Omg!!!! This was such a good read. We all know that I am a sucker for a good queer fantasy and Master of One definitely delivered on that.
The romance. I- This was a SLOW BURN. I become crazy when I read slow burn romances because I have no patience what so ever and am constantly screaming for the characters to kiss already!
The writing was a little slow and rushed at the same time. I would have loved to read a bit longer about the tests that Rag had to go through at the start of the book. There were 19 but only a few of them were described. But this all didn’t bother me that much. I was intrigued by the story and just had to keep reading. I totally did not skip one of my lectures to read this, that TOTALLY did not happen haha... 😶
The last thing I want to talk about is the ending. Like dammmmnnnnn why are you doing this to me???? What an I supposed to do with my life right now?? Immediately rereading this book? That actually doesn’t sound like a bad plan hahahaha!
If you loved Six of Crows, fae and a lot of good (queer) representation then Master of One is definitely for you!
Thank you to literaryboundtours, Netgalley, the authors and the publisher for this arc in exchange for a honest review.

I ultimately decided to DNF this one after trudging through 50% of it. I rarely DNF so that says a lot (6th book ever) but once I was halfway, the idea of another 272 pages was too much. The Six of Crows comparison is unfortunately misleading and at least in the first 50%, there's no heisting. I would also disagree with the Cruel Prince comparison unless it's specifically for Queen of Nothing since that turned out to be a bust.

There were too many POVs and too little time spent with each one of them to get invested. I think the story would have benefited from being only from Rags POV, although I did like Inis Ever-Loyal's chapters more than any of the others. The pacing seemed to go back and forth between really fast and really slow and the world-building wasn't as complex as I'd have liked.

I very badly wanted to love this and was convinced I would as soon as I read the description but it was clear early on that this book wasn't going to be for me.

I received an e-arc from the publisher in exchange for an honest

This book was different from a lot of the fantasy novels out there, yes there are Fae but the haven’t walked the earth for many years. The first portion of the book follows Rags a thief who’s punishment is assist the queens guard in an intricate mission. I really enjoyed the book as it slowly brought in more characters POVs as they entered the story. The story had many branches that all came together as one and the connection to the characters was very well done. I have felt it had a very good disability and trans rep and really liked how different it was.
In places the story did get a little confusing but I think that was just because of how many new characters were introduced. I recommend this book for fantasy lovers. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Some trigger warnings: cursing, some blood, death, grief, animal death, child abuse, infertility, kidnapping, torture.

Master of One got me intrigued the moment I read that synopsis. And although it was pitched as a somewhat crossover of Six of Crows and The Cruel Prince, I believe it delivered all on its own.

The story started with our main character being appointed a task or quest by one of the powerful Houses. He embarked on this journey, somewhat begrudgingly and is accompanied by a sorcerer, just so he could save his own life. I really don’t want to give more details as I might unknowingly put some spoilers here but if that already intrigued you, pick up the book already. Master of One has one of the most creative and interesting world/setting. I admit, I’m not a huge fantasy reader but I can assure you that there is something unique about Master of One. The world of Rags is so wide that I will be disappointed if it will not be explored more. The history and the world-building is rich. I’m not gonna say its perfect, there is definitely a room for improvement if ever the authors will entertain the possibility of a second book. If ever that will happen, I hope we can dwell deeper into this world and know more about the “culture”.

I also applaud how the authors penned their characters especially our protagonist, Rags. Now, I believe Master of One is actually a very character driven book, and I’m not complaining. Most of the time, we are actually just spending our time reading Rags thoughts and perspective about his situation and his thoughts about the people around him. Which help us see how much he grew as a character. I am also a fan of the slow burn romance aspect of this book although in all honesty, I didn’t focus on it that much. I was too into Rags’ quest and following his quest.

I wasn’t able to rate Master of One a full 5 star as I’ve mentioned above, it still has room for improvements. It took me such a long time to finish this book because I had a hard time focusing or being invested to the whole story. I believe the writing can be very much improved as well so that it can suit the high epic fantasy that this book can be under in.

But overall, I highly recommend reading Master of One!! It brings something fresh to the table and Rags is an endearing character. Totally worth of your time!

