Jaida Jones

Dani Bennett

Sinister sorcery. Gallows humor. A queer romance so glorious it could be right out of fae legend itself. Master of One is a fantasy unlike any other. 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... With the heist and intrigue of Six of Crows and the dark fairy tale feel of The Cruel Prince, this young adult fantasy debut will have readers rooting for a pair of reluctant heroes as they take on a world-ending fae prophecy, a malicious royal plot, and, most dangerously of all, their feelings for each other. --Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn

Master of One

akynn 

Rags er tyv - endda en fremragende tyv. Han bliver afsløret af den sadistiske troldmand Morien, der tvinger ham til at bryde ind i en stærkt bevogtet ruin, for at stjæle et gammel relikvie. Det viser sig dog, at relikviet i virkeligheden består af seks personer, hvoraf den ene af de seks er Rags selv. Det bliver nu en kamp mellem de seks lidt skæve eksistenser og den onde overmagt

Nessa Luna

I really liked the characters in this book, though I kind of wished we didn't have that many perspectives. Every time we met a new character, we got a new POV afterwards and it just kind of annoyed me, I guess. (view spoiler)[It makes sense with the way the story went, every time they met a new Master, that person would get their own POV, but still... (hide spoiler)]

I guess the story just really didn't manage to grab me, I only kind of flew through it when we were nearing the end. Honestly, I don't really have much more to say, though I do hope there'll be a sequel (nothing confirmed, yet I believe) because the ending left me unsatisfied.

Millie Roberts

** spoiler alert **
           4.5/5 

The story of this book is so dense and magical. The world-building was absolutely amazing and intelligent. I adored the fact that we follow a different Master with each chapter but I think it would’ve been nice to have some chapters from Shinning Talon’s point of view, I hope we will have some in book two. 

The plot was written two well. It all made sens at the end and I can’t wait to see what will happen in the next book ! 

The characters were really well developed. I loved them all ! I found their stories really well explained and their personalities were all different and intriguing. 

There is a lot of representation in this book and I think it’s amazing ! I definitely think this book deserves so much more hype ! 

Nevertheless, I found that the book was sometimes long. I had the feeling that there was some moments that didn’t bring anything to the story and made it longer. Also, I had some confusions sometimes about little things and I felt like I needed to go back a few pages to check that I was still following the scene correctly. 

I would 100% recommend this book ! The story is so good and the world-building is truly amazing ! Also, I hope they will be able to save Lord Faolan and the last faes !

Paige mandia 

if i do not get a sequel to this book i will scream!!!! please i am manifesting it so intensely i need more of this motley crew 😭😭😭😭 i really really enjoyed this one!! the syntax and writing style took a while for me to get used to because it was a lot of fragmented sentences and super short sentences so i wasn’t quite vibing with that. but i loved the main characters so much—especially rags, tal, and inis. ugh inis is so powerful i adore her. HOWEVER why TF did i not get a tal pov PLEASE i am begging you give me a tal pov as a little treat. i deserve it. anyways this is literally not a review i finished this book 3 seconds ago and im just emotional and rambling. but yes i loved the plot, it was VERY fast paced so if you don’t like down-time in books, this is a perfect one for you. the chapters are also insanely short. um yeah id die for rags and tal in about a millisecond i love them so much and i need more of them!!!!!! i wanna see rags find his little beastie friend and there’s just so many loose ends that are perfect for a sequel. so please. also CHECK THE PRONUNCIATION GUIDE IN THE BACK BEFORE READING bc i was saying literally every single name wrong in my head and it was too late to turn back when i saw the pronunciation guide 😪😪

Caitlin

This was a fun read! It took awhile for me to really be hooked and to feel like it was moving full steam ahead, and I wish there had been more interactions between all the characters to see them more fully developed both individually and in their relationships, but by the end, I was in it. It felt like a prequel to a bigger heist story, rather than this being the heist story. This was an adventure, but with mostly all the best players together now, let’s really see where this goes. Interested to see how it continues!

Tiffany Robinson

This book had a good start, but there were a lot of parts where the story dragged. I would have liked to get to know the characters a little more. This whole book felt like a setup so hopefully there will be a sequel so we can see where the story goes.

Taylor

Overall I think that Master of One is a lovely beginning to a series with quite a bit of potential. There is a really strong and interesting cast of characters, I do love a ragtag group pulled together by fate to stop an evil force. I liked how each Master was found and how the team slowly grew as you meet more of the Resistance and more of the pieces of the Great Paragon. I also really loved each master’s connection with their piece and how they reflected each other.

