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High Master
High Master Darian is already the most powerful wizard in the history of Ramleaj at the age of thirty. It might have made him a little cocky. That might be how he walked right into a trap even after a warning from his best friend.
Now he’s being held captive by a man with power like he’s never seen before. A man who’s secrets could change not only Darian, but all of Ramleaj.
Lucky for Darian, he’s touched more people than he realizes throughout the three major races and beyond. Can they set aside their differences long enough to rescue him? Will it be in time to save the land they all call home?
An epic adventure reminiscent of Tolkien, Williams, and Bradley; High Master is the first book in the world of Ramleaj. A world where darker forces are at play than anyone could imagine.
Now he’s being held captive by a man with power like he’s never seen before. A man who’s secrets could change not only Darian, but all of Ramleaj.
Lucky for Darian, he’s touched more people than he realizes throughout the three major races and beyond. Can they set aside their differences long enough to rescue him? Will it be in time to save the land they all call home?
An epic adventure reminiscent of Tolkien, Williams, and Bradley; High Master is the first book in the world of Ramleaj. A world where darker forces are at play than anyone could imagine.
430 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 27, 2024
3 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 27, 2024
4.75 stars rounded up.
High Master is such an epic fantasy adventure. We follow a bunch of unlikely friends and allies as they try to rescue the Darian the High Master of the Wizards and banish the darkness that threatens them all. This is done with humour, emotion, and atmosphere. The author also does an excellent job of world building.
The book is split between multiple POV, and this was a great way for the author to introduce the many characters, but also the different races and parts of the world of Ramleaj. There are the usual themes of power and corruption, prejudice, good vs. evil, and these are all handled well. The book is detailed, and each character has depth. I particularly loved Darian, Dworkin, Nemclis (of course I have to love the Dragon), and Braslic, all of whom had lots of heart and spirit. I also loved the creatures in the book, which were imaginative and somewhat scary.
The book is well written with twists and turns, and the pace kept me interested in what was going to happen next. I loved how each character had their own part to play as the story unfolded, and because it was written with multiple POV, I was invested in each characters story.
I will definitely keep up with the series as I want to continue to follow all the characters I grew to love. I would recommend this to anyone who loves high fantasy.
Thanks to the author for advanced readers copy. I'm leaving this honest review voluntarily.
High Master is such an epic fantasy adventure. We follow a bunch of unlikely friends and allies as they try to rescue the Darian the High Master of the Wizards and banish the darkness that threatens them all. This is done with humour, emotion, and atmosphere. The author also does an excellent job of world building.
The book is split between multiple POV, and this was a great way for the author to introduce the many characters, but also the different races and parts of the world of Ramleaj. There are the usual themes of power and corruption, prejudice, good vs. evil, and these are all handled well. The book is detailed, and each character has depth. I particularly loved Darian, Dworkin, Nemclis (of course I have to love the Dragon), and Braslic, all of whom had lots of heart and spirit. I also loved the creatures in the book, which were imaginative and somewhat scary.
The book is well written with twists and turns, and the pace kept me interested in what was going to happen next. I loved how each character had their own part to play as the story unfolded, and because it was written with multiple POV, I was invested in each characters story.
I will definitely keep up with the series as I want to continue to follow all the characters I grew to love. I would recommend this to anyone who loves high fantasy.
Thanks to the author for advanced readers copy. I'm leaving this honest review voluntarily.
May 14, 2024
Tips for the reader: Make sure to check out Keslar's Notebook at the end of the book. It is an incredibly useful glossary of terms and it will make a tremendous amount of difference as you try to navigate four races, the political structures, the fantasy language, etc.
Robin Rhoden has achieved something really special with High Master. I fell in love with sci-fi/fantasy in an era where Lord Of The Rings and Star Wars were blazing trails. I was interested in reading a title that was compared to a blend of the two, and I am so glad that I did. Robin's style feels to me like Tolkien took a writing apprentice from Montana with her own quick wit and sense of humor. I was kind of bored reading Tolkien at times...not so much with Robin.
The structure of High Master is pretty classic archetypal fantasy - this is not a Romantasy or a Fantasy Romance. I enjoy reading those as well, so intend no disrespect to those subgenres. That said, I want to set the expectation of High Master appropriately, that this is pure Fantasy without romance.
Here's what I think Robin achieved really well, and is the reason I'm rounding a 4.5 up to a 5 star review instead of down:
-multiple pov done pretty seamlessly to advance the story line and help the reader connect to a large cast of characters. This is so hard to do well, and she went for it and achieved it.
-lore and world-building (she even crafts her own language and political structures!)
-her fantasy creatures are the perfect blend of scary and cool
-horse riding (I'm inserting this mostly as a joke, but I see so many authors butcher horse and livestock terminology, and I think Robin either rides horses or does amazing research).
-found family, warmth
-FUNNY!!!!
High Master is one of the novels that I am going to think about as I work on my own writing. Robin manages to evoke emotional responses and cover dark topics while inserting humor. This is something several authors (including myself) need to work on. If Comedic Dark Fantasy was a genre, I would classify High Master solidly in that category. I fell in love with the cast of characters, particularly Darian and Menir, but Dworkin really had his moments.
I recommend High Master to anyone who loves High Fantasy.
Robin Rhoden has achieved something really special with High Master. I fell in love with sci-fi/fantasy in an era where Lord Of The Rings and Star Wars were blazing trails. I was interested in reading a title that was compared to a blend of the two, and I am so glad that I did. Robin's style feels to me like Tolkien took a writing apprentice from Montana with her own quick wit and sense of humor. I was kind of bored reading Tolkien at times...not so much with Robin.
