Masters of Death was such a good book! I loved it so much. The audiobook was done really nicely. I stay engaged while reading and would highly recommend the book and the audiobook!

I felt Blake's "Atlas" series was written for Netflix, and when someone writes for another medium, it feels strange. This feels like a novel, the prose is poetic and sprawling, I'm a fan of this version of Blake's writing.

Masters of Death by Olivie Blake
5/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

•••Spoiler free review below•••

I have said it for years - Olivie Blake is a QUEEN. Masters of Death is the perfect read that showcases all of her talents. There is top tier banter, rich descriptions that leave you feeling like YOU are looking DIRECTLY AT the intoxicating Gilded Age shade of emerald green walls, and characters that have you hooked from their first lines. Every read of Olivie's is completely different and unique - you never know what she is going to come up with next!

Masters of Death follows Viola - real estate agent and vampire - and Fox - con artist/medium and godson of Death - as they attempt to solve a murder. Filled with haunted houses, sassy immortals, and an Alcoholic Anonymous style group for the undead, this read will leave you laughing and begging for more. If you love Olivie's other works, you will be thrilled to read this new addition to her backlog. If you haven't read an Olivie book yet, this is the perfect read to start with - and right in time for spooky season!

Read this book if you like:
- snarky characters
- multi-plot reads
- hilarious one liners
- character driven story
- "mostly" undead creatures

Masters of Death was released August 8th and if it's not already on your tbr, it should be!
.
.
.
Special thanks to Macmillan/Tor for sharing a free copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

2.5 stars rounded up

This is a hard review, I absolutely loved the first third of the book. I loved all the characters and hearing about how they lived in the real world. I loved the sarcasm and the wit.

Unfortunately for me, the book became confusing and much less interesting with the introduction of ‘the game’ and all of the other characters involved. They talked on and on about the game without describing it, I found it hard to keep interest in it.

I listened to the audiobook and loved the narrator. I thought he did a great job with all of the different accents and it was definitely a fun listen. I think it might have been easier to read the actual book, maybe that would have made the mess of characters/dialogue easier to follow.

Not the book for me, but if you’re in to character driven books this would be a good read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a book I didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I did. It has a little bit of everything! It has intrigue, love, paranormal aspects and mystery. I loved the characters so much. I also cannot fail to mention how wonderful the writing and story crafting is! Overall this made for a fun read and I will totally be reading more from this author.

I don't even know where to start with this novel. Part of me is like... ummm... what did I just read? And the other half of me cannot stop raving about how much this book had me flipping pages to find out what happens next.

The main premise: the immortals are bored with their eternity. So the arch angels decide to start an underground gambling ring... against Death. The catch: Death cheats. The rules? Don't lose. The stakes: humanity and earth as we know it. And who better to play the Game than the godson of death, the demon of vice, the demon of virtue, a godling in love with the godson of Death, a real estate agent Vampire who is falling in love with the ghost who haunts the house she is trying to sell, a reaper who is love sick over a reaper. Whew. Did you get all that? You'd have to read it to get it all... it's complex, but gloriously intriguing.

Sides have been drawn and crossed and no one is innocent or blameless when they play the Game.

LOVE the complex plot and characters. Love the constant crossing of lines and double/triple crossings. Love the witty banter. And in the end... it all comes down to love as the root of all evil that led to this epic Game.

Highly recommend.

I received a free Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review.

One of the best books I've read in a long while.

As a note at the start of this review: I have previously read The Atlas Six by this author and did not enjoy it at all, however this book sounded so different and interesting that I wanted to give it a shot and I’m so glad I did! So don’t let TA6 put you off reading this.

Masters of Death did not take itself too seriously. It was funny, fairly fast paced, and well plotted. I enjoyed the way the relationships were revealed and developed through the story, and how the two storylines wove together - although honestly I could’ve read a whole book just of a vampire trying to sell a haunted house!

I had somehow gotten the impression that Death was the realtor in the novel, which isn’t the case, but I very much enjoyed it regardless.

The narrator was fabulous and really added to the story. He’s definitely one I would keep an eye out for in the future when purchasing audiobooks.

Overall, I enjoyed Masters of Death and am glad I picked it up despite my previous experience with the author’s books.

Fantastic writing and phenomenal narrative voice! This made for a great audiobook. The story is packed with witty banter that makes listening super enjoyable. I couldn't get enough of this book. It sort of reminded me of Good Omens or Sign Here, but it was completely original. I will definitely be purchasing this one and I look forward to rereading it soon because I loved it so much!

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

I want to note I listened to this as an audiobook, so it could have changed how I felt if I read it!

At first this book had me intrigued, I really liked Fox as a character and wanted to learn more and follow his journey. Some of these characters were very interesting and had me feeling the same way.

But it quickly became very jumbled for me. The non linear timeline and amount of characters that talk about their own lives and issues so much- there are way too many plot lines going on at once. When you finally got to the game, it was over 70% done and there was no thrill or excitement in it for me. So much was said in this but not much happened. Unfortunately this book was not for me.

the story overall was really interesting. Olivie blake is just such an artist, she knows how to make each sentence beautiful and it feels like she placed so much care in each word picked. Her characters in this one were extremely interesting, and i was in for the ride. It’s hard to describe what the hell was going on, but if you’re looking for something very unique, this one is a good pick.
My only issue was a personal one. I had trouble with the narrator’s voice. I had a hard time focusing because of it. I think this might have been a 4.5 or a 5 is i read the physical copy. Will definitely buy myself a copy

I enjoyed this is a delightful piece of fiction. It’s a fun interesting story it’s not linear so you do you have to pay more attention to what’s going on that threw me off for a bit for once I realize it was happening I perfectly understood. I enjoyed the group of characters and how different they are.

2.5 stars. Let’s start with the good. The narration was so enjoyable, I would definitely listen to more from him! But this is the fourth Olivie Blake book I’ve tried and it’s past time to throw in the towel. I can see why people enjoy her writing, but it’s not for me. I will say that this is different from her other books. However, it was basically sarcasm and vibes for 12 hours and it was a droll to get through.

Olivie Blake rocks! Masters of Death was a funny, complex blend of characters. As always, the writing was beautiful but witty.

The audiobook for Masters of Death by Olivie Blake was absolutely fantastic. They really couldn't have picked a better narrator for this audiobook. It brought a whole other level of fun to the book. It really was such a fun time reading it and Steve West does such an amazing job of creating unique voices for each of the character and brings in so much personality to the characters.

I will be recommending this book and the audiobook to everyone.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for the advanced copy of this audiobook!

This is my first read from Olivia Blake. Do I own Atlas six and others? Yes. Have I read them? No. So I had high expectations for this book just based on the notoriety of the author herself. I'll start off by giving a disclaimer just based on my own reading styles- I LOVE a tedious book. This didn't just give you the plot and understanding right off the bat. You got thrown into it all, and I am here for it.

I loved the complex cast of characters and the page-turning pace that this novel took on. I'm here for the angst. Granted... I wasn't turning literal pages, but was instead listening to Steve West do a phenomenal job narrating, but you get it.

This was the spark I needed to pick up Blake's other works.

The characters in this story come to life and the narrator is wonderful. Such a riveting story that is fantastical but draws a human connection. This is not my first by this author and will not be my last. Listening to the audiobook just was wonderful to get a true connection to the characters. 4.5 star

This book is one which had a description I found enticing and I was excited to try in audiobook form. Overall the concept it great, the plot and pacing were fairly enjoyable. Unfortunately for me, I don’t think the audiobook format works that well for this particular title. This is one I have a hard time reviewing because I do think my opinions of the book would be higher had i read it instead of listened to it. The narrator is not bad, they are not a problem. Some books just don’t mesh as well with being told aloud.

I would HIGHLY suggest reading this physically even with the audiobook. I started with the just the audiobook at first and had to restart once I had the physical copy. I was finding myself getting confused with the time jumps and character backstory throughout. Once I had had the book, I enjoyed this way more.

I loved the characters and how quirky they were. I found myself laughing out loud at a few parts.and the narrator did a great job with it!

It just felt like the books ran a little long at times and the story felt a little convoluted. I really enjoyed the prose in this, but then again I always love Olivie Blake's writing.

All in all, I had a good time and would recommend to friends who already like this author.

Do not take the publisher synopsis at face value: it only scratches the surface of what is a far more complex saga (a little too complex for me to fully grasp tbh), featuring a lively cast of creatures including but not limited to archangels, demons, demigods, a siren, reaper and more. The book explores what it means to feel (pain, love, remorse, regret, loss, etc.) and whether caring is a weakness or vulnerability a strength. Through a series of scenes and memories, we explore deals made betwixt immortals in the pursuit of happiness, meaning, and ultimately humanity. This culminates in a final round of immortal games: a battle of wills that will reveal truths and answer the mysteries posed in the early pages of the book.

I enjoyed the banter between the characters and loved their quirky yet relatable personalities. At the same time, the conversation itself became tedious and the story took a long time to unfold. The middle 50% was a slog. I had to rewind numerous times. By the end I left satisfied, but with a sense that I didn't "get" everything that transpired (the ledger??)

This general "book went over my head" feeling could be due to my having read the audiobook, where the fluidity of the asynchronous changes between scenes and character voices was tougher to follow. I would recommend the written medium rather than audiobook for this reason, although Steve West's narration of Death was superb.

There's no question that Olivie Blake is a literary genius. Her descriptions have authenticity and her word choices are sublime. Steve West's narration of the audio book was well done. If you enjoyed Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman a la "Good Omens", you'll love this one!

I received a review copy from Macmillan audio/NetGalley