This book was received as an ARC from Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

My time was totally invested in this book because of the dark twist of being destined for the Avatar, Criminal life. The paths crossed and the secrets of burdens. The feeling of belonging, destined for one path but trained in another. The tension and drama all throughout the book got my jaw to drop wide open and my heart to almost stop completely for almost 15 minutes. Annev was in predicament throughout the entire book discovering and accepting who he really is. I believe our teen book club and young readers will be receptive to the familiarity of this book and I know will have a lot of discussions as well.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I really enjoyed this!

The premise is appealing, and the story itself was fascinating. I absolutely adore school/academy settings in fantasy books, and this one did not disappoint. I also really love morally-gray characters, which populate a lot of this world. I'm anxious to see where the story goes next.

Will definitely be picking up a copy once it's out!

My Thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed each of the 448 pages of this book. Justin T. Call has begun building a truly fascinating world here, and it was a true joy to learn a little about it here.

The way that the people of Chaenbalu view people who are physically imperfect is actually an established trope within the fantasy genre (think of Tyrion in GoT [aside: there is a really fantastic article from a 2016 issue of Disability Studies Quarterly written by Colleen Elaine Donnelly titled Re-visioning Negative Archetypes of Disability and Deformity in Fantasy: Wicked, Maleficent, and Game of Thrones, which is 100% worth reading if your into this stuff – I cited it in a scholarly article I’m currently shopping. It’s really good stuff.], many Bond villains, Shakespeare’s Richard III, etc. you get the point, right?).

The thing that I love about Call’s handling of this trope is that he leads the reader toward the idea that this sort of thought process is nonsensical. Annev does hide his own deformity, but he is also one of the few people in his village to not look down upon others who are visibly marked. Even the girl he loves shares the general populace’s views on these matters – something which Annev feels more and more disturbed by as time goes on.

Despite the book’s length, the story of Master of Sorrows is actually told at a breakneck speed – the entirety of the book takes place over the course of a few very significant days in Annev’s life. In this very short period a remarkable amount of change happens in his life. He learns about his own past, something of the world outside Chaenbalu, all sorts of prophecy and lore, and plenty of new information about people he knows and loves. Essentially his entire world is flip-turned upside down.

There’s so much going on that I found myself pleasantly surprised that Call was able to not only keep everything straight and moving at a consistent speed, but that he was able to pull me as a reader through it all without a hitch. I never had to pause and look back at previous pages to try and figure out just how the hell we got to where we were. In a story that is working on such a grand scale, I think that is a pretty great accomplishment. He’s a hell of a writer – I’ll just leave it at that.

What I particularly enjoyed about Master of Sorrows is the way Call began to lay the groundwork for something that already feels epic in scope. This books reads like the kind of grand, sweeping tale that will keep me coming back book after book. I find myself not even married to a particular outcome for Annev as yet, but no matter how things turn out for him, I have found that I definitely want to stick around for it!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Am I going to buy this book? Yes. Am I sad that personalized hardcovers are sold out on his website? 100% super-sad. I really loved this story, and as mentioned above, I’m really looking forward to the next installment, Master Artificer, which I know from his really well-designed web page is in it’s completed first draft phase.

Dark fantasy with a considerable amount of violence, written from the male perspective. Clearly the first in a series -- the book ends at a reasonable stopping point but there is clearly more to come..

Brief overview: In the town of Chaenbalu, those born with disabilities are considered marked by Keos and killed at birth. Annev is born with only one hand but through the intervention of a mysterious man named Sodar, is spared, and grows up in the Academy of Chaenbalu, where he trains to be an Avatar of Judgement (predominantly warrior-based skills). He wears a prosthetic arm because most of his teachers and peers would stone him if they knew. Outside of Chaenbalu, darker events are stirring. Who is Annev, and what role does he play? Will he ultimately be a hero, or a villain?

