(Reviewed for Library Journal) The story has some definite Christopher Moore vibes even as its ensemble cast weigh down the book.

Part of Olivie Blake's re-released books, Masters of Death is perfect for readers who want almost eternal fantasy figures who also just might be an unlikely father figure. What I love about eternal figures is that they often have a different approach to life. When you have all of the time, how do you make sense of love, heartbreak, and family. From the very beginning, there's a rich sense of supernatural characters - some with day jobs - who all have separate lives and ambitions. I was also able to listen to some of the audiobook while I was driving and I loved how Steve West is able to infuse just the right amount of snarkiness in these petty immortals.

This book took me by surprise. I thought I knew what the story would be about after reading the summary but man was I wrong. I had no idea where the story was going. Mortals & Immortals, Creatures & Gods...this was like a fantasy story on steroids, it seemed like the author threw in every non-human "thing" that she could.

The narration was beautifully done. I honestly don't think I would have enjoyed reading this book, however, the narrator was just amazing. All of the characters had their own distinct voices as well as their own intonation.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Masters of Death. The characters were fun, the storyline was entertaining, and as a reader, it was a nice change not to know what was coming next.

From the first page, this book had me hooked. This book is hilarious, in a very witty and subtle way! I loved the vast cast of characters, including Death himself. I was taken on a rollercoaster- the beginning I loved, the middle plot confused me, but the end brought me back. The majority of the plot takes place around a “game” that immortals play, but one of my personal reading pet peeves is when everything is explained very vaguely because it makes me not care about stakes or anything. For a lot of this book, the details of what the “game” is were very unclear and confusing (it was supposed to be), and that irked me. But towards the end, things became clearer. My absolute favorite about this book was the narration and humor!! I will be picking up more books by Blake in the future.

Thank you to Macmillian Audio for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review!

Grateful for the opportunity to dive into the ARC of this book, though it didn't quite captivate me enough to reach the final page.

Masters of Death by Olivie Blake is an incredibly funny and warm hearted story. Huge thank you to Tor for giving me early access to the audiobook.

This book could easily have been over the top. There are a lot of very gregarious characters, and the scenarios are a little out there. Instead Blake created a very balanced story that managed to be both funny and thought provoking.

While this is not my first Olivie Blake book, it is one of my new favorites, and I can't wait to tell everyone I know to read it.

The narrator, Steve West, did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life. It was such an easy and fun listen, the hours simply flew by.

This is the third book by this author that I have read, and sadly I just think her writing is not for me.

By 40% of the way through, I just kept thinking how unnecessarily complicated this story was. It is paranormal/supernatural soup, with every ingredient you can think of thrown together. The amount of dialog is actually ridiculous.

By the end, I was just glad to be done.

Just read Masters of Death by Olivie Blake, and wow! It's a quirky, paranormal book about Viola, a vampire real estate agent, and Fox, a medium with a twist They make such an unlikely but entertaining pair. The mix of mystery and supernatural elements kept me hooked. Plus, the ensemble cast of characters adds so much charm to the story. Ghosts, gods, and even a demonic personal trainer - what more could you ask for?

The writing style of this book was just not for me. I felt like there were too many characters with varying timelines and it made for a confusing reading experience.

This is not my favorite of Olivie Blake, I read all of her books but this one was the most confusing. While I like idea and characters the story was not connected for me and it was all over the place. Once I listened to half of the book it got better and kept my interest.

Ok can I start with one thing, Daddy Death! Do you need more really??!! I just loved the narrator. They were just perfect for this book. The story was so interesting and had me up reading way past my bedtime! There were so many amazing characters in this book. Fox of course is one of my favorites but I also just loved Vi. The game had me guessing. I needed to know what was happening. I was so invested in all the storylines. Especially Tom and Lainey. I cannot wait to read more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is my third time reading Olivie Blake and I really want to love her writing, but sadly I just think she's not for me. I started this book and could not get into it, so I set it aside. I tried again. Still couldn't get into it. And it's not that the writing is bad or anything. It's just the subject and style isn't my cup of tea. Unfortunately, I had to DNF this at about the 30% mark.

Exactly what since come to expect from Olivie Blake, a fraught yet touching love story, diverse complicated characters, and the most entertaining and darkly funny dialogue. The audio is really well done with a beautiful range of accents and just the right amount of expression and emphasis with it feeling over done. Highly recommend this dark and fantastical story of love, loss, trust, friendship, and belonging.

Olivie Blake breaks my heart and puts it back together in such a beautiful way every single time that I read one of her books! I love her writing, it resonates with me and gives me a lot to think about while also keeping me on the edge of my seat. I cannot recommend her enough.

This book just made me laugh and enjoy myself because it was fun all around. The sassiness, the dialogue, and the characters; never a dull moment.

Thank you Tor Books for the complimentary book and Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary audiobook.

At the start of this book I was so excited, I thought I was onto a winner. The notes I took say
- Clever writing
- love the banter and sarcasm
- great characters

It then shifts quickly to
- struggling with the back-and-forth timeline
- SO MUCH DIALOGUE

So! Much! Dialogue! Honestly the characters would start talking about one thing, which would lead them to bicker about something else and by the end of it I wouldn't really know or care what they had decided on.

What started off as clever writing, and great banter and sarcasm quickly became a chore to read. I had no idea what was going on sometimes. After the first few times I gave up on going back to re-read pages to see what I had missed and figured it would fall into place by the end. The ending was so incredibly underwhelming.

This is the second book I have read by this author, and the second I didn't love, so I think I just do not connect to her writing style.

I made it about halfway through this one and had to DNF. I did not feel invested in any of the characters. I really love this cover and the synopsis was very intriguing but I just could not get into it. I very much appreciate the review copy.

Masters of Death
Written by Olivie Blake
Read by Steve West
Book 194/200
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Digital/Audio, ARC
Pages/Time: 349/15hrs 2min
Published: 2018/r2023
Rating: 8/10

"You can never truly know a culture until you've been bitten by one of its myths."

I have read all of Blake's fantasy that I can find, and I have to say I have really enjoyed them all! Masters of Death takes the distinction of being the funniest. Blake's witty banter is on point in this novel! This was a super fun and interesting read. Blake combines myths and legends across the world into a diverse and vibrant magical realism. I found myself repeatedly in awe of Blake's character work. All the characters feel realistic and I immediately formed an attachment with them all. And to top it all off, a heart-warming and refreshing conclusion.

I always have a good time with Blake's books. Her writing is quick and her characters have just the right amount of snark that just keeps me hooked. Her knack for pulling a cast together with differing personalities that just end up providing fun times as well as fostering bonds in the end is really great to see and experience.

I adore the tonal shifts that Steve West uses to narrate this story as it just elevates my reading journey even more.

“Fond as I am of him, he does chronically suffer from a touch of motherfucker— a general loucheness, or rakery, if you will—so I suppose I’ll just have all of eternity to deal with it.”

Masters of Death was, as I think Death would put it, a motherfucking ride full of sin, pehnomenal banter, and any many moments that will make you think “what the hell is going on?”

This book is pure chaos and I loved every moment of it. Audio is THE way to go. Steve West brought so much life to these immortal and mortal characters. One of the best parts of this book is the banter (it reminds me a little of Leigh Bardugo’s) and his narration delivered every single time 👏

There were points were I didn’t know where this was going. I kept waiting for there to be a more in-depth explanation of what the game was , which does come, but what mattered more were all the parts before that. It’s more of an exploration of humanity, what makes it wonderful and what makes it suck, and how every experience along the way is worth it.

Ensemble casts always make for the best books and Olivie Blake sure knows how to build them. The tension, the will they won’t they, and the overall chemistry between everyone really kept me going.

Read this if you’re ready to dive into all of Olivie Blake’s backlist, because there is no turning back after this. It also has chapter titles 😍.

This was quick and entertaining! It has a fun and quirky premise and kept me engaged throughout the novel. The book did drag a little for me but overall was enjoyable.