Master of One tells the story of a group of people tasked with finding the missing pieces of a great weapon built by fae- who, all but one- were wiped out by the human Queen and her sorcerers. Oh and the missing pieces are all alive…

Master of One was everything I’ve ever wanted in a fantasy. Not only do we get a plot full of twists with complex world building but at the heart of story we have the SWEETEST slow burn- THE YEARNING !!- queer romance between Rags- one sassy thief, who is prone to cuss every five seconds– and Shining Talon- the fae who shouldn’t exist.

“I have never imagined Such experiences,” Shining Talon said. “Being with you is a marvel.”

“Ugh.” Rags ignored the twist beneath his ribs that told him he was pleased.”

As someone who loves romance more than she thought- yes I was shipping Shining Talon and Rags throughout the whole book and I loved their interactions- even with the stress of the plot. For the grumpy x sunshine lovers- this one is for you. It makes it even better that the human is the grumpy one.

In addition to the romance, I loved our cast of characters. I feel like Master of One- even though many things happened- was a very character driven book over all. We get to know and love characters such as, Cabhan; tired solder who wants to do what’s right. Inis; strong, stubborn and ferocious. She who will do anything to protect the rest of her family, even work for her enemies. Rags; sassy, crude, and wondering why this fae keeps risking his life for him. Shining Talon; the leader, sunshine in fae form, currently head over heels for a certain thief, and Somhairle; lonely prince who must pick between his mother and what’s right. The side characters are just as developed as our main characters and I LOVED One, two and three- yes they are their names!

The magic system was very unique and I loved the play on mirrors and glass. The book had the perfect blend of enchanted fae magic and regular sorcery.

Master of One was a fascinating debut and (I hope) first book. The story was set up really well and I loved that even though there’s questions to be answered, we’re not left on a cliffhanger. I’m already highly anticipating the sequel.

I have a whole lot of feelings about this book, and the vast majority of them are positive. To start with two of the easiest, I think it’s best to explain them together: the characters and the writing style. The book’s characters are vividly drawn, with distinct attitudes and quirks. Though there are quite a few of them, they are introduced very gradually, so it is relatively easy to become familiar with each of them without getting overwhelmed. Sometimes, books from multiple points of view can get confusing or annoying, but this book rotates a third-person limited perspective around four primary characters (plus one extra near the end), which really doesn’t seem like too much. A large part of this is attributable to the writing style as well: for all that the characters engage in extensive subterfuge with their actions, when it comes to their internal monologues, they say what they mean with delightful bluntness. The result is a blend of artful insights and dry humor that made me laugh out loud more than once. Here’s a loose rundown of what I love about everyone:

Rags
"It wasn’t much hope, but that was for the best, since hope and Rags didn’t get along."

This boy is my favorite. Hands down, no questions asked, the best character here. He’s a sarcastic gay thief, trying to ignore his past trauma and present emotions, always quick with with a snappy (often inappropriate) comment whenever the tension gets too high. Even when on a quest to maybe save the kingdom, he can and will think about how to steal your silver spoons while he’s at it. He’s more than a little jaded, and pretty rough around the edges, but his heart is in the right place.

Tbh, as much as I love the other characters, I would have been 100% fine if the whole story was from Rags’s point of view, because really, he just makes me smile–even when he’s upset, he is hilarious and compelling.

Tal
"Impossibly tall, impossibly golden, with a jaw cut sharper than a broken window."

Yeah, his full name is Shining Talon of Vengeance Drawn in Westward Strike, but that’s kind of a mouthful, so we’ll go with just Tal for short. He’s gorgeous, agile, and calm, and he takes everything far too literally–but hey, he can’t help it that he was asleep for ages while the world assumed his kind was dead. He actually has some Castiel vibes, for the Supernatural fans out there–very powerful, very attached to one human, and knows exactly nothing about slang or jokes. Which, you know, makes him pretty hilarious.

Inis
"Anger was shield and weapon, and the ladies of House Ever-Loyal needed both."

