Title: Master of the Void
Author: Wend Raven
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Paperback / Ebook
Release Date: March 11, 2023
Star Rating: 7.5/10
*Disclaimer*
Everyone is different and likes and dislikes different things. Reading is no exception. One person’s all-time favorite might seem too bland or too high stakes for another. That being said, the opinions of our judges in this contest are just that, opinions. Just because we let a book go, doesn’t mean it isn’t good. It could be your next favorite, who knows?
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can learn more about the contest here.
Today we are reviewing Master of the Void, which was CoverswithCassidy’s pick for this year’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. You can read their review here. And you can see the finalist spreadsheet here.
Summary
In the Seven Lands, magic is everything. So, what happens when you’re the only person who has none?
Nothing matters more to Derrius Mendi than forging a better life for his family by pursuing a formal magical education at the University, something his parents have sacrificed what little they had to make possible. When disaster strikes on the eve of his thirteenth birth moment—the day he was to receive his magical gift from the Stars—will he choose perseverance or bitterness as he struggles against a society that would rather forget he exists than help him succeed?
As the third son of an archmage, Orimund Laetus has spent his life living up to the expectations of others. When his testing goes horribly wrong, he must decide who he truly is when his carefully crafted upbringing is rendered useless. Setting off on an epic adventure of self-discovery, Orimund must find his place in the world before a looming evil destroys everything he holds dear.
Our Thoughts
Find our verdict below!
Julia
While this isn’t a perfect book, it absolutely managed to hook me and keep me entertained all the way through. So, take all my little niggles and complaints as that—small things that took the book from a 5/5 to a 4/5, not major issues that hampered me overly much!
So, what worked well? I really enjoyed the setting and the worldbuilding! Intriguing magic system, with kids being sorted into five different types of magic on their thirteen birthday. The magic also depends on the stars, and to me it felt well developed and believable.
The story also was gripping, and even though the foreshadowing was a bit heavy handed for me, I always wanted to know what happens next. There’s quite a few tropes in here, but in a way I liked. I mean those tropes are tropes because a lot of people like them! A book with a lot of magic, fireballs and all, was a nice change to the pretty low on magic ones I recently read.
Friendships and loyalties! I never get enough of strong bonds that are not dependent on romance.
There’s a bit of a “which boy will she end up with” situation in here, but for once it wasn’t overly soppy or annoying. It was a normal part of the characters, and didn’t even annoy me, who usually hates all the romance drama. I think I liked how it’s a side topic, as staying alive is the main goal for now. I’ve always *hated* the scenes when the world is ending, every second counts, but the characters have time for a good snog or shag.
Brownie points for some animals included!
So why not 5 stars from me?
The characters voices are a bit too similar. I actually had to pay attention to the names to know who’s on the page. Great characters speak for themselves so well you can easily identify them just by their tone and actions.
I found some bits, including the big twist, quite predictable. I’d have liked a little bit less explanations and foreshadowing. To be fair though, I have read so much fantasy, I find most of it predictable at this point.
Max
Despite a somewhat confusing shifting perspective, I really liked this book as a whole. The story has its flaws, but the author’s skill at writing is very high, and the characters are very interesting and relatable. I found the book very difficult to set down.
As for its aforementioned weaknesses, it does get a bit predictable at times, and its story isn’t the most unique, but I still like it. Its main flaw is its female characters feel marginalized, compared to the male ones. I definitely want to see what else the author has written.
[Editor’s Note: We had more scores than reviews for this book, as some of our judges have been hit with horrible real-life things throughout phase two. So, while they managed to read and score, they didn’t manage to write up, what they felt were good enough reviews for the blog, for all the books.]
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And again, you can see the list of all the finalists and their scores here. Our judges are Adawia Asad, Julia Kitvaria Sarene, Kerry Smith, Lana Taylor, Robert Max Freeman, Yaniv Rosenfeld Cohen, and Jennie Ivins (me). If you’d like to learn more about us, including our likes and dislikes, you can read about them here.
Any queries should be directed at me, Jennie Ivins, via DM on Facebook and Twitter.
Julia Kitvaria Sarene