Name: Chiara Vitale Zelaia's review of Master of Sorrows by Justin Call
Item: Master of Sorrows
Rating: 4
Author: Chiara Vitale Zelaia

Justin Call

You have heard the story before - of a young boy, orphaned through tragic circumstances, raised by a wise old man, who comes to a fuller knowledge of his magic and uses it to fight the great evil that threatens his world.But what if the boy hero and the malevolent, threatening taint were one and the same?What if the boy slowly came to realize he was the reincarnation of an evil god? Would he save the world . . . or destroy it?Among the Academy's warrior-thieves, Annev de Breth is an outlier. Unlike his classmates who were stolen as infants from the capital city, Annev was born in the small village of Chaenbalu, was believed to be executed, and then unknowingly raised by his parents' killers.Seventeen years later, Annev struggles with the burdens of a forbidden magic, a forgotten heritage, and a secret deformity. When he is subsequently caught between the warring ideologies of his priestly mentor and the Academy's masters, he must choose between forfeiting his promising future at the Academy or betraying his closest friends. Each decision leads to a deeper dilemma, until Annev finds himself pressed into a quest he does not wish to fulfil. Will he finally embrace the doctrine of his tutors, murder a stranger, and abandon his mentor? Or will he accept the more difficult truth of who he is . . . and the darker truth of what he may become . . .

The Silent Gods Book 1

Master of Sorrows

Sheree Paskin

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

I recieved this book from the publisher to promote during an Instagram book tour. All opinions are my own 

Master of Sorrows is the perfect book for fans of adult high fantasy. I was completely engrossed in this read. Each part of the book was introduced by segments from sacred texts within this world, and not only did that add to the incredible world-building, but it also allowed to show the author’s ability to switch from an archaic, more eloquent lingo to a more linear narration in the rest of the book, which was still some great writing.

As I mentioned before, I really appreciated the world-building, which had absolutely nothing to envy famous names in the fantasy genre. The religious and magical system was complex and filled with intrigue that tied in beautifully with the main plot, but what I loved most of all was the way the village was brought to life by the narration. I could see it before my eyes as I was reading, with its streets and its villagers, with all its imperfections, prejudices and obstacles to overcome. It created such a realistic frame for Annev’s story, and it made his struggles and his achievements all the more engrossing to me as a reader.

Speaking of Annev, this incredible main character was one of the strongest points of Master of Sorrows. I felt for him ever since the very first pages. His fears and desires were so easy to relate to, and it was impossible not to root for this cinnamon roll to obtain all the happiness the world could offer.
Which means that I was screaming in pain by the end of the book, naturally.
Annev was also the chance for some disability representation, which I find super important in all genres, but especially in fantasy, which is so compelling to a young audience! The author’s take on the theme was not only delicate and prominent in the plot, but also incredibly mind-opening and empowering!

I admit that at the beginning I was not completely sold on the supporting characters. Apart from Sodar, who acts as a mentor figure for Annev (and was one of my favorites in the book), I couldn’t bring myself to really care for Annev’s friends or for Myjun, who is his love interest. I was always more interested in the rivalry between Annev and Fyn (refreshingly, a rivalry that had nothing to do with the girl!), but I was happily surprised when, in the second part of the book, the secondary characters also went through important changes, both individually and in their relationships with Annev. I ended up picking a few favorites along the way, but I feel like it would be a spoiler to mention who they are!

To wrap this up, I really enjoyed this book. The only reason I’m not giving it a 5 star rating is because the first half had a much slower pace, which was enjoyable in most places but felt a bit dragging in others. But I still recommend this book to everyone who loves a good adult fantasy with a complex world, disability rep and self-discovery. Also keep in mind that this book is not romance driven if that is something that you look for in a book.

Sheena

“Master of Sorrows” is a Asian inspired epic dark fantasy featuring a reluctant hero who readers can easily gravitate towards and his journey. Unfortunately for me, this was a bit too slow paced for me and there just weren’t any characters that wowed me. In addition, more often times than I would like to admit had put this down to pick something else to read. I don’t think it was about the novel itself but more about me not being in the right mindset to take on this story. More likely than not, I will definitely consider giving this another try in the near future.

Danny Engström

This review was a mess. Will make a new one.

I'm currently reading the Poppy war and see why it is compared. I personally wouldn't say they're that similar but they both have the academy training.

You have heard the story before - of a young boy, orphaned through tragic circumstances, raised by a wise old man, who comes to a fuller knowledge of his magic and uses it to fight the great evil that threatens his world. But what if the boy hero and the malevolent, threatening taint were one and the same? What if the boy slowly came to realize he was the reincarnation of an evil god? Would he save the world . . . or destroy it? Among the Academy's warrior-thieves, Annev de Breth is an outlier. Unlike his classmates who were stolen as infants from the capital city, Annev was born in the small village of Chaenbalu, was believed to be executed, and then unknowingly raised by his parents' killers. Seventeen years later, Annev struggles with the burdens of a forbidden magic, a forgotten heritage, and a secret deformity. When he is subsequently caught between the warring ideologies of his priestly mentor and the Academy's masters, he must choose between forfeiting his promising future at the Academy or betraying his closest friends. Each decision leads to a deeper dilemma, until Annev finds himself pressed into a quest he does not wish to fulfil. Will he finally embrace the doctrine of his tutors, murder a stranger, and abandon his mentor? Or will he accept the more difficult truth of who he is . . . and the darker truth of what he may become . . .

Julia Thompson 

I cannot get over the anxiety this book gave me. It was such a roller coaster read. It was intriguing, fun, and dark. The sheer panic and anger I felt during this book is what made it such a fantastic read. I had so many things I wanted to put into this review and now all my thoughts elude me. The ending was just one punch in the gut after another and has left me thoroughly desperate for more. 
 I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Justin Travis Call

You've heard the story before: an orphaned boy, raised by a wise old man, comes to a fuller knowledge of his magic and uses it to fight the great evil threatening his world. But what if that hero were destined to become the new dark lord? The Academy of Chaenbalu has stood against magic for centuries. Hidden from the world, acting from the shadows, it trains its students to detect and retrieve magic artifacts, which it jealously guards from the misuse of others. Because magic is dangerous: something that heals can also harm, and a power that aids one person may destroy another. Of the academy's many students, only the most skilled can become avatars--warrior thieves, capable of infiltrating the most heavily guarded vaults--and only the most determined can be trusted to resist the lure of magic. More than anything, Annev de Breth wants to become one of them. But Annev carries a secret. Unlike his classmates who were stolen as infants from the capital city, Annev was born in the village of Chaenbalu, was believed to be executed, and then unknowingly raised by his parents' killers. Seventeen years later, he struggles with the burdens of a forbidden magic, a forgotten heritage, and a secret deformity. When Annev is subsequently caught between the warring ideologies of his priestly mentor and the Academy's masters, he must finally decide whether to accept the truth of who he really is ... or embrace the darker truth of what he may one day become.

Nickie Mohler

** spoiler alert **
           Summary:
In a secret village prejudiced towards magic and physical imperfections (they believed that magic and people "marked by Keos" to be evil) lives a boy Annev. Raised by a priest who saved him at birth, he has to hide the fact that he has magic and a prosthetic arm from others otherwise he'll be killed. He's an acolyte who attends an academy and this year is his last chance to earn the title of an avatar (they are sent to retrieve artifacts). If he fails he'll become a steward and won't ever be able to leave the village or marry Myjun. For approximately half of the book we follow his preparation and participation in the test. Annev discovers secrets about his and Sodar's (the priest who raised him) identity. Annev fails to pass the test but the headmaster gives him an opportunity to do some dirty work to earn his title. Annev tricks him into thinking he completed the task and he's promoted to a Master of Sorrows. Sodar warns him that he is hunted and that he's not safe but Annev wants to stay. He is sent with two other avatars on a mission. It doesn't go well and they leave him behind. He escapes but no longer has his prosthetic. When he returns he tries to steal a new prosthetic but Myjun discovers that he's armless. He gets imprisoned but manages to escape as monsters attack the village. Everyone blames him and thinks he's evil. At the end of the book we see him preparing to leave to the outer world.

My rating: 4.5, but I think this is very well written so I'm rounding up. It's been a long time since I've read a book with a male protagonist. Probably the first since Percy Jackson. Randomly picked this from the library and didn't really read the synopsis so I went into this book not knowing what to expect.

This is the first book of a tetralogy which apparently will be the first installment in a 12 book series. So this is just the beginning. And it goes slowly for most of the book. Only towards the end does the plot actually start to evolve. I really started to love it in the second half. If you tend to get bored quickly, I wouldn't recommend this. But If you love epic fantasy then I absolutely would. 

Thoughts:
The magic system, religion, history was very complex. To be honest, I didn't understand a lot of the worldbuilding or action because I was speeding through the book. (the more intrigued I am, the faster I read) .

Romance wasn't an important part of the plot. In fact I wouldn't even call it romance. However Annev's feelings towards Myjun had a major effect on his choices and consequently the whole story. I did not like Myjun. I knew she would betray Annev as soon as she found out his secret. She left her previous boyfriend because he got a scar. At the end she allies with evil so she can get revenge (I think Annev threw her into some pit or something and she gets scared) I mean what did you expect? 🙄

Annev was kind of annoying with his thinking about Myjun and his plans to marry her.

Sodar: We have to leave, you are in danger.
Annev: nah I'll stay, I want to marry Myjun.

