Master of Crows

By: Grace Draven

Narrated by: Jay Britton

Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

In an isolated fortress, the Master of Crows battles an ancient god for possession of his soul. Renegade and heretic, he dreams of ways to defeat the god and destroy the priesthood who would execute him. Sent by her masters to betray him, a woman comes who possesses a weapon he can use to triumph over both, but only with the ultimate sacrifice. A tale of love and allegiance.

©2005 Denise Shaw (P)2016 Denise Shaw

Keeps Getting Better!

I have both read and listened to the Audible audio book of this story multiple times and it just keeps getting better (which is a tough feat when I considered it 5* across the board already!)
It is a skillfully wrote storyline that pulls at me emotionally.

Fantasy slow burn magical romance

I loved the story and world that Grace Draven created, the slow workup towards a romance between the 2 characters, the elements of magic, and the elements of mystery were extremely well written. I thought Jay Britton did an excellent job at the female voice but unfortunately I found the male main characters voice very harsh and hard to listen to, although appropriate for the book, it is something I would re-read, but not re-listen to.

Amazing book!

I loved the storyline of this book, the characters were entertaining and had amazing chemistry with each other, I have listened to it multiple times now and enjoy it every time!

Miscast Narrator for a Lovely Novel

Would you try another book from Grace Draven and/or Jay Britton?

Grace Draven has become one of my favourite writers of late. Her luscious prose, unique characters and sharp wit are delightful. Jay Britton, not so much.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Silhara, of course. However, Martise, Gurn & Cael also fit the bill.

Would you be willing to try another one of Jay Britton’s performances?

Doubtful. He turned this unusual, charming, funny yet albeit unperfect story in to part BBC newscast and wildly overacted folly. I laughed outloud a couple of times!

Was Master of Crows worth the listening time?

Yes, but only in that I enjoyed the novel by reading it myself prior to listening to the narration. I only bought the narrated copy because I liked the story so much. I did not end up finishing the narration as it completely destroyed the way I read the novel. Ms. Draven's lovely use of language, lor, and humour to envoke the sensuous, the macabre and the saracstic was completely destroyed for me by Jay Brittons performance.

Any additional comments?

Just curious: why was a female narrator not commisioned for this? Not always certainly, but many times I find that I prefer the way a woman reads a book written by a woman unless the book is exclusively from a man's perspective. While this novel was about Silhara's experiences, it was equally about those of Martise and I believe I would have appreciated a female perspective in this case far more. Will there be a narration prepared for the follow-up to MoC - The Brush of Black Wings (which I much prefferred to MoC)?

Enthralling, subtle and sweet

I picked this up on a whim because I was looking for a new narrator to love. I am so glad that I gave Master of Crows a chance. The story is so interesting, I could hardly stop listening. I loved the characters, and was happy to find the side characters were just as fleshed out and endearing as our main cast. This novel is entertaining, steamy and rather sweet. The narration was superb as well. Recommended to fantasy lovers who like a bit of romance and brooding male leads.

Worth a Listen...

Grace Draven is a master storyteller, engaging and entertaining. I recently discovered two of her books (Radiance and Eidolon) and thoroughly enjoyed both. Master of Crows is another example of her skill in creating strong, intelligent characters, dealing with high stress under extraordinary circumstances. I love her use of humor in surprising moments and deeply appreciate the way she slowly builds credible, intimate relationships despite justifiable mistrust. Other reviewers found the narrator's performance uneven and distracting. I understand their point of view, but I got pass his limitations because I was drawn into the story. In closing, I think it's important to note that Draven originally wrote Master of Crows in 2005, more than a decade before Radiance and Eidolon. It's obvious she got better with time, so it's not surprising that Master of Crows is not as fully developed as her later books. But it's still worth a listen, in fact, more than once...

Love his voice.

Wow, Jay Britton does an excellent job. I hope he does the rest of Grace's books. I'm right there. Silhara voice is true to life. Thanks

A beautiful love story!

The writing is so beautiful. The love story is adoring! It has the essence of a beauty & the beast, but not a retelling. Definitely a favorite of 2020!!

*Buddy read with Candace Robinson

Narrator ruins it.

I love Grace Draven. I always fall in love with her characters but this time it was hard. Jay Brittons rough voice for the Sihlara ruins the book. The voice is a mix between Batman and nails on a chalk board. I desperately tried to finish the story by audiobook but couldn’t stomach listening to Mr. Britton’s awful grating voice.

for me not really a good attention holder

it seemed like it should have been a really good romance. But I kind of struggled to finish it. I finished it but I felt myself not really paying attention to what was going on. The book didn't really hold my attention.