I got not disappointed.The cover is very appealing and just beautiful and the short text on its back doesn't give you a real good summary but seriously? After I read this book I hardly could tell my friends and family what it was about without any spoilers.The storyline itself is just amazing. There are so many characters and they all have secrets and problems and struggle with one thing or another and you can't avoid to just fall in love with them.This is EASILY my favourite book so far for the writing style and the perfect art to be serious and dark and at the same time light and funny.And if you still don't know what you should expect from this book, two words: gambling gods. You definetly get your fill on mystical creatures, a heartwrenching lovestory and some cool, strong women and men.

Le prix du relié est un peu cher mais les illustrations intérieurs sont magnifiques. Sinon le livre est arrivé en plutot bon état. Légèrement cabossé, mais il reste acceptable.

2.5/3 stars.I preferred the atlas six trilogy. This book felt flat. I did not like the writing. The last part was what saved this book

This has been an interesting journey, sometimes frustrating, but rewarding in the end.It takes quite some time to grasp where the story is headed, what it wants to tell us, because a lot is kept from the reader. The revealing only starts pretty much at the very end of the book. Until I got there, I had to go through several episodes of confusion. So, this certainly is not a book to be read in a rush. And even after finishing with it, I still couldn’t stop thinking about it. About the value of mortality, about truly living your life and not just existing. Quite a thought-provoking story, something I like very much.I had a hard time getting close to the characters though, of which there are many in this book. I’d never thought I’d say this, but I think the reason can be found in there being too much dialogue and too less everything else, descriptions and the like. They are far too long most of the time. Additionally, the continuing sarcasm took out the seriousness a bit. Towards the end I was able to connect much better to the characters because we get to know their depths then; they show raw emotions. But I still liked that we are presented with a huge variety of different creatures and, although they aren’t new inventions, they are not cliché either.The entire idea behind the story was nothing I’ve come across before. Death as an actual being you can talk to. And he has a godson who’s giving him headaches, something I found hilarious. And then the game immortals play to temporarily get rid of boredom. What happens if mortals decide to play it as well? That’s where all hell breaks loose.All in all, I enjoyed reading this story. I can recommend it to anyone who wants to read something entirely different.