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An Arbiter's Gift: A Ronin Saga Story
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - "loved it! engaging characters, great action, honor, and insurmountable odds- An Arbiter's Gift is everything I look for in fantasy and more..." - Susan, Goodreads ReviewerEzrah is sixteen and a rapscallion denizen of the Citadel--a school of magical wizards called Reavers--and unfortunately, failing his studies miserably. On the verge of being kicked out, Ezrah has little hope but to pass a final test of magic. However, the test soon becomes the least of Ezrah's concern, as a nefarious woman kidnaps his childhood friend in a plot to seize immeasurable power. At the same time, the city is slowly dying of thirst, the people abandoned by those meant to protect them. Ezrah, untalented and far out of his league, must find his hidden spark of magic within himself in order to conquer a mythical maze of elemental magic, save a dying people, rescue his kidnapped friend, and become the legend he is destined for... or will fall to ruin.Return to the magical world of Farhaven in An Arbiter's Gift, a riveting, fast-paced novella taking place in the bestselling series The Ronin Saga.
- GenresFantasy
98 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 24, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
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January 20, 2022As the author, I have a little bias, while I loved writing this story and truly think you'll enjoy Ezrah's journey... I'll leave the rating empty :) But feel free to upvote/like this so everyone can get the most up-to-date news!!
1/20/22 - AN ARBITER'S GIFT is LIVE on Audible! Here's the link: https://adbl.co/3Gpe3rM
Tides of Fate book four is live as well! https://matt-wolf.com/pages/audiobooks
1/20/22 - AN ARBITER'S GIFT is LIVE on Audible! Here's the link: https://adbl.co/3Gpe3rM
Tides of Fate book four is live as well! https://matt-wolf.com/pages/audiobooks
November 4, 2021
A really punchy short story! It has creative, magical solutions to problems, and a tight-knit, natural friendship between the two MCs.
Ezrah has the classic scrappy-yet-honorable main character spirit. This character's origin story is one I've been curious to read for a while, and it's fun to see a character you know as an adult have some adventures as a youngster. And even knowing where the character ends up from reading the saga, it's still a page turner.
I think you can read this either before or after the first book, either way it'll be enjoyable.
Ezrah has the classic scrappy-yet-honorable main character spirit. This character's origin story is one I've been curious to read for a while, and it's fun to see a character you know as an adult have some adventures as a youngster. And even knowing where the character ends up from reading the saga, it's still a page turner.
I think you can read this either before or after the first book, either way it'll be enjoyable.
May 8, 2025
You're going to piss yourself before you die
October 25, 2021
Another amazing story in The Ronin Saga! Learn about Ezrah’s past and the origin of his Grand Creation. This story has it all: a Minotaur, a maze, and lots of action. Loved it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2025
1.5 stars rounded up
I met Matt at NYCC last weekend, and was excited to pick up the novellas for the Ronin Saga, as he was super passionate and comp’d them to ATLA, which is a series I love. The magic sounded like something I’ve created for my own work, so I decided to give it a read in hopes of finding a new series to comp the novel to.
I was, unfortunately, a bit disappointed to find that this novella was not my cup of tea.
[Spoilers begin here]
- Does not pass the Bechdel Test: one primary female character is Evil [Nalia] and the other primary female character is Useless for most of the action scenes in the book [Fera]
- There’s no editor credited, and that is to this books disadvantage. The writing style was very repetitive (the same word used several times across a small number of lines & sentence structure not incredibly varied) and I wanted to get into it so badly. I also did work for an indie publishing house for a little over a year and currently do freelance editing work, so I don’t imagine this will be something negative/noticeable for most readers.
- Predictable: a lot of the twists in this book were predictable, but in a sense that they’re cliches. Yes, there are certain plot beats that a lot of fantasy books/novellas have, but there seemed to be too many for how short this work was. Only one felt truly intentional in its execution, and it’s all in flashback.
- Characters: I think my biggest gripe is with the main character, Ezrah himself. While we don’t see much of him in this short novella (only 76 pages), he does undergo massive change in a very short period of time. Going from someone who’s so afraid of his own power that he has to cheat on his stripe test to rising to the highest rank in the Citadel in … two months? feels incredibly rushed.
That being said, I rounded this rating up to 2 stars because I think the world he’s created is fascinating, and I’m hopeful that the other three novellas will be rewarding. The magic system is so cool, and I can envision it so clearly in my mind; I just want a character I like to be the one using it. I’m hoping to finish the other works I’ve purchased by the end of the year!
I met Matt at NYCC last weekend, and was excited to pick up the novellas for the Ronin Saga, as he was super passionate and comp’d them to ATLA, which is a series I love. The magic sounded like something I’ve created for my own work, so I decided to give it a read in hopes of finding a new series to comp the novel to.
I was, unfortunately, a bit disappointed to find that this novella was not my cup of tea.
[Spoilers begin here]
- Does not pass the Bechdel Test: one primary female character is Evil [Nalia] and the other primary female character is Useless for most of the action scenes in the book [Fera]
- There’s no editor credited, and that is to this books disadvantage. The writing style was very repetitive (the same word used several times across a small number of lines & sentence structure not incredibly varied) and I wanted to get into it so badly. I also did work for an indie publishing house for a little over a year and currently do freelance editing work, so I don’t imagine this will be something negative/noticeable for most readers.
- Predictable: a lot of the twists in this book were predictable, but in a sense that they’re cliches. Yes, there are certain plot beats that a lot of fantasy books/novellas have, but there seemed to be too many for how short this work was. Only one felt truly intentional in its execution, and it’s all in flashback.
