Vaginal Fantasy Book Club discussion

This is the official discussion thread for Master of Crows our ______ pick for next month!

I learned of this book from Felicia's Good Reads page and it is easily one of my favorite books. To me, it's the quintessential Vaginal Fantasy. Great fantasy world and you might just want to keep a fire extinguisher on hand for the sexy times (or not ;) )

The hero and heroine are not cookie cutter; they are vivid, real and flawed. The heroine is not a virgin (stop the presses!!) The world is layered, textured and well built. The romantic tension between the characters is INCREDIBLY intense. When they finally had sex, I thought my Kindle would catch fire (no pun intended).

The fantasy aspect was well done - adding to the world and story line without taking over and getting in the way.

Also, the scene where Martise finds her ex-lover across the table from Silhara??? As soon as I realized they were across the table from each other, I had to put the book down because I was laughing so hard. I just knew Silhara was going to kick ass in that scene - and he did.

So sad I have to read it again for VF...I'll be in my bunk.

I love this book so much!
I thought it had already been read in the group so read it a few weeks ago.

I adored the scene with Silhara and Martise's ex lover as well.
I thought the main characters were really raw and REAL. She is not some gorgeous thing and neither is he. I think that is what made them so easy to like. This was the first romance book I read where the herione was not a virgin. *FINALLY*

The first sex scene was HOT and compltely consential. I did feel extremely violated for Martise with the soul stone thing. That was an extremely horrible thing to do to a child.

I also learned of this book from Felicia's Goodreads review, earlier this year.
I had a really good time reading it, and almost couldn't put it down. There are not so many characters, and that's one thing I enjoyed because the author could focus more deeply on each of them.
I loved the heroine, and the building up tension of the romance is spectacular!
A nice fantasy world building, a heroine, a mysterious mage and oranges!

This book, originally picked as the main read for VF's October selections, was my reintroduction into the world of romance novles. I had been away from the genre for a very long time.

First....Thank you to the VF ladies!!!! I am simply eating up the show, and was caught up in time to watch September's live feed.

From the Tuesday evening of the show to Thursday evening of the same week (today) I downloaded "Master of Crows" and devoured it. It was such a great read from start to finish. I very much enjoyed the book in it's entirety. Felicia had mentioned that this book was very naughty in the sex depot. I did not find it as such. It was incredibly hot, and I loved every last word; wishing I were Martise, but I didn't find it over the top or beyond comfort level.

Martise and Silhara's relationship was exquisite, and I find myself wishing, as I always do when reading romance novels, for a love as powerful as that to claim for my own. I hope everyone reads this book, as I am looking forward to October's show. I only now, after having finished the book, found that the ladies had changed it to the alt pick. I'll be renting "Poison Study" at the library, or purchasing the e-book shortly.

To Grace Draven: Brava! "Master of Crows" is a wonder to behold, and your writing exquisite. Thank you for sharing your talents with the world and touching those that read your works with a piece of your soul.

~Renee

Well it gets probably my best recommendation; I got lost in the story and forgot to be objective about it. A wonderful escape. Not a thing got done in my house yesterday.

I got a free download of this book in ePub format and read it on my laptop.

Now on to the alt.

Well I just finished my first VF book! Yay! I have to say I enjoyed the book overall, a very fun, easy read. I did have a few small issues that kept pulling me out of the story though:

1. I actually didn't like the scene between Silhara and Martise's ex - I don't really enjoy violent punishment in stories and I didn't think the ex deserved that treatment at all. Yes, he treated Martise badly while they were together and he was shooting his mouth off like a jerk because he'd been rejected -- but to suddenly stab him in the hand and permanently scar him? Silhara got a hard side-eye for that one.

2. I rolled my eyes every single time I read the word "cunnus" -- I'd never read it before and it makes my nose wrinkle, but that's just personal linguistic taste.

3. I was bummed at a the lack of actual crow magic, haha. The birds were always just chilling out in the grove, but I expected them to play a greater role in Silhara's magic.

I'm looking forward to what everyone else has to say about the book, and I'll be starting poison study tomorrow!

PS: I don't know if anyone else saw this, but I couldn't stop picturing Silhara as "Wind in his Hair" from Dances with Wolves >_>

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/GbDmu0Gi0Sk/hqd...

I finished Master of Crows last night. I really enjoyed it but could not take it seriously at all. It was an entertaining book about life, love, loyalties and magic Batman. Wait, what?

I can't be the only one who saw it. Every time they mentioned how raspy his voice was due to the garroting he became Batman. This alone made the book much more entertaining than a book has any right to be. Picturing Batman harvesting oranges and doing magic. Dancing around the fires of his tribal people. Priceless. That scene in Eastern Prime at the Market place where Silhara beats the crap out of Martise's ex? BAM! KAPOW! zzzzzZZZWAP!

And yes, he was dressed as Batman the entire time. Even during the sexytime scenes.

Also, who the frak is Bursin and why do they keep referencing his wings? Not only his wings. Bursin's various body parts were referenced 23 times. "Bursin's wings" being 12 of those references. Not a single mention of this....person? God? Creature? Whatever it is, they just don't tell us. Unless I flat out missed some kind of introduction this kept bothering me!

Every time they made the "three breasts" joke all I could think about was "Three tits. Awesome." from the movie Paul. Cracked me up every time.

Towards the end of the book Silhara has been possessed by Corruption and attacks Martise in his study. After Gurn busts into the room to find out whats going on Martise tries to speak but cannot due to the attack. Gurn clucks in sympathy. However we were told countless times before that Gurn has no tongue. I don't know how to cluck without a tongue. Unless the author meant actual "Bwaahok bok bok" clucking and if so it really didn't fit the scene OR my interpretation of Gurn's character...

Bathe the damn dog!!!!

A few exiting things happen in the book. Most notably for me were the adventure to Iwehvenn and Silhara Beating the Crap Out Of Balian. My biggeset gripe is that these interesting things happened and the settings gave both Silhara and Martise the opportunity to confront, or question, the others actions and motives in what could have been squeeishly angsty emotional turmoil for either character. I would've liked to see some heavy questioning or heated arguments. Whenever something happened it just....was. And then was almost never again referenced to by either character unless it was right after a character switch. I felt a bit robbed. :(

Lastly! I would have liked for the story to focus a bit more on Martise's soul stone. I would love to know why she can't just jump town and leave Cumbria with part of her soul. What would have been the ill effects? She SEEMED fine at Neith so why would being somewhere unknown to her "Owner" be detrimental? Did she just want part of her soul back because it was rightfully hers?

I have to admit I normally don't read fantasy books. But this one was really good. I got so wrapped up in the book that my poor boyfriend found me reading in bed well past two in the morning.

Did anyone else get hints of a Beauty and the Beast vibe from this book?

-He has a scary forest surrounding his lands
-She's not allowed to leave
-He has a fabulous drool-worthy library
-He's grouchy and secretive until she wins him over and has a loyal servant (Grun) that loves him
-The servant is more sympathetic to the young woman staying in the house than the master would prefer
-He has a terrible doom hanging over his head that he keeps quiet about until the last possible minute
-She provides the means of his salvation

It's not a perfect match or anything, but after the bit about the forest and the library I couldn't help but keep an eye out for other similarities. (Plus this makes Balian Gaston so I enjoyed Silhara beating him up even more than I normally would have!)

I have to say, I really enjoyed this one. I liked Silhara and Martise's relationship. I liked that it was consensual and that, if anything, he was making himself vulnerable to her repeatedly. After all, he opened himself up to her sexually and emotionally when he was still convinced she was spying on him and likely to betray him. I definitely liked that she saved him and did so voluntarily, although I wished she would have known what exactly she was giving up before she did so. I found it interesting that he had been victimized several times. It was hard to read at times, but it gave his character more dimension. I'm so disappointed that I can't find another book by this author. I thought it was a great read.

Beth wrote: "I have to say, I really enjoyed this one. I liked Silhara and Martise's relationship. I liked that it was consensual and that, if anything, he was making himself vulnerable to her repeatedly. After..."

There are a few more by this author actually, but from the sound of them, they're more along the standard erotica lines than this was. http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/a18...
I thought this book was really good. It read a little bit like a first book to me, but the story was great. The romance was believable, in the fantasy world sense, and the characters were likable. I'm glad this was chosen.

Melissa wrote: "Did anyone else get hints of a Beauty and the Beast vibe from this book?

-He has a scary forest surrounding his lands
-She's not allowed to leave
-He has a fabulous drool-worthy library
-He's grou..."

I liked this book so much I wrote to the author. She has indicated she has a few more coming out soon. Her replay was "I do have more work coming up--a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, a short story in anthology and a novella length fantasy romance..."

Dajinxed1 wrote: "Well it gets probably my best recommendation; I got lost in the story and forgot to be objective about it. A wonderful escape. Not a thing got done in my house yesterday.

I got a free download o..."

If I may ask, where did you get the free download? A few people have stated financial difficulties and if their library doesn't have it they may be hard pressed to get a copy.

I just googled it and there it was.

Here's the URL

http://www.epubbud.com/book.php?g=FXQ...

After always watching Vaginal Fantasy hangouts, but never reading along, I'm glad that this was the book I finally joined in on!

I just finished it earlier today in class, and almost started crying--the ending was so lovely.

The relationship between Silhara and Martise was so satisfying. It was very well written and very convincing to me, and I almost melted at the very end. At first I thought the ending would be cheesy, but I fell in love with the characters so much that I quickly realized that that was the ending that I needed.

I also enjoyed the number of characters in this book. It was very easy to follow along with everyone. After reading The Iron Duke and having no idea who anyone was and what was going on, it was nice to be able to actually stay interested since I knew just what was happening.

Master of Crows was lovely.

Silhara's and Martise's relationship was one of the best things about it. I like how it began pretty organically. She didn't see Silhara and instantly fall in love with him or experience her core becoming flushed with heat. She recognized him as attractive but didn't like him or trust him. It was only after she saw him working hard in the orange grove and interacting with Gurn that she couldn't ignore the attraction she felt. The emotions in their relationship, when they got down to it, were also very poignant and I really loved that.

Speaking of Gurn, he was another great part of the book. I like how, despite being mute, he was a very expressive character. I think that Grace Draven did a great job writing him. He is one of those flat characters who doesn't develop much, I wish we could have seen more of him, but he was still very likeable. My only qualm is that I would have liked to see him and Martise interacting more so that we could have seen how they became so friendly in the beginning.

Another thing I appreciated about the book was how it managed to have very few characters yet still be very rich in the storytelling.

My biggest complaint about the book is that it begins very media res, this is to say, right in the middle. We don't get a lot of context about the world or people and their customs in the beginning and just gradually gain snippets later on. While this didn't make the book bad it did make it a little hard to understand and get into at first.

The sex scenes were great, very natural and very sensual. They were a part of the story and not just porn. I would have to say that Master of Crows is the first romance book with explicit sex that I have read that was, for the majority, well written. Thanks for the recommendation VF! I would definitely recommend it to a friend.

Check it cool:

I just wanted to share the smashwords link to buy the book. They typically have better formatting for self-published books and I think the author gets more of the price if you buy from here rather than amazon or someone else.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

I bought the book on Smashwords about six months ago, when it was a Recommended Read on Dear Author, but hadn't got round to reading it until it was a VF selection.

I did like it, but agree with other commenters that it would have been nice to have a little bit more background on the belief system of the world (like who and what exactly Bursin was). Also, if the dog was quite so revoltingly stinky, why didn't anybody wash him? If Silhara could actually call down a rain storm, he couldn't find a spell to get his dog cleaned?

I didn't find the sex scenes especially steamy, no more so than in most romances. Not sure about the use of the word "cunnus", that seemed silly to me - but better than giving it some sort of euphemistic pet name.

This was my first time reading along with the VF ladies and I am so glad this was my start. This was really a wonderful read, the characters were well fleshed out and the story line moved along at a ggod pace. I have to admit I would have liked a bit more background into the world, but there was enough description for me to build a solid mental picture.

I read Melissa's comment about it being like Beauty and the Beast, but I got more of a Howl's Moving Castle feel. Grumpy sorceror that let's the world think the worst of him to keep it at bay, but longs for a quiet, peaceful existence. Heroine that is unrecognized for her talents and hides herself to survive. A delightful sidekick for the hero, who finds ways around their physical restraints to make themselves understood. Thankfully, there were lots more naughty parts to Master of Crows.

And since I have such a visual image of Silhare in my head, I have to share it. I'm thinking a young Alan Rickman's face with Bendict Cumberbatch's build and Christian Bale's Batman voice all coming together in a delightfully underrated package. Yep, tasty goodness all around.

Loved this book!!! Good pick, Ladies.

This was the first month that I've gotten to read the books along with the rest of the group and I'm super excited.

I thought the book was great! There are a few criticisms I had, but overall it was a very good read. I flew through it quickly and the characters really drew me in. I have some mixed feelings about the beginning of the book. It definitely left me with a lot of questions and made me want to read further, but a little more exposition might have been nice. It took me a few minutes to get into the book because I was asking too many questions in my head. One thing that I think was never fully explained was their belief system. They were always referring to the mysterious Bursin and his magnificent wings, but we never got any explanation. For a society that it apparently steeped in mysticism that borders on superstition, over all they seemed kind of non-religious. Not to say that they don’t refer to gods or praying to them, but it didn't seem like it really mattered to their everyday lives (other than the obvious wanting to be rid of the evil Corruption and his ever threatening pestilence). It seemed as though we got to know lots about the evil, but nothing about the balance of good. Perhaps Bursin’s wings can enlighten us.

I agree with many of you. I definitely saw similarities between this book and Beauty and the Beast as well as Howl's Moving Castle. Funny, I didn't get the whole Batman thing with his voice. It's hysterical now that I think about it though.

I also did not love the word choice of "cunnus". I was reading along thinking 'Good Sexy Times... OH NO! Not that word!' It just seems a tad clinical and simultaneously ridiculous. I've often thought about what my word choice would be if I ever write a romance story. I think it's a tough choice. Don't get me wrong, I've definitely heard worse. I'm not sure that I could pick anything better either. If anyone has any good suggestions, I'm all ears. If I'm honest, there are very few words or euphemisms for naughty parts that won't make the juvenile part of my brain giggle when I read them. I hate to admit that, but it's true.

I thought that all of the characters in this book rang true. I enjoyed that Martise, while having to live within the role that life unfortunately put her in, was internally (and eventually, outwardly) neither submissive nor subdued. There is a great difference in my mind between having to live under the strictures of being a servant and having a submissive mien. It was great that she was educated and intelligent (and as previously mentioned, was not a virgin). Silhare was great as well. I really enjoyed that he was completely irreverent and totally didn't care that everyone had the completely wrong impression of him. It seems as though he fostered their impressions so he wouldn't have to deal with people. While not personally overtly surly, I can definitely relate. :)

OK, now on to the important thing. There was definitely one thing that was NAGGING me the entire time that I was reading. A few of you have already mentioned it: Poor Cael! For the love of all that is holy why didn’t someone wash the puppy?! I don’t get it. The first time that they mentioned it, I thought it was humorous. After all, those of us who have been blessed with the company of a four-legged, furry friend know that sometimes they are stinky. By the 5th time, I was like either bathe him or quit complaining! I also could not fathom how he could supposedly smell worse than the zombie dog. That stretched my very malleable imagination. When she returns to Neith at the end of the book, she comments, “God’s, you smell even worse since I last saw you. Is no one ever going to bathe you?” I guffawed and said to Martise (in the guise of my tablet), “You were there for months! Why didn’t you give him a bath?” Rant complete.

I think the final scene was handled beautifully. The entire last page I was nervously praying, “Please don’t let her be pregnant or have him begin discussing plans of siring a brood of children”. I was insanely relieved when got to the end and it was not mentioned. Whew, we have a winner. They can find joy in each other’s company with no pining to procreate. I have nothing against children, I just don’t think that every female protagonist would be immediately excited to settle down and get preggers at the first given opportunity.

All that said, I thought the book was great. Awesome pick!

Just once I want a heroine whose special, unique magical gift/talent does not have anything to do with bonding, or being a vessel, or sharing magic or something touchy-feely. I want a heroine whose unique special magical gift is to blow sh*t up! Fireballs! Destruction! Martisse's gift seemed very cliched to me. It was easy to guess that was going to be it.


I giggled my way through the first couple of chapters, because the prose was very...florid. The adjectives were many,the metaphors were inventive--"Long scarlet robes swirled around his ankles like bloodied smoke"(and also similes), and the wizard was apparently very burnished.

However, the prose settled down and the story drew me in, and the wizard was just like I like--extremely sexy.

Since I've already read Poison Study I'm glad this was such a good pick (and it JUST occurred to me the similarities in the two heroines situations--sneaky Felicia)

Kat wrote: "Just once I want a heroine whose special, unique magical gift/talent does not have anything to do with bonding, or being a vessel, or sharing magic or something touchy-feely. I want a heroine whose..."

Kat, I'm pretty much with you on her magic being a vessel. When she put the whammy on the lich I was cheering and then when I figured out the direction that her magic was going in, I was disappointed. I would have preferred her Gift to have been more spectacular and individualistic. However, it fit in with the theme of sacrifice.

When they are defeating the Big Bad, there was mention of both of them knowing the price. I honestly didn't know that her magic would be gone for good and I didn't get the impression that she did either. Maybe it just flew over my head. It makes sense in retrospect, but also a little disappointing.

Shannon Jewel wrote: "Kat wrote: "Just once I want a heroine whose special, unique magical gift/talent does not have anything to do with bonding, or being a vessel, or sharing magic or something touchy-feely. I want a h..."

I think the only sacrifice they "knew" was their lives.
The two that had done this before them both died and I guess she knew that if she didn't sacrifice herself as well that it wouldn't work. So I guess they both thought that they were going to their deaths and that that would be the sacrifice. Though I believe she thought she might be able to save him if she alone died.

I thought this book was really good. It reminded me of Beauty and the Beast and Howl’s Moving Castle as well. Labyrinth, too. It reminded me of Howl’s Moving Castle so much, I was worried she was going to come in and insist on cleaning everything like Sophie. But luckily, it went in a different direction.

I really liked both of the main characters. I think they were both very interesting and we got a lot of insight into what made them tick and why they were attracted to each other. I like the format of switching back and forth between each of their perspectives. I had a way better idea what was going on in Silhara’s head than in Valek’s in the other book. (Did anyone else have trouble pronouncing the names in this one?) It bothers me in some movies and shows when it seems like all the main couple’s problems could be solved if they’d just talk to each other. But I thought in this book both of them had really valid reasons for not telling each other everything. The weight of the secrets they were keeping from each other added a lot of tension to their scenes together. I liked that they could joke together. I like the sexy times they had – quality and quantity. To me it didn’t seem like one of them had too much power over the other, because they were both trying to get out of lose-lose situations.

I didn’t mind that the belief system wasn’t explained in depth, because I got the impression neither Silhara nor Martise were particularly religious. I thought they kept saying “Bursin’s Wings!” similarly to how we might say “Jesus Christ!” or my grandma would say “Ye gods!” I liked the world building in the book, because even though they spent most of the time in the castle and only visited a few other places I got the sense that there was more to the world through all the languages and history they talked about and I was glad the book didn’t get bogged down explaining it all.

I liked this book so much it was really hard to put down. In the Kindle version I had the text was huge, maybe two sentences per page. So it was a page turner in more than one way.

Nicole wrote: "Shannon Jewel wrote: "Kat wrote: "Just once I want a heroine whose special, unique magical gift/talent does not have anything to do with bonding, or being a vessel, or sharing magic or something to..."

Nicole, I totally got the "we're all gunna die" theme and definitely agree with you. I think they both understood that there was a good chance that they weren't coming out alive given the historical couple and the stakes involved. I probably need to go back and re-read some of that scene because I was reading it in cube-land at lunchtime... not in my preferred reading spot lying on the floor of my living room. I seem to remember something about him indicating he figured that it would drain her gift dry. Also, there was something about him asking her to try to call her gift and failing. I was a little surprised (and disappointed) to figure out that it would be gone forever. I think it would have been interesting, dramatically, for this to have been explored a little deeper. It just seemed a little anti-climactic to me that they both just accepted it immediately and it wasn't discussed further. With how upset she was (throwing up and all) when she found out that she wouldn't be able to wield her power and was just a vessel, you'd think that she would've been a little more upset when it totally went away. Perhaps I'm delving too deeply and projecting a wee bit. Maybe she'd already come to terms with her gift and it didn't really bother her that it went away at that point. Obviously if she was willing to give her life, then she was willing to give her gift. However, can you not grieve for the loss of something even when you willingly sacrifice it?

I definitely really enjoyed this book! I thought it was really interesting that Martise was not a beautiful woman who captivated men with her lovely face. I really love the fact that she was a strong, smart, witty, and passionate woman. And I love that that's what attracted him to her! Definitely very different from a lot of romance novels.

I also like that he never attempted to keep her by force. Even after buying her and setting her free, he was always letting her choose.

Loved the book! Would have loved it even if there were no sexy-time parts, but I enjoyed those too! :)

This was a really enjoyable read and I loved the two main characters. They weren't perfect.

I was pleased that this book was chosen as it has been on my kindle for ages as a sample (ever since Felicia recommended it actually).

I didn't mean to read this book when I did, but I am so glad I did. I REALLY enjoyed it and loved both characters. I also really loved that neither was attractive in themselves, but the one that loved them could see it in them... :)

Read this one first, since it appealed to me a little more. I LOVED it!!!! The smaller cast of characters, the setting (anyone else think of southern Spain?), the pacing and language. I enjoyed that Martise wasn't the beautiful female lead we've gotten used to, and that it was her wit and talents that got to Silhara and made her unique. As for Silhara ... oooh, boy! I liked his connection with Neith, the crumbling manor and the oranges(and was devastated when the god destroyed them.) I loved the friendship between him and Gurn, and with Martise and Gurn.

I didn't mind the lack of explanation about "Bursin's Wings." I agree with whoever posted that it felt more like an expression of frustration than a prayer to a deity in particular.

I do agree that someone should wash the poor dog!!!

I wish the book was still in print - it has a gorgeous cover and I'd love to read it in a physical format. I also wish there was more in this world to read.

Melissa wrote: "Did anyone else get hints of a Beauty and the Beast vibe from this book?

-He has a scary forest surrounding his lands
-She's not allowed to leave
-He has a fabulous drool-worthy library
-He's grou..."

TOTALLY

Managed to get a hold of this book before the main book but no complaints here because I really enjoyed it. Tons of great smut. The author didn't use so many of the trite, overused descriptors that sex scenes have and she gets 100 bonus points for never using the phrases "wolfish grin" or "lupine smile." I swear every other bad boy hero is described with those. Over and over.

Like everyone else, I absolutely love that she wasn't a virgin and it was healthy, fun, consensual sex. Thank you! And bonus that the characters weren't gorgeous. Nice touch with the lead female having a beautiful voice. That was different.

