This was totally not what I was expecting! The definition of a 'page-turner' - Olivie Blake writes in a way that draws you into her beautifully crafted world and makes you feel personally connected to the brilliant characters. The plot is kind of confusing at times but I think that was part of what made me enjoy it so much?! Really recommend this one!

Masters of Death was the first book by Olivie Blake that I've read and I will definitely be looking out for her other books now!
Full of sassy and sarcastic diverse characters I instantly fell in love with Blakes writing. Each character, be they demon, ghost, vampiric real estate agent or Death was unique and so well developed you almost longed for a separate book following each of their own stories. The immortal game was a brilliant idea, the tackling of humanities faults and all the confusion throughout was just great and I was so glad it all made sense as you got nearer the end and everything linked together.
All in all this is a genius book, written exceptionally well that will take you by the hand and drag you into the most surreal world with the oddest characters who you will rapidly warm to and want more of ..

Wow. I thought I would enjoy this book but I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did.

Firstly, it was hilarious, especially at the start, I caught myself actually laughing out loud a few times at the sarcastic, and sometimes dark, humour

We join Vi, an estate agent struggling to sell a house. But there is a twist, Vi is a vampire and the house, has a ghost. Vi learns of, Fox, a 'medium' who she thinks can help her rid the house of the Ghost - Tom - but the 'medium' is also the godson of Death... with a literal guardian angel and a Reaper who watches his back at all times.

Sounds crazy, and it is, and that's not even the whole story. Vi and Fox are drawn into a game, a gambling den of sorts, where no one wants to lose, and not to lose is the only rule of the game.

Plots, betrayals, love stories and history all unfold through this book, and it does jump about a lot in time/perspective etc but I found it really fun to follow.

Some of you may have already read this in its previous indie published form but the new published edition is out next week.... I cannot wait for you all to read it!

Thanks to NetGalley and PanMacMillian/Tor for the chance to read and review this early. But my opinion of the book would be the same regardless. I had already preordered this book and I cannot wait to proudly display it on my shelf when it arrives

This was a very entertaining read. I have read the Atlas Six books and found those extremely hard to understand. I think I'm a fairly intelligent person but Olivie Blake blows my mind. This book was easier to understand but still a lot of it went over my head or took a while to click in to place. I found the story very entertaining and the dialogue quick and witty and very enjoyable. Something about the ending felt rushed to me I thought it was going to go on a bit further but it all sort of wrapped itself up nicely. Blake is clearly super talented and I will continue to read anything she puts out as long as I can understand it!

I really wanted to love this book. I loved the Atlas Six and recently attended a talk by the author (and I think she’s amazing!). This book didn’t hit the spot for me. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC

Stunning! Olivie Blake always writes the best books and this one was my favourite so far! A page turner and so fun! Stunningly written

Deaths’ godson, an apparent medium, is called by a vampire estate agent whose trying to sell a haunted house and rid it of a chatty poltergeist. A demigod with a knack for thievery, a demon personal trainer, a guardian angel whose in love with a reaper, who also happens to be deaths’ godsons best friend, are all forcefully thrown into an in immortal game that no mortal can play to try and save Death himself. Can this band of supernatural/kind of mortal/mostly immortal beings pull this off?

I’m speechless. I cannot form the words to describe how much I adore this book. It’s my first time reading one of Olivie Blake’s books and wow was I not disappointed. Masters of Death is such a unique story told from multiple perspectives, all belonging to people entirely different yet beautifully the same. The books foundation is stemmed from desperation to escape your destiny. Searching, hoping, and doing anything (including making a deal with death himself. Or an otherwise king of demons) possible to change your end. Or to erase your end entirely. But gradually, the beauty of mortality is revealed, negating the ideals and premise of forever.

I don’t want to spoil anything for you, definite future reader, because that’s what you are. I feel everyone needs to read this book. It’s heartbreakingly down to earth and I truly love all the characters I’ve met on this journey.

If you want a book that will compel you and stay with you for a time once you close it. This is the book for you. Now run to your local store and get yourself a copy. You have an appointment with Death. Better not keep him waiting.

I am a sucker for Olivie Blake's writing and with this one she yet again played with themes I love and made me question everything. As usual the characters are fantastic, so nuanced and varied. The plot was like nothing else I've ever read. Loved it.

I get the hype but I’m so sad that I personally didn’t. This is definitely a me thing and not the book.
The description of the book sounded incredible!! At the beginning I was enjoying it and laughed out loud however after about 30% in, my intrigue just went and I found it so hard to keep picking it back up again. It took far too long for me to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this e arc copy

It breaks my heart to say it but I really did not enjoy this book at all, though the blurb sounded amazing and so promising. To be honest I think I should really have dnf'd it but I kept plodding on, hoping I would start enjoying it more. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this novel. I will not be posting a review of this title on any other platform. Sorry.

I have to give a rating so I give 3 stars, as I am sure there are plenty of readers who will have a great time with this book.

Good Omens meets The Betrayals…

Viola Marek is a vampire. An aswang, to be precise. But she’s also an estate agent. When she has a ghost to banish, she calls upon the one person who might be able to help - Fox D’Mora, the mortal godson of Death…

This isn’t told like the Atlas Six at all. Instead it’s a story with changing viewpoints and narrations, stunningly alive (ironic, since at least two main characters aren’t). Life (and undeath) in the city are vividly rendered, but it’s also populated with creatures, mostly unnoticed, but there… ghouls on the subway, demons in the gym, reapers in your living room.

But what is the mysterious game being played behind the scenes? Blake teases out hints of this infuriatingly - prepare for a lot of confusion and obfuscation, and reliance on the characters rather than the plot snd the game itself, which doesn’t make itself clear for a very long time (reminiscent of The Betrayals).

The relationships between the characters were also perhaps more shallowly sketched than I would prefer - you’re expected to read between the lines in uncovering their histories. I don’t mind being trickle-truthed in a book but what was being revealed still wasn’t telling me anything concrete for a very long time. Probably because of this, I didn’t find the romances as compelling as I might have.

The present-day story was more engaging for me with some fun touches of humour and a Good Omens vibe as our band of preternatural misfits attempt to find out what’s going on - and ultimately, to win the game… for mastery of Death.

Masters of Death by Olivie Blake caught my attention because of its description - a vampire estate agent is trying to sell a haunted mansion and resorts to a fraudulent medium who happens to be the Godson of Death in her attempts to exorcise the mansion and make her commission. Sounds entertaining right, and overall it was, but there is a large cast of characters including angels, demons, sirens, Greek and Norse gods and demi gods, and when that is combined with flashbacks and different timelines, it just felt a little too jumbled at times and the book definitely got bogged down in the middle after quite a strong opening. On the positive side of things I did find the characters funny and the dialogue sharp and witty, but overall I think the book struggles with trying to pack in too many things into one story.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

"Hello, children. It's time for death."

*Spoilerfree review. Thanks to Tor for providing the ARC via netgalley*

Oh boy.

That was a wild ride and honestly, this book is incredibly hard to review. Or rate in stars, for that matter. It's a spectrum.

It doesn't have the most linear storyline, so many plot twists and un-plot twists it was difficult to know what was *actually* going on at times. But did I have a great time reading it? Yes. Most of the characters were incredibly entertaining. Sassy and very much annoying archangel twins? Sign me up.

If death had more screen time and we forgot that whole quirky support group thing it might have been 5 stars. (Olivie, could we please have a collection of short stories from death's perspective? Please?)

PS: I'd like to take a moment to appreciate the illustrations. They represented the characters beautifully.

In Olivie Blake's 'Masters of Death', a game is being played with only one rule: Don't Lose. Mortals are typically not allowed to play, and at the head of the table sits Death, who cheats. The tables haven't been open for a long time, because Death was banned from playing by his godson Fox. He also has to snap an elastic band on his wrist every time he swears, which is often.

Blake's sense of humour runs throughout this novel and her world building skills are excellent. I was hooked in pretty quickly and enjoyed all of the quirky characters and their relationships with one another, which felt well observed. I was left with only two qualms. First, this novel started out feeling like a novel about Vi, a character I really loved and wanted to know more about, so I was a bit disappointed when that turned out not to be the case. Second, in a bid to keep things held back from the reader to be revealed later, there were long passages where things felt confusing and convoluted, requiring the reader to trust that everything would become clear later. Despite this, I enjoyed the book and I have already purchased another one of Blake's novels.

"When Viola Marek hires Fox D’Mora to deal with her ghost-infested mansion, she expects a competent medium. But unbeknownst to Viola, Fox is a fraud – despite being the godson of Death.
As the mystery unfolds, Viola and Fox are drawn into a quest that neither wants nor expects. And they'll need the help of a demonic personal trainer, a sharp-voiced angel and a love-stricken reaper. And it transpires that the difference between a mysterious lost love and a dead body isn’t nearly as distinct as you’d hope."

From this synopsis I expected a murder mystery type of book, or something similar. But this book is not that, is much more. I was hooked from the first page. The changes between the past and the present, and the different point of views that we get in this book makes it an easy, fun and quick read.
The characters are wonderful and diverse, each of them lovely and witty. Their stories are mysterious and rich, with touches of magic and regrets. The constant philosophical reflection about life and what it means to be human was one of my favourite things in this book.
So far I have loved everything Olivie Blake has written, 100% recommended

Fox D'Mora, the godson of Death, and Violet Marek, an estate agent who just also happens to be a vampire, combine forces (with a whole menagerie of creatures) to discover the mystery of a billionaire (correction, millionaire) estate owner who doesn't remember his death, as well as track down the disappearance of Death.

The whole vibe of this story reminded me of the hell act from George Bernard Shaw's Man and Superman! It had humour, intrigued, wonderful characters who jumped off the page and made you believe in them ardently and route for them constantly.

The non-linear storyline and the beautifully quiet writing of Olivie Blake combine to bring you a magical story of what it means to live and love and the human desire to master and evade Death.

With the most compelling of narrators, this story captured my mind from the first page, but it was the gradually unwoven tale of Fox and Brandt that ensnared my heart for all eternity.

This is another great book from Olivie Blake, honestly I don’t think you can go wrong picking up any of her books.

I think going into this one blind is the best thing, just let the story draw you in.
The writing as always is beautiful, full of believable characters that you connect with.

Already have a physical copy on pre-order!

This was my first Olivie Blake but it will not be my last!

Masters of Death is definitely one you should go into knowing as little as possible but what should sell this book for you is that you've got an incredible cast of characters and a master(s)ful (sorry, not sorry) mix of comedy, suspense and romance.

This will make for a perfect early autumn read, curled up somewhere comfy with a blanket and a warm drink. You're in for a treat!

Love love love this book!

It is so well written and it kept my attention throughout, which is impressive for such a long book. The writing style is perfect for the story and I couldn't put it down.

I will definitely be getting a physical copy and will be recommending this to everybody!

This was my first Olivie Blake book and it didn’t disappoint! It’s hard to put this book into one box, for me this was an enjoyable and original mish mash of genres and characters. I loved the author’s dry humour and all the supernatural characters.

The only niggle I have and it’s a downside of some of the e-arcs recently, is that random numbers appear within the text. Minus this formatting nightmare, this is a fabulously original read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, Tor for the early access.