Master of Crows

Loved this book! The prose was very different from what I am accustomed to in the PNR genre. I've discovered this year how much I love the "gritty" realism that some authors can create in genres that don't traditionally show that aspect. Master of Crows had it in spades, and so well done.

Just the right amount of world building too! Finally, someone who understands that I don't need to understand every damn detail of this world. Give me enough to be really interested without throwing in the kitchen sink as well. There were several aspects that were never explained or even brushed on (history of world, country, Glimmer people, wtf Corruption is in the form of a star and everyone is cool with this?). I didn't need to know any of that, and show more while I'm interested in the answers, it would have taken away from the story to delve into it.

A world like this deserves several books. The mains weren't too shabby either. Silhara and Martise were very complex characters and their motivations were very easy to buy into given the past of each. Relationships are affected by things other than insta-lust, ya know? Draven does a wonderful job of making me feel like I truly understand and like the side characters as well (even Silhara's aunt and the companion who we only see for a few lines each).

Overall, so glad I finally read this. After a series of croms that were falling more and more flat for me, this was a welcome surprise. Thank you Vaginal Fantasy! show less

Oh my god, why am I so lucky with fantasy reads these past few months?! It's freaking me out.


Master of Crows is mind-blowingly amazing, peeps, and that's that. Anyone who loves fantasy romance should drop whatever they are doing right now and start reading it.


The writing style reminds me of [b:The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms|6437061|The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (The Inheritance Trilogy, #1)|N.K. Jemisin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1303143211s/6437061.jpg|6626657]by N.K. Jemisin, - very lush with a strong Mediterranean flavor in world-building. It's also atmospheric and blazingly romantic. Is that even making any sense? I don't know, I just thought that phrase sounded right. *grins*


Silhara is an outcast mage, strong, dark, slightly show more twisted, very grumpy and largely antisocial. Heck, he even poured a considerable part of his strength into a curse warping surrounding woods so nobody would bother him unless they are really desperate for his help. He is also poor, and provides for himself, his servant and his crows by growing amazing oranges in his orange grove and making perfumes for spoiled aristos.


However, he is losing battle against a rogue god, Corruption, who wants to use him as an avatar and destroy the world, so he asks a Conclave of mages for help in searching for a spell to kill that god.


Enter, Martise. A plain woman, a scribe with a photographic memory and a knack for various languages, she is sent as an apprentice for Silhara. She is also a slave for a mage who hates Silhara and promises Martise her freedom if she finds something that would justify Conclave in destroying the dark mage.


Silhara who doesn't think much of Conclave's spy and Martise who is used to being ignored by men and determined to win her freedom are forced to work together, and slowly day by day they change their opinion of each other and irrevocably fall in love.


Silhara is breathtakingly beautiful in a sharp, savage way, but he is so obnoxious, Martise hates his guts when he starts training her in magic! He also knows she is a spy and doesn't let her know anything of importance about himself.


On the other hand Martise has an amazing voice (although she is a terrible singer) and a wicked sense of humour which she hides under her subservient behaviour, so despite trying to keep his distance the mage gets more and more interested in his apprentice.

“You have done an unwise thing, Martise of Asher,” he said softly. “You’ve caught my interest.”


This is a very strong and charismatic couple, ladies and gents. There is magnetism and wildness and raw power in their dynamics, and despite such different strengths, they are equals. The romance is scorching hot without cheesy sweetness.


In fact, the most romantic thing in my eyes was how Silhara dealt with Martise's ex-lover when the guy was slagging her off behind her back. So deliciously savage!


The plot is straightforward, easy to follow and full of adventures. It's a very well written book with a well rounded world-building, and you can't help but enjoy every moment of it.


I saw a sketch of the cover for the book two in the series, and I can't wait to see more of Silhara and Martise. Gorgeous writing, one of the most memorable reads for me this year, very much recommended!

"Come in, Martise." Silhara's voice was almost sibilant in the darkness as he tagged on her hand. "There are no soul eaters here."

No, she thought. Only heart thieves.

Yes, book. You stole my heart. show less

Every once in a while a book comes along that pleasantly surprises you, and surpasses your expectations. Master of Crows by Grace Draven was certainly that. I ‘heart’ this book so much and its characters that it’s definitely in the top ten books I have read this year.
Martise of Asher is a slave and is asked to spy whilst she is loaned to the rebel mage Silhara, the Master of Crows. She is to work as an assistant to help with his quest to defeat the God Corruption, who is gaining more influence in their world. Her master and owner, the mage, Cumbria along with his cabal of mages, who fears and loathes Silhara. They hope Martise can discover Silhara’s weakness to which they can use to defeat him. But their plans crumble when show more Martise – who has the chance to win her freedom – finds out that there is more to Silhara than his reputation has suggested, and she develops feelings for the sardonic and cynical mage.
I have to start with how awesome, memorable and well developed Silhara is. Seriously! I think he is one of the best heroes I have read about in quite some time, and I am a huge fan of dark anti-heroes especially if they do push boundaries. And Silhara definitely does push them but doesn’t cross that line of being a right out unlikable bastard.
Silhara is not a happy bunny when he is faced with the choice of Martise as an assistant who has previously not shown any ability to practice magic, and he wonders at the motive on why the conclave and Cumbria had sent her. However, she was tested for being positive for the Gift so Silhara tests her repeatedly to coax out her gift. I loved how she remained steadfast and calm despite the fact that these tests were increasingly getting dangerous and pushed her to the limit whilst knowing that Silhara is dubious and suspicious about her motives.
Martise’s character was a great foil and a strength to Silhara, and I loved how she wins him over with her calm resolve and quiet stubbornness. Their exchanges are funny and witty and helped to build on the burgeoning attraction and tension between them.
The layers that were unveiled within the characterisation showed different facets of the characters. Not only do we get to see Silhara’s motivations and torn feelings about Martise and his desire to defeat Corruption, but also the danger of being seduced by him and there was times in the book that I felt he could have become lost into that dark side. But I LOVED that his saving grace was Martise, who soon becomes his life-line and that became a core focus for the romance. It really added emotional depth and layered the romance with a quiet intensity which I think is that special X factor for successful romances.
I did find the world-building and setting a bit less developed in the beginning, and it took a couple of pages to get the gist of the story. I wished it was expanded a bit more because I did initially found it confusing. But I was soon sucked in and as the story progressed, the world and setting was explored more fully, and I loved how darkly imaginative it is. Such as the Kurman nomads who help out Silhara, to the creepy soul sucking lich’s Keep and conclaves of arrogant mages.
Master of Crows is a wonderful, dark and vivid fantasy romance with one of the best anti-heroes I have read about in a long time. It has well fleshed out and rich characterisation, but at its core there is a lot of heart and soul in the story that is the hero and heroine that becomes a rich and memorable romance. I especially loved how Silhara and Martise’s vulnerabilities turned into their strengths and how that added more richness to the story.
If you are a fan of Anne Bishop, Patricia Briggs, and Lois McMaster Bujoid, then you will love this heartwarming and memorable fantasy romance! I am planning on glomming on the rest of the backlist from Grace Draven because with this book she has certainly made me a fan! show less

Here's the premise that got me really excited about MASTER OF CROWS: a black wizard, threatened with possession by an evil god, must ask for help from his worst enemies. The enemies send him a young woman, a spy, who serves as his apprentice while scheming to betray him. Against all odds, and by slow degrees, the black wizard and the spy fall in love. Also, kill the evil god.

Here's what I actually ended up reading: painfully noble wizard castigates himself over his many evil acts, commits none (he's more the perpetually-guilty, hairshirt-wearing monk type). Rather than evil wizarding, he mostly occupies himself with tending an orange grove and making perfume. The spy is a really, really nice girl who does very little spying and a whole show more lot of brewing tea, picking oranges, and mooning over the wizard.

Here's what I wanted from the romance: a battle of wits or wills or magic. The fun of seeing an intense power disparity - Silhara is master of his domain; Martise is his minion, so long as she lives under his roof - slowly tip into a union of equals.

Here's what I got: Silhara's wit, will, and magic remain at all times the superior. At no point are these characters ever in any way equals. Martise is mostly servile but her occasional flashes of sarcasm or, even more daring!, occasional stubborn, silent disagreement with Silhara's edicts impress him to no end; he thinks her very brave.

The romance, to be fair, evolves gradually. But one of the primary obstacles to an HEA is that Martise doesn't feel pretty enough for Silhara. She's insecure and needs to be praised and cherished and reassured. In return for Silhara's praise and reassurance, Martise becomes even more servile, self-sacrificing, and sweet.

MASTER OF CROWS also happens to contain one of my least favorite plot tropes ever. Silhara is an accomplished wizard distinguished by his self-discipline. Martise, by contrast, has a powerful magical gift that she cannot control. She can give her power away - give and give and give, that's her special Gift! - but she can never control it. Her power is literally and figuratively not her own.

I do not think that MASTER OF CROWS should be described as a fantasy; I think that it is primarily romance. The subplot about the evil god of Corruption is just that - a subplot. It exists to bring the hero and heroine together in the same location, to separate them (he can't trust her with his secret!) or push their relationship along to the next major turning point (she'll put her own safety at risk for his!).

I also found myself skimming through the endless descriptive passages where nothing was happening story-wise. The writing just wasn't strong enough to hold my attention on its own.

This just isn't the book that I expected or hoped for. Not the sort of story or romance I enjoy reading. show less

An excellent fantasy novel with charismatic protagonists, nicely flowing dialogue and enough twists to hold the reader's interest. Martise is a wonderful character, an example that a heroine can be deeply in love and retain her clear mind without ending up being a dreadful Mary Sue. Silhara is...well..I may sound really superficial, but he is a dream, and the relationship between the two main characters is one of the finest and best developed I've ever come across in a novel of any genre.

Now on to The Brush of Black Wings and I seriously hope there will be more stories of Silhara and Martise very soon.

I have to say that while I liked this book, I feel conflicted about it as well, mostly due to the nature of the relationship between Silhara and Matrise. His behavior towards her is awful--he terrifies her to the point she regards him with fear. Not that he doesn't have good reason to be angry for the real reason for her presence, his behavior is just so absolutely horrible--I don't think calling it abusive is an understatement.

Yet, as in many scenarios such as this, she ends up falling in love with him. Silhara has kept his real feelings hidden for so long it could be argued in his defense that he doesn't know what he's doing. But, all evidence points to the fact he does and is deliberately trying to drive her away. The unspoken show more tension between them regarding the lies and omissions they tell each other is interesting and sometimes painful to watch.

Matrise is an interesting character as she is, in some ways, smarter than Silhara. They are both incredibly stubborn. I simply believe I would have liked it better if Silhara hadn't been so harsh. She wasn't a wilting flower, though she did get stronger--she still almost never truly defied him. Despite his selfishness, he was willing to sacrifice himself for her, but should we really trust that his motivations are the truth? I think they are...

Other than that, which is something that's a personal issue but still something I don't think sets a very good example--the writing is smooth and flows well. I liked the interchanges between characters, and I also liked Gurn. It was an entertaining read that kept my attention, with an intriguing plot that was a little different than the ordinary fantasy romance. It was just some of the elements of the relationship between Silhara and Matrise that were a little disturbing to me at times. show less

I have to say that while I liked this book, I feel conflicted about it as well, mostly due to the nature of the relationship between Silhara and Matrise. His behavior towards her is awful--he terrifies her to the point she regards him with fear. Not that he doesn't have good reason to be angry for the real reason for her presence, his behavior is just so absolutely horrible--I don't think calling it abusive is an understatement.

Yet, as in many scenarios such as this, she ends up falling in love with him. Silhara has kept his real feelings hidden for so long it could be argued in his defense that he doesn't know what he's doing. But, all evidence points to the fact he does and is deliberately trying to drive her away. The unspoken show more tension between them regarding the lies and omissions they tell each other is interesting and sometimes painful to watch.

Matrise is an interesting character as she is, in some ways, smarter than Silhara. They are both incredibly stubborn. I simply believe I would have liked it better if Silhara hadn't been so harsh. She wasn't a wilting flower, though she did get stronger--she still almost never truly defied him. Despite his selfishness, he was willing to sacrifice himself for her, but should we really trust that his motivations are the truth? I think they are...

Other than that, which is something that's a personal issue but still something I don't think sets a very good example--the writing is smooth and flows well. I liked the interchanges between characters, and I also liked Gurn. It was an entertaining read that kept my attention, with an intriguing plot that was a little different than the ordinary fantasy romance. It was just some of the elements of the relationship between Silhara and Matrise that were a little disturbing to me at times. show less