Lady Inis Fraoch of House Ever-Loyal is always angry, and rightfully so: her brother was accused of treason, her whole family was slaughtered, and she was exiled in a show of “mercy” with her younger sister. When the world makes her life impossibly hard, her endless stores of rage keep her moving forward. This is a girl who Gets. Shit. Done. It’s not that she doesn’t want to be at peace; she just can’t afford it. Does her short temper get annoying at times? Sure. But it also makes her human, and it gives her a flaw to balance out her quick wit, stubborn determination, and fierce loyalty to her few surviving family members. I do wish the main gang had more girls in it, but Inis manages to hold her own in this group of boys, so if we’re really only going to get one for the majority of the book…she’s a good one to have.

Somhairle
"He was one tough nut, more so because he’d been strong enough to stay softhearted."

For the record, it’s pronounced like “sore-luh.” He’s the son of the queen, but he was born with a severe birth defect causing pain and mobility problems on one side of his body, requiring a brace to walk with and ultimately leading to his informal exile. Somhairle is the sort of disability rep I love to see: his injury does create major limitations for him, which are not casually ignored, but he also takes the fact that people often underestimate him and uses it to his advantage. His ability to deal with chronic pain makes him, in some ways, the strongest character of the bunch. He is clever and kind and believes the best in people even after being dealt an aggressively shitty hand by the universe. In short, he is a little sunshine boy who must be protected (though really, he mostly can protect himself).

Cabhan
“That’s the spirit, my soft little fighter.”

Another pronunciation note, this one is pronounced cah-VAHN. Gotta love those Irish-inspired names. Cab deserted the queen’s army when he couldn’t morally abide by what was going on there, and…well, his intentions may have been good, but fate has a funny way of drawing people back into fights they thought they’d left behind. Cab’s biggest struggle is figuring out how to reconcile a past that he regrets with his new mission in life. But he’s handy in a fight, even if he is mentally a little wishy-washy. Cab might be my least-favorite of the main characters, because he isn’t quite as sharp as most of the others, but I’m still a sucker for characters seeking atonement for past mistakes and reluctant heroes, so he’s all good.

Morien
"A shitty, sneaky sorcerer."

God, Morien is awful. A villain who loves power, who wields way more of it than he should, and who has approximately zero qualms about being a horrible person. His preferred breed of magic, a practice known as mirrorcraft, is terrifying in both its scope and its ability to inflict harm, and I love the creativity that went into exploring all the ways he can use it. He’s a villain I love to hate, the sort of powerful baddie who makes you wonder how it is even possible for the protagonists to win. (He’s not a point-of-view character, but we all love a good villain, so gotta include him for good measure.)

Okeydoke, main character description over–the point is, I love them all, and their separate narrative threads wove together nicely to form a much larger story.

This, however, ties into the one issue I had with the book: the beginning was very abrupt, and it took a bit to establish what all the narrative threads actually were. In typical fantasy-book fashion, the first chapter was from something outside the core group of characters, in order to set the scene, but it introduced so many characters who actually ended up being really important later on…only by the time they were reintroduced, I had almost forgotten about them. And then, as soon as it switched to Rags’s story, it just dove right in with very little setup or explanation. I expected some immersive worldbuilding once the story picked up, but it never quite got there; we had bits and pieces along the way, but for all the excellent character work, the world’s lore remained vague in many other ways. Once the story found its footing, it was smooth sailing–but the initial waters were choppy, and they may have put off some readers who would otherwise enjoy the book if they persisted.

A few other small things I liked:

- The slowest of slow-burn romances, executed well–and, more importantly, not taking over the plot, but instead just complementing it.
- A side character who is a trans woman–I hope we get more from her in book two!
- Multiple characters with some variety of PTSD, which we need more of in fantasy. These characters go through major traumatic events and somehow come out unscathed, so it’s nice to see them struggling to grapple with their pasts.
- The silver animals. I won’t spoil too much about what they are or where they come into play, but they’re a big deal and I think they’re super cool. In particular, their telepathic communication and one specific fighting technique had me very impressed.
- A concept of fae where they aren’t just magical, but are also somewhat scientific! They have unique technologies, and while there are certainly magical elements, many components of the fae–including their odd black bones–feel more like tech than enchantment.
- Many characters in the book are duplicitous, but all in different ways: some lie outright, some deceive by omission, some use subtle courtly backstabbing techniques, some just keep all their cards close to their chests…but all of their lying habits work together nicely and create a diverse skill set for the group as a whole.

In short: Master of One is a character-driven, complex, crisply narrated adventure, and even with its minor stumbles as far as pacing and worldbuilding, the end result was a story I loved. I can’t wait to see where this team of misfits ends up next.

The start of the book is full of action and reminds me a little of Indiana Jones in that the character, Rags, had to solve riddles while going through doors. This kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat.

But as the story goes, the pacing really slowed down my excitement, as well as the switching the points of views.

The world building is done very well and I really enjoyed the magic system. And! There is queer romance!

I think this is one people would enjoy if they like multiple POV, is character driven, and lots of action.

I haven’t read the authors’ previous collaboration, the Havemercy adult fantasy series, but the synopsis of this particular book made me want to give it a try.

The description given only covers the very beginning of the story, though, and the heist part of the plot gets wrapped up relatively quickly. Rags finds his fae prince after navigating a labyrinth of fae ruins and the many traps within in the early chapters of the novel. The rest of the book involves them tracking down parts of an ancient fae weapon and the people who can wield them while trying to find ways to resist the royal sorcerer and defy the queen herself.

The focus of the novel is more on the plot than on the characters, which keeps the story moving along swiftly. I generally prefer fantasy novels that put significant emphasis on characterization because it allows me to empathize more deeply. However, the authors do give enough development to their point of view characters to make them sympathetic. Rags is the central POV character and is the most well developed; he’s quippy and foul mouthed but much less hard of heart than he wants to be. Others include one of the Queen’s many sons, a former soldier of the Queensguard, the daughter of a noble family exiled for treason, and a member of the rebellion against the queen. Shining Talon is the only important character who doesn’t get his own chapters; he’s seen mostly through Rags’ eyes.

Readers who like romantic subplots should be happy with the story. The relationship between Rags and Shining Talon of course gets the most page time. All of the main characters seem to have a potential love interest, however, even if it’s only hinted at for now.

One other thing to note about the novel is its embrace of diversity. Characters are described as having a range of skin tones. They are also diverse in terms of sexuality, gender identity, and disability (which too often gets overlooked).

All in all, although I would have liked more character development, I enjoyed the book. The story ends with their quest only partially completed, and I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to TBR and Beyond tours and HarperTeen for the eArc of this book!

I just finished this book, and phew. I have a lot of feelings.

Master of One is a rich fantasy heist-esque story. Rags, who we meet in the beginning, is a thief who prides himself on his nimble fingers and his gutter mouth. He's tasked with finding an ancient fae treasure for the Queen, only to find an incredibly handsome and annoying fae named Shining Talon in the process. Together they have to figure out what the Queen's evil sorcerers are up to and put a stop to it before it's too late for everyone.

First, the world-building here is top-notch without being overwhelming. The history of the queens and their curse is interesting and I'd love to know more. about the history of the queens. I feel like that's always a good sign when I want to learn about things that aren't especially relevant to the story, but just seem really cool. The fae in the story are different from ones I've seen in other YA fantasy, and I appreciate the distinction so it feels new.

The Achillean romance between our two leads is a slow burn, and while initially, I wanted a bit more connection between the two, by the end my heart was so engaged. Rags is a foul-mouthed thief who talks more than he should and does a lot of things he shouldn't, but he's so good at his core, I can't fault him for it. He and Shining Talon are bound from the very beginning, and there's a lot of Rags doubting himself, which honestly endeared me to him even more.

There are multiple POV's in this book, and while that can be a major turnoff sometimes, it works exceptionally well here. I wasn't bored with anyone's chapters like I sometimes get with books that utilize that type of set up. The authors have said every character in the book is queer, and on-page we see the Achillean romance mentioned above, and also a transgender woman who might just be my favorite character (she's the 'you better hope we don't survive this because if we do, I'm gonna kill you' type and I'm here for it)! We also get disability rep in the form of a character who has a physical disability that makes using one side of his body difficult and painful, and the strength he finds in having endured that pain, in the end, is really fantastic.

