I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I must say I did not know what to expect from this book, I find Sci Fi and Fantasy are both genres that are hit or miss for me, but I loved this book from the first chapter! I love the journey that Annev took throughout this book to discover who and what he is, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series; because I need to know what happens next!

#MasterOfSorrows #NetGalley

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at https://www.NerdGirlLovesBooks.com.

This is the first book in The Silent Gods YA Fantasy series. It is intriguing, fast-paced, dark, and complicated. Everything I love about an epic fantasy series.

Set in a training Academy for young boys and girls, Annev de Breth is a 17 year old boy training to become an avatar, a warrior sect of thieves that steal magical objects and "protects" the world from their "dangerous" nature by locking them up in their compound. Magic is illegal and all those deemed to have it are killed. In addition, anyone with a physical deformity is considered to be a child of an evil god named Keos, and are stoned to death by their village.

Annev was raised by a priest who mentors him in both history and fighting skills. He also protects Annev's dangerous secret - he has a physical deformity that would get him killed if discovered. When Annev is on the brink of losing the final test to become an avatar, he is faced with a difficult choice. Turn his back on his friends and the priest who is a father figure and mentor, or forego his dream of becoming an avatar.

The world-building in the book is pretty good, especially for a YA fantasy. Most aspects of daily life is ruled by religion. In this case, the three "Silent Gods". The story of the gods is told in the form of bible teachings, and explains why society was formed the way it was. As with any religion, there always has to be a villain. In this story, that villain is the god Keos. Anyone that worships Keos or carries his attributes is deemed evil.

Annev's character development was interesting to read, as was the development of several of the smaller characters. Annev's relationship with his mentor Sodar was wonderful to read. The author captured Annev's respect, love, frustration and teenage petulance perfectly. Annev is confidant and cunning, without appearing too arrogant. His foil, Fyn, is the typical brutish bully. Fyn's development is a bit choppy at times, but I understand why the author had to write it the way he did.

The story moved along at a fast pace. There was something about the writing that made me tense and nervous at times - which is a good thing. It meant I didn't know what was going to happen next, and I loved being a bit unnerved. While most YA Fantasy books are fun to read, the authors typically don't delve too deep into world or character building, but that is not the case here. It takes effort by the reader to follow the history of the gods and the history of certain events and how it all fits into the story of the training at the Academy and events unfolding in Annev's life. But that is what makes the story so good. The first book in any good fantasy series is required to dump a lot of background information to set up the rest of the series. Oftentimes these can be a chore to slog through, but that isn't the case here.

Overall, this is an enjoyable first book in what is sure to be a thrilling fantasy book series. I highly recommend you read it. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Master of Sorrows is the first volume of a new series by Justin T. Call. Released 25th Feb 2020 by Blackstone, it's 646 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats.

This is a well written coming of age quest fantasy based around the premise that our destiny may or may not be inevitable. The author is a gifted storyteller and despite the length of the book, it doesn't drag and never felt plodding to me. The dialogue is occasionally somewhat stilted (fantasy-speak) but the characters are distinct and well rendered. I did have some troubles keeping the secondary characters (minor teachers and students) straight in my head and had to use the search function on my kindle several times.

There is a fair bit of brutal action, some graphic fight scenes, lots of death and betrayal and magic and fighting. There isn't any graphic sexual content or objectionable language. The world building and character development are exceptionally detailed and well realized. This one has a solid denouement with a lead up to the next book in the series, but not any sort of abrupt cliffhanger ending.

Readers who enjoy solid quest based epic fantasy will likely enjoy this one. Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Thank you, Mr. Justin T Call, for re-affirming my belief that epic fantasy is the best literary genre of all.

I think this book was sheer brilliance. My enjoyment of it was to the level of what I feel when I read any of Brandon Sanderson or Robert Jordan's works. It was complex and beautiful but still fast-paced and dense with characterization and context.

Bravo. What a rollercoaster ride this was. 5 big stars all the way. I CANNOT wait to read the next installment.

I finally made it to the end of this voluminous book! This took me a while! I rapidly got into this story and i loved to read it! I lived the world the author created. I felt like many informations were complicated and i did not get a few paragraphs. It did not really mather i think but i felt that the further i got in the book ... the more it mathered... i lost interest in the last 100pages and got really bored after a while... i will not have any interest in reading the next book... no matter how much i loved the first chapters!

This was hard to finish. I didnt like the protagonist. It was an ok story. Well written but not my thing.

First thing first: I loved this book and couldn't put it down as it was enthralling, fast paced and entertaining.
I think the writer did a very good job in turning some tropes that are present in a lot of fantasy books in something new and exciting.
There's not a lot I can say, there's no review that will give the pleasure and the excitement that this book can give you.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a sucker for a gorgeous cover, and this one drew me right in. It is STUNNING.

This is most definitively a character driven book but the story is strong too. I really enjoyed it and I am looking forward to more! I do feel like there were far too many side characters.

I also felt like the worldbuilding was a smidge slow. I would have liked it to be just a bit better paced.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for sharing this amazing e-arc in exchange my honest review.

This cover! I've been seeing it everywhere and I just had to learn more about this book. I've been dealing with a lot of book hangovers lately and I was worried about reading this right now. Thankfully I was not disappointed. Annev is not a perfect character, but he sticks to his morals. He has to deal with the outcomes of his decisions, but I didn't find him whiny. He dealt with what was thrown at him (or the things he caused) no matter the challenge. The world building and story line are great. I need to know what happens next and I cannot wait to read the next installment.

I had a hard time settling on a star rating for this one. I waffled between 4 and 5 stars for a while...and even thought about settling on a 4.5 but that felt like cheating. In the end I went with 4 and I shall explain why.

This is definitely the beginning of an epic fantasy story. We follow Annev as he attempts to follow his dreams while avoiding his destiny. He pretty much wants to have free will, pursue the career he wants, marry the girl he loves, etc. But prophecy and fate have other plans for him.

I almost feel the same way about this first in a series as I did with Red Rising. It was slow to start and hard for me to really become immersed in the world, but by the end it had my full attention. With that being said, I am predicting that the next installment of this series will be a five star read for me.

This novel starts off quite slow and the world building was a bit hard to follow at first (keep in mind, I read most of this novel in the middle of the night while up with my toddler and I'm guessing the sleep deprivation played a part in my lack of understanding). The main character spends most of this book being annoying and infuriating, but aren't all teenagers? I also have been left not really understanding what the heck was really going on in this village, but I feel like that is the intent.

Overall, this book took me awhile to get through but in the end it was beyond worth it and I can't wait for the next one. Beginnings like this are what epic fantasy is made of and I honestly did not realize how much I missed this kind of fantasy until I finished this book.

I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review and does not effect my opinion or rating of this novel.

Well, this one was a DNF for me at 25%. I decided to give it a try because the synopsis sounded interesting and might be something I’d be into. The intro was great, set the stage for a promising read. Then followed the mythology of the Gods of that world, which was an aspect that was very interesting for me. The next part is what bored me; we met our main character at the academy and the story became very YA here. There was no element of the dark fantasy that the synopsis or the intro promised. I found I really didn’t care what happen to the characters so I gave up in hopes of more interesting reads.

Before we go any further can we talk about this cover?! It is gorgeous! Okay, now I'm ready to move on to the heart of it - the story!

A rich and epic tale for young and old, Master Of Sorrows is one of the most exciting new fantasy series I have had the pleasure of reading in some time.

The tiny village of Chaenbalu is hidden to others, nestled amidst the forests. In this village is a young man is dreaming of a future he was never meant to have. Born with only one arm, the baby - Annev, was was meant to be executed because he was seen as the child of an evil one armed deity. Instead, he was secretly returned to the village and raised by the local priest and taught forbidden magic. Thanks to a magical prosthetic, he attends the local academy with the other boys his age, and trains as a fighter and warrior. Nobody in the village, save for the priest who raised him, knows about his deformity.

When the dark forces hunting him start to close in, the opposing forces of his upbringing, training and destiny collide, and he is forced to make difficult decisions the results of which have enormous impact. Everything he ever thought he knew about anybody - including himself, is called into question.

The book does not open with a bang, but it did keep my interest as it laid a foundation worthy of all that was yet to come - and there was so much more to come in this book alone, let alone the remaining books planned for the series. Once the foundation was laid for this story, the rising action kept me white knuckling my Kindle the rest of the way.

The story contained all the classic elements of an epic fantasy - Good vs. Evil, moral dilemma, internal struggle, a battle against all odds, loyalty, rivalry, and self discovery, but somehow Call has breathed new life into the standard tropes and formulas.

