Master Artificer
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- Create Date：2021-06-08 08:50:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Justin Travis Call
- ISBN：1473222907
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Summary
The fabulous sequel to 2019's hit debut novel: Master of Sorrows。
Annev has avoided one fate。 But a darker path may still claim him 。 。 。
After surviving the destruction of Chaenbalu， new mysteries and greater threats await Annev and his friends in the capital city of Luqura。 As they navigate the city’s perilous streets， Annev searches for a way to control his nascent magic and remove the cursed artifact now fused to his body。
But what might removing it cost him？
As Annev grapples with his magic， Fyn joins forces with old enemies and new allies， waging a secret war against Luqura’s corrupt guilds in the hopes of forging his own criminal empire。 Deep in the Brakewood， Myjun is learning new skills of her own as apprentice to Oyru， the shadow assassin who attacked the village of Chaenbalu – but the power of revenge comes at a daunting price。 And back in Chaenbalu itself， left for dead in the Academy’s ruins， Kenton seeks salvation in the only place he can: the power hoarded in the Vault of Damnation 。 。 。
Annev has avoided one fate。 But a darker path may still claim him 。 。 。
After surviving the destruction of Chaenbalu， new mysteries and greater threats await Annev and his friends in the capital city of Luqura。 As they navigate the city’s perilous streets， Annev searches for a way to control his nascent magic and remove the cursed artifact now fused to his body。
But what might removing it cost him？
As Annev grapples with his magic， Fyn joins forces with old enemies and new allies， waging a secret war against Luqura’s corrupt guilds in the hopes of forging his own criminal empire。 Deep in the Brakewood， Myjun is learning new skills of her own as apprentice to Oyru， the shadow assassin who attacked the village of Chaenbalu – but the power of revenge comes at a daunting price。 And back in Chaenbalu itself， left for dead in the Academy’s ruins， Kenton seeks salvation in the only place he can: the power hoarded in the Vault of Damnation 。 。 。
Reviews
James Harwood-Jones
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Are you a fan of dark fantasy？ You’d best be in this sequel to Master of Sorrows。 While it’s predecessor had all those classic fantasy feels （Potter， Kvothe， Garion etc）， you’ll find none of that here。 This volume goes in a whole new direction。 Fortunately for me， I enjoy a dark tale。 The core gang is all here with a couple of wonderful additions （Sodja being one！）。 Lots of horrible villains with some possibly showing hints of future anti heroes。 Lots of charts and graphs explaining the magic sy Are you a fan of dark fantasy？ You’d best be in this sequel to Master of Sorrows。 While it’s predecessor had all those classic fantasy feels （Potter， Kvothe， Garion etc）， you’ll find none of that here。 This volume goes in a whole new direction。 Fortunately for me， I enjoy a dark tale。 The core gang is all here with a couple of wonderful additions （Sodja being one！）。 Lots of horrible villains with some possibly showing hints of future anti heroes。 Lots of charts and graphs explaining the magic system if you’re into that kinda thing lol （I admit I never bother 😉） Looking forward to book 3。 。。。more
Ashley Lewis
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Thank you to NetGalley and Justin Travis Call for providing me with an ARC of this novel。 All opinions are still honest and my own。 Okay， so I did not see really ANY of that coming。This is more likely a 4。5/5 rounded down， as it was better in my opinion than Master of Sorrows。 The world building in this second installment was insane （in a good way）， still a tad confusing if you are up reading on your kindle app at 3am， but so freaking good。 This world expanded exponentially from the base we are Thank you to NetGalley and Justin Travis Call for providing me with an ARC of this novel。 All opinions are still honest and my own。 Okay， so I did not see really ANY of that coming。This is more likely a 4。5/5 rounded down， as it was better in my opinion than Master of Sorrows。 The world building in this second installment was insane （in a good way）， still a tad confusing if you are up reading on your kindle app at 3am， but so freaking good。 This world expanded exponentially from the base we are given in book one and that gradual growth is something I LOVE in a series。 We shift gears in the way the story is told as well。 Where in Master of Sorrows we see the story only through Annev's eyes and he is our primary focus， now we get to see what is happening from multiple POV's， which if you have followed my reviews for a bit you know this is a huge LOVE for me as well。 I love getting to step away from the obvious MC and bond with other characters。 Those other characters end up being my favorites so more time with them is always a win。 In this case it is Fyn。。。yeah in Master of Sorrows， I would have never predicted that。 Fyn is by far my favorite， and I want so much more from his side of things。 My only criticism here is that for a time， this got so complicated that I was a bit lost。 It ended up coming together for me eventually。 With that being said， I read this on Kindle， which does not make the appendix as easily accessible as a physical book does and that probably would have helped。 This was such a good follow up to master of Sorrows and I am thoroughly impressed by it。 Well done Mr。 Call， can't wait for the next one！ 。。。more
Shannon
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I am so glad I just finished Master of Sorrows in time to listen to Master Artificer！ Annev has always drawn his power differently then any of the Master's tried to teach him。 In this book we find out why。 As he turns away from the light， we can see why， but it is absolutely heartbreaking to watch his turmoil in the choices he makes。 The powers that be are starting to converge on Annev and pinning him in from all sides， he just wants his inner circle to be safe。 What would you do to protect your I am so glad I just finished Master of Sorrows in time to listen to Master Artificer！ Annev has always drawn his power differently then any of the Master's tried to teach him。 In this book we find out why。 As he turns away from the light， we can see why， but it is absolutely heartbreaking to watch his turmoil in the choices he makes。 The powers that be are starting to converge on Annev and pinning him in from all sides， he just wants his inner circle to be safe。 What would you do to protect your friends？ Now I am patiently waiting for the 3rd installment of Annev's tale。 。。。more
Baby Paul
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The tale is much darker than the previous one。 The tone of the book cover itself indicates that。 Master of Sorrows is colourful while Master Artificer is basically black & white。 In the second book， Annev learns more about his fate and his magic。 His journey takes him through darker paths and dubious choices。 After all， Annev is supposed to be the Dark Lord in the series。 The book also features other characters and their POVs， which fleshes out the characters more。 The magic system is detailed i The tale is much darker than the previous one。 The tone of the book cover itself indicates that。 Master of Sorrows is colourful while Master Artificer is basically black & white。 In the second book， Annev learns more about his fate and his magic。 His journey takes him through darker paths and dubious choices。 After all， Annev is supposed to be the Dark Lord in the series。 The book also features other characters and their POVs， which fleshes out the characters more。 The magic system is detailed in the book and to be honest it flew over my head （I usually care about it only after the release of few more books in the series）。 In case you are wondering it， I love the book！！ 。。。more
Kate
，
I don't usually write reviews， but Master Artificer is worth an exception。 This book was an incredible read and is so deserving of all the praise it has recieved。 Call has managed to create a world that feels real。 It's authentic; the history， the places， the characters all feel so genuine that it's so easy to lose yourself into the story。 There is so much depth to the magic system and politics and I feel that in the coming books we will dive deeper still - so much is left to learn。As promised， I don't usually write reviews， but Master Artificer is worth an exception。 This book was an incredible read and is so deserving of all the praise it has recieved。 Call has managed to create a world that feels real。 It's authentic; the history， the places， the characters all feel so genuine that it's so easy to lose yourself into the story。 There is so much depth to the magic system and politics and I feel that in the coming books we will dive deeper still - so much is left to learn。As promised， the sequel to Master of Sorrows was undoubtedly a darker journey， and we really get to see Annev war with himself。 This is one of the many things that make Call's characters so realistic - they're morally grey， they struggle with decisions and their paths， and any changes happen naturally and fluidly。As well as following Annev's POV， we get to follow the story through the eyes of many character's， notably Kenton， Myjun and Fyn。 We learn so much about the world outside of Chaenbalu and get to watch as these characters navigate life outside of the academy and grow as people。 Both books so far have been 5 star reads for me， the series is an incredible journey to follow and I am very excited to see where it's headed next。 。。。more
Cecile - Wander_Dreams
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2。5/5
Janhavi
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Master Artificer was completely different from what I was expecting， especially compared to the first book， Master of Sorrows。 This book is dark。 Really dark。 The grimdark sub-genre is finally growing on me now， which is why I absolutely loved this book！ I love the premise of the overall series and this book is setting it up amazingly。 I loved Annev's story and the general theme of whether fate is set in stone or whether it can be changed was very interesting。 I also liked the other POV chapters Master Artificer was completely different from what I was expecting， especially compared to the first book， Master of Sorrows。 This book is dark。 Really dark。 The grimdark sub-genre is finally growing on me now， which is why I absolutely loved this book！ I love the premise of the overall series and this book is setting it up amazingly。 I loved Annev's story and the general theme of whether fate is set in stone or whether it can be changed was very interesting。 I also liked the other POV chapters， particularly Kenton。 I like revenge tales and I love reading about characters that are in revenge mode and that's the case for both Kenton and Myjun。 They're extremely bitter and full of rage， and this made their stories very disturbing and unsettling。 Aside from the characters though， the most amazing things about this book are the lore， magic and the worldbuilding。 They are insanely complex and rich。 Things could get very confusing， but it was easier to just go with it and learn slowly as the story went on。 It's definitely useful to study the appendix though。 This book got me completely hooked into the world and the characters， and I'm confident the later books are only going to get more detailed and intricate。 I think this is for sure one of my new favorites！ 。。。more
Lauren Nalbone
，
I have been eagerly awaiting the follow up to Justin Travis Call's brilliant Master of Sorrows for what felt like forever。 Master Artificer was well worth the wait！ I loved almost every minute of this action packed second installment of The Silent Gods。 Master Artificer picks up very shortly after Master of Sorrows ends。 Chaenbalu has been destroyed and our gang of ragtag misfits has gone off to try and remove the Hand of Keos from Annev。 Meanwhile Myjun begins her training under Oyru with the h I have been eagerly awaiting the follow up to Justin Travis Call's brilliant Master of Sorrows for what felt like forever。 Master Artificer was well worth the wait！ I loved almost every minute of this action packed second installment of The Silent Gods。 Master Artificer picks up very shortly after Master of Sorrows ends。 Chaenbalu has been destroyed and our gang of ragtag misfits has gone off to try and remove the Hand of Keos from Annev。 Meanwhile Myjun begins her training under Oyru with the hopes of someday， very soon， enacting her revenge on Annev。 At first， I hated Myjun's story line。 It felt like it played too much into the "scorned woman" trope and didn't explore enough into how Myjun was going to deal with becoming the very thing she had been taught to hate。 And while I do still believe the author could have explored the psychological aspects of that more， by the time we learn Oyru's real motive， I was more invested in Myjun then I was in Titus/Therin or Fyn。 I was most intrigued by Annev's reckoning with who he is and who he is becoming。 He doesn't want the Hand of Keos， he doesn't want this strange and horrible power。 But as he slowly comes to terms with his fate， he also begins to embrace some of these changes。 I cannot wait until the next installment of this series。 。。。more
Eva-Maria
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OMG
Neha
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Me when the book released after camping out next to my Kindle for the whole day :Just done reading it - was up all night and day glued to the pages - and all I have to say is- this is what Brandon Sanderson's Dark One graphic novel could have been if it were a book， except 10x better！I am a huge Sanderson fan and was really disappointed by the graphic novel - it's whole theme revolves around the protagonist being the Big Bad - but that story was never meant to be a graphic novel。 You really need Me when the book released after camping out next to my Kindle for the whole day :Just done reading it - was up all night and day glued to the pages - and all I have to say is- this is what Brandon Sanderson's Dark One graphic novel could have been if it were a book， except 10x better！I am a huge Sanderson fan and was really disappointed by the graphic novel - it's whole theme revolves around the protagonist being the Big Bad - but that story was never meant to be a graphic novel。 You really need to have more perspective on the inner thought process of the characters to really sympathize with them。 And this book was very much able to satisfy my craving for something like that！The author builds a fabulous magic system， as well as extensive world building， which never feels like an infodump。 Also each POV character's journey is much darker as well。 Annev is going through the whole protagonist journey to villain - and you get to really experience his change in thought process。 I have always wanted to see a well written Face-Heel turn and this is exactly it。 Brownie points since it looks like the protagonist is the Big Bad of the novel and is still sympathetic to the readers。Annev was already capable of this:And now his mindset is also getting closer and closer to something like this: The supporting cast got a lot of development as well - I love how Fyn and Annev's relationship develops from rivals to companions and Fyn's character development arc in general。 Also Annev's two childhood friends come into their own， which was good to see -as they mostly seemed like dead weight in the previous book！Another surprising development was Myjun and Kenton - I was very much prepared to hate them when I stared with their POV - but midway through the book， I actually found myself enjoying their story arcs as well。 Overall I would say that no character in this book leaves the the stage untainted by blood and violence - every one of them has a descent into darkness storyline - and yet this book is a total page turner and sucks you in from start to finish。 Can't wait for the sequel！ 。。。more
Christine
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* I received this digital ARC courtesy of Blackstone Publishing， via NetGalley， in exchange of an honest review。 This does not influence the following opinions which are my own。Book 2 in the Silent Gods Series。 We pick up where we left off at the end of Master of Sorrows。 Chaenbalu lies in ruins， as does much of the beliefs Annev held prior to those events。 Annev， and his friends forge ahead， to the city of Luqura。 Annev is seeking to learn more about his magic， how to control it， and a way to r * I received this digital ARC courtesy of Blackstone Publishing， via NetGalley， in exchange of an honest review。 This does not influence the following opinions which are my own。Book 2 in the Silent Gods Series。 We pick up where we left off at the end of Master of Sorrows。 Chaenbalu lies in ruins， as does much of the beliefs Annev held prior to those events。 Annev， and his friends forge ahead， to the city of Luqura。 Annev is seeking to learn more about his magic， how to control it， and a way to remove the prosthetic that has melded itself to his body。 This story is anything but the classical clear-cut good versus evil。 Annev discovers that choices are not always so black and white， and once one's options offer nothing but choices in the grey， it is easy to stumble onto a darker path before you know it。 Call is a master in his own rights。 The world building is on point， but the character building in this book is extraordinary。 Although Annev is considered the "main character" and it is his story that brings us to this book， from here we now see separate storylines emerge for several other characters whose rolls are not just "supporting actors"， but are integral to the story。 The result is a book that is rich， epic， and multi-faceted， as well as thoroughly captivating。 If you are looking for a fantasy series that is light and bright and feel-good， this may not be the one for you; but if you are looking for an epic fantasy you can sink your teeth into， with dark threads and morally ambiguous characters， this series is sure to fit the bill。 。。。more
Melissa Mitchell
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“𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚， 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚， 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨。 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣。” —Justin T CallAfter surviving the attack on Chaenbalu， Annev and his companions embark on a new journey to seek answers。 In time， they go their separate ways。 But Annev stays the course， hoping to find someone powerful enough to remove his magical artifact arm。 In the mean time， his enemies are building their strength， “𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚， 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚， 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨。 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣。” —Justin T CallAfter surviving the attack on Chaenbalu， Annev and his companions embark on a new journey to seek answers。 In time， they go their separate ways。 But Annev stays the course， hoping to find someone powerful enough to remove his magical artifact arm。 In the mean time， his enemies are building their strength， honing their powers， and preparing to come after him。Tons of magic， detailed world building， a host of characters， and plenty of adventure。 The second installment of The Silent Gods definitely packs a punch。 Our story follows multiple POVs this time around， as each character grapples with his or her own journey。 My favorites were Annev， Fyn， and Myjun。 But especially Myjun。 Which surprised me because I couldn’t stand her in the first book。I’ve got to say， this is the most magic heavy book I’ve ever read。 The attention to detail is impressive。 There’s so much behind each of the types of magic， artifacts， and world building。 It’s in a league of its own。 There is a downfall to this， in that it adds many layers of complication making the story extremely long。 At 900+ pages， it takes the cake as the longest book I’ve ever read。 I enjoyed this one a bit more than the first， especially Fyn and Myjun’s journeys。 I found myself especially engaged。 Even though Myjun was sort of an evil character， I like morally gray or even black characters。 The contents felt more mature。 While the characters are YA aged， I think it’s more fitting for adults simply because of the story complexity。 There’s a lot of detail。 You’ve really got to pay attention。 That’s the brilliance behind the writing。My only gripe is that the story moves slow in places， and is just too long for me。 It got to the point where it felt like it was dragging on forever， even though the content was good。 While the first 600-ish pages were much slower， the last 300 really raced。 Thank the gods！ I think the saying goes: too much of a good thing is not necessarily a good thing。 Or something along those lines。 I know Justin T Call is very aware of this。 I think he even called this book a “doorstop。” LOL。 But it’s good， and there is certainly an audience of people who love super long books。 Like Wheel of Time fans。 Speaking of Wheel of Time， there were some places that I got that sort of vibe。 I do enjoy the WoT series， so that’s definitely a compliment。 In terms of rating， I teetered between 3。5 and 4。 And if the book length would have been shorter， I would have rounded up。 But the length really frustrated me at times。 It just took me too dang long to read this one。 Nearly a month。 I generally read two books a week。 So my TBR is pretty pissed。 If the third book is this long。。。I am not sure I’m going to have the courage to tackle it。 So we’re going with 3。5⭐️A huge thank you to Blackstone Publishing for sending me a physical ARC of both this and the first book。 I now have something to hold my doors open！ All joking aside， I really did enjoy this one， and if you’re a magic/fantasy loving reader， you will too。 。。。more
Isabella
，
In short， book 2 was just as epic as the first book， and if you are undecided as to whether or not to continue with the series， you 100% should。 This series is the epitome of epic fantasy， and I was not bored for a single one of the 800 pages。I received an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review。
Petrik
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I have a Booktube channel now！ Subscribe here: https://www。youtube。com/petrikleoARC provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review。3。5/5 starsMaster Artificer is an epic， super detailed， and ambitious grimdark sequel to Master of Sorrows。First of all， do not expect Master Artificer to be another accessible and easy-to-read epic fantasy novel like Master of Sorrows。 I’ve seen the glimpses of the ambitions and world-building that Call planned for the series in Master of Sorrow I have a Booktube channel now！ Subscribe here: https://www。youtube。com/petrikleoARC provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review。3。5/5 starsMaster Artificer is an epic， super detailed， and ambitious grimdark sequel to Master of Sorrows。First of all， do not expect Master Artificer to be another accessible and easy-to-read epic fantasy novel like Master of Sorrows。 I’ve seen the glimpses of the ambitions and world-building that Call planned for the series in Master of Sorrows， and even then， I didn’t predict that the changes would be this drastic。 There’s no point in dilly-dallying by saying that this is morally grey or borderline closing to grimdark; The Silent Gods is now a grimdark series， simple as that。 Honestly speaking， I wanted to give this novel a much higher rating because some aspects were utterly impressive。 But unfortunately， some parts didn’t click with me。 “He was full of contradictions， yet he burned with the fierce determination to forge his own path—to never become another’s tool or take another’s life unless both necessity and his conscience required it。” Master Artificer is the second book in The Silent Gods quartet by Justin Call， it begins immediately after the climax of Master of Sorrows， and this is a much bigger and complex installment in every possible way。 Master Artificer actually made the predecessor looked like it’s a 400 pages prologue， and this is the REAL first book of the series。 I won’t lie， I have mixed feelings regarding this book， and I’ll start with the parts that I loved first。 I can’t even begin to say how amazed I am by what Call did regarding the world-building on the series。 From the varieties of magic systems， the training montages， the destructive powers， the meddling gods， the multiple worlds， the multiple realms， the magical artifacts， sentient swords， dream walking， mind walking， prophecies， and so many more; there’s a LOT of world-building details to learn in this sequel。 I mean it， practically every element you usually encounter in epic fantasy is here。 And I also loved the storytelling decision to make this installment a more complex and mature story compared to its predecessor。 The mix of real-life languages found in the terminologies and phrasing like nakama （friend in Japanese）， tabibito （traveler in Japanese）， somnumbra （Somnus means sleep in Latin; umbra means shadow） were ad nice touch， too。 Admittedly， I didn’t understand why Oyru needs to speak Japanese， but oh well， I liked his character。 “Sometimes you have to make hard choices。 You have to accept that， no matter what you do， some people may die—and sometimes those people are your friends—and the best thing you can do is help the person in front of you。” In Master of Sorrows， we follow the story exclusively through Annev’s POV; that’s not the case here。 There’s more than six POV to follow now， and surprisingly， my favorite POV characters were ones that I never expected: Myjun， Kenton， and Oyru。 The best comparison to this expansion that I can think of is Blood Song and its sequel， Tower Lord by Anthony Ryan。 By doing this， Call was able to tell a storyline with a bigger scope。 However， the admirable world-building and heightened complexity sparked new problems to the overall quality of the narrative for me。The inclusion of many new character’s POV chapters ended up being a double-edged blade。 Master Artificer is a big book; it’s almost 900 pages long in hardcover format， and it’s crazy that I didn’t feel invested in any of the main characters now。 I get it; The Silent Gods has been advertised as a series about Annev’s journey towards becoming a Dark Lord。 Because of this， it is highly possible that it’s intentional for Annev to become unlikable。 I appreciate that he’s trying to forge his own path， but his self-justifications for all his own actions were weak， and I couldn’t empathize with him at all。 The only character’s POV I enjoyed reading， as I said， were Kenton， Myjun， and Oyru’s chapters。 “Any other choice meant someone was influencing his actions， and that he was acting on incomplete information。 It meant someone was manipulating him。 He wanted to know the truth， to know all the forces that challenged him， and then take his chance。” Call is definitely one ambitious author， and the intricate world-building he put here will most likely play a huge part in the next book。 Unfortunately， for this particular novel， the focus on world-building was a bit too much。 I personally found that the world-building details he employed ended up bringing down his other strengths as a storyteller。 The breathtaking pacing of the first book is missing here; it took me 9 days to finish this book， and I never felt compelled to pick it up whenever I put it down。 The character’s development progressed too little to my liking， especially for a book this huge。 Some dialogues were also repetitive—the arguments between Annev and Reeve were so dumb， and they revolved around “You knew， why won’t you tell me！？” countered with “Of course I knew。 But I won’t tell you。 Because you won’t like it。” And the last thing that absolutely didn’t click with me was Fyn’s chapters that started appearing in the second half of the novel。 I honestly believe this novel would benefit a LOT from having his chapters completely removed; I get that Call is developing his character for future installments。 But Fyn’s chapters felt thoroughly uninteresting， boring， and disjointed from the other characters。 Note that I don’t mind detailed world-building， but it must not hurt characterizations and pacing。 And this， unfortunately—from my perspective—happened in this book。 “Growing stronger means testing our limits。 It means sacrificing our weaker parts in exchange for something greater。” I know I’m being incredibly critical， but I want to clarify that I enjoyed this book。 My main issue with Master Artificer， to put it simply， is that it felt like a 900 pages transitional/preparation novel for the rest of the series to shine。 Plus， the ending of Master Artificer didn’t feel satisfying to read。 To me， the ending felt like the end of a normal chapter; I would’ve preferred a conclusive or at least downright brutal cliffhanger than what’s put here。 If you’re reading this review， please don’t let a 3。5 stars rating from me discourage you from trying this series。 A lot of readers， so far， have praised this book highly， and I’m undoubtedly in the minority with my opinion。 It seems to me like the second half of The Silent Gods series will be brilliant。 Ambitious and detailed world-building is great， but never at the expense of characterizations and emotions。 I sincerely hope Call will start connecting the threads between characters and all the detailed world-building in the next book。You can order the book from: Book Depository （Free shipping） | The Broken Binding （Use my code: NOVELNOTIONS121 for discount！）The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication。You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel NotionsSpecial thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing！My Patrons: Alfred， Alya， Annabeth， Ben， Blaise， Devin， Diana， Dylan， Edward， Ellen， Gary， Hamad， Helen， Jimmy Nutts， Joie， Luis， Lufi， Melinda， Mike， Miracle， Nicholas， Sarah， Seth， Shaad， Summer， Wendy， Zoe。 。。。more
