I'm not going to do my normal synopsis summery before delving into this, because quite frankly the less you know the better!

Do you know those books, that make you want to forgo sleep? The ones that have you in that state of indecision to devour it in a day or savour it slowly? Master of Sorrows by Justin Call is one of those books! Hands down a beautifully written, and well constructed fantasy that is not to be missed.

This book was without a doubt epic! It had all the amazing feels of fantasy with so many new and great things. There was not one point during this book that I thought "Hmm, I'll just pop it down." It had me hooked from the beginning. I love our main character Annev, I love the way Justin Call shows us his strife and inner battles (as well as all the amazing outside ones too).

This world is fantastic, and Justin Call had me eating out the palm of his hand with his unique set of Gods and their history. I am a sucker for insight into how religions are born within fantasy, and this book was just so spot on for me I really feel like I don't have the words to do it justice.

I will be adding a review to my blog on Wednesday 21st Feb - the day of release for this fantastic fantasy! I really cannot recommend it enough. Definitely one to add to your shelves.

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 Orion Publishing Group and Netgalley for this ARC

CW: Ableism (I'll touch on this later). 

This book has one of my absolute favourite things in fantasy fiction - creative problem-solving. I know that sounds silly and or a little bit sad, but I absolutely love any book where the protagonist(s) have to think outside the box, to work with their weaknesses and solve a problem or complete a challenge. This book does that on more than one occasion and it is great. If you, like me, adore that kind of trope then I'd say definitely pick this one up. 

I initially thought I wasn't going to like Annev, because I have a tendency to...react negatively to male 'chosen one' character types. I just find it hard for anyone to redeem a teenage boy. But Annev is actually alright. Does he utterly idolise the one other female main character in this book? Yes. But it does get less prevalent later on (at about the same time that said female character proves she is far more awesome than she has the potential to be within the initial bounds of the story. I think, like other male protagonists I have read in the last year or so, Annev has the potential to show some real character growth through this series and I'll be really intrigued to see what I think of him after another book!

I've mentioned the ableism in my content warning, and I will stress that as I am not a person with a physical disability I am not the best person to be analysing how good the representation of Annev is. I will say that it is set up in this world that having a physical 'deformity' (Annev has one hand) is what marks you as 'oh they're going to be evil'. That would normally be a 'put the book down this is bad' moment but I persevered and it is made clear that this isn't an attitude built into the world, it's more something that has developed because of events prior to the story. Again, I think there's potential for a real breaking down of these damaging attitudes in future books, and if that's the road this author goes down then I think it'll be a great way of exploring this in a fantasy setting. Of course, we should all be looking to own voices reviewers for those opinions. 

I did think that the way this book played with that theme of destiny, what it means to have something set out for you from the start of your life, was really interesting. It managed to avoid that somewhat outdated 'chosen one' trope by making Annev destined to be the opposite of a hero - I'm fascinated by the idea of what that could mean in later books.

This book is a little slow to start, taking it's time to set up the quite small setting (most of the book takes place in one village) and how Annev's magic is forbidden and so such, but it is absolutely worth persevering as the end of this book is where the story truly shines. The side characters get more page time, Annev gets a lot more interesting and the world outside the village starts to be more important. 

In the end, I think this was a great start to a series that could be incredibly strong. First books, particularly where a good deal of worldbuilding is required, are almost always quite slow to start -or so I've found - but the way this book came to an end makes me think we're looking at some really special books in the future.

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one. Annev is a decent main character and I loved the worldbuilding of the Academy, where the bulk of the book is set. Even though the Academy seem increasingly sketchy, it's hard not to root for Annev to succeed in becoming an avatar of judgement. Annev and Sodar's surrogate father/son relationship was also a highlight. Justin Travis Call has taken so many of the classic fantasy tropes (chosen one boy; significantly more powerful elderly guardian with magic; gods meddling in the affairs of mortals) and somehow made them feel fresh with his different take on it. I also loved how the Annev/Myjun romance played out: Myjun was never a likeable character to me with her strict adherence to her father's religious views and I felt like the book had a pretty good payoff in tackling that issue. Her appearances in further installments should be great. I'm also really looking forward to more of Kenton, his awkward rivals/former friends dynamic with Annev was a definite highlight.

That being said, I found the blurb for this one a bit misleading. The blurb gives away Annev's status as Keos reborn. Sure, this is strongly hinted at throughout the book. It definitely sets "Master of Sorrows" apart from fantasy which is built around the chosen one trope. That being said, I think the confrontation with the wood witch would have been way more effective if I hadn't known and especially as Annev is still convinced he is the chosen one by the end of the book, I think it'll lead to disappointment from people who want to see a supposed "chosen one" deal with realising that he's actually the villain. Not enough to put me off the book, just enough that I'll be actively telling people to avoid reading too much about it beforehand when I rec it.

The way that a fantasy submerged you with a vast and wide range of imagination will make you focus more on every detail that the book wants you to invest in. While reading this book, I got this LOTR vibe setting mixed with An Ember in the Ashes. And this makes me more excited about what I can invest in this type of stories.

The first half of the book was a slow burning process. There are certain parts that I got this notion to DNF the book but it gave me this urged to look way beyond to what the story has to offer. Annev is an acolyte in this book wherein he and his friends undergo a series of lessons and trials from them to be part of the academy's finest masters. I got his Nevernight vibe when it comes to this part of lessons and trials.

I hate that romance was slowly paved the way in a story especially I quite lost track of the time or year in the story and chapters away Annev is marrying the daughter of the head of the academy! Oh my! I asked myself, " where I am in this story?" But thanks to the author for not "overemphasizing" the romance in the story but instead narrates substantial relationship between Annev and Sodar, Annev and his friends and Annev and his rivalries.

I never expected the ending and it was mind blowing and heart wrenching. The way the author makes you invested in the specific characters and suddenly they are dead at the end. What a great Game of Thrones feels.

Master of Sorrows is a story of friendship and what it is to change your destiny predicted and dictated by the people who surround you. The sequel, Master of Forge is in writing and I can't take it because I really want to have that copy because of that epilogue!

For a first book this was great. It had a ton of action, magic and intriguing magical artifacts, monsters, gore and violence and a cast of characters that you don't know whether to love or hate. However, it was far too long and slow paced to keep my attention for long periods of time, especially when the synopsis really drew me in and intrigued me.
In short this had all the makings for the start of a great series, but it was too long, slow-paced and I really wanted more from the 'hook' that was in the synopsis - so it fell a little flat for me on that front. I wasn't sold on the romance in this either, but the ending does have me interested for the next book.

This was a great introduction to this series. In many ways this is a familiar story with a prophecy and an unlikely hero but the author has managed to put a twist on it that makes it different. The world building is very well done, the characters are well written and the plot is compelling throughout. However it was a little tricky at times keeping track of all the names of characters. Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend checking it out, especially if you enjoy dark fantasy.

Reviewed by my co-blogger: Teik Sim. We have decided to use this review to represent Novel Notions's review on the book.

Master of Sorrows was a remarkable debut which I simply cannot put down.

This book recalled so much about what I loved about classic epic fantasy and yet felt modern. The author has quoted David Eddings as his earliest favourite. Having read and loved Eddings’ works myself, I can definitely see the influences from The Belgariad in this book; a prophecy, Gods and a coming-of-age tale of a young man destined for greatness. Except, in this case, that greatness may lie in the path of darkness instead of light.

As if those three elements above weren’t enough to make me love Master of Sorrows, we also have the school trope in this story. You know the drill. A talented main protagonist trying to advance, but was constantly thwarted by his equally talented enemies, or bullies. School bullies will never go out of fashion – in books, television, movies or the real world. As a reader or spectator, it is always so satisfying when the victim overcomes the abuse, and it is especially gratifying to see the antagonists receiving their comeuppance. I believe that this satisfaction stems from its underlying message, which is one of hope, perseverance and karma.

Overused standard tropes, one might say, though I maintained that tropes existed for a reason; once upon a time, readers enjoyed reading them. The distinction lies in how well-written the story is and how well these fantasy plot devices serve to tell the story. Admittedly, originality is also usually not the first thing that I look for in a book anyway. This doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate originality, I absolutely do and it does count when it comes to my overall reading enjoyment. Ultimately though, I gravitate towards compelling and empathetic storytelling. A story that can capture and retain my attention, as my mind takes flight and wanders into the imaginary world with its characters. Master of Sorrows gave me that experience as I devoured the novel in just two days.

Save for the Prologue and Epilogue, the story was told solely from the perspective of Annev, an orphan who was brought up by a priest and mentor, Sodar in the hidden village of Chaenbalu. Annev was an Acolyte of Faith in training to be an Avatar of Judgment of the Academy. These avatars are entrusted by the Academy to retrieve magical artifacts and bring them back for safekeeping. It is for this reason that the village is kept hidden by magic and its existence is practically unknown to most people outside. The hierarchy of the Academy goes up the ranks of Master Avatar, Ancients and the Eldest of Ancients. And all of them will kill Annev without hesitation should his deformity, the mark of the Fallen God, come to light.

The coming-of-age characterisation of Annev was quite excellent in my opinion. His apprenticeship under his mentor, Sodar, had instilled within him moral values which are at odds with those of the Academy that will help him pass the Test of Judgment and become an avatar. As only one acolyte can pass each Test, he may need to betray his friends to do so. His determination to pass the Test was further inflamed by his love for Myjun, the daughter of the Eldest of Ancients. Ah yes, the stupidity that accompanies the flush of young love. I do sometimes feel like shaking Annev for being idiotic when it comes to Myjun. However, even though I typically don’t like romance in my books and how silly characters can get when in thrall to romantic love, it is a wholly realistic part of growing up. With that perspective, I think the author did a great job in handling this tricky aspect of Annev’s character development.

As much as I disliked the Annev-Myjun love story, I absolutely loved the Sodar-Annev mentor-apprentice, surrogate father-son relationship. This relationship between Annev and his mentor formed the emotional backbone of his story as far as I’m concerned. Without which, I would not have been half as invested in these characters as I was shortly into the book. Annev’s arc on friendship, loyalty and kindness also played a significant role in his character development, and is especially crucial given the dark legacy for which he is supposedly destined.

I have earlier mentioned about the Fallen God. The worldbuilding in Silent Gods was based on the lore of three Gods – Odar, Lumea and Keos – their elements and creations. The elements of the world, quaire or skywater, lumea or lightfire, and t’rasang or earthblood, were each represented by these Gods (in that order). The magic system was then divided into different forms as dictated by the elemental power behind it. Throughout the book, several interludes recounted the story of the Gods and how Keos became the fallen one. These interludes helped provide history and context without having the characters going into info-dumping monologues.

There were also many unfamiliar terms which have been introduced, but not yet explained in this instalment. What I did get out of a specific narrative somewhere in the middle of the book was that The Silent God series will reach epic fantasy proportions. And when there was a Fallen God, there will be monsters. Witches, feurogs and shadow assassins were just a taste of what is in store. The woods that kept Chaenbalu hidden and safe were also strange as shadow-magic can stretch and lengthen the paths to confound travellers. The worldbuilding was fascinating, but at this early stage of the series, its intricacy still quite opaque. Hopefully, throughout this tetralogy, the intriguing complexity will give way to enlightened wonder.

The writing style is unembellished and non-distracting, which makes the story easy to read and digest. I also loved the relatively short chapters because I can easily squeeze in some reading during short periods of free time during the day. And this book certainly made me want to keep reading whenever I can, as the pacing was executed quite superbly. The action scenes were gripping and well-written, showcasing both the agility and fighting skills of the trained avatars as well as the magic of the artifacts.

This first instalment ended in a grim and poignant note, and even with a few surprises. The coming-of-age tale was wrapped up, but Annev’s fateful journey had barely started. Master of Sorrows is a brilliant and riveting tale of having the courage to find and choose one’s path, and it left me wanting more.

I recommend this book for lovers of classic epic fantasy looking for a modern voice.

It takes extraordinary skill to take such tropes as ‘talented orphan is raised by a mentor’ and ‘unassuming boy is handed a destiny’ and repackage them in a new story that not only makes them fresh, but makes us feel we have never read such tropes before. This was an amazing debut novel. An amazing novel in fact. I loved Annev’s perspective – at several points I actually punched the air when he succeeded. I don’t want spoil anything for other readers but if you love fantasy, you should check this one out. You think you’ve read this story; you haven’t. I was glued to the page from beginning to end.

SNF. So sorry, but moved too slowly and not enough character detail to make me care about the lack of plot.

3.5/4 stars

The main aspect I liked about this book was that the story moved at a reasonable pace and there were no slow moments, where a reader could have gotten bored with reading the book. Also, the idea of having all these gods and half-gods and many different creatures in between was quite original.
In addition, I also liked that the main character was not hugely singled out to be the "special snowflake", unlike many other books where the remaining characters other than the main one were almost hidden because of the importance of the main character.
Furthermore, everything that had been revealed during the book, an explanation happened at once. There were no half-explained events that were going on in the book or events that were never explained, which is the case in a couple of books I've read and thus, the reader remains confused as to why it happened.

However, the many names of creatures or characters were a bit confusing and every now & then, I had to search it up to remember who it was.
Additionally, the event that happens at the last chapter to a particular character was a bit unrealistic given what happened to that particular character beforehand (I can't go into it without spoiling the book).

In conclusion, this book was a pretty good debut that I really enjoyed and hopefully, I will get to read the sequels of this series.

Some great ideas here and more than a few WTF did i just read moments too. Reminded me a lot of David Eddings, Robert Jordan etc but also, so much more than that. There is a rich history of Gods, Younger Gods, prophecy which makes for a quite delicious read and the idea that our hero is 'destined to be a villain' (from the ARC copy cover) makes for a different spin on things.

I'll post a more detailed review nearer to release date in February but until then i have one question...


Is it too early to say Book Of The Year 2019?

Master of Sorrows was a remarkable debut that I simply cannot put down.

This book recalled so much about what I loved about classic epic fantasy and yet felt modern. The author has quoted David Eddings as his earliest favourite. Having read and loved Eddings' works myself, I can definitely see the influences from The Belgariad in this book; a prophecy, Gods and a coming-of-age tale of a young man destined for greatness. Except, in this case, that greatness may lie in the path of darkness instead of light.

As if those three elements above weren't enough to make me love Master of Sorrows, we also have the school trope in this story. You know the drill. A talented main protagonist trying to advance, but was constantly thwarted by his equally talented enemies, or bullies. School bullies will never go out of fashion – in books, television, movies or the real world. As a reader or spectator, it is always so satisfying when the victim overcomes the abuse, and it is especially gratifying to see the antagonists receiving their comeuppance. I believe that this satisfaction stems from its underlying message, which is one of hope, perseverance and karma.

Overused standard tropes, one might say, though I maintained that tropes existed for a reason; once upon a time, readers enjoyed reading them. The distinction lies in how well-written the story is and how well these fantasy plot devices serve to tell the story. Admittedly, originality is also usually not the first thing that I look for in a book anyway. This doesn't mean that I don't appreciate originality, I absolutely do and it does count when it comes to my overall reading enjoyment. Ultimately though, I gravitate towards compelling and empathetic storytelling. A story that can capture and retain my attention, as my mind takes flight and wanders into the imaginary world with its characters. Master of Sorrows gave me that experience as I devoured the novel in just two days.

Save for the Prologue and Epilogue, the story was told solely from the perspective of Annev, an orphan who was brought up by a priest and mentor, Sodar in the hidden village of Chaenbalu. Annev was an Acolyte of Faith in training to be an Avatar of Judgment of the Academy. These avatars are entrusted by the Academy to retrieve magical artifacts and bring them back for safekeeping. It is for this reason that the village is kept hidden by magic and its existence is practically unknown to most people outside. The hierarchy of the Academy goes up the ranks of Master Avatar, Ancients and the Eldest of Ancients. And all of them will kill Annev without hesitation should his deformity, the mark of the Fallen God, come to light.

The coming-of-age characterisation of Annev was quite excellent in my opinion. His apprenticeship under his mentor, Sodar, had instilled within him moral values which are at odds with those of the Academy which will help him pass the Test of Judgment and become an avatar. As only one acolyte can pass each Test, he may need to betray his friends to do so. His determination to pass the Test was further inflamed by his love for Myjun, the daughter of the Eldest of Ancients. Ah yes, the stupidity that accompanies the flush of young love. I do sometimes feel like shaking Annev for being idiotic when it comes to Myjun. However, even though I don't like romance in my books and how silly characters can get when in thrall to romantic love, it is a wholly realistic part of growing up. With that perspective, I think the author did a great job in handling this tricky aspect of Annev's character development.

As much as I disliked the Annev-Myjun love story, I absolutely loved the Sodar-Annev mentor-apprentice, surrogate father-son relationship. This relationship between Annev and his mentor forms the emotional backbone of his story as far as I'm concerned. Without which, I would not have been half as invested in these characters as I was shortly into the book. Annev's arc on friendship, loyalty and kindness also played a significant role in his character development, and is especially crucial given the dark legacy for which he is supposedly destined.

I have earlier mentioned about the Fallen God. The worldbuilding in Silent Gods was based on the lore of three Gods – Odar, Lumea and Keos - their elements and creations. The elements of the world, quaire or skywater, lumea or lightfire, and t'rasang or earthblood, were each represented by these Gods (in that order). The magic system was then divided into different forms as dictated by the elemental power behind it. Throughout the book, several interludes recounted the story of the Gods and how Keos became the fallen one. These interludes helped provide history and context without having the characters going into info-dumping monologues.

There were also many unfamiliar terms which have been introduced, but not yet explained in this instalment. What I did get out of a specific narrative somewhere in the middle of the book was that The Silent God series will reach epic fantasy proportions. And when there was a Fallen God, there will be monsters. Witches, feurogs and shadow assassins were just a taste of what is in store. The woods that kept Chaenbalu hidden and safe were also strange as shadow-magic can stretch and lengthen the paths to confound travellers. The worldbuilding was fascinating, but at this early stage of the series, its intricacy still quite opaque. Hopefully, throughout this tetralogy, the intriguing complexity will give way to enlightened wonder.

The writing style is unembellished and non-distracting, which makes the story easy to read and digest. I also loved the relatively short chapters because I can easily squeeze in some reading during short periods of free time during the day. And this book certainly made me want to keep reading whenever I can, as the pacing was executed quite superbly. The action scenes were gripping and well-written, showcasing both the agility and fighting skills of the trained avatars as well as the magic of the artifacts.

This first instalment ended in a grim and poignant note, and even with a few surprises. The coming-of-age tale was wrapped up, but Annev's fateful journey had barely started. Master of Sorrows is a brilliant and riveting tale of having the courage to find and choose one's path, and it left me wanting more.

I recommend this book for lovers of classic epic fantasy looking for a modern voice.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher, Orion, for providing me a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

This book was great, it had magic, great world building and it was action packed!

I will say this book does sort of throw you in and you figure things out as you read. Even after reading it I had so many questions which should be cleared up in the next books. The book has its own history which links in to what is happening. The book also has a couple of parts or extracts about the gods of the world. There are three gods and Keos is the 'bad' one. There is also Oder and his sister who are the 'good' gods. The world is based around these gods. It has a religion that follows them and prophesies which is woven throughout the book.

It begins with a birth, this child is missing an arm and so they believe he is the son of Keos. They try to kill the baby and they do kill his parents because they believe Keos is the devil like figure. The action begins in the prologue and I have to say this book does start as it means to go on. It times jumps and now the boy from the prologue is training at the academy to become a avatar. The academy believe magic is evil and annev questions this. The trials were fun to read and I loved that Annev wanted to work with people rather than trying to do it on his own. Annev wants to become an avatar and he wants to get the girl but he doesn't want to disappoint Sodor who raised him. He has to go through so much; trials, a test set by Tason, fighting a witch, learning the truth about himself and prophecy from Sodor, his duties at the academy, rivals and things just keep going wrong. The academy is attacked and he has to fight with one arm which reveals him as a 'son of Keos'. Even at the end I feel Annev is going to go through a lot more as the epilogue sets it up.

The writing flows really well and I found the action sequences to be exciting. I really loved how it was written. I loved the mentor-son relationship between Sodor and Annev. If you like high fantasy with good characters and great world building then you will like this book.

The Characters! There are so many amazing characters in this book, it would take too long to list them all.

Sodor - He is a magic priest, has the gift of Odor and he is Annev's guardian. He follows the true religion of Odor and he believes in Annev. He is there for Annev and wants him to be happy. Sodor was probably my favourite character.

Annev - Annev is the main character. He goes through so much, realises a lot and has to figure out a lot for himself. I loved that he always tried to follow his heart and didn't compromise his morals.

Myjun - she is the girl Annev loves, she is the daughter of Tosan and believes her father that if anyone is scared or missing a limb they are a son of Keos and are evil. I didn't really like her because of that.

Sraon - is the village blacksmith. He is a friend to Annev and Sodor. The rest of the village don't trust him because he is scared. He always helps Annev when he needs it and I hope to see more of him in the next book.

I loved the look of this when I first read the synopsis on here so I was really looking forward to checking it out. While the writing is great, and the world-building is epic, I found I couldn’t connect to the characters. There were a lot of them, and a lot of detail that just passed me by!