This book felt fresh, new, and exciting. The magic system was original and well structured. While magic is usually revered in books, in this story while it is not an unknown element, it is not well received by the people of the village, with most magic considered sinister. The world building is on point, giving the reader a carefully crafted and consistent framework with which to view the events of the story. The characters were well developed and ranged from those I loved, to those I loved to hate, and some that were harder to define fell in-between. I loved that Call chose to write the story not without a love interest for the main character, but without clouding the story with an overbearing romance plot.

The year is young, yet I feel safe in saying that this book will make my list of favorite books of 2020. I am looking forward to the next book in the series - Master Artificer (first draft complete) due to release in the UK in February 2021 according to Call's website, and North American markets some time (hopefully soon) after that.

Happy Reading,
Christine

The Academy of Chaenbleu has trained students for centuries how to identify and take magical items so that they can be locked away. Magic is forbidden, and deformities are held to be curses from Keos, the trickster and evil of three gods of history. They're killed at birth as well as their parents for being servants of Keos. Annev was saved from being sacrificed to the woods, and seventeen years later is at the Academy hiding his deformity with a magic prosthetic and competing for one of the coveted spots as an avatar, one of the trained magic item thieves. It's a difficult line to walk, and one fraught with severe consequences if he fails.

Annev is at the relative bottom of the totem pole at the Academy and is up against a team of bullies. Of course, they face off against each other several times and continue to face off against each other even at the test the Academy is giving. The Elders don't like the fact that Annev's mentor and father figure actively researches the old tales, and feels that he is holding Annev back because he's too nice and inclusive, and isn't as willing to stab others in the back to get what he wants. He tries to think outside the box, which allows him to fulfill the tests given to him without breaking his principles.

It isn't enough to pass the test and become an Avatar, however. Working through the tests and the missions given to him puts Annev at risk, and would also potentially expose his secret to the rest of his village. He can't constantly walk the line between religion and warrior, especially when he discovers more about his origins. The story accelerates precipitously at that point, and his position deteriorates rapidly. There's a prophecy that implicates him, after all, and the history of the maimed and disfigured being marked by Keos and not the benevolent gods means that he has no one else to confide in.

This novel is the first of a series, so we're seeing elements of the hero's journey here. I have no doubt that there will be more of it in further novels of this series, and it'll be interesting to see how the rest of the journey plays out.

My first 5-star read of the year!
From what I can see on Goodreads, this is Call’s first book, and he hits the nail on the head. He uses one of my favorite themes, “orphan goes to an elite boarding school,” but unlike other most other fantasy stories, magic is abhorred and avoided. Annev, the protagonist, attends a school that trains “avatars” to seek and retrieve magical artifacts so they can be locked up and can never be used again. This strange community also detests deformity, and babies born with any less-than-perfect presentations are deemed unfit to live, as they are embodiments of the evil god Keos. Annev is in the lion’s den, living under their noses with a magical arm, as he was born without one.
In addition to my favorite theme, Call packs in action, rivalry, monsters, and a light dose of romance. What truly fascinated me was the pacing of the book. This tome clocks in at 448 pages, and upon seeing that, one would think this book spans across ages. Maybe a band of allies go on a quest that spans the author-spun universe drawn in map form at the beginning of the book. Maybe someone fights a dragon. But no. This book only spans about four days. Four days. We get every minute of Annev’s adventure. An exact third of the book is only one day of the four. That was the best day I’ve ever read.
I cannot wait to read the next in the series!
Here’s to my first 5-star!!

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Master of Sorrows by Justin Call was summarized as what would happen if the "chosen one" wasn't chosen for good but for the dark side. That plus the school setting had me hooked. These two tropes are ones I can never get enough of. And I liked the subversion of it too.

I loved this book. Within the first few pages, I was hooked! I just kept finding excuses to read it. I loved following Annev's journey. The book is so compelling. I loved the world building that is subtly handled. I never felt that the book was info dumpy. I also loved the characters. I never felt confused by the large cast of characters, they all had distinct personalities. This book at times gave me Harry Potter feelings, at time Book of the Ancestor feelings and also Realm of the Elderling feelings. Some of my favorite series ever.But this series isn't a copycat at all! I really enjoyed the plot and was surprised a couple times at paths taken. I can't wait for the next book to come out and will definitely be buying a copy for my dad because I know he'll love it too!

4.5

So many thoughts rolling around in my head in regards to this epic fantasy story that I don’t know where to begin. Too many, in fact.