Sue Bavey
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Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for granting me an arc copy of Master Artificer， which will be published in the US on 18th May 2021。 Master Artificer begins right after the events of Master of Sorrows， during the aftermath of the battle in Chaenbalu where Annev has just caused the collapse of the Academy and the deaths of multiple people。We see the horrific story arcs of Kenton and Myjun - both survivors， left for dead in the ruins of the Academy， and both now monsters following Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for granting me an arc copy of Master Artificer， which will be published in the US on 18th May 2021。 Master Artificer begins right after the events of Master of Sorrows， during the aftermath of the battle in Chaenbalu where Annev has just caused the collapse of the Academy and the deaths of multiple people。We see the horrific story arcs of Kenton and Myjun - both survivors， left for dead in the ruins of the Academy， and both now monsters following the battle， and blaming Annev for their fates while swearing to avenge themselves by hunting him down and killing him。“She was the death that all men feared - the specter that promised no quarter， no remorse， and no mercy。”Kenton’s eyes are now “fiery glass orbs” caused by Annev throwing magical aqlumera in his face。 Kenton is now Master of Curses and I can only think his curse mastery must have been used to the max during the painful burning of his eyeballs！！Myjun is now Oyru the Shadow Reborn’s apprentice assassin。 She must train and learn how to use her new powers and the magic that she was unaware was within her， before Oyru will let her hunt her ultimate quarry， Annev。Annev， Sraon the smith， Titus， Therin and Fyn start off on a quest to find a way to remove the golden Hand of Keos from Annev’s arm。 They pick up an albino soothsayer/Necromancer along the way （via a blood debt） who is searching for Sodja Rocas。 They journey from Banok to Luqura since Dolyn the Artificer in Banok was unable to remove the Hand and hopefully Reeve， one of Sodar’s old order will be able to help them。 These sequences were my favourite parts of the first half of the book - I enjoyed the camaraderie of this group and the way the boys were testing out their independence and developing along the way。 The Ashes gang， led by Fyn， were my favourite part of the second half of the book， with Sodja Rocas becoming my favourite character。This book is longer than Master of Sorrows and is filled with more excellent world-building as the characters journey to different locations， more exciting fight scenes and more intriguing magic。 The characters are no longer boys attending an Academy but are maturing and learning to use their particular powers and talents。 Through notes made by Sodar， which Annev has in his magical bag， we discover the nature of the assassins hunting Annev。 We also get told about many different magical artifacts that both Annev and Kenton took from the Vault of Damnation back at the Academy。 I really enjoyed these artifacts， such as the Boots of Swiftness and the Shirt of Regeneration， and I’m willing to bet that the author had a lot of fun coming up with them。The tone of Master Artificer is quite a lot darker than its prequel and in places it is really toe-curlingly horrific - some of the things that Kenton and Myjun in particular have to endure are really chilling！ The storytelling within this book is fabulous and the various arcs eventually merge， with some loose ends getting tied up， but there are a few cliff-hangers at the end。 Let’s hope Justin T。 Call doesn’t leave us hanging for too long！！ 。。。more
Xerxes
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This review contains minor/major spoilers and are not intentional。 Thank you to Will O Mullane at Gollancz for providing me a review。 All thoughts are mine。This is a masterpiece forged in the mountain of Kale。 Somewhere I just wonder that this entire journey， this entire story is nothing more than Keos himself writing his own story。 It was Keos that was cast from the Heavens， Keos that created goblins and unnatural creatures and for that， he was deemed unworthy。 Everyone swears that infernal God This review contains minor/major spoilers and are not intentional。 Thank you to Will O Mullane at Gollancz for providing me a review。 All thoughts are mine。This is a masterpiece forged in the mountain of Kale。 Somewhere I just wonder that this entire journey， this entire story is nothing more than Keos himself writing his own story。 It was Keos that was cast from the Heavens， Keos that created goblins and unnatural creatures and for that， he was deemed unworthy。 Everyone swears that infernal God’s name in this book because Annev slowly begins to realize that the world of good is no longer becoming good。 All the adults that he looks up to in this novel to aid him to become in the end just that: villains。 Many people claiming to help Annev are revealed to be some obscure servants of Gods or maybe Keos himself because Annev wears the golden hand of that God。 And sometimes， it makes me wonder。 What does Keos get out of all this at the end？ He may be silent， but he is no fool。 Keos is a master manipulator。And this novel very clearly explains how good-natured people can turn into evil。 Annev’s whole journey is like a parallel to this。 Let’s not forget， however， that Kenton is swearing revenge against him， for what obscure reason I am not particularly impressed with。 Kenton was in love with Myjun， but did she ever return his affections so favorably once he was scarred？ Myjun learns with her mentor， Oyru， and she discovers truths that are far more shocking when you read this story。 I urge you， to read ALL the lore of this book。 All the special manuscripts， the notes， every single thing。 It makes sense as you read and as you discover along， you find so many secrets。 I also was the type of reader going， ahhh and oooh and dammn。 Writing a fantasy epic like this over 800 pages， keeping top of all the orders， the names， the characters， this is no work that is rushed， but it shows a lot of hard work and dedication。 I want to have this type of dedication。 I can see why it took a year， it’s good！ Really good。 But a novel of this scale would have been proofread， redrafted， edited many many times。 I would consider this。 You have to read book 1 to understand the events of book 2。I was not impressed with the way Annev made his decisions sometimes。 In the novel， Annev， Titus， and Therin make their way to the Dionarchs。 All I can say about the Dionarchs is that they are far worse than what Tosan and the Academy at Chalenbeau were。 They are a bunch of self-hypocritical arseholes immortal beings with no sense of direction but to awake the silence of the Gods。 And Reeve， who shall we say， is the leader of that presumed order， wants to use Annev as a tool。 And this is where it goes worse。 Annev is intelligent and realizes when he is being used， but sometimes when he turned evil， I completely disagreed with what he was doing， and there were certain acts that he did that seemed a bit off-paced。 I’d have gone with some different choices to show how he transitions to that type of villain。 Many times you will see him doubt， you will see him worry， and you will not like what he is becoming。 I was still satisfied with the fact that he can still retain and control his thoughts。 But this is all Keos’s doing。 Never mind all the damn Gods in this world， Keos is like the Loki of this world。 Hidden but never seen， he is not present no。 But he is there。 In every step of the way。That said， I am glad that most of the characters got their own time to shine as well: Therin and Titus got their own time， and they really are fun to read。 I do wish they’d find some proper girlfriends because they need them。 And we got to see Crag， but I want MORE of him。 He’s a fun character。 Fyn and his gang of Ashes crew were brilliant， and I loved Fyn begin to mature， to question his previous behavior， and to also fall in love！ I loved Sodja and the entire story that is crafted around her。 I didn’t enjoy Myjun at all， because I don’t agree with what she’s doing and her prejudices， but I respect what she seeks to find out， but she should have been an Assassin from the start。 What was the point of her being raised by her father if she was nothing more than turning out to be someone who does horrible actions？ While I can see why the morality of this world goes awry， I would ask that at least some morality， some sense is established。 Because it seems to me， the Gods of this world are eviler than anything else。 All fighting each other， all doing away with each other。 If I was a character I would rage and start my own religion and be free from all this chaos。 This world is chaos。 Slavery， thievery， all of it！ This is not a fun world to be in， and it makes me sad。 I want to see the characters at least get a small measure of peace。Oh， and I thought I would never enjoy Elder Tosan again。 He is such a brilliant villain that I want to see more of him。 I really miss Sodar， and I want him to come back。 Sodar has to stop Annev because he is the only sensible father figure that can stop Annev from becoming too evil。 The story is excellent， it is large， and it is huge。 There’s a lot of lore as well。 There’s gore and brutality as well， there’s love， loss， hope， and misery。 I didn’t like Annev becoming jealous of his friends， Therin and Titus when they stood up for him against Fyn and Kenton。 Sometimes I wonder if Annev quietly contemplates using his powers to travel back into the past and change it。 Would he prevent all that had happened？This story is amazing， the worldbuilding is fantastic， the writing， description， and prose are great。 I really enjoyed this。 10/10 from me！ 。。。more