The structure of High Master is pretty classic archetypal fantasy - this is not a Romantasy or a Fantasy Romance. I enjoy reading those as well, so intend no disrespect to those subgenres. That said, I want to set the expectation of High Master appropriately, that this is pure Fantasy without romance.
Here's what I think Robin achieved really well, and is the reason I'm rounding a 4.5 up to a 5 star review instead of down:
-multiple pov done pretty seamlessly to advance the story line and help the reader connect to a large cast of characters. This is so hard to do well, and she went for it and achieved it.
-lore and world-building (she even crafts her own language and political structures!)
-her fantasy creatures are the perfect blend of scary and cool
-horse riding (I'm inserting this mostly as a joke, but I see so many authors butcher horse and livestock terminology, and I think Robin either rides horses or does amazing research).
-found family, warmth
-FUNNY!!!!
High Master is one of the novels that I am going to think about as I work on my own writing. Robin manages to evoke emotional responses and cover dark topics while inserting humor. This is something several authors (including myself) need to work on. If Comedic Dark Fantasy was a genre, I would classify High Master solidly in that category. I fell in love with the cast of characters, particularly Darian and Menir, but Dworkin really had his moments.
I recommend High Master to anyone who loves High Fantasy.
May 6, 2024
*I received this book as an ARC, but did order my own physical copy*.
First, I will say that I absolutely loved this book from the first chapter. It is written in 3rd person POV and alternates POV character between chapters. I was immediately drawn into the world of Ramleaj, though I firmly believe a good part of this is because I was drawn into Darian's character and journey throughout the book. I do love a complicated and conflicted main character and Darian definitely fits that category. We start the story aware that he is the "High Master", the most powerful wizard in the realm, though as the story progresses, we learn that he is much more than that. Though I will say the conflict and mystery which takes place early on in the book had me HOOKED as I had to find out what happened to Darian after said conflict.
While Darian was my favorite character, the book is filled with memorable characters, including his adoptive brother Dworkin, Miramel, (Darian's Wylthem ...friend I'll say), and Keslar, a budding wizard student. I think the author did a great job of developing each of the characters. And I will say the antagonist of the book is a great villain and throughout the book is willing to do just about everything to meet his goal. Of course I absolutely hated him, but I'll admit he was a great villain in terms of machiavellianism and cunning.
Overall, this was a great high fantasy novel, and I will definitely be sticking around for the series. High Master is a fast paced fantasy which includes great world building that doesn't take long to become adjusted to.
First, I will say that I absolutely loved this book from the first chapter. It is written in 3rd person POV and alternates POV character between chapters. I was immediately drawn into the world of Ramleaj, though I firmly believe a good part of this is because I was drawn into Darian's character and journey throughout the book. I do love a complicated and conflicted main character and Darian definitely fits that category. We start the story aware that he is the "High Master", the most powerful wizard in the realm, though as the story progresses, we learn that he is much more than that. Though I will say the conflict and mystery which takes place early on in the book had me HOOKED as I had to find out what happened to Darian after said conflict.
While Darian was my favorite character, the book is filled with memorable characters, including his adoptive brother Dworkin, Miramel, (Darian's Wylthem ...friend I'll say), and Keslar, a budding wizard student. I think the author did a great job of developing each of the characters. And I will say the antagonist of the book is a great villain and throughout the book is willing to do just about everything to meet his goal. Of course I absolutely hated him, but I'll admit he was a great villain in terms of machiavellianism and cunning.
Overall, this was a great high fantasy novel, and I will definitely be sticking around for the series. High Master is a fast paced fantasy which includes great world building that doesn't take long to become adjusted to.
May 3, 2024
I enjoyed this book.
Thank you to the author, Robin Rhodes for letting me ARC read this. It was pretty good. It is a long read and very detailed but that is not a bad thing at all. I really enjoyed it!
This story like is like anything I have ever read I before.
It was very intriguing, entertaining, and it felt like high sakes end of the world apocalyptic type of book and I absolutely loved it. I didn’t want to put it down!
I did this one as a buddy read and finished before her because I just could not stop reading it.
I love the multiple POVs but the author writes it so well that it doesn’t get confusing at all.
Thank you to the author, Robin Rhodes for letting me ARC read this. It was pretty good. It is a long read and very detailed but that is not a bad thing at all. I really enjoyed it!
This story like is like anything I have ever read I before.
It was very intriguing, entertaining, and it felt like high sakes end of the world apocalyptic type of book and I absolutely loved it. I didn’t want to put it down!
I did this one as a buddy read and finished before her because I just could not stop reading it.
I love the multiple POVs but the author writes it so well that it doesn’t get confusing at all.
May 11, 2024
I just finished this book yesterday and let me tell you I can't wait for the second one. The story and plot twists were so unexpected and the characters were so lovable. It was a little hard to get into in the beginning because of the multiple povs throughout the book but once I got into it I loved it💕💕
August 11, 2024
4.5⭐️
“Who do you turn to when you’re trying to rescue the person who rescues everyone else?”
High Master is an Epic Fantasy where a group of unlikely hero’s are on a mission to save the one who usually does the rescuing. The characters are lovable and show great growth through the journey. There are dragons and unicorns and portals and many surprises along the way. This book made me nostalgic for LOTR and I look forward to book 2!
“Who do you turn to when you’re trying to rescue the person who rescues everyone else?”
High Master is an Epic Fantasy where a group of unlikely hero’s are on a mission to save the one who usually does the rescuing. The characters are lovable and show great growth through the journey. There are dragons and unicorns and portals and many surprises along the way. This book made me nostalgic for LOTR and I look forward to book 2!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews