Sonya Bateman

This is not what I was expecting to get when I bought this book. Instead, it's much better.

First of all, it's a relief to find an urban fantasy novel that isn't "paranormal romance" with a little harder edge. The romantic element has absolutely nothing to do with the relationship between the genie and human at the center of the story. Each has his own love interest, set up well before the events of this book, and there's no bothersome love polygon to deal with. This is an action story, not a show more romance.

This actually holds up well against the early Dresden Files books, with a very fallible hero thrown in over his head and learning how to swim without quite drowning. I have the next novella in the series, and will probably get the second book soon. I can't wait to see how the thief tackles the rest of the forty Ali Babas... show less

Gavyn Donatti was used to being freakishly unlucky as in the worst thief ever, then he met Ian the djinn who is his great-great-great…etc grandfather and the Donatti luck changed to reasonably okay. Especially when they were both on the hunt for the evil djinn tribe that had basically wiped out Ian’s.
Then the luck went to bad and it’s affecting everything in Gavyn’s life. His truck is wrecked after a head one with a moose, Ian starts drinking beer. Absolutely worst of all, his show more family is driven away, they need to rescue Princess Akila who has been kidnapped by beyond evil half-breed djinn supremacists.

I like watching Gavyn and how he keeps on keepin’ on protecting his loved ones and his responsibilities. Even when the injuries keep on comin’, he makes himself do what needs doing. Sonya doesn’t sugarcoat the injuries either nor make Gavyn into a Superman. He’s injured, he hurts, he stumbles.
He grows with his newfound abilities, learns as he goes and gets tougher even if he doesn’t admit to it.

It may be just me, but I got invested in everything that happened to Gavyn, Ian, Jazz, Akila, Cyrus, the characters I cared most about. I sat at my desk crying at some points and other times wanting to reach inside the computer to wheal on some evil djinn halfbreed asswipes.
That is excellent writing, making the reader give a good goddamn about the characters.

We get more of the history of Ian and Akila’s relationship, too. It’s a lovely story. A romance and love for the ages.

I love Cyrus, Jazz and Gavyn’s young son. He’s a doll. He has inherited his father’s djinn qualities. Jazz realizes she now has to not only worry about potty training, but the fact that Cy has magical abilities like turning invisible. That’s a hard one to deal with in a toddler when all you figure you need to teach is potty-training and don’t poke your finger in the light socket.

And, ohhhh, the WTF moments….absolutely loud ones.

Favorite quotes or bits:
I wasn’t exactly claustrophobic----just allergic to being trapped. show less

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2011/03/review-master-and-apprentice-by-sonya.html

Master and Apprentice picks up a year after Master of None ends, with Gavyn and Ian systematically hunting down and killing members of the Morai tribe, the djinn responsible for wiping out the Dehbei, Ian’s clan. The Morai used humans to slaughter the Dehbei, since djinn cannot directly kill humans. A curse, the ham’tari, was put on Ian. If he doesn’t kill every last one of show more the Morai, he will suffer greatly. This curse also helps to explain the phenomenal bad luck that Gavyn has suffered from all of his life, as it also effects Ian’s descendents. As Gavyn travels with Ian, he realizes that not all Morai are the same, and starts to wonder just how much he can trust Ian. Then they meet Calvin, a Morai, and a monk, who was not involved in the slaughter, and uses the form of a rather charming raccoon. When Akila, Ian’s wife, is taken by a mysterious cult lead by a Morai bent on using Ian for world domination, Gavyn will have to rely on Calvin to teach him how to use his newfound powers (including transformation with a memorable scene involving his sneaker), and get them out alive.

I LOVED Master of None, but if possible, I liked Master and Apprentice even more. The tone is a bit more serious this time around, but Gavyn is still his snarky self (sarcasm is a serious weapon with this guy), and still retains the moral code that makes him so charming and likeable. Ian begins the novel rigid in his mission, but begins to change when he realizes that things may not be what they seem with the Morai. Calvin is a wonderful addition to the lineup, and Tory is back as well to offer help. I laughed out loud at times, and Ms. Bateman’s writing is better than ever! She also manages to create a rather layered story without things getting confusing, a talent which is greatly appreciated by this reader! She puts poor Ian through the ringer in this book, as well as Gavyn, and I found myself flinching in spots, but nothing is too gory or gratuitous, and just makes getting the bad guys that much more satisfying. Every now and then there are books you wanna hug, and this was that book for me. You know, the one you start babbling about the minute someone gives you an opening? Yeah, you know the ones I’m talking about…

If you haven’t discovered this series, run, don’t walk, to grab yourself a copy of Master of None, and for goodness sake, pre-order Master and Apprentice! It’s that good. show less

O...M...G!!! How hellah excellent was this book?! It has been a really long time since I've enjoyed a book this much. It had the action and excellent characters to move the spectacular story along that I require from any story, but especially the urban fantasy books that I love to read.
This book is such a treasure and I am so glad I found it on Dark Faerie Tales blog for the Debut Urban Fantasy Challenge. The premise sounded fun and completely readable. Little did I know....
I developed a show more crush on Gavyn Donatti after just a few pages into the story. I felt so bad for him, his luck so truly awful, just wanted to give him a hug. As the story went along, I fell more for him. He's a thief, but it's just a job. He doesn't hurt anyone, let alone kill. He just tries to take what he's been hired to do.
His luck really runs out when the thugs of Trevor, his newest boss, come after the item he's supposed to bring in, but lost somehow. And he's saved by a wolf. He finds out that the wolf is a shapeshifter djinn (don't make the mistake of calling him a genie), named Gahiji-an or Ian for short. They get along like oil and water, but have to work together for the end game.
Donatti is tough and funny, that was what I fell for. He thinks quickly on his feet and takes each new turn in his life with a humor and strength that wins the reader over.
READ THIS BOOK!!!
Five I'm not a genie and you don't get three wishes diamonds..... show less