Master of One is a beautiful book by the author Jaida Jones, Dani Bennett.
The romance is so weird that it can break out of the fae lore.
The Rags thief never came across a bag he couldn’t hook. When he is captured by a sorcerer with plans to destroy the world, he realizes that even he is in his head. Forced to use his highly honed skills to retrieve pieces of ancient relics, Rags is shocked to discover that the “relics” happen to be human:
An enchantingly handsome Prince Fae,
A Queensguard deserter too respectable,
The thin daughter of a disgraced noble family,
A deceitful sweet prince,
An honest member of the Resistance,
And him. rag.
They may be prisoners in the sorcerer’s terrible plan, but that won’t stop them from fighting back. And, sure, six unexpected allies against an evil foe don’t make for generous odds, but luckily for him, Rag isn’t generous – he’s smart. He has a plan that can help them escape from this place alive.
With the heist and plot of the Six of Crows and the dark fairy tale feel of The Cruel Prince, this youth fantasy debut will delight listeners with a reluctant pair of heroes as they take on receive a doomsday prophecy, a wicked royal conspiracy, and most dangerously, their feelings for each other.
This is clearly intended to start a series, and I really hope it goes to the six novels that appear to be established. It has a good premise that goes deeper between the good guys and the sadistic madmen, and the core relationships are beautifully drawn. The prose is delicate and interesting and the world building is magical. The multi-gender nature of relationships (pretty much something for everyone, though I’m expecting a lesbian couple for sure) is artfully executed and not always obvious. obvious at first glance – though ‘Rags’ is indeed too slow to absorb and that one could have moved a lot faster without loss.
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Master of One