Master of Sorrows follows a boy named Annev who attends the Academy where he is attempting to get promoted to Avatar of Judgment. To do so, he must win the Testing Day contest against his other classmates as well as friends. This is the last Testing Day he will be permitted to take part in. Failing to win means becoming a servant to the others and to make it worse, it is also the last Testing Day for two of his close friends as well.

With the Testing Day as the major plot line in the first half of the book, the author also uses the events surrounding this as a way introduce you to the protagonist/antagonists, religious structure and most importantly religious politics and prejudices. The leaders of the Academy and townspeople all believe that sons of Keos are cursed and are considered evil. They are identified when they are born with a deformity and are immediately killed. If somehow an individual isn’t discovered at birth then what awaits for them is being stoned to death once they are discovered. Annev was born without an arm past his elbow. He’s been able to keep it hidden for 17 years through the use of a special glove, but being found out is one of his greatest fears.

As you might expect with any epic fantasy story, there is a lot of lore/knowledge information within this first book that can sometimes slow the story down a little at times. However, I was surprised by how much I liked the sections about the gods (Keos and his siblings). I usually skip or fast-read those sections, but instead found the sibling relationships and responses to certain events rather interesting.

Overall, Master of Sorrows is an enjoyable epic fantasy read with a beautiful cover too. As I read through the story, I found that the characters and their different choices and decisions was one of my favorite parts and not just Annev’s story. Of course, the decision Annev makes in determining the content of his own character and what he believes in is one of the best aspects of the book. The Masters at the Academy see the world in black and white, but Sodor, Annev’s mentor, has slowly been teaching Annev to think for himself and watching the progression within Annev is one of the many highlights of the story. But choices other characters made was just as intriguing.

While reading I came to the conclusion that this might make a decent fantasy book club read. There are a lot of opportunities for points of discussion – from the gods and the religious politics to the Testing Day contest there’s no shortage of topics to bring up.

Rating: 4 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advanced reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

An engaging and dark YA fantasy with an intricately complicated world, and highly developed religion/mythology system. I really enjoyed it and will definitely pick up the sequel.

Once I started Master of Sorrows I was hooked. This debut adult fantasy starts with a bang and doesn't stop. The story takes place over only a few days, weaving in a fascinating mythology and brutal world. The premise reminds me of The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons with a main character you're told is destined to be the destruction of their world. But reading the book the main character, Annev, seems a good person, with the confidence of a teenager who thinks they have the world figured out. He disregards advice from teachers and mentors to his own despair in this first installment and I can't wait to see where he goes from here.

Title: Master of Sorrows
Author: Justin Call
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5

Annev de Breth isn’t like the other students in his class. Seventeen years ago, in the village of Chaenbalu, he was believed to executed for the taint he was born with—proven by his partially-missing arm—and raised by those who killed his parents. Now he’s struggling to become one of the Academy’s warrior-thieves, along with all the other boys who were stolen from their families years ago.

And Annev doesn’t know his own history.

Raised by his priestly mentor, who doesn’t believe magic is bad—unlike those surrounding him, who believe it evil—and with his missing arm disguised, Annev struggles with remaining true to himself and his friends—or stepping into his future as a master at the Academy. Will he do as the masters ask, betraying his friends and murdering a man to prove his abilities, or will he finally learn the truth of who he is?

While Master of Sorrows had some cliched elements—a young orphan raised by a wise mentor who has secret magical abilities—it’s actually a unique take on this trope. Annev is a conflicted character, and he struggles with this conflict between his childhood dreams of becoming one of the Academy’s masters and what his mentor teaches him throughout the book. The friendships are real and believable, and the action just worked for me, making this a book I finished in one sitting.

Justin Call has been making up stories since he was five. Master of Sorrows is his debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review.)

“Enjoy what remains of your childhood, because tomorrow will rob us of the things we take for granted today.”

Synopsis: Ainnevog (Annev to his friends and family) is many things: a deacon in the small, secret village of Chaenbalu; an acolyte Avatar, who will be tasked with retrieval of dangerous artifacts scattered across the continent; and most importantly, heir to a prophecy that will break the world. Are we born good or evil, or do we have autonomy over our fate? Annev will have to find out, and the fate of everyone he knows and loves depends on the answers he finds.

I'll come clean: I've actually had a copy of this book since the UK release. The problem is, the copy I received was so beautiful, I didn't want to risk damaging it in any way! I'd had my eye on this one for some time leading up to its release, as 1) I like to support new writers, 2) the premise seemed interesting, and 3) LOOK at this gorgeous thing! My problem in these circumstances is that as a collector, I am hesitant to damage any such copies. Yes, books are there to be read, but the ones who generally give this advice probably won't be bending the spines of their prize pieces, right? My policy therefore has typically been to wait for a paperback and buy that too so I can actually read it. As one can imagine, this requires a fair amount of patience (which I do not always have). I've recently rediscovered my Kindle Paper-white (e-reader), and this allows me to snag digital copies from Amazon or, as is the case here, an ARC copy from Netgalley for review purposes. Huzzah! Since this title will be having its US release on February 25/2020, I shifted my schedule around to make sure this review hits first.

Thematically, Master of Sorrows makes use of a few very well-known fantasy tropes: the Wizarding School and the Chosen One; contrary to what is usually seen, however, Call manages to inverse both of these tropes. Rather than a Harry Potter-esque school of wonders, those enrolled as acolytes to become Avatars are instead taught all manner of combat and skullduggery. One could call this an "anti-wizarding school", as the entire purpose of the organization is to rid the world of magical artifacts (which are deemed to be unequivocally evil). There is certainly a fair amount of underlying criticism directed towards blind faith, and much of Annev's internal struggle revolves around his innate desire for autonomy and truth wrestling with a desire to fit in, which would require he compromise his principles. I feel Call did a great job of summarizing that internal struggle which plagues each and every one of us at some point in our young lives (hell, even later in our careers!).

The inversion of the "Chosen One" trope is also interesting, as it brings up some "nature vs nurture" discussion, and even questions the idea of Agency. The typical use of the trope is for a protagonist who is fated to bring everything to a desirable resolution; everything revolves around them, and nobody else can solve the problem. Call's inversion is that our protagonist is prophesied to be the opposite: a blight on the planet who will end all, unless they are squashed with all due haste. What makes Annev intriguing is his refusal to simply accept his role in this; his struggles with his worst feelings and desires is refreshing when compared to the stereotypical paragons of virtue one often sees in fantasy protagonists. Another trope which Call subverts quite effectively is that of the grand adventure. In such stories, the protagonist has lived in a small village all their lives, and wants nothing more than to leave it on an adventure, to get out and see the world. Brilliantly, Annev wants absolutely nothing to with any of this! He would rather stay in his little town, settle down with his sweetheart, and never leave.

Call has done an amazing job with his world-building. The setting is rich and detailed, and it is clear that he is still holding on to much, much more than he presented to us in his debut novel, and I am looking forward to learning more in the sequels. That said, I feel as though the pacing of the story was a bit awkward; the entire text takes place within the span of only a few days, and the reader is introduced to an enormous amount of lore in this short period of time. I absolutely do not mind being dragged along blind for a bit when reading a story; part of the joy is in the gradual discovery! That said, it can be a bit much at times, and a little bit more explanation of these critical elements would be welcome. The Academy gets more screen time than it merits, in my opinion. Also, while this may have been entirely intentional, I found many of the characters there to be wholly unlikable. The entire concept of how the Academy is run is ludicrous; why must a failed acolyte become a steward, specifically? Additionally, why in the world is everyone so cruel to them? One would think that if this Academy is such an honorable and important place, then even the stewards would be treated with a fair amount of respect. I suspect this was a way of introducing stakes beyond "disappointment", but it was something I struggled with. To be clear: I found the text highly enjoyable, and this was my sole sticking point!

Once one gets through the slower first part of the text, things pick up quite rapidly, and the true narrative comes barreling in. Secrets are slowly revealed, and the excellent development of our protagonist begins to come through. I thoroughly enjoyed the mythology of the story, with its tales of gods and the implied bad turn which was done to Keos. I've always been a lover of myths from all cultures, and Call has introduced a wonderful one in this series. It is rich in detail, and does an excellent job of explaining the world we are reading about: why things are structured as they are, why deformities are so stigmatized, why the village is kept secret at all... everything fits neatly in this framework. There is a great deal of flavor in this setting, and I am sincerely looking forward to getting more of it.

Overall, Call has done a great job with his debut novel. While there are some (in my opinion ) pacing issues, I feel like he truly sticks the landing. It's a fantasy story leaning towards the "grim-dark" side of things, but without all the things I am used to seeing in that genre. It's a complete subversion of many tropes, and a refreshing new story for one to become engrossed in. Justin Call is an author to watch, and I strongly suspect that the sequel (Master Artificer) will smooth out those rough patches quite well. Make sure to give it a try!

Happy reading!