Lauren Johnstone
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RTC tomorrow on acityofbooks。co。uk as part of the blog tour set up by Call's UK publisher， Gollancz。 RTC tomorrow on acityofbooks。co。uk as part of the blog tour set up by Call's UK publisher， Gollancz。 。。。more
Josie ❃The Bubbly Book Reviewer❃
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Highly recommended！This is book number 2 in The Silent Gods series。 It flowed on beautifully after giving a summary of book 1 at the start。 For those of you who have a memory like mine， you will love this feature。 If you enjoyed book 1， you will love book 2。 And if you haven't read book 1， I suggest you grab it。 The covers。。。 I haven't seen covers that I have loved this much in such a long time。 I'm grabbing a physical copy just to have these beautiful books on my shelf！ I suggest you do the sam Highly recommended！This is book number 2 in The Silent Gods series。 It flowed on beautifully after giving a summary of book 1 at the start。 For those of you who have a memory like mine， you will love this feature。 If you enjoyed book 1， you will love book 2。 And if you haven't read book 1， I suggest you grab it。 The covers。。。 I haven't seen covers that I have loved this much in such a long time。 I'm grabbing a physical copy just to have these beautiful books on my shelf！ I suggest you do the same！ 。。。more
Gemma McGee
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Master Artificer brings a darker tone to the Silent Gods world。 In the scope of the world that Justin Call has created Master Artificer is the big bang。 As in Master of Sorrow is the spark of what the world is。 But Master Artificer shows how big the world is。 In Master of Sorrow， the Story is told from Annev Point of view。 Where in Master Artificer there are multiple but the main ones are Annev， Keaton and Myjun。 We get to see what they get up to as they look for revenge or answers。 As there are Master Artificer brings a darker tone to the Silent Gods world。 In the scope of the world that Justin Call has created Master Artificer is the big bang。 As in Master of Sorrow is the spark of what the world is。 But Master Artificer shows how big the world is。 In Master of Sorrow， the Story is told from Annev Point of view。 Where in Master Artificer there are multiple but the main ones are Annev， Keaton and Myjun。 We get to see what they get up to as they look for revenge or answers。 As there are multiple plots lines going through Master Artificer， I did get a little confused in places。 But by the end everything made sense。One of my favourite aspects is the question of morality and is Annev a good person doing bad things or just a bad guy。 Also how the other character justifies their actions， still believing they are doing the right thing。Another aspect I enjoyed was the expansion of magic。 That different ethnicity has a different magically system， and if you are mixed-raced knowing more than one type of magic can impact your ability。 My rating for Master Artificer is 4 out of 5。 。。。more
Annarella
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When I read the number of pages on my Kindle I just said "UH" and thought "it will take ages to read such a long book"。I was wrong as it's a page turner and I read it quite fast。 The Master of Sorrows was a great start for a new fantasy series， this is even better。It's darker， more complex and the world building is breath taking。One thing I loved: there's a summary of the previous book at the beginning and this helps to remember。I liked the darker tone and I can't wait for the next novel。This on When I read the number of pages on my Kindle I just said "UH" and thought "it will take ages to read such a long book"。I was wrong as it's a page turner and I read it quite fast。 The Master of Sorrows was a great start for a new fantasy series， this is even better。It's darker， more complex and the world building is breath taking。One thing I loved: there's a summary of the previous book at the beginning and this helps to remember。I liked the darker tone and I can't wait for the next novel。This one is strongly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC all opinions are mine 。。。more
Mark Redman
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When I first read Master of Sorrows last year， it was a five-star read and easily one of my favourites debuts。 I jumped at the chance to read Master Artificer the sequel， which is bigger and more audacious in every way possible。 Justin Call concentrates on making the story more accessible。 In this book， we get much deeper world-building， more expansive lore and magic， which builds upon the foundations of the first book。What attracted me to these books。 I wanted to witness how and why Annev turns When I first read Master of Sorrows last year， it was a five-star read and easily one of my favourites debuts。 I jumped at the chance to read Master Artificer the sequel， which is bigger and more audacious in every way possible。 Justin Call concentrates on making the story more accessible。 In this book， we get much deeper world-building， more expansive lore and magic， which builds upon the foundations of the first book。What attracted me to these books。 I wanted to witness how and why Annev turns to the dark。 In Master Artificer we begin to see the tone of the story becoming much more darkling， which makes this read all the more compelling。 One aspect that I enjoyed was the expansion of the world， which is done gradually， rather than massive info-dumps。 The fact this book held my attention for 900 pages， is a credit to the author， a truly unputdownable book。 In Master Artificer， we see the true beginning as to how Annev’s life is headed down that dark path with many difficult decisions ahead。 In my memory， this isn’t a narrative or story I have come across very often， especially a character who， on the surface starts as a good guy。 That we actually get to witness this transition is what piqued my interest。 Master Artificer is three novels in one。 The first part concentrates on Annev’s group， trying to do right by the world， struggling to gain knowledge and protect their own in a constant battle against those trying to destroy them。 This is in the aftermath of Annev and company having survived the wrecked ruins of their home school and， in many ways， their lives from the first book Master of Sorrows。 Which concentrated on Annev's coming of age。 The second story is set around a returning character who forms an uneasy alliance with a group of rogues to emancipate a city reeking of corruption through any means necessary。 The third story goes full-on dark in style and tone。 It felt like a continuation of the epilogue of Master of Sorrows。 The story takes the reader through a journey of the worlds of shadow， violence， horror and revenge， and much， much worse。Master Artificer is about Annev's future and what it will hold。 Everyone wants to either kill him or control him。 At times of feels like， Annev has the devil’s luck when it comes to survival。 At the same time， the people who Annev cares about are all forging paths themselves。 Each one plays a part in Annev's future in some way， it was good the see this aspect unfold。I enjoyed the detailed character building。 There is plenty of storylines between these 900 pages， admittedly， there is a lot to keep track of。 All of it compelling and action-packed。 There is some foreshadowing and one or two surprising and unpredictable revelations that took me off guard。 It was good that this happened， and wholly down to Call’s mastery of storytelling。 I fell in love with the characters and the world he created。 It was everything I wanted， sometimes disturbing and dramatic， sometimes violent but not unnecessarily so。 Master Artificer is really compelling story and with an epilogue that teases us for the next book Master of the Fallen。 This is highly recommended and for me。。。Justin Call goes straight to the top of my anticipated reads for the future。 。。。more
Amanda
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Review to come
Ashley