Yes, I really enjoyed this and I'm glad I bought it.

I'm only a third of the way through this one after finishing Poison study, but is the theme for October supposed to be "Stolkholm Syndrome Gets Sexy"? They haven't gotten to the sexytimes yet at where I am in MoC, so maybe this is resolved, but it seems like both stories could loosely be described as "She's controlled by him, he sorta tries to repeatedly kill her but not really, so naturally she falls for him"...

Claire wrote: "Read this one first, since it appealed to me a little more. I LOVED it!!!! The smaller cast of characters, the setting (anyone else think of southern Spain?), the pacing and language. I enjoyed tha..."

Yes! I too thought of Spain. After I finished the book I read the author's bio and it said she lived in Spain for some time.

Also (for anyone who is curious too), here's a link to the Deviant Art account of the artist who did the cover art for the re-release of the book, it's really worth a look since the little image on the ebook doesn't do it justice: http://louisagallie.deviantart.com/ar...

I just finished! And I have to say that it was refreshing to read a romance like this in which the heroine was not perfect or virginal; and where the dude was a douche but redeeming.

Cin wrote: "I just finished! And I have to say that it was refreshing to read a romance like this in which the heroine was not perfect or virginal; and where the dude was a douche but redeeming."

Isn't one of the main themes of romance literature: the dude who is a douche but is redeemable (by the love of the right woman)? Although I don't think Silhara rates very high on the douche scale. He's no, "I've got my crazy wife in the attic but I'm going to marry you anyway" Mr. Rochester.

Kat wrote: "Cin wrote: "I just finished! And I have to say that it was refreshing to read a romance like this in which the heroine was not perfect or virginal; and where the dude was a douche but redeeming."

..."

I also don't think that he rates too up there on the douche scale. He could be mean, but he was never much of a douche.

He's no, "I've got my crazy wife in the attic but I'm going to marry you anyway" Mr. Rochester.

HA! Thank you for that! That douchey move always ruined the "romance" of Jane Eyre for me. Don't even get me started with Wuthering Heights and that spectacular douchey behaviour.

I thought Silhara was a jerk in about every other area except the relationship with Martisse--well the romantic relationship with Martisse. For instance, I wouldn't want to be his apprentice or work in his orange orchard. I LOVED the orange orchard by the way. I thought it was such an interesting detail of setting.

Kat wrote: "I thought Silhara was a jerk in about every other area except the relationship with Martisse--well the romantic relationship with Martisse. For instance, I wouldn't want to be his apprentice or wor..."

What about his relationship with Gurn? I don't think he was a jerk there either!

Conclave was his uncle and in a magical way raped him with another clergy. Then spends the rest of the time trying to find a reason to kill him. I think he has a reason for mistrusting the people that follow these men. The same man took a piece of Martisse's soul when she was a child to completely enslave her, and willfully dangles it in front of her to taunt her, even though she seems completely loyal to him.

Martisse was brought to his home by Conclave with orders to find something incriminating on Silhara so they can kill him. Silhara knew this from the moment she came there but he was desperate to get rid of the star and its menace god.

He's true personallity seemed to come out when he was with his aunts people. He was far more relaxed then as he didn't have to worry about the threat of the clergy.

IMO Silhara was an anti-hero, a bit like Mal Reynolds from Firefly. During the commentary of "Serenity" (I think this is where I heard this) Joss Whedon mentioned that he was very careful with the creation of the character of Mal - yes, he does his cowboy share of rushing to the rescue, but he also does his share of kicking people through his engine and will kill without hesitating.

Silhara is a lot like Mal IMO. Flawed, scarred, and occasional killer and thief but with a redeeming core. Perhaps that's why I found the scene where Silhara stabs Martise's ex-lover so hysterical - it's just what Mal would've done if some [pejorative Chinese adjective] had been talking about his liaison with Inara in public.

When I first finished this book, I thought it was only fair to middling. I actually had a hard time getting into it at first, but after sleeping on it for a few days, I like it a little better than when I'd initially finished.

First, let me say that I think Draven created interesting and engaging characters that have really stuck with me. I thought that Martise had quite a bit of depth, and I loved the way she came into her own over the course of the book. And Gurn! I just want to snuggle him, but I guess someone else already has that bit covered. Silhara was also nicely complex, though I didn't like him at all. Maybe that was my big hang-up with this book; he just was never redeemable for me. Even though he admitted his failings, the cruelty with which he treated Martise and his inability to let her make her own decisions (send her away! No, suck up all of her power!) really grated on me.

So, yeah. Of course it doesn't help if you don't like one of the main characters.

The place where the book really falls flat, though, is with backstory. There's no real understanding or justification of Bursin, Corruption, or the magic system in the kingdom. I did like that magic had a price in this book, but without a larger framework to situate it in, I often struggled to understand the novels' social/political systems.

But like I said, this book has really stuck with me. I certainly didn't like it as well as Poison Study (or some of the other books we've read in the club), but it was still good.

Courtney wrote: "I finished Master of Crows last night. I really enjoyed it but could not take it seriously at all. It was an entertaining book about life, love, loyalties and magic Batman. Wait, what?

*snort*

I also got tired of the raiment. Silhara shed his raiment, Martise shed her raiment, the trees shed their raiment. Everybody shed their raiment! It's the Age of Aquarius, y'all.

This was not the most well-written book, but my expectations for self-pubs are pretty low. The characters and plot were just enough to keep me from tracking off and dwelling on the errors, so that has to be a check in the + column.

This was not the most well-written book, but my expectations for self-pubs are pretty low. The characters and plot were just enough to keep me from tracking off and dwelling on the errors, so that has to be a check in the + column. "

I thought it was self published, but I think it was published by a small independent press. Amber Quill? I kept thinking while reading that most of the problems with this book could have been solved by a really good editor going through and cutting 50% if the adjectives and 75% of the novel metaphors. This was agood book. If it had been published by a major publisher though I think it would have been a great book.

I agree about the editor. The first chapter was useless and annoying and I had to wait a couple of days to get over and read the rest of the book. I really hated how she used reminiscing to finish telling about certain scenes. Great adventure where we just kill a soul-eater! and next chapter its hmmm...remember what happened after we killed that soul-eater? Here are my thoughts about that. I think that detracted from the suspense that was built so carefully.

I liked Master of Crows much more than Poison Study. I quickly became very involved in the story and stayed that way till the end. I went in looking for an easy to read romance and this book definitely delivered!

I liked Master of Crows significantly more than Poison Study, too. It had its weaknesses as many have mentioned - the gratuitous Bursin's wings and pointlessly stinky dog. I was slow to get into it, but I really got caught up in about a quarter of the way in, once the book hit the lich encounter at Iwehvenn keep. I liked the way magic was used in this book, and the physical toll it could take. I haven't read that much fantasy fiction so this was a more effective and evocative way for magic to be portrayed for me over the "Bew! Bew! Fireballs!" I'm used to from video games.

The consensual romance was a welcome change of pace. Sexy times because people want to have sexy times? Awesome! I was maybe 95% satisfied with the way the romance panned out. I can get a little cranky at the characters when I think they've reached a point where there should be more communication, and there isn't, so I was a little irritated when Silhara deliberately pushes Martise away at the end so he could be all noble and self-sacrifice-y battling Corruption. I think he should have been up-front about al Zafira once he found out how the other god was killed, and Martise shouldn't have had to find out independently.

Overall, it was enjoyable, and I definitely would read more set in this world if it was a series, but it's not, so I'll just have a sad -> :( .

I really loved this, but it sort of lost me at the continued use of the word 'cunnus.' Seriously? Cunnus? I didn't see the need for that word at all. As others have mentioned above, a good editor would have helped that.