BLOG TOUR: Masters of Death by Olivie Blake

Published August 17th, 2023 by Tor
Fantasy Fiction, Contemporary Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this cryptic and bizarre fantasy. Thank you to Stephen at Tor for the invitation to take part, and to Bookouture and Tor for the gifted ARC.

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SYNOPSIS:

From the internationally bestselling author of The Atlas Six, Masters of Death by Olivie Blake is a gripping, page-turning fantasy.

‘Olivie Blake is a mind-blowing talent’ – Chloe Gong, author of These Violent Delights

This book is about an estate agent. Only she’s a vampire, the house on sale is haunted, and its ghost was murdered.

When Viola Marek hires Fox D’Mora to deal with her ghost-infested mansion, she expects a competent medium. But unbeknownst to Viola, Fox is a fraud – despite being the godson of Death.

As the mystery unfolds, Viola and Fox are drawn into a quest that neither wants nor expects. And they’ll need the help of a demonic personal trainer, a sharp-voiced angel and a love-stricken reaper. And it transpires that the difference between a mysterious lost love and a dead body isn’t nearly as distinct as you’d hope.

This edition features beautiful interior illustrations from Little Chmura.

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MY REVIEW:

When you play the immortal game there is only one rule: don’t lose. 

Masters of Death is a brilliantly bizarre and cryptic caper that had me spellbound. It begins as a simple story of a haunted mansion and an estate agent who hires a medium to get rid of the ghost, and then morphs into an epic quest to save humanity from a demon king. 

Despite the fact I have all of her books on my shelves, this was my first time actually reading a book by Olivie Blake. And I’m kicking myself for waiting for so long. Blake has artfully crafted a multifaceted and complex story that is told like a riddle. Blake combines mystery, humour, folklore, and mythology with lyrical prose and engaging dialogue to create something truly remarkable and memorable that was nothing like I expected. I loved the beautiful artwork and small details such as naming the chapters that added to the overall experience of reading this book. The plot of the book, particularly the immortal game, is a unique concept that is partly deliberately enigmatic to add to the intrigue, but there is also a philosophical element that I didn’t quite understand and I had no idea what was going on in the scenes where the game was being played. But I loved the concept and could feel the draw of the game that the immortals did and the tension that came with its high stakes.  

The book features an array of mythical creatures including vampires, ghosts, demons, reapers, angels, gods, and demigods, as well as some mortals for good measure. The characters are richly drawn, sassy, witty, and compelling. They had depth and felt real despite the fact that most of them were not human. I had a particular soft spot for Viola and loved her banter with Tom. And while the archangels Gabriel and Raphael only made a relatively brief appearance in the story, they were hilarious and stole every scene. I’d have loved more of them and would definitely buy a book with them at the centre (hint, hint). Another aspect I really enjoyed was the narration from Death that opens the book. It gave things a sinister, forbidding vibe that captured my imagination and I would have liked to have seen more of this, too. 

Darkly funny, offbeat, moving, and addictive, Masters of Death is an entertaining and ambitious fantasy from a true storyteller. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Alexene Farol Follmuth, also known under the pen name Olivie Blake, is a lover and writer of stories, many of which involve the fantastic, the paranormal, or the supernatural, but not always. More often, her works revolve around the collective experience, what it means to be human (or not), and the endlessly interesting complexities of life and love.

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Alexene tripped and fell into writing after abandoning her long-premeditated track for Optimum Life Achievement while attending law school, and now focuses primarily on the craft and occasional headache of creating fiction. Under her Olivie byline, New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling The Atlas Six released 2022 from Tor Books, followed by its sequel The Atlas Paradox and the re-release of her viral literary romance Alone With You in the Ether. She has also been published as well as the writer for the graphic series Clara and the Devil and a variety of other books. As Alexene, her debut YA novel My Mechanical Romance released May 2022 from Holiday House (US) and Macmillan Children’s (UK).

Alexene lives and works in Los Angeles with her husband and goblin prince/toddler, where she is generally tolerated by her rescue pit bull.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Amazon* | Bookshop.org*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the tour.

*All purchase links are affiliate links