The last 10% of the book had me absolutely on the edge of my seat. The action was fantastically written and I was so emotionally invested in the outcome. I don't know if there's a second book in the works, but I'm going to be very sad if we don't get another one after that ending!

Definitely pick this one up for fantastic fantasy, queer rep, disability rep, and all around good read!

You are a fan of stories with heists like Six of Crows or Into the Crooked Place? Then, why Master of One is not on your wishlist??? Because this book should be read by everybody. It has everything. Adventure, sorcerers, death, dark secrets, fae, twists and LGBTQ.

It is a well-written unique story with complex characters. Being narrated by 3 POVs, we have the opportunity to understand all three MC, to find about their past, their enemies and their secrets. It is a cruel world with an interesting and dark magic. And I’m not going to talk about that illegal ending!

All in all, I really enjoyed Master of One and I can’t wait to read the next book! Thank you so much TBR and Beyond, Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett for this amazing adventure!

I am absolutely LOVING this debut book from Jaida Jones and Dani Bennett! Great, witty, well-written characters, great diversity and rep between the main couple and characters, and plenty of fast-paced action makes for a very, very strong debut fantasy read.

Fair warning - Master of One really starts out with a punch - and a violent and intense one at that. These authors don't shy away from the violence, but it was a very impactful way to start the story. We then go on to meet Rags - and you guys, I love him. He is a snarky thief who is now being forced to go do what he does best - steal something.

Along the way, Rags assembles a crew - one that is wonderfully diverse, and the heist and quest is on! I absolutely am loving the world building in this, the characters, the fae, and the magic system, and I always love stories with a crew/found family element to them. The story starts with being told solely from Rags' POV, but once we start meeting the other characters, the POVs will shift.

I can’t wait for you all to meet Rags and Talon and the crew. Get ready for plenty of action along with a wonderful slow-burn.

I was given an Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review, courtesy of HarperTeen, Netgalley, and TBR and Beyond Tours.

As soon as I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. While I am a fan of both the novels this book was compared to, I would say that its not a very fair assessment. Master of One is nothing like Cruel Prince or Six of Crows, which isn't a bad thing.

The world of Master of One is wholly original, while somewhat confusing to understand. I wish the authors had fleshed the world building out a bit more to really help immerse the reader. The first half of the book though hooked me hard, we start off right in the action with the lovable yet feisty protagonist, Rags. I found Rags to be immensely likable and I preferred his narration over the other narrators throughout the book.

Along with the world, I feel that we never really got to know any of the other characters besides Rags quite well enough. To me, all of their voices were very similar and only used as devices to move the action forward, which makes sense but I wish there was more depth.

I was so excited about the main character being gay and was even pleasantly surprised by the appearance of a trans character. I hope the second book has even more LGBT characters and can't wait until it releases.

Where to begin with this book! It was a great read on so many levels. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment reading and it was a great escape from all of the hectic stuff going on right now! First let me start with the writing. I have to say that it was one of my favourite aspects of the book, there are so many quotable lines within these pages that it was hard for me to narrow it down to only 5! While we follow multiple perspectives, each character felt unique with their own style of thinking. The plot was at first a little slow but picked up very quickly. There also was a ton of humour to balance out the serious tone. Speaking of humour, my favourite character was without a doubt Rags. He had such a sarcastic attitude and didn't care what anyone thought of him, but as time goes on we see him let go of his harsh exterior he built up from being on the streets. It was hilarious to be reading about serious scenes and then it being cut to Rags trying to steal something and stopping in midair when caught 😂. We also have a diverse group of LGBTQ characters and relationships! The romances within this book were very cute and I was rooting for every single one of them.

The magic system in this world is so unique! Mirror-craft and sorcerer magic is such an interesting concept to me and it was well done in that I completely understood everything that was happening. Did I also mention that we have really cool animals made of metal that are like familiars? One thing I wish was expanded on was the relationships between characters. We saw a lot of personal development inside each character but I would have liked more interaction between them. I cannot wait to read the next book as the story is far from over!

