Master of Crows Paperback – June 30, 2014

This was a completely unexpected treat. Let me start this off by explaining that, unlike some, I do not inflate my reviews of discounted books. Whether a book is free, or one that costs 10 bucks, my review is based on content not price.This was a recommendation by Ilona Andrews in her blog. And WOW and I glad I followed through on checking it out.This book has it all. Lyrical writing, characters with depth that grow throughout the novel, a truly scary villain, great world building, and believable love story. The paranormal and romance elements were perfectly balanced, and the story was dependent on both equally, which is rare. That said: this is definitely paranormal ROMANCE-- so there is sex and for fantasy readers it may be too explicit. So bear that in mind.Martise and Silhara have secrets. Big ones. Due to circumstances that have them both trapped they have to learn to work together for a common goal. At least, that's how it looks on the surface. A deeper looks reveals that both would be better served by betraying the other. And yet, as their attraction to one another grows and they start to see into the other person and their motivations, they find that putting their own needs ahead of the other person's safety is untenable. The plot, despite all the fantasy elements is also classic ROMANCE.This book was truly a joy to read for its genre. There are a few typos, but that didn't distract me at all.I would recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy and romance with a bit of darkness thrown in for good measure.I have already bought the author's other book "Entreat Me" and plan buy anything else she writes as well.

Silhara, the "Master of Crows" is a reviled mage who finds himself in the unenviable position of being courted by an evil god. This evil god is rather determined to get Silhara as his enslaved avatar, so Silhara sends to the hated Conclave for an apprentice to help him find a way out. Martise, a slave owned by the High Bishop of the Conclave, is sent to his home in this capacity, having been told that if she finds evidence of Silhara's heresy, she will be freed from slavery.I loved this book. I totally fell in love with Silhara, his bad-temperedness, his rumpled/scowling morning manner, and his directness with Martise. When he decided he wanted her, and that no substitute would do, he accepted it with no prolonged, tormented anguish about how she was a spy. He made the realization, made his decision, and then made his move. It was a nice change from over-angsting woe-is-me heroes, who anguish and act like jackasses towards the heroine because of their inability to make a resolution between facts of the world and their emotional needs. (end rant)I also liked Martise. Her life has trained her to hold her tongue and be submissive, and her position as a servant/spy in Silhara's household reinforces this. Yet of course she finds herself being goaded into rebelliousness by Silhara's manner. And I liked how she could see through Silhara's claims of being immoral, and find humour.Speaking of humour, I also really enjoyed how their relationship played out with rather humorous interactions that were intertwined with the plot. For example, Martise is trying to communicate with the High Bishop of the Conclave, who has told her that she must sing to his trained crow in order to send messages. Only, Martise has a very poor singing voice and Silhara's horrified reaction to it had me laughing. I also loved Silhara's attempt to assuage Martise's worry about her nudity when he is applying a salve to her sore muscles: he tells her that he had grown up in a brothel, and that unless she had something really unique, like three breasts, he wouldn't be curious enough to ogle her. I particularly loved how this came to be a joke between them when their interactions turned romantic. Like the previously mentioned interaction, this scene is fluidly interwoven with the plot - Silhara only notices Martise's soreness when he tries to avoid giving her magic lessons, and this avoidance was a consequence of his struggle with the god that is trying to make him his avatar.As for the storyline, I loved how Martise's hidden magical "gift" (while it did come to save the day in the end), is, in the scale of things, a terrible thing that is of no use to her. It's so often the case that the hero/heroine in PNR realizes their hidden talents, and these talents are deus ex machina, For Martise, her hidden gift is primarily a way to bind and enslave her, and not a way for her to get power. So often these hidden gifts are escape hatches, and instead, Martise's gift is a terrible weakness. As a reader, I had expected it to be something wonderful, and when it turned out not to be, I sympathized with her as she grieved, and felt that her grief make her a stronger character mentally. This twist in the plot also introduced an (additional) complication into Martise and Silhara's relationship, as Silhara's magical disposition is such that he could take advantage of her weakness. Seeing them acknowledge this and deal with this (especially Silhara's piss-poor attempts at comfort) made their relationship feel much more real. I also love how Silhara, at this point, doesn't pull a standard alpha-male reaction and tell Martise that he'll protect her. Rather, he asks her to let him give her the means to protect herself.The writing style was smooth and gorgeous. I'm really looking forward to anything else Grace Draven comes out with.

This tale of adventure, magic, and romance will enchant fans of Fantasy/PNR and perhaps, given the chance, win readers who have not delved into this genre. Silhara of Neith, Master of Crows, lives away from most of the ruling mage community called the Conclave. Silhara is a renegade and the mage-priests know he is powerful and dangerous. Silhara has been desperately battling an evil god, Corruption, who wants to take him over and rule the world. Sent by the other mages ostensibly as an apprentice to spy on Silhara, Martise of Asher, a servant, slave, and scholar, works with Silhara deciphering ancient texts in hopes of finding a way to defeat Corruption. As they work together, Silhara and Martise realize a deep bond between them has formed; however, Silhara must make a brutal choice in order to save the world from evil.Martise’s quiet courage and determination to help him no matter the personal cost to herself stuns Shilhara because he has known little love or kindness in his life. Silhara seems at first an unlikely hero. He is gruff, a demanding task master, and visibly as well as psychically scarred from a cruel past. Martise seems a meek little mouse initially, but she has a strength and determination to withstand even the most difficult odds. Heroism is not only found in those with a sword and shield. Silhara and Martise show that despite their exigent and difficult circumstances, the one freedom they have is to choose love over hate, good over evil, and self-sacrifice for the good of others.MASTER OF CROWS comprises a beautifully written tale with a fascinating and captivating unique world. Ms. Draven’s writing has an elegance and style that makes this journey to new places a true pleasure to read. The world-building, characters, and story will deeply engrain itself into the reader creating a desire to know more about this author’s body of works in this truly enchanting realm of fantasy, magic, and romance.