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"Am I killing monsters。。。or am I becoming one？" I cannot express enough how much I love this series so far。 The first book allowed you to love Annev， and the second book has you feeling so bad for him。 The shift in perspective on all of the characters from book one was insane。 So much depth has been added to each one with so much detail。 It isn't just a book about Annev turning into the "Dark Lord" as much as it is about all of his friends changing into what they are going to be also。 So many fr "Am I killing monsters。。。or am I becoming one？" I cannot express enough how much I love this series so far。 The first book allowed you to love Annev， and the second book has you feeling so bad for him。 The shift in perspective on all of the characters from book one was insane。 So much depth has been added to each one with so much detail。 It isn't just a book about Annev turning into the "Dark Lord" as much as it is about all of his friends changing into what they are going to be also。 So many friends are loyal and want to help him， but Annev has started to isolate himself。 And once he did that， things started to change in him。 I think that says something for community and how it is unhealthy to always be alone。 The general feels of the book are dark and disturbing with rays of hope thrown in。 I was curious how this shift would be done from book one， but I think the author's attention to detail and character work made this transition flawless。 The world-building was also excellent。 The magic system was built on and expanded from book one， which is very thought out。 Having an ARC of this was hard to follow at times， because it is more difficult to go back and look at how everything is set up without a physical copy。 The mythology was also built upon and is very interesting how it is all linked to the magic system。 The ending didn't feel so much like an ending as it did a "to be continued"。 I think that has to do with how every grouping of chapters has its own story arc per section， making it feel more like you are waiting for the next episode in a television series versus the next book with one big challenge that needs to be overcome。 The addition of multiple points of view helped with this feeling。 I enjoyed the flow of it。 Overall， I highly recommend this series so far as it has quickly become one of my favorites。 Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to receive an ARC to review。 。。。more
Gregg Buford
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This story continues on from Master of Sorrows and it's maybe a little better than that one for me。 This book was very readable and love to read without feeling tired of the story and was hating to stop。 There are some books that make you feel like I want to stop after a few chapters but not this one。 Once again I thought I knew where the story was heading and found to my complete delight that its went in some very surprising directions。 It is more dark than Master of Sorrows and blurs the line This story continues on from Master of Sorrows and it's maybe a little better than that one for me。 This book was very readable and love to read without feeling tired of the story and was hating to stop。 There are some books that make you feel like I want to stop after a few chapters but not this one。 Once again I thought I knew where the story was heading and found to my complete delight that its went in some very surprising directions。 It is more dark than Master of Sorrows and blurs the line between what you expect from the heroes and villains。 Most of the focus remains on Annev but the others are also given their time。 Some more and some less but since they are still alive they must have a part to play in ongoing story。 Annev and Myjun were the most interested for me this time。 Through these two and the journeys they went you get learn more about the various magics that exist。 I did feel a little confused at points but still got the gist of how things work in this world。 There are so many other beings or characters that have only been mentioned so far and these will hopefully find their way into the next book。 Fyn's place in the story feels rather incomplete in a way but I suspect he will find his path aligning with Annev and the others at some point as well。 Kenton seems to be in position to meet with Myjun but not in the way he expects but I will have to wait until the next book to see if that happens like I think it will。 These are just my initial thoughts after just finishing the book but I have added this one to the list of books that will need be to reread again。 I always hope to see something new or get some incites when reading again and I hope its just as good on the first read as the second will be。Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read yet another great book。 。。。more
Ellen （thereadingrendezvous）
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This is the second book on Justin calls silent gods series and it was everything I needed it to be after reading the first book。 The first book was very informationally dense and so is book 2， this series isn’t for the faint hearted， it’s a lot of information to take on and retain and it’s all important to the story that continues in this book。 I did however find The Master Artificer to be much easier to read than Master of Sorrows， everything started fitting together and things made sense where This is the second book on Justin calls silent gods series and it was everything I needed it to be after reading the first book。 The first book was very informationally dense and so is book 2， this series isn’t for the faint hearted， it’s a lot of information to take on and retain and it’s all important to the story that continues in this book。 I did however find The Master Artificer to be much easier to read than Master of Sorrows， everything started fitting together and things made sense where as in book one it was hard to follow as so much information was being thrown at us at such a fast pace。。。。 it was a lot！ Master of Sorrows to me felt like a pre cursor to the story actually beginning in this book， the Master Artificer。 The master artificer has a dramatic change in pace and tone from Master of Sorrows。 In this book we follow the POV of multiple characters as opposed to the first book where it’s only Annevs POV。 I found this to be better， it appealed to my reading style more and I liked the change of pace from character to character。 This also allows the reader to get a view of the world and multiple realms we are reading about。 Calls world is massive！ Keeping track of all the places and people we have met in this book is a task in itself but one I have enjoyed。 This book shifts us from a coming of age story and the makings of a hero of the Innocent Annevog de Breth， to the beginning of his decent into becoming a ‘dark hero/villain’。 This was really interesting to me as it’s something I rarely see in books， it’s such a dramatic turn。 I have loved reading about Annev and his evolving journey， how he has come into his own powers and how his views have shaped him。 How someone who seems to be good views can change them。 One character I really loved reading about who I thought I would hate was Fyn。 Iv loved his character development， going from someone who looks down on others and uses them to his advantage， to finding a place for himself， finding a group of people whom he can call ‘family’ and how he has found a solid focus on his new found quest。 The only POV I didn’t overly enjoy reading about was Kenton， I just found that he didn’t hold my interest。 I understand his importance to the story but I just didn’t connect with him。 I think it’s because I didn’t know if I was supposed to like him or hate him and I also found his sole focus on Myjun annoying。 The magic system is greatly expanded on in Master Artificer。 As much as it’s straight forward it’s hella confusing！ It took me a while to get my head round the magic system and I honestly still don’t think I have a strong grasp on it even though it’s explained well， it’s just as I said at the start of the review， there is a lot of information and processing it takes time。 There are different combinations of magic types and different systems。 I love how advanced it is as often In books it’s simple and whilst that is great this takes it to another level。 The detail Call goes to in theses books is on another level。 There is a reason this books is so big！ There is a guide on the magic system in this book but it’s at the back and reading this as an ebook I didn’t know of its existence until I got to the end， it would have been good if it had been at the start as I probably would have referred back to it if I knew it was there。 My only wish I had for this book is that we had more of a conclusion to some of the events that are currently happening and there is a lot happening， it’s left us lots of big cliffhangers and I need answers。 I will absolutely be reading the next book when we get it。 。。。more
Sean Reads Books