I definitely recommend this to all of you guys looking for your next fantasy read! Funny, creative and exciting, this is one to look out for!

This book was a fantastic fantasy adventure! There was so much to love about this book and I wholeheartedly love this book. I found myself dreading reaching the end of this book, I just enjoyed spending time with these characters too much. I found the overarching puzzle and adventure compelling and interesting. This story moved quickly and there never seemed to be a dull moment.

You start the story with Rags the Thief who immediately had me laughing at his gallows humor towards the situation he'd found himself in. As the story progressed you meet more wonderful characters such as a newly awoken and several hundred year old Fae prince, an ex-Queensguard knight, an exiled noble, and a banished kind-hearted prince. This story moved quickly through all their different perspectives but the transitions never seemed distracting. The world-building did not bog down the story either, which is something that I find frustrating in a lot of fantasy books.

I thought there was some wonderful representation in this queer fantasy. The main love story is a gay romance and it evolves in a very natural way that doesn't seem forced at all. If I have any areas that I wish were better in this book, is that it is overwhelmingly white. There is a single character described as being brown, and it would have been nice to have a few more around.

Hands down, I highly recommend this book! This is the witty, fast-paced fantasy adventure I needed at this moment.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher HarperTeen, NetGalley and TBR and Beyond Tours as part of my participation in their tour!

____________________

Representation: gay, trans, disability
Content Warnings: violence, gore, murder, suicide (mentioned), character death

The main character of this book was extremely enjoyable. He was witty and charming and really carried this book for me. THE ENDING SHOJLD ABSOLUTELY BE ILLEGAL.

*this review will be posted on my blog along with an interview with the authors on 8th November for the TBR & beyond book tour*

"What we think we remember and what truly was are only distorted echoes of each other."

Let's just start off by saying: Master of one is a wild ride. The concept of this book just hit the nail right on the head (not just because it's queer!) and I really loved the way these authors brought it to life. It was just interesting I guess, especially Rags's storyline for me.

There are a lot of different storylines in this book though and it could be a bit hard to follow from time to time. At some moments I was just so confused, but that's one of the reasons that I wanted to keep reading too! It was also just a big YES when everything started to come together.

This book could be really slow at times (not even to mention the slow-burn romance...I certainly didn't scream while reading this, nope!). Everything was intriguing and there was some kind of atmosphere that kept me interested, but the pacing could've been better for me personally.

The best thing about this book is definitely its characters. They're realistic and chaotic (especially Rags though) and when they start to become friends (or more...) I'm just sitting there behind my book like a softie. I would tell you my favourite character but I can't choose between Rags and Inis...they've both stolen my heart a bit!

Can we talk about that ending now? Like, for a second I was so mad and scared because...THAT ENDING? I just have so many question and I kinda don't know what to do with my life now, so, ehm, that's fun!

Over all I really enjoyed reading Master of one! It was a rollercoaster and I'm a little salty over the open ending (you can't just leave me hanging like this!) but that doesn't take away that this was amazing! I'm definitely looking forward to reading more YA novels by them, but their first one gets a 3.5/5 from me!

Love,
Alissa

I smell something. Do you know what I smell? Another fantasy series bookstagram is going to be obsessed about. Is it all because of the sexy fae? I bet you it’s because of the sexy fae.

Rags is a thief who was kidnapped by some dudes working for the Queen to do some job for them. One of them is a super-duper powerful magician. They are bad. It gets complicated.
Shining Talon (aka Shiny, aka Tal) is a fae prince. And no fae prince in a fantasy book would be completed without some weird unwilling master/overzealous servant relationship with a young human character. And it’s there, trust me. There is also romance. Why? I don’t know. But it’s funny.

Then, there is Cab, who’s basically Finn form the new Star Wars movies. Unlike Rags, he’s not outspoken. Actually, he doesn’t speak a lot, but his heart is in the right place. There is also Somhairle, a prince (human, not fae) and an outcast in his mum’s court because of a disability. Finally, there is Inis, and I say ‘finally’, because she shows up over 30% into the novel. This is the only thing I didn’t like about the book—most of the time, everyone’s a guy, even the supporting characters. The only female MC shows up late, but she’s here to be kick ass and take names.