My impressions: I liked that there were no clear heroes or villains but instead many shades of gray -- hopefully to be unpacked in future books. The book is packed with action (and on occasion, a bit too much violence for my taste), and though set an academy, hints at a larger world yet to be unpacked. The author does a decent job of setting up inner conflict for the protagonist (Annev); however, at times, he and his peers make choices that are mind-boggling in their stupidity, and I'm torn between not buying the motivation and wondering if male teenagers can really be that short-sighted? Finally, I have mixed feelings about the portrayal of women in the Academy and of the "romance." They're there, but none are really portrayed in a positive light and I'd score this fairly low on the Bechdel test. 3-3.5 stars.

ARC from NetGalley

2.5 stars. Like nearly every review, this is going to contain a bit of profanity, so gird your loins buttercup.

Slow start. It got more interesting towards the end, but it was a bit late. The characters in this story were almost entirely forgettable. I only really cared about Sodar. Everyone else was an asshole or an idiot. Well, I guess not Titus, but he was forgettable for other reasons. I spent most of this read side-eyeing and hating on the characters (looking at you Myjun).

I like the idea of the artifacts, and the magic system seems quite interesting. I like an antihero, but Annev just seemed like a twat most of the time. A twat doing stupid, stupid shit.

I dislike the passages of scripture. They were not done well IMO. When I read the first bit, I thought that the author was perhaps very much a novice in terms of writing, starting every sentence in a block of italic text with "and."

The names in fantasy books are important to me. I do not like to cringe, and the naming in this book made me cringe. It just seemed very fantasy name-generator to me, but that's just me.

All in all, it was an interesting read, but I couldn't recommend it. It isn't bringing enough to the table.

I really love reading books where the main character is very conflicted and you can't tell if they are going to go towards being a goody goody or being one of the seductive villains that we love.

This book was really good. I have to admit that I wasn't really impressed though, but that could be because I think this is a debut novel. I loved the concept, but I was kind of underwhelmed with the delivery.

I had a hard time getting into this book. I’m not sure why. I usually love this type of story but this was somehow off. First off, Annev is a bit annoying. His mentor, Sodar, has his best interests at heart after rescuing him from certain death as an infant. Annev is constantly questioning and mistrustful of his mentor. Everyone at the Academy seems to be against him although he would prefer to make alliances but is sometimes betrayed. Myjun, his love interest is a bigoted jerk. Why he loves her is beyond reason although in the end there is some redemption for her. I like the back story of the ancient gift giving but I just couldn’t get into this story. It was well written. The world building was good. The characters were well fleshed out and the dialog was realistic. I just didn’t like the story and I don’t know why exactly. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I'm not sure how I rate this book. On one hand, it's very exciting but on the other there were more cliches than expected.

Annev lives in a society that sees having a disability as being the sign of a follower of the evil God. Unfortunately, he was born missing an arm, something that can get him killed. Good thing a magical priest discovers him as a baby and uses magic to help blend him in.

I was expecting something different. The description says that he's destined to be the next dark lord. This never happens in the book. The closest is when he accidentally causes destruction. That doesn't count. I was looking forward to him turning against his people because they were horrible people who thought stoning people for having missing limbs was a good thing.

In the end, I found myself not caring for any character's fate.

Copy received from Netgalley for an honest review.

Justin Travis Call's new novel, Master of Sorrows, is a fast-paced read about a new fantasy world. The plot stems around Annev, who dreams of becoming an avatar (a group of skilled men who travel the world collecting magical artifacts and securing them at the academy where he's being trained). Of all the people in Annev's class, he is probably the single best potential avatar, but he keeps failing the final exam because he has a tendency of trying to play by his own rules and not the expectations of The Academy.

Part of Annev's moral compass comes from his intense relationship with Sodar, the village priest (who has more tricks and lies up his sleeve than anyone can guess). Sodar has taught (and protected) Annev since he was born. In Annev's world, anyone born with a physical impairment is perceived as cursed and both the infant and her or his parents are killed. When Annev was born, he was born without one arm, so while his parents were killed for having the one-armed child, Sodar had saved Annev. Of course, one of the main questions that is answered within the book is why. Using a magical prosthetic, Annev has lived his entire life knowing that he's just one accident away from his dark secret being exposed to the world. Will he become an Avatar? Will his secret get exposed? Why did Sodar spare his life? These and so many other questions are answered in this exciting new first novel in The Silent Gods series.

I definitely look forward to seeing what the rest of this series brings for Annev and his friends. I want to thank the publisher for the opportunity to preview a copy of this prior to publication. Even though I received the book from the publisher, my review is competely my own.

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

3.7 for me so close to being a 4.
This was an interesting book.
It has a rich backstory, with complicated gods and religion, where magic is both hoarded and despised, considered evil and those able to wield it, the same.
The only reason I didn't rate it higher is because it didn't really reach out and grab me or keep me on the edge until 70% through.

Annev is a sheltered youth, raised by a kind priest who saved him at birth for being killed for having one arm. All who are maimed are claimed my the dark god Keos. His parents were killed after his birth an act called "Breaking the vessels of Keos" a ritual of being stoned to death.
He is raised in secret in the same village that would have sent its Avatar Masters to destroy him as a child. He's worked his entire life to become one of these Avatar Masters. Who seek out artifacts, and magic welders and kill them to purify the world of darkness. Knowing this, his missing arm is concealed by a magical prosthetic. He must also hide the fact he is a magic user, all while secretly learning to control it. Both if ever known would end his life as he knows it.

Annev lives a life that balances on a dangerous edge. While he is the subject of a prophecy, and the darkness seeks him out, it's still unknown if he is the one to lead it or break its hold on the world.

I liked this book. It felt a bit slow to me at points like somethings could have been sped up or maybe edited out. But the world building and creation of religious backstories and gods was incredibly well though out. And the ending was set up in such a way that the continuation with the antagonist is going to be really good.

Master of Sorrows by Justin T. Call, an book that quickly draws you in, could almost by YA. A young man who strives to do his best despite people and circumstances being against him, when he learns that the forces of darkness are seeking him, whether to kill him or make him their leader is not clear.

***ARC received from Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

The synopsis poses you the question, what if our hero and the threat of evil were one and the same? How will our hero chose, guided both by those that want to protect him and the world and influenced by the hate he experiences and the evil that wants to use him. Master of Sorrows sets up what is bound to be a long sweeping fantasy story that stumbles at times but ultimately sticks the landing on the start of something that could be amazing.

The book starts out really strong, telling of the birth of a young baby missing a hand, setting up the main conflict of the first book. Of those that wish to see the baby killed and those that have waited for the coming of the vessel. Its a tried and true fantasy element and works just as well here as it does in other stories. Before getting into the meat of the story we get the back story of the gods, Keos, Odar and Lumea or at least the start of the back story. They are woven throughout the story giving back story as needed to progress the many story as needed. I have always loved these elements of a fantasy novel, that don't try to overwhelm you too much at one time, instead work them in so that they fit into the story itself.

The main part of the book follows Annev as he attends school preparing for his final exam to move from Acolyte to Avatar. I liked Annev well enough even if at times he and the other younger characters felt a little too juvenile to me with their behavior. It didn't detract from the overall story but when the behavior popped up it stuck out more than it should have. There is also an animosity between Annev and some of the other characters that never felt fully fleshed out. By the end we know why Kenton hates him, but I never really got the same with Fyn. Its mostly just nitpicking things on my part, same with the romance. I understand why Annev is enamored with Myjun, but it never really feels returned. The romance just felt tacked on to lead up to something bigger in the end. Its a trapping that fantasy novels sometimes fall into, this one if victim of that, but I like where it ended. I want to see how it plays.

One of my favorite things about this book is the way it treats magic and deformities, particularly magic which is usually seen as something you quest for not something that people actively work against. Annev is raised to hide the deformity he was born with, how it affects how he thinks of himself and his motivations are driven by it. It will be interesting to see how it if further explored as the series continues.

My biggest issue was pacing, the book started out strong but the time spent in the village and academy really dragged. The book suffers from being stuck in one place for far too long but begins to pick up once Annev leaves from the first time. But its the trapping of a fantasy novel that clearly has a much bigger story to tell, being stuck getting through the initial set up to the bigger parts that are waiting in the next books.

A strong start to a new series that I look forward to reading more of.

MASTER OF SORROWS – Justin Call
The Silent Gods -- Book 1
Blackstone Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-1982591786
ASIN: B07XJ8DKF3
February 25, 2010
Fantasy – Teen/Young Adult

Luquatra, a Different Time and Place

In ancient times three sibling gods ruled. They decided to begin Regaleus, an annual festival to celebrate evil being cast from Luquatra. Keos, the youngest brother, gave his brother, the oldest god, Odar, a silver staff of his own making and his sister Lumea a flute of gold. They gave him only a song. Expecting more, he separated from them. In the present time, Keos is seen as a vile god who uses evil magic, and anyone who is not whole of body is one of his get.

In the land of Luquatra, Annev is an Acolyte of Faith. Acolytes train physically and mentally for testing to become an Avatar of Judgment at the Academy in the hidden community of Chaenbalu. Avatars are sent on journeys throughout Luqatra to find magic-tainted artifacts and bring them back for placement in the Vault of Damnation in the basement levels of the Academy. The Academy is run by Ancients and Masters, and the highest is the Ancient Tosan. Annev is in love with Tosan’s daughter Myjun, who is one of the witwomen of the Academy. Witwomen travel to find and bring back to the Academy abandon infant boys to become acolytes. Once in the Academy the boys can never leave. Those young men who fail the test to become Avatars are reduced to stewards who do the Academy’s basic work. Avatars can eventually become a Master or an Ancient

Annev is on the verge of failing for many reasons. He comes to discover this is mostly because of who he is. Unlike all the other acolytes who live in the Academy, Annev lives with the Priest Sodar, of the community’s church where the God Odar is worshipped. Sodar raised Annev who is now the church’s deacon. Even more disturbing is what Annev must hide. He is missing his left hand and part of his arm. If anyone at the Academy discovers this, he will be stoned to death as a son of Keos.

The reader will discover Annev is one of a very few honorable and trustworthy young men at the Academy. In this place, friends and allies are hard to find. Most look out for their own interests and some actively work to make sure Annev fails. He will, however, try to achieve any test to become an avatar. MASTER OF SORROWS is a long story (just under 600 pages) but a story full of trials, tribulations, and misadventures, not only for Annev but also for the Academy and for Luquatra. Yet, Annev never gives up even when the unimaginable happens.

Robin Lee

I got 43% of the way through the book before I decided to be merciful and put it down. I don’t think the synopsis accurately depicted the plot of the book. If you’re almost halfway through the novel and the protagonist hasn’t even started on the quest/knows there is one..... it’s bad. It was just really slow and still hadn’t picked up and I wasn’t invested in the story because there wasn’t a story. Just a kid doing weird training at an academy for no feasible reason. This book just wasn’t for me.

This took me quite awhile to get through, it was a very slow start and easy to put down. I think it just needs to be tightened/polished up a bit. Some of the scenes/passages just went on forever and didn't add much to the overall story.

I just could not get into this book, I found pages and pages of fighting and violence endlessly boring. I was relieved when I finished. I am bummed because I was expecting something different based on other reviews I read.

This supposed dark read is more of a middle grade dark read. Where its dark but not to dark. The main character in this story sets himself up to fail to help his friends and I have to say that sounded a little off. In this world where deformities are seen that you are evil. I don't think that I would have self sabotaged to help out others. This was a hard book to really love. I enjoyed the challenges and the trials and learning about the characters and the world. But overall, this one was a tag touch and go. I think those in the middle grade age group so those who are maybe 13 and under might enjoy this one more.

Let me start by saying that I loved everything about this book. I even loved the way I loathed certain characters because if I really hate them that much, I know they are written well and I’m 100% invested.

Summary: In the beginning, Gods created the world, magic and its people. These siblings’ names are Odar, Lumea and Keos. Their falling out began over a poor gift received during a holiday. Keos spiraled and became known as the evil one. (A lot of violence and betrayal comes into play)

Annev lives in a world where deformities are seen as a mark of Keos (evil) and any magical ability or artifact have been outlawed by The Academy for the same reasons. The Academy is a religious institution (Odar) that trains Avatars from birth to retrieve artifacts and eliminate threats to the order. Unfortunately for Annev, he was born here and has both a deformity and magical abilities. He’s only survived this long because of a priest named Sodar (has many secrets). Annev faces many trails, literally and figuratively, throughout this story, creating more and more problems that result in suspenseful and shocking outcomes.

Tropes: There are many tropes that are used in this book that are not done like they usually are so it is refreshing and entertaining. Example: The boarding school trope is used and admittedly one of my favorites. Two paths metaphor. Annev’s entire life is based off of this. It’s constructed well though, and isn’t cliché in the slightest. Also, the use of the Phoenix in this book is really interesting and I enjoyed it, but I don’t want to give more details because it would be a huge spoiler. There are more, but these are my favorites.

Plot/World-building: The story is so complex, but well written. There are no plot holes or confusion at any point. Everything used is necessary to further the plot. It is intricately woven together and comes full circle. The pacing is also good. The story is broken up into several parts with a scene beforehand to give insight into what is about to happen. The scenes are excerpts from the Book of Odar, manuscripts, translations or prophecies. Not only are they used for pacing, but also world-building. The details in the scenes are beyond great because something might not seem important, but later it comes with a big reveal. These scenes provide a backstory for the Gods and foreshadow how they are connected to Annev and his future. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the Hand of Keos bit was one of my favorite parts of the world-building. For me, having a detailed backstory and building the world and the characters’ relationships make the book so much more engaging. I know some complain, but for me, I feel more invested and it makes me more emotional towards the love, loss, betrayal, anger, etc. The battle scenes were an epic roller coaster of emotions, death and gore. I had my Kindle so close to my face and I didn’t even realize it because I couldn’t read fast enough.

Characters: Annev is the main protagonist, trying to find his way in a world that is 100% against him, minus a few friends. He is intelligent, versatile, strong-willed, caring and very naïve. He is 17, so the last bit is to be expected because towards the end he has some stunning realizations and is growing more into a man. However, I wanted to scream at him for acting so childish sometimes, but without those missteps we wouldn’t have a story, so…

Sodar. I loved him. The secretive, warrior priest, caring father figure.

Eldest of Ancients, Tosan, a hypocritical jerk. Leader of the Academy and on the bad end of Karma. Praise Keos.

Myjun is Tosan’s prejudice as hell daughter and main love interest. I hated this girl more than I can put into words; however, I am excited to see how her story unfolds with the ending she was given.

There are many side characters that also have well-developed character arcs and I’m really excited to see where the next book takes us.

Things that I loved the most in no specific order:

1. Avatar trials.

2. Annev and the Peddler in the woods

3. Epic fight scene near the end

4. Training/conversation between Annev and Sodar

5. World-building: Gods, magic system, religions, prejudices, metaphors etc.

6. Writing style: fluid, pacing is excellent. Serious, brutal, but also made me laugh

7. So many more things.

This is supposed to be 4 books and then 8 more after. I’m definitely going to be sticking with this for the next 12ish years.

*Side note: this cover is gorgeous and there are maps inside. I love a good map.

I enjoyed much about this book including the world building, but was ultimately disappointed about a few things. First, I never felt like the main character, Annev, was really 17 years old. Based on descriptions in the book and the dialogue, I thought he was closer to 12 or 13. This kept making it hard for me to believe that he was really in love rather than it being a crush. I also thought the descriptions of the fight scenes were excessive. I really didn't need a blow-by-blow account of every single fight that happened in this book. I will most likely be reading the next book because there were aspects of this that I really did enjoy.