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Thanks to Justin Call for the eARC！Despite the length of this book， I didn’t find it to be too long。 The events of this book weren’t dragged out to simply add to the page count。 The world-building is very careful and precise， done thoughtfully throughout the book。 The same goes for foreshadowing， though far more subtle。 There was never a moment where new information was provided without reason or lack of intent。 The plot itself never took a backseat。 It was always there， though sometimes a littl Thanks to Justin Call for the eARC！Despite the length of this book， I didn’t find it to be too long。 The events of this book weren’t dragged out to simply add to the page count。 The world-building is very careful and precise， done thoughtfully throughout the book。 The same goes for foreshadowing， though far more subtle。 There was never a moment where new information was provided without reason or lack of intent。 The plot itself never took a backseat。 It was always there， though sometimes a little to the left。The book itself is divided into smaller ‘arcs，’ loosely contained to major relocations of the characters。 The first half of the whodunit ‘arc’ didn’t really grip me because it was basically fast-forwarding （rather than leaping forward altogether） rather than ‘here’s all the minute details。’ That being said， it did cut out any and all unnecessary details that would have made it drag on。The pacing was really good， the plot flowing smoothly。 The fight scenes were high-energy and had my heart pounding。 The book itself wasn’t non-stop action but there was only the one moment where I was bored or lost interest。 The lulls between dire moments were always welcome。 They made the energy of the next dire moment feel ramped up without having to make the stakes even higher than the previous one。 The politics in Luqura are complicated and so interwoven with the story itself that they were actually at play in Master of Sorrows。One thing that I enjoy about Call’s books is how the smaller things in one character’s POV chapter – even throwaway moments that （supposedly） don’t matter at the time – will affect the bigger story of another’s。 They’re all so deeply intertwined without them realizing it， and the further I went on， the more ‘oh shit’ moments I had because there were times where even I didn’t realize how they’d affect each other in certain ways。 The side characters are just as important to the story as Annev is。 Call does a fantastic job with characterization not just with Annev but these side characters as well。 They’re fleshed out and interesting and I always looked forward to reading their next chapter when it switches points of view。I thought the magic in Master of Sorrows was great and Master Artificer expanded on it beautifully。 The numerous types of magic were explained throughout the book， some of them in great detail。 Some of the magic is well-known （like necromancy， foresight） while others are entirely original。 Even the previously existing magics have Call’s own twist to them that make them stand out。 The lessons the characters receive are on the page; though they’re lengthy， they’re necessary to understand how the different types of magic work， how and why each character’s experience with the different types differs or fails altogether。 Their length doesn’t mean these scenes are boring or dry。 Some of the teachers are clearly going to become long-term and/or important characters and receive the proper characterization。 These scenes also show how the different characters perceive， approach， and analyse the magic。Annev slowly descends into darkness in this book。 It was subtle up until a certain point。 He began questioning whether the heartless and cruel Ancients of Chaenbalu were possibly right in their negative opinion of friendship and selflessness。 His thoughts began to lean towards cold-heartedness， Annev becoming more selfish and jealous of his friends。 The moment where Annev truly took a dark turn wasn’t out of the blue， but it was still a bit of a shock。 It was gory， cruel， and nothing like anything Annev had ever done or even thought about doing before that scene。 Because of the many chapters of built-up tension prior to that moment， it didn’t feel out of place。 Annev fully shifted from the flawed hero he had been at the end of Master of Sorrows， to someone who will do whatever it takes to reach his goal， no matter the cost， and he won’t feel nearly as guilty as he should （if at all）。I disliked Myjun from the beginning of the first book。 Her treatment of Kenton in Master of Sorrows made it crystal clear that she thinks physically disabled and visibly scarred people are agents of Keos。 In the epilogue， she sells her soul to Oyru and puts on the golden mask。 The irony was not lost on me， then。 However， I didn’t expect her to become such a damn hypocrite。 She turns against her own father so quickly for his hypocritical teachings and for ‘tainting’ her with his blood – rather than her accepting that people with magic-inclined blood aren’t inherently evil。 She calls him a “self-righteous， hypocritical bastard，” but continues to use the magic at her disposal。 She refers to herself as a monster， externally and internally， but continues down the dark path she chose。 She follows Oyru simply because doing so will supposedly lead her to Annev。The positive and negative effects of the Mask of Gevrul’s Mistress were quickly displayed; the positive quickly noted by Myjun herself， while the negative ones were more subtle but dangerous all the same。 I really liked seeing Myjun’s struggle in using the mask。 It’s strange to see such a vehemently vengeful character struggling to not give in to the great magic that is in the palm of her hand （or magically glued to her face） and trying to remain patient。 The different types and forms of magic in Myjun’s hands made her a terrifying force to be reckoned with。 While they balance each other out in some areas， Myjun is still very vulnerable in the areas where they’re nullified。 The magic is complicated and really interesting to see in action。Kenton is focused on revenge for the entirety of the book， though his perception of Annev changes a little bit by the end。 While Myjun is driven by rage， Kenton is driven by a selfish desire for perceived justice， and by his love for Myjun。 He’s less emotionally-driven than he was in Master of Sorrows; this is due to an event that occurs early on in this book。 That being said， even before that event， he’s more calculating in comparison to the first book。 He doesn’t get a lot of character development。 Through his point of view， the results of being fused with aqlumera and the resulting abilities are explored。 He struggles somewhat with his newfound abilities。 In some ways， they work too well: Kenton depends on them too much and becomes overconfident， leaving him floundering in moments he could have otherwise avoided。 With the latter， his new abilities are liabilities。 Call did a great job with setting that up， and I applaud him for it。I was a bit disappointed with how some very interesting characters were introduced and then quickly forgotten by Annev’s group once they parted ways。 They weren’t at the top of the List of Important Things but the fact that they were forgotten for such a long period of time was strange。 There’s an event that comes out of the blue， and it’s not clear how or why it came to be until the epilogue， some 400 pages later – unless you manage to connect the dots during the event like I did。 Even then I thought that the connection was too tenuous for it to be true。That being said， there’s not much that irked me or that I disliked about this book。 Master Artificer is a really solid sequel。 I really enjoyed it， even more than Master of Sorrows， which means I have even higher expectations for the next book！ 。。。more
Chana
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Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with a review copy of this book！！Aaah， late-night review， let's gooooo。 So first and foremost， oh my goodness。 This book is a monster。 It is around 1000 pages long， and the funniest thing about it being so long is that even after 970+ pages I still wanted more！ As you can probably see I gave this book 3 stars （3。5 stars rounded down）， and the reason for that was that I wasn't so crazy about the first 700 pages， but omg the last ~3 Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with a review copy of this book！！Aaah， late-night review， let's gooooo。 So first and foremost， oh my goodness。 This book is a monster。 It is around 1000 pages long， and the funniest thing about it being so long is that even after 970+ pages I still wanted more！ As you can probably see I gave this book 3 stars （3。5 stars rounded down）， and the reason for that was that I wasn't so crazy about the first 700 pages， but omg the last ~300 pages were so！ good！Master Artificer is a very different book from Master of Sorrows。 The main reason for this is because instead of focusing only on Annev， Master Artificer splits its focus between Annev， Myjun， Kenton， Fyn， and at times， Titus and Therin。 The main drawback for me was that there were so many different stories going on at once。 Master of Sorrows had made me used to the idea of Annev as the main character， but Master Artificer took that idea away from me。 For the first ~800 pages the majority of the growth， adventure， and development happens to characters that aren't Annev。 Now， that wouldn't technically be a bad thing， I mean， we love reading about other cool characters and their development， right？ Except for most of the other characters， I didn't actually care about what was going on with them。 At the beginning of the book， Fyn leaves the rest of the gang and begins his arc as a thief lord/rebel in the city of Luqura。 The issue with Fyn's chapters was that I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the companions he picked up while in Luqura。 From the start， it was obvious that the newly introduced characters were going to be throwaway characters。 There was no significant development in them， and I couldn't tell one gang member apart from the other。 This issue with characters not being defined enough to be able to tell the difference between them kept up in all the chapters focusing on Titus and Therin。 I just read a 1000 page book where they are featured as semi-major characters and I would not be able to tell you the difference between them。 They're not distinctive， and every bit of dialogue they had made me cringe because of how childish they both sounded。 Other major players also include Myjun and Kenton。 The two of them get incredibly cool story arcs and development， and usually， I'd be like yay！ good for them！ Except I spent most of the book annoyed that so much was happening to them while nothing was happening to Annev。 Luckily， things pick up for Annev， （around page 800 as mentioned before）， and that really saved the book for me。 By the end of it， I was itching for more and was confused over why the book felt like it was so short。 Overall， I didn't enjoy Master Artificer as much as I did Master of Sorrows， but I am still very excited to see where the series is going and I can't wait to read the next book！ 。。。more