 I don't know, is that how teenage boys' minds work? And all this time we didn't even know if it was mutual. They didn't have much interactions so I couldn't see if she actually really cared for him. I was dreading 2nd hand embarrassment. Given how quickly she turned her back on him I wouldn't say her feelings were half as strong as Annev's. Anyway don't go into this expecting some epic romance because you'll be very disappointed. 

I loved in the 2nd part how the boys who used to be rivals and even hated each other became friends.

'Well,' Fyn said, twisting the lantern into a thin beam of light, 'I still think you're full of shit... but I must be getting used to the smell, because I like what you just said.'
😝😝😝

But why did Sodar have to die? 😢 He was only over 2000 years old.

Vanessa Bintou

Master of Sorrows was a great debut by Justin Travis Calls. It is a dark fantasy that reminded of some other classic fantasy books, such as The Name of the Wind.

The book tells the story of Annev, an orphan who studies at the Academy in order to become an Avatar. Avatars are tasked with finding magical objects and hiding them from the world, in order to protect it from their corruption He is also hiding his identity and power. When he was born he was missing a hand, which was a sign that he is a Son of Keos like his parents. An Ancient killed his parents and tried to kill him too. Annev was saved by Master Sodar who chose to raise him in secret. At the Academy, we see him fight bullies, work with his friends to win the trials, rather than fight them and question the teachings about magic, not blindly accept them. 

The writing was really good and the action scenes amazing. What I liked the most was the world building, especially the story of the three gods Odar, Lumea and Keos, their powers and magical weapons/artefacts. It had a strong influence of the Norse mythology, which I love. 

There were a lot of characters in the book, but Annev and Sodar, the main protagonists were very well written. Sodar was a mentor, savior and father figure. He cares about Annev and he doesn't follow the beliefs of the other masters. Annev was the hero of the story. He has a good character, a curious mind that questions everything and he doesn't know his potential. He is genuine and honest, not your typical ''special'' hero, and that makes you like him more.

What I didn't like was that there are too many names, characters and things related to the world building, that I found it difficult to keep up with in the beginning. 

In conclusion, this is a very good start to a new fantasy series.

ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Master of Sorrows was a great debut by Justin Travis Calls. It is a dark fantasy that reminded of some other classic fantasy books, such as The Name of the Wind.

The book tells the story of Annev, an orphan who studies at the Academy in order to become an Avatar. Avatars are tasked with finding magical objects and hiding them from the world, in order to protect it from their corruption He is also hiding his identity and power. When he was born he was missing a hand, which was a sign that he is a Son of Keos like his parents. An Ancient killed his parents and tried to kill him too. Annev was saved by Master Sodar who chose to raise him in secret. At the Academy, we see him fight bullies, work with his friends to win the trials, rather than fight them and question the teachings about magic, not blindly accept them. 

The writing was really good and the action scenes amazing. What I liked the most was the world building, especially the story of the three gods Odar, Lumea and Keos, their powers and magical weapons/artefacts. It had a strong influence of the Norse mythology, which I love. 

There were a lot of characters in the book, but Annev and Sodar, the main protagonists were very well written. Sodar was a mentor, savior and father figure. He cares about Annev and he doesn't follow the beliefs of the other masters. Annev was the hero of the story. He has a good character, a curious mind that questions everything and he doesn't know his potential. He is genuine and honest, not your typical ''special'' hero, and that makes you like him more.

What I didn't like was that there are too many names, characters and things related to the world building, that I found it difficult to keep up with in the beginning. 

In conclusion, this is a very good start to a new fantasy series.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Cristina Cicivelli 

I was so stunned by the premise of this book and excited to see a 'chosen one' struggling with the idea that he is marked by a God of blood, war and destruction, while he just wishes to be a good person and live a simple life… and instead this super interesting concept was explored superficially, while a lot more time was spend showing Annev struggling between Sodar’s and the Academy’s different philosophies.
The problem is that I wanted to have my heart shattered by his internal conflict, and yet I really didn’t feel almost anything.

What saved this book from an emotional point of view was Annev's relationship with Sodar. I am SO WEAK for the “master/father figure” trope, and I adored how their strong relationship of mutual love and care was not only expressed through words and actions (let me point out the fact that, even if Sodar is constantly worried for Annev, he lets him make his decisions and pursuit his dreams and take risks!!! I mean, that's what a real dad does), but also little gestures like hugs (I CRIED every time they hugged each other, ugh my poor heart).

The worldbuilding was good and pretty interesting, but what annoyed me is that the plot is inconsistent: it's basically Annev trying and failing to do the thing, until he finally succedes just to fuck everything up five minutes later.
So it’s a no for me, and still it was not the worst book I’ve read this year because at least this one makes sense.

Sheree Paskin &
Master of Sorrows by Justin Call

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