I’ve definitely been pulled in enough to check out the next one when and if it comes out. I’m very curious to see what happens with Rags and Shining Talon and what their pieces of the Great Paragon are like, especially Rags’.

His character development was the shining star of the book for me, at the beginning he is openly only out for himself and he is willing to do whatever it takes to survive in the Gutter. But over the course of the book he really grows into his own as a member of the team and as a part of the resistance. I will admit to the ending meting my heart a little when (view spoiler)[ he admits that the rescued fae children are “worth more than anything [his] clever fingers had ever snatched”.  (hide spoiler)]

A huge positive for me comes near the end of the book when Rags and Shining Talon discuss the nature of their relationship. It was so refreshing and wonderful to read a frank discussion about consent, and what it means to have the ability to give consent. (view spoiler)[ Despite Rags’ morally grey characterization he wasn’t willing to move their relationship forwards until Shining Talon’s bond to him was broken – “I want you bound to me by choice. Not circumstance or fae prophecy”.  (hide spoiler)] After reading so many fantasy novels with uncomfortable power dynamics, I loved that Jaida and Danielle addressed it so well. 

One thing that really stood out to me was the incredibly liberal use of swearing throughout the book. For a book that is marketed as 13+, I was a little surprised that there were passages that had "fuck" 4 or 5 times in a row along with several other different curses. Obviously I’m a big kid and I don’t harbour any delusions about the language that middle schoolers are using. I think While I’m totally fine with reading curse words, I would definitely be cautious in recommending this to customers looking for books for younger teens. 

CW: abuse, child human (fae) trafficking, death of a sibling/parent, fighting/war/death, mind control/possession, parental abuse (emotional/physical), physical injuries, suicidal ideation (brief), torture.

This ARC was provided to me from Harper Collins Canada in exchange for my honest review.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received the e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Master of One

Author: Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: m/m romance, gay main characters

Recommended For...: fantasy, magic, LGBT, romance

Publication Date: November 10, 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, gore, romance, slight sexual content)

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 544

Synopsis: Rags is a thief—an excellent one. He's stolen into noble's coffers, picked soldier's 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...

Review: I really liked this book! The book was wonderfully well written and it has amazing character development. The characters as very well written and I loved our main characters. The interactions felt so genuine and the chemistry was so good! I didn’t even mind that it was a slow burn romance. The world building was also well done and I was intrigued by the plot from start to finish.

The only issue I had with the book overall is that the book had a slow burn romance, which some readers will not like, and the book felt a little cliché here and there. The language was also a bit weird since it felt so modern but the story takes place so long ago.

Verdict: A well done book!

Samantha Bass

Sinister sorcery. Gallows humor. A queer romance so glorious it could be right out of fae legend itself. Master of One is a fantasy unlike any other. 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... With the heist and intrigue of Six of Crows and the dark fairy tale feel of The Cruel Prince, this young adult fantasy debut will have readers rooting for a pair of reluctant heroes as they take on a world-ending fae prophecy, a malicious royal plot, and, most dangerously of all, their feelings for each other.

Leah Butler

Oh my god guys, when I first read the synopsis for Master of One I KNEW straight away that I’d love it! 😍 Magic, queer romance and fae all in one… YES PLEASE!! (… sorry hehe 😅)

I absolutely loved the main character Rags. He’s so funny and witty and had me literally laughing out loud at his antics 😂 and I loved how he described his fae prince as “distractingly handsome” and  “annoyingly perfect” 😉

I must say that I did find it a little slow in the beginning to really build up to the action, however, once I got past that, I became so obsessed with this story and the characters that I couldn’t put it down for anything 😍😂

Master of One was such an amazing book, I really enjoyed it! If you are a fan of Six of Crows and The Cruel Prince, you’ll love this one ❤️ It’s full of action and romance and fae… How could you not like it?

Mariya Tuchinskaya 

In Jaida Jones and Dani Bennett’s “Master of One” a botched robbery finds street thief Rags drafted by a sorcerer to find a hidden treasure. Rags attempt leads him to discovery not a hoard of silver or gold, but rather a warrior from a race long believed to be extinct. While Rags tackles his treasure hunt, sinister events are occurring in the heart of the Queen’s court. Not even her friends are safe and her young son, Somhairle, is determined to get to the bottom of these events even if it means risking his life.

So even I can see that the above is not a great summary, but I couldn’t find a better way to describe this story. The plot felt disjointed at times, in my opinion at least, so it is hard for me to try to pull it all together even after I finished the book. I’m pretty disappointed, because when I stumbled on it on Goodreads I really thought I would love it.