A。 Lorna Warren
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Thank you to the publishers， author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book！After reading the first story in this series I was really looking forward to it continuing- and I wasn't disappointed！ It took me a little bit longer to get into this one but once I did it was non stop。 There is SO much detail that went into this series， it is amazing。 I would definitely recommend this story！ Thank you to the publishers， author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book！After reading the first story in this series I was really looking forward to it continuing- and I wasn't disappointed！ It took me a little bit longer to get into this one but once I did it was non stop。 There is SO much detail that went into this series， it is amazing。 I would definitely recommend this story！ 。。。more
Megan Forrest
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This is the second installment of The Silent Gods series， following Master of Sorrows。 Call continues his work in building a massively intricate world， appealing to all we love about the worlds of epic fantasy。 Both the recap at the beginning of the novel and the details of the magic system and world-building elements at the end of the novel help readers to keep up or refresh their memory after the last novel！While the initial novel focused much more on Annev and his home village， now we are thr This is the second installment of The Silent Gods series， following Master of Sorrows。 Call continues his work in building a massively intricate world， appealing to all we love about the worlds of epic fantasy。 Both the recap at the beginning of the novel and the details of the magic system and world-building elements at the end of the novel help readers to keep up or refresh their memory after the last novel！While the initial novel focused much more on Annev and his home village， now we are thrown into the world， facing head-on much of what was only hinted at in the first novel。 In a wonderfully complex and intricate world， we follow the lives and trials of Annev and his companions as they journey and discover a world outside their own village that they could never have imagined。 In my review for the previous book， I mentioned there was not rest - get ready for a similar ride， because not only can you not rest， you can rely on anyone either。 With murky motives and questionable goals， the characters will keep you guessing and wanting to know more。 Even more， Call's choice of epilogue teases us for the next book's adventures and will make the wait VERY hard indeed。 This is an amazing epic fantasy that will leave you wanting more。 。。。more
TS Chan
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ARC received from the author in exchange for an honest review。Master Artificer is a bigger and bolder sequel in every way possible; Call has taken The Silent Gods to new heights with an explosion of lore， worldbuilding and compellingly darker characterisation。The one thing I have to say about this sequel was that I did not expect such a dramatic shift in the tone of the story。 Call's debut， Master of Sorrows， was as close to a modern take of a classic coming-of-age story as it could be。 It remin ARC received from the author in exchange for an honest review。Master Artificer is a bigger and bolder sequel in every way possible; Call has taken The Silent Gods to new heights with an explosion of lore， worldbuilding and compellingly darker characterisation。The one thing I have to say about this sequel was that I did not expect such a dramatic shift in the tone of the story。 Call's debut， Master of Sorrows， was as close to a modern take of a classic coming-of-age story as it could be。 It reminded me of The Belgariad with a main protagonist that was at the centre of a prophecy involving the old gods。 Except in this case， our 'hero' was supposedly destined to become the future dark lord。This was a remarkably compelling way to modernise the typical heroic arc of classic fantasy stories。 The first book of this tetralogy focussed on introducing the readers to this would-be dark lord， Ainnevog de Breth or better known as Annev， as he was in training to become an Avatar of the Academy in the hidden village of Chaenbalu。 The Academy's sole purpose for existing was to locate and retrieve magical artifacts for their safekeeping。 Almost a paradox for a boy whose destiny is intertwined with dark magic。 Much was revealed about the Academy and its Masters as the intense climax of Master of Sorrows came about， and even more so in Master Artificer which exploded with so much worldbuilding content that my mind went into hyperdrive。The complexity and intricacy of the narrative increased significantly as the lore and history of the world which was merely teased at before came to the forefront。 The magic system is expansive， complex and well thought-out as it even evolves through time - just check out the appendix at the back of the book and you'll know what I mean - it's truly fascinating and a lot to take in。 As with a world with such deep history and reverence for the gods， there were also many factions and secret groups of differing religious beliefs and agendas to keep track of。 How Call kept all these together was simply astounding。 I won't even attempt to explain or summarise it in my own words as it will only be an epic fail on my part。 After all， Call spent over 15 years developing its mythology， I'm just a mere passenger on this wondrous journey and adventure through a new and intricate world。With the sheer amount of worldbuilding required to really get into the meat of things， it becomes apparent that Call had to perform a difficult balancing act in this sequel。 On top of that， the character viewpoints also increased from the sole perspective of Annev to several others， which explained why this sequel is a much bigger book。 As much as I delighted in discovering more about the world， the introduction of the additional viewpoint characters did take me a while to feel engaged and invested in their stories。 Fortunately， these were not new characters but those we've already met in the first book， so at least I knew them and their relevance to Annev's story。Two of these viewpoints， Kenton and Myjun， were the antagonists to Annev's arc。 While I wouldn't exactly call it a problem， I had a hard time getting into their chapters due to two reasons。 Firstly， I didn't like them and secondly， there's so much darkness in their arcs which were filled with so much rage， hatred and pain as both of them had to deal with the consequences of their actions。 Make no mistake though， I do recognise and appreciate that having their viewpoints adds to the richness of the overall story even though I didn't enjoy it half as much as I did for the others。Speaking of the other viewpoints， Annev's development was of course the highlight of the book。 I'm probably not the only reader of the first book to think that Annev doesn't seem to embody much "dark lord-ness" in him。 Well， let's just that Master Artificer made a very compelling argument that sometimes it doesn't take an evil person to do dark things all in the name of stopping those who hurt the ones you love。 In short， Annev's character arc became even more riveting as he gradually comes to his own in wielding his own brand of unorthodox magic， and the series has taken a turn to become really， really dark。 Let me just put it out there that this book contained some very disturbing scenes。 Master Artificer is a big book， and content wise it seemed even bigger because of the incredible amount of exposition and character development in it。 Here we come to the crux of my only real gripe and that there wasn't any solid plot resolution at the end of so many pages。 It felt like a transitional book that was building the foundations of the story that is to come， and one should be prepared to treat it as such。 I believe if I knew about this going into the book， I might be able to enjoy it more and just take the time to absorb all that it did have to offer， which was a lot。I have to commend Call for his audacity in writing such a bold sequel with its dramatic shift in narrative tone， and in so deftly handling the exposition of such complex and intricate worldbuilding。 I'm definitely all-in for the ride as The Silent Gods has all the makings and promise of something extraordinary。You can pre-order the book from Book Depository （Free Shipping） | Bookshop。Org （Support Independent Bookstores | Amazon US | Amazon UKYou can find this and my other reviews at Novel Notions。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Master Artificer
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Master Artificer&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Master Artificer&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0