Master of None by Sonya Bateman

 

I've found a couple of great new series by reading debut novels. In order for new authors to be published these days, most of the time they've got to be really exceptional. With Master of None we have a nice concept, and something a bit different -- Djinn instead of vampires and werewolves. Unfortunately, it didn't really work for me. For one thing, there were inconsistencies - in the beginning it's possible to magic up some beer and cigarettes, but later on it's impossible to magic up some water, because all you can do is create illusion, turning dirt into water would still make it taste like dirt. Well, if that's the case then how did the beer taste like beer? Too many times the rules of magic just seemed to fit the plot at the time, and not the rules as previously explained.

Here's the blurb:

ONE UNLUCKY THIEF. ONE UNLIKELY GENIE. ONE VERY ODD COUPLE.Gavyn Donatti is the world’s unluckiest thief. Just ask all the partners he’s lost over the years. And when he misplaces an irreplaceable item he was hired to steal for his ruthless employer, Trevor—well, his latest bungle just might be his last. But then his luck finally turns: right when Trevor’s thugs have him cornered, a djinn, otherwise known as a genie, appears to save him.Unfortunately, this genie—who goes by the very non-magical name of “Ian”—is more Hellboy than dream girl. An overgrown and extremely surly man who seems to hate Donatti on the spot, he may call Donatti master, but he isn’t interested in granting three wishes. He informs Donatti that he is bound to help the thief fulfill his life’s purpose, and then he will be free. The problem is that neither Donatti nor Ian has any idea what exactly that purpose is.At first Donatti’s too concerned with his own survival to look a gift genie in the mouth, but when his ex-girlfriend Jazz and her young son get drawn into the crossfire, the stakes skyrocket. And when Ian reveals that he has an agenda of his own—with both Donatti and the murderous Trevor at the center of it—Donatti will have to become the man he never knew he could be, or the entire world could pay the price. . . .

While the concept was good, there were two times in Master of None where I seriously considered putting the book down and not finishing it. I did finish it, and I can see that it's a good set-up for the series to follow, but I have no interest in reading any of the rest of the series.

The plot was very good, the pacing was terrible, the prose was well done, dialogue was well done, character development was good (though again, there were inconsistencies that bothered me), world building was exceptional in concept but the continuity issues were a problem.

Book Rating: Master of None: 6 of 10

Master of None qualifies as another book in the Debut Urban Fantasy Challenge I'm participating in.