While I adored "Master of None", Sonya Bateman's first book about theif Gavyn Donatti and his djinn companion Ian, I wasn't quite as enraptured by the second book "Master and Apprentice". The plot was still strong and compelling. Ian and Donatti are hunting down all the Morai, or 'evil' djinn. Gavyn draws the line when they meet a morai named Calvin who doesn't believe in violence and has given up his own personal use of magic. Donatti can't force himself to kill Calvin because he knows he isn't evil. When Ian's wife Akila is kidnapped and possibly murdered, Ian vows revenge unlike ever before seen. From there the book becomes one big journey to hunt down the murdering morai and hopefully rescue Akila, if she is still alive.

For the record this book still read compulsively and was always entertaining. Yet I still had several complaints or annoyances as I read through the tale.

- There is almost too much action in this book, believe it or not. The action is almost non-stop and it doesn't feel like we get many chances to catch or breath and really visit with these wonderful characters. Thats not to say the action isn't well written because those scenes are for the most part engaging and heart racing.

- Ian is troubled through the book's entirity. I mean, anyone with a missing wife would be beside himself but we really don't see the same Ian from the first book and thats a shame. Donatti's trademark sarcastic humor from the first book was also very toned down.

- There were too many instances where someone was severely injured, near dead, and they healed and back to 100% strength in no time. Wow the first time this was incredible but by the eigth or ninth time this same thing happened I was over it and it really stretched believabilty to a breaking point. "Come on," I wanted to shout at the book, "this is too predictable now!"

The story still feels incomplete. I know the author is shopping for a publisher for the next book and I hope she finds one. We are left with some great threads that could continue to the next book. Akila's truly disgusting and horrible father is in desperately need of a murdering. I absolutely adored seeing the new "children" introduced in this book and I really liked the scenes featuring those characters. I think they could add a lot to future installments if there are any. Seeing Donatti's son Cyrus's new abilities was also a treat could be further explored.

I liked this book. There were just some things I didn't care for in this volume. If Bateman is able to continue the series one way or another I will continue to read it and recommend it. ( )

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2011/03/review-master-and-apprentice-by-sonya.html

Master and Apprentice picks up a year after Master of None ends, with Gavyn and Ian systematically hunting down and killing members of the Morai tribe, the djinn responsible for wiping out the Dehbei, Ian’s clan. The Morai used humans to slaughter the Dehbei, since djinn cannot directly kill humans. A curse, the ham’tari, was put on Ian. If he doesn’t kill every last one of the Morai, he will suffer greatly. This curse also helps to explain the phenomenal bad luck that Gavyn has suffered from all of his life, as it also effects Ian’s descendents. As Gavyn travels with Ian, he realizes that not all Morai are the same, and starts to wonder just how much he can trust Ian. Then they meet Calvin, a Morai, and a monk, who was not involved in the slaughter, and uses the form of a rather charming raccoon. When Akila, Ian’s wife, is taken by a mysterious cult lead by a Morai bent on using Ian for world domination, Gavyn will have to rely on Calvin to teach him how to use his newfound powers (including transformation with a memorable scene involving his sneaker), and get them out alive.

I LOVED Master of None, but if possible, I liked Master and Apprentice even more. The tone is a bit more serious this time around, but Gavyn is still his snarky self (sarcasm is a serious weapon with this guy), and still retains the moral code that makes him so charming and likeable. Ian begins the novel rigid in his mission, but begins to change when he realizes that things may not be what they seem with the Morai. Calvin is a wonderful addition to the lineup, and Tory is back as well to offer help. I laughed out loud at times, and Ms. Bateman’s writing is better than ever! She also manages to create a rather layered story without things getting confusing, a talent which is greatly appreciated by this reader! She puts poor Ian through the ringer in this book, as well as Gavyn, and I found myself flinching in spots, but nothing is too gory or gratuitous, and just makes getting the bad guys that much more satisfying. Every now and then there are books you wanna hug, and this was that book for me. You know, the one you start babbling about the minute someone gives you an opening? Yeah, you know the ones I’m talking about…

If you haven’t discovered this series, run, don’t walk, to grab yourself a copy of Master of None, and for goodness sake, pre-order Master and Apprentice! It’s that good. ( )

Gavyn Donatti was used to being freakishly unlucky as in the worst thief ever, then he met Ian the djinn who is his great-great-great…etc grandfather and the Donatti luck changed to reasonably okay. Especially when they were both on the hunt for the evil djinn tribe that had basically wiped out Ian’s.
Then the luck went to bad and it’s affecting everything in Gavyn’s life. His truck is wrecked after a head one with a moose, Ian starts drinking beer. Absolutely worst of all, his family is driven away, they need to rescue Princess Akila who has been kidnapped by beyond evil half-breed djinn supremacists.

I like watching Gavyn and how he keeps on keepin’ on protecting his loved ones and his responsibilities. Even when the injuries keep on comin’, he makes himself do what needs doing. Sonya doesn’t sugarcoat the injuries either nor make Gavyn into a Superman. He’s injured, he hurts, he stumbles.
He grows with his newfound abilities, learns as he goes and gets tougher even if he doesn’t admit to it.

It may be just me, but I got invested in everything that happened to Gavyn, Ian, Jazz, Akila, Cyrus, the characters I cared most about. I sat at my desk crying at some points and other times wanting to reach inside the computer to wheal on some evil djinn halfbreed asswipes.
That is excellent writing, making the reader give a good goddamn about the characters.

We get more of the history of Ian and Akila’s relationship, too. It’s a lovely story. A romance and love for the ages.

I love Cyrus, Jazz and Gavyn’s young son. He’s a doll. He has inherited his father’s djinn qualities. Jazz realizes she now has to not only worry about potty training, but the fact that Cy has magical abilities like turning invisible. That’s a hard one to deal with in a toddler when all you figure you need to teach is potty-training and don’t poke your finger in the light socket.

And, ohhhh, the WTF moments….absolutely loud ones.

Favorite quotes or bits:
I wasn’t exactly claustrophobic----just allergic to being trapped. ( )