At first, the book is about finding some magical artefacts. Then, it’s what all YA fantasy books are about—overthrowing the evil ruler who hurts the innocent. It reminded me a lot of The Throne of Glass (first because Rags’s backstory and then because of the sexy fae) and The Black Magician trilogy (but only the good installments, and mainly because of the magic and searching for stuff). And it was fun. Seriously, it’s been a while since I had that much fun reading a fantasy book. It was easy to read (no old-timey talk) and funny (I mean, Rags) and I was curious what would happen next. And I’m still curious, so I hope we’ll get to see the next books it the series.

In this YA LGBTQ fantasy we have Rags, a thief who somehow has to go on a secret quest. We meet amazing characters along the way and the humor is epic! We have thieves, Princes, sorcerers, fae, Knights, etc. If you're a fan of books by Leigh Bardugo and Holly Black, then you should read this book!

I really enjoyed this book!! I loved the tests that Rags had to go through in the beginning and how clever they were. I also loved how developed and multilayered these characters were. If you love fantasy worlds, with magic, fae and you love diversity, you need to pick this up!

This got off to a walloping start with a shockingly violent prologue (think 'Game of Thrones' level) opening up for a Chapter One full of sass, gallows humour and a protagonist (Rags the thief) who simply leaps off the page.

Rags was my favourite character, especially when we learn a little more about his past. There were some unexpectedly heartwarming and wholesome moments too, especially near the end. The other characters were interesting too all with distinct narratives leading up to when their lives irrevocably merge together. I really liked (the human) Prince Somhairle in particular! I wish we'd gotten a POV from the fae prince himself...perhaps in the sequel? (Please.) I'd love to read him recollecting his first encounter with Rags. Absolutely iconic scene and one of my favourite human/fae meetings I've read.

I'd say that the blurb's comparison to 'Six of Crows' is fair. You've got definite found family dynamics, grudging alliances, sarcastic humour and an epic heist sequence full of booby traps and close calls. Very Indiana Jones.
I really liked the high fantasy world, especially the names of the royal and noble houses. I'm intrigued - is there a specific reason why there are only (human) queens reigning, or is this whole society a matrilineal one? There's a whole variety of POV characters (gay, trans and disability rep), with a couple of characters of colour, though I'm pretty sure the vast majority of characters here are white. The fae I'm not sure about though!

The first 50% was super bingeable, flagged a bit in the middle as the POVs increased and the plot grew more complex, but it soon picked up again. I did sometimes get a little confused when the different POV chapters split focus during conflict scenes, as well as by the ever-growing cast, but overall it didn't really bother me.

There's less romance than I was expecting but I still shipped the main couple so much! Their budding relationship is sweet and earnest in a world full of nastiness, and peppered with cute and funny moments. I also really liked the platonic love in this. I don't want to spoil anything, so suffice to say that I had Eragon nostalgia and absolutely adored that aspect of this story.

Overall this was a fun, refreshing high fantasy romp and I'm really hoping for a sequel!

This was a really fun, action-packed read! The world and magic were super interesting and were pretty different from other fantasy books I've read. I haven't been reading a ton of fantasy lately so it took me a little while to get the hang of the magic & the world since I'm more used to reading contemporary now but once I got into it, it was a really good time. Plus, if you read a lot of fantasy or just if you like fantasy in general I think you'll really enjoy this!
As for the characters, I liked them and I enjoyed reading from multiple different perspectives, though I would personally have liked there to be a bit more time spent on establishing the details of each characters' personality and their relationships with one another. That being said, there was definitely still time spent on that, and I am very much a character-driven reader over plot or worldbuilding, so take that with a grain of salt :)) I also really liked the casual queer rep! It wasn't a big deal in any way, you really got the sense that queer identities are just considered normal and completely a non-issue in this world and that's something i absolutely love to see in fantasy books. If we're creating a whole new world, why can't we make it a world where the characters can just be queer without it being an issue for them in any way? I'm seeing a bit more books doing this recently and i love it!
Overall, I would recommend this book, especially if you have a preference for books with a solid plot and world over super character-driven stories.