The very beginning of the story was gripping and I got through it pretty quickly, but then the story got bogged down in Rags’ quest to find the treasure. I feel that for the purpose of moving the plot along we could have seen a few of his obstacles instead of at least ten of them. Then I found the introduction of Somhairle a bit abrupt after chapters of Rags’ point of view. Though I found his storyline more interesting, I found it difficult to connect with either character and found them a bit flat. I couldn’t really get invested in the quest to find the paragon or defeating the Queen. Nothing about the overall plot was unique and the ending was rather disappointing. Although the ending does leave room for a sequel, I don’t think I will continue with this series.

Overall, I give this book a 3 out of 5. Maybe somebody else would find these characters interesting or enjoy a treasure hunt themed story, but this is definitely not for me.

For more reviews by me, check out my blog at reviewsbym.com

Manon van Heumen

This began extremely promising, and I really enjoyed the plot up until multiple povs were introduced. It still had some kind of intrigue then that made me want to continue, but unfortunately that diminished rather quickly, and I ended up skimming the last 200 pages.

Katerina Thorson

4/5
ko-fi • Instagram • TikTok

Okay, so this book was actually not what I was expecting...and that's a good thing. After reading many reviews (which I need to stop doing before I read a book), I was very hesitant to start this book. Especially since there is no foreseeable sequel in the future (please let there be a sequel). 
  I have come to learn to never read a book by it's cover...or it's reviews for that matter
.


  


In this lovely fantasy world, we have a thief that makes a deal (against his will) with the devil...well sort of - a sorcerer actually. And after waking a Fae that shouldn't exist anymore, he is on a quest that he absolutely never wanted to be a part of. Along the way, however, the sorcerer's plot starts to unfold and if Rags and a band of strangers don't put a stop to it...well that will be the end of them and the world around them.

Rags is definitely a character I can see many readers getting annoyed with. He is careless, says things at the wrong time, makes jokes or sarcastic remarks in the worst of places. He can be outright annoying sometimes. However, Rags lives by the rules of the street. You keep moving or die. Take what you can but don't be stupid about doing it. I think that because Rags has known nothing but the streets, death, and not letting anyone get close enough to hurt him is justification for why he acts. He uses dark humor as a shield to cover himself from what's going on around him. 

There are so many characters in this book and there are many that I love and don't love. I personally felt like the authors were over their heads with how many characters they were introducing. In fact, they introduced 3 more important characters towards the last 100 pages. Now my hope is that this is not a stand-alone and that we are getting another book to continue character development. There is a lot of character development in the air and a lot of things left unclear with many of our characters. 

One thing that I felt the authors did right was the smooth transition between each characters POV. I never felt like I was skipping a bunch of time lines or missing huge chunks of information. 

(
  P.S Thank you to the authors for putting a name pronunciation guide at the back of the book. These names are pronounced in Gaelic, so what you think it says is not what it actually is.
)

As for the plot and magic system, I really loved what Jones and Bennet created. It was unique and I loved the idea of mirror magic. I think the authors did an amazing job at explaining the world around these characters. The different places within the book were always magical and mystical and I love how we are given a little bit of the background. 

The plot was quite slow, actually the whole entire book is very slow until the last 100 pages or so and then everything picks up super fast. I felt, at times, there was unnecessary information given pertaining to the plot or a certain character. Most of the time the characters are traveling across this fantasy world on their adventure. Like I said earlier, I am hoping there is another book coming so that we don't have all these loose ends and missing plot pieces to deal with in a stand-alone. There was never a moment where I was confused about the plot and what was going on so I think that's what kept me pushing forward. 

If you are looking for romance....be warned this is the slowest burn romance I have ever read and it was actually kind of nice. There were so many other things going on that were far more important to the book than a romance. Although, I will never turn down a little romance thrown in here or there. Point is be ready for the long-haul of the slowest burn of your life. 

All and all this book was really great. If you are into a team of misfits who really shouldn't be saving the world together, a slow burn romance with a fae prince, a mind-fucked sorcerer who uses weird ass magic, and A LOT of dark humor...than this book is for you.

Jelke Olila

i didn't think i would love this one, but definitely didn't expect a two star rating

Lisa Beasley

This was such a fun romp, I really enjoyed it. I absolutely adored Rags, he was brilliant! I also really liked the relationship between the masters and the 'relics', they were all quite unique and I think the audiobook especially helped here because each one had a different voice and style of talking which was excellent. Also slow burn fae/thief romance? Yes please and thank you. Could not have been happier about that, so damn cute. Really need more now :)

Master of One

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