- Characters: I think my biggest gripe is with the main character, Ezrah himself. While we don’t see much of him in this short novella (only 76 pages), he does undergo massive change in a very short period of time. Going from someone who’s so afraid of his own power that he has to cheat on his stripe test to rising to the highest rank in the Citadel in … two months? feels incredibly rushed.
That being said, I rounded this rating up to 2 stars because I think the world he’s created is fascinating, and I’m hopeful that the other three novellas will be rewarding. The magic system is so cool, and I can envision it so clearly in my mind; I just want a character I like to be the one using it. I’m hoping to finish the other works I’ve purchased by the end of the year!
October 14, 2022
I met Matthew at New York Comic Con and picked up An Arbiter's Gift to read while the first book in the series is on its way. I really enjoyed the story and the book is very well written. It's a very short book at 78 pages and I think it could have benefited from a little more world building or/and character development. The characters are thrown into the adventure very quickly and I didn't get a lot of backstory. The book doesn't really have chapters and I felt like it ran together a little. I can't stop reading mid-chapter so I had to power through (damn you ADHD!). Overall, it was a fun read and I'm looking forward to the next book.
September 14, 2025
Bought this from the author when attending C2E2. Very passionate guy and loved talking about the world he’s built.
He has built a great magic system and the concept draws you in easily. That being said as this was just a novella I’ve read so far, I was a bit confused and left to figure some of the plot out on my own.
Very fast paced, and seemed like so much was happening which is great for a Novella, but would’ve loved more world and magic building.
May read the main series which hopefully will piece the gaps together for me!
He has built a great magic system and the concept draws you in easily. That being said as this was just a novella I’ve read so far, I was a bit confused and left to figure some of the plot out on my own.
Very fast paced, and seemed like so much was happening which is great for a Novella, but would’ve loved more world and magic building.
May read the main series which hopefully will piece the gaps together for me!
August 19, 2022
A fun short read- a prequel to Wolf’s created world. While reading I thought that some parts needed more detail while some other parts were dragged out. Which made me think that it could’ve been an whole entire book.
It has some corny lines, which gave it a YA feel. I hoped some of the dialogue was better though.
It’s fun enough to make me want to dive into more of Wolf’s work. But it’s closer to a 3.5/5 for me.
It has some corny lines, which gave it a YA feel. I hoped some of the dialogue was better though.
It’s fun enough to make me want to dive into more of Wolf’s work. But it’s closer to a 3.5/5 for me.
September 15, 2022
The book took us on a little journey with a few characters, but it accomplished its main intent of laying out the magic system for the next novels. The characters are likable and charming at times. I was waiting to see if there was a flash-forward to seeing them in the future or if they will turn up in some of the other books. My only note is that I wish there were chapters. It felt like there were breaks at all. But overall it was a fun piece.
September 7, 2026
Fantasy by numbers is what this felt like. While the story in this book is fun, I found it to be mildly vapid.The characters are extremely one dimensional and feel heavily influenced by other works in the fantasy genre. The overall premise, again, feels like a rehash of other ideas that we've all seen before. With that said, this was still an enjoyable read and I would consider it a great start for someone first dipping their toes into fantasy.
September 29, 2026
I have a newfound obsession with supporting indie authors. This book is really some of what I love about fantasy + magic + coming of age stories. I’m so glad I am choosing the chronological reading order for The Robin Saga. This was a pleasant book to hop into that isn’t super overwhelming and was really easy to follow! Paired with the audiobook (narrated by the author himself), this was a nice little palate cleanser and an easy intro to the world of The Ronin Saga.
June 28, 2023
Help me read more books
I received a review copy of this book.
This is an interesting story. It isn't unique, almost all fantasy magical stories of any length have folks going through trials to prove something, but I liked the way this one was handled. I'm definitely looking for more things written by this author.
I received a review copy of this book.
This is an interesting story. It isn't unique, almost all fantasy magical stories of any length have folks going through trials to prove something, but I liked the way this one was handled. I'm definitely looking for more things written by this author.
August 3, 2024
This is the first book I have read from Matthew Wolf but it was a good introduction indeed. This story gave me a good feel for the world and what to expect from the Ronin Saga and it seems right up my alley. I am curious to see how all the elemental powers will play to the greater story and impact things. Recommend!
February 16, 2022
This one had my heart in my throat! All that excitement! I love seeing the back story of some of the characters that play such a part of the main story. Matthew Wolf has a gift. Wonder if he knows any arbiters?
January 30, 2026
A THRILL! I flew through this book. An empowering coming-of-age/coming-into-power story with deep friendships, moral battles, and epic clashes. A fuzzy past gradually comes into focus as the story crescendos, culminating in the solving of both a physical and metaphorical puzzle. 5 stars!
February 19, 2026
Wow, I sped through this novella so quickly! I read books 1 and 2 as well as “Legends.” I would like to say that there’s such a huge difference in writing with this book, and now I am excited to move on to book 3! This was so easy to get sucked in and just speed through! Highly recommend reading!
October 12, 2022
Fun story about magic and huge wizard battles
November 8, 2022
A really fun punchy read. Such a good glow and some fantastic imagery going on. I love this prequel and all the context it offers for such a great series.
March 28, 2023
Met Matthew Wolf at Wondercon in Anaheim. Really nice person and I'm glad I enjoyed his novella. I hope I enjoy the rest of his books as much as I enjoyed this one.
July 14, 2023
Simple sweet read
Enjoyable story. Almost like a fable. It's simple, well written with characters that evoke emotion and create depth. Wouldn't mind reading book 2
Enjoyable story. Almost like a fable. It's simple, well written with characters that evoke emotion and create depth. Wouldn't mind reading book 2
May 21, 2025
The short story that started my journey with the Ronin Saga.
Between this one and The Hidden are must reads before diving into The Knifes Edge
Between this one and The Hidden are must reads before diving into The Knifes Edge
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews