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 ...
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reviews
Apr 03, 2011
Stella
rated it: 
My thoughts: Though the blurb sounded interesting, when I picked up Master of None I wasn't prepared to what an amazing novel it would be. I gobbled it up in a few days and remained excited about the story for weeks (I still get enthusiastic whenever I just think about it).
Master of None is Sonya Bateman's debut novel, and seeing the way she started her writing carrier, let me tell you we are in for a ride!
First of all I was blown away by the fresh and completely origin More...
Master of None is Sonya Bateman's debut novel, and seeing the way she started her writing carrier, let me tell you we are in for a ride!
First of all I was blown away by the fresh and completely origin More...
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May 17, 2011
Miz
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I’m admitting right off that this book was written by a friend, but it doesn’t mean my review isn’t the truth or has been influenced by this fact. Sonya Bateman is an outstanding author, and I’d have loved this book regardless of our friendship. That said, here are my thoughts on Master of None.
My time for reading print books is usually limited to bedtimes or the odd hour during the weekend when I veg on the sofa. This book, however, made it into the bathroom with me. That’s a More...
My time for reading print books is usually limited to bedtimes or the odd hour during the weekend when I veg on the sofa. This book, however, made it into the bathroom with me. That’s a More...
Apr 13, 2011
Bethany
rated it:
This was a very original debut novel. What stood out to me the most was that the characters were all interesting and vivid without being over the top. And the plot was definitely fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat. Okay not literally, I read it in bed. I occasionally read regular fantasy, and this did a good job of satisfying my inner dork while maintaining the grit and relevance of urban fantasy. It was definitely very violent; even more so than most urban fantasy I've read. It
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Jun 05, 2011
James
rated it: 
I didn't know what to think about this book when I had finished it. Yes, I enjoyed it, but there was a sense that something was lacking. Maybe this was because I had read so many overly positive reviews on it that it couldn't hope to live up to the mark, or maybe it was just... not right.
The story is original and fun, but I thought it took a little while to get going and I found the character's acceptance of Magic and Djinns very unrealistic. I don't know what else there was that put m More...
The story is original and fun, but I thought it took a little while to get going and I found the character's acceptance of Magic and Djinns very unrealistic. I don't know what else there was that put m More...
Jun 26, 2011
Ami
rated it: 
4.5 stars
Finding urban fantasy novels with male leads is not easy. Or if I do, they don't interest me as much. So, when I picked up this book, I was hoping that this would be a good one. And WOW, how this book delivers!
First, the main hero, Gavyn Donatti, is pretty charming. He's a thief, who seems to have a lucky streak when it comes to himself but not so much for his partners. I enjoy his voice so much.
Second, I like the idea of djinn in an UF. I don't meet many More...
Finding urban fantasy novels with male leads is not easy. Or if I do, they don't interest me as much. So, when I picked up this book, I was hoping that this would be a good one. And WOW, how this book delivers!
First, the main hero, Gavyn Donatti, is pretty charming. He's a thief, who seems to have a lucky streak when it comes to himself but not so much for his partners. I enjoy his voice so much.
Second, I like the idea of djinn in an UF. I don't meet many More...
Apr 26, 2011
Kelly
rated it:
You guys know that I'm game for most any book out there*, right? And I'll read them without a whole lot of expectation - which is one reason why I think I enjoy so many of the books I read. I went into this one thinking it would be a fun little diversion from real life but I never expected that it would knock me off my feet. HOLY CRUD! This book hit that fine line between snarky, funny, creepy and FUN. I loved it. LOVED IT**!
Interestingly enough, I rarely read Urban Fantasies w More...
Interestingly enough, I rarely read Urban Fantasies w More...
Aug 10, 2011
Laura
rated it: 
I read this quickly, which is a must. I liked the idea of the plot: a reluctant djinn appears at an opportune time to a very unlucky thief, saving his life. “Why?” you ask – and that is the rest of the story. You see, djinn are not benign genies with three wishes. They are angry to be there. They have a sub plot of their own. You have to be careful with djinn.
Unfortunately, this is a nice djinn, just mad at the beginning. For me, he was just about as believable as Harrison Ford as More...
Unfortunately, this is a nice djinn, just mad at the beginning. For me, he was just about as believable as Harrison Ford as More...
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Apr 14, 2010
Mandi
rated it:
Why I read: Author asked for a review, and I couldn’t pass up a story with a genie. Tori just happened to be reading it at the same time!
Favorite Quote: Why couldn’t I get the djinn of lollipops and happiness?
Tori: Hi everyone...it's Tori. Mandi graciously asked me to do a joint review with her on Sonya Bateman's exciting debut novel-Master Of None. I have to say that this book completely took me by surprise. While I expected to be entertained as I love nothin More...
Favorite Quote: Why couldn’t I get the djinn of lollipops and happiness?
Tori: Hi everyone...it's Tori. Mandi graciously asked me to do a joint review with her on Sonya Bateman's exciting debut novel-Master Of None. I have to say that this book completely took me by surprise. While I expected to be entertained as I love nothin More...
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May 25, 2010
Tiffany
rated it:
Finding male authors and/or protagonists in the urban fantasy genre can be tricky. I can probably count the ones I have found and enjoyed on one hand, with Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden shining like a supernova as the best of the bunch. I saw reviews for this book popping up on blogs and my interest was piqued. When I was offered it for review I anxiously said yes…. a male protag written by a woman? Could she pull it off and would I enjoy it? The answer to both of these questions for me is yes, th
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Apr 26, 2010
Vickie
rated it:
O...M...G!!! How hellah excellent was this book?! It has been a really long time since I've enjoyed a book this much. It had the action and excellent characters to move the spectacular story along that I require from any story, but especially the urban fantasy books that I love to read.
This book is such a treasure and I am so glad I found it on Dark Faerie Tales blog for the Debut Urban Fantasy Challenge. The premise sounded fun and completely readable. Little did I know....
I develo More...
This book is such a treasure and I am so glad I found it on Dark Faerie Tales blog for the Debut Urban Fantasy Challenge. The premise sounded fun and completely readable. Little did I know....
I develo More...
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Apr 14, 2010
Tori Benson
rated it:
LOVED IT!!! Gave it 4.5/5
I reviewed this with Mandi
Mandi said: "Why I read: Author asked for a review, and I couldn’t pass up a story with a genie. Tori just happened to be reading it at the same time!
Mandi's Favorite Quote: Why couldn’t I get the djinn of lollipops and happiness?
Tori: Hi everyone...it's Tori. Mandi graciously asked me to do a joint review with her on Sonya Bateman's exciting debut novel-Master Of None. I h More...
I reviewed this with Mandi
Mandi said: "Why I read: Author asked for a review, and I couldn’t pass up a story with a genie. Tori just happened to be reading it at the same time!
Mandi's Favorite Quote: Why couldn’t I get the djinn of lollipops and happiness?
Tori: Hi everyone...it's Tori. Mandi graciously asked me to do a joint review with her on Sonya Bateman's exciting debut novel-Master Of None. I h More...
Apr 21, 2010
All Things Urban Fantasy
rated it:
Review courtesy of AllThingsUrbanFantasy.blogspot.com
MASTER OF NONE is a wickedly funny, darkly twisted take on the Aladdin story. Walt Disney may not approve, but I certainly do.
Male protagonists in the urban fantasy genre are about as common as tan lines on a vampire. As women are the main readers of this genre that makes sense. Typically, that's how I prefer it, but after spending a few hours inside Donatti's head, I'm ready to bring on the boys. He is endearingly self More...
MASTER OF NONE is a wickedly funny, darkly twisted take on the Aladdin story. Walt Disney may not approve, but I certainly do.
Male protagonists in the urban fantasy genre are about as common as tan lines on a vampire. As women are the main readers of this genre that makes sense. Typically, that's how I prefer it, but after spending a few hours inside Donatti's head, I'm ready to bring on the boys. He is endearingly self More...
Apr 16, 2010
VampFanGirl
rated it:
Gavyn Donatti may be the worst thief in Thiefdom but he's still a thief nonetheless and really he can't see himself attempting any other profession. Besides, his track record might be bound to improve if he had any sort of luck on his side but sadly, Donatti has the worst luck as well as the worst timing. Given that Donatti expects...well the worst in every situation, he's rarely surprised these days when it comes to exactly that. But when a seemingly indestructible giant of man saves him twice
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Apr 22, 2011
Yune
rated it:
Gavyn's a thief with terrible luck, which is of course why he stumbles into magic and a lot of trouble. Magic in this case being a surly djinn.
As much as I appreciated the fact that the main character was not an ass-kicking female with superpowers and a pair of powerful men drooling over her (let's face it, that's what most urban fantasy these days boils down to)...I didn't find anything else special. Gavyn has an engaging but not compelling voice, and although his non-magical companio More...
As much as I appreciated the fact that the main character was not an ass-kicking female with superpowers and a pair of powerful men drooling over her (let's face it, that's what most urban fantasy these days boils down to)...I didn't find anything else special. Gavyn has an engaging but not compelling voice, and although his non-magical companio More...
Apr 19, 2011
Hobart
rated it:
I'm way late on this, but really wanted to write something about it, and yet I'm really lazy. So, this isn't going to be as good as it should be...let me start by quoting from the back of the book (or the amazon/goodreads description anyway, think it's what the book had on it):
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 stMore...
Mar 27, 2011
Renee
rated it:
Master of None was SOOO much fun to read!
Gavyn Donnatti steals for a living, but that doesn't make him a bad criminal. He doesn't believe in murder and almost never hurts anyone. The fact that every job he plans falls apart (none of the complications are his fault) endears him even more to the reader.
Take his last job for example. Gavyn lost the item his ex boss hired him to steal. The boss thinks Gavyn's lying and plans to extract the item or information of its whereabou More...
Gavyn Donnatti steals for a living, but that doesn't make him a bad criminal. He doesn't believe in murder and almost never hurts anyone. The fact that every job he plans falls apart (none of the complications are his fault) endears him even more to the reader.
Take his last job for example. Gavyn lost the item his ex boss hired him to steal. The boss thinks Gavyn's lying and plans to extract the item or information of its whereabou More...
Apr 23, 2010
Parajunkee.com
rated it:
In the land that we call Urban Fantasy there seems to be a plethora of leather clad, Glock toting, tough chicks...smoking hot, a bit masochistic but always lovable. Ms. Bateman has proven that boys can hang in this estrogen infused roll, hang and stand-out. Master of None is a super-sized, action-packed, ride that almost had my asthma kicking in because of the intensity. I believe the author just kept on saying..."What can we throw at them next" and wrote it. This novel is very hard-h
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Aug 25, 2011
Casorb
rated it:
If you don't mind a little violence and love luckless thieves with attitude, this is your book.
This really blew me away. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was looking forward to reading about genies (sorry, that should be Djinn!). This book just got better and better. The more I read, the more addictive it became.
The Djinn are particularly awesome in this book. There is no polishing of lamps and granting three wishes. These Djinn have attitude and plenty of magic and lore. The Djin More...
This really blew me away. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was looking forward to reading about genies (sorry, that should be Djinn!). This book just got better and better. The more I read, the more addictive it became.
The Djinn are particularly awesome in this book. There is no polishing of lamps and granting three wishes. These Djinn have attitude and plenty of magic and lore. The Djin More...
Apr 25, 2011
Maja
rated it:
This was a pleasant surprise! It’s told from a male POV, and that's very refreshing. There are very few urban fantasy novels with male protagonists. In fact, Harry Dresden is the only one that comes to mind right now.
Gavyn Donatti (or Houdini, as his ex girlfriend calls him) is a lone thief – pretty much anybody who ever came close to him got screwed over in an instant. The problem is, Donatti never does this on purpose, accidents just happen around him. Apparently, Murphy's law is More...
Gavyn Donatti (or Houdini, as his ex girlfriend calls him) is a lone thief – pretty much anybody who ever came close to him got screwed over in an instant. The problem is, Donatti never does this on purpose, accidents just happen around him. Apparently, Murphy's law is More...
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Aug 01, 2011
Tiffiane
rated it:
This book was recommended to me by a friend. I had not read the synopsis or anything before I started reading it. I was pleasantly surprised, it was an awesome book!
I am a fan of Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series because of the djinn in that book. I was quite pleased when I started reading this book and realized this is a series about djinn too! The entire time I was reading the book I was comparing the djinn from this series to Caine's djinn in her series. There were TONS of d More...
I am a fan of Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series because of the djinn in that book. I was quite pleased when I started reading this book and realized this is a series about djinn too! The entire time I was reading the book I was comparing the djinn from this series to Caine's djinn in her series. There were TONS of d More...
Feb 10, 2011
Brandy
rated it:
El problema de este libro radica en dos cosas:
La primera es que la sinopsis confunde bastante ya que lo que cuenta no es más que la punta del iceberg de una trama algo más caótica. Empieza tal y como dice la contraportada pero luego se complica cosa mala y realmente es Donatti quien ayuda a Ian.
El segundo problema es que es lento como él solo. Leía 20 páginas y seguian en el mismo sitio con el mismo problema, aparte de que la mitad del libro es huir, huir, huir. O es del malo de turn More...
La primera es que la sinopsis confunde bastante ya que lo que cuenta no es más que la punta del iceberg de una trama algo más caótica. Empieza tal y como dice la contraportada pero luego se complica cosa mala y realmente es Donatti quien ayuda a Ian.
El segundo problema es que es lento como él solo. Leía 20 páginas y seguian en el mismo sitio con el mismo problema, aparte de que la mitad del libro es huir, huir, huir. O es del malo de turn More...
Mar 08, 2011
Leslie
rated it:
I enjoyed Sonya Bateman's Master of None. For a first time novelist, she did a first rate job on this book. The pacing on this book was really fast, with the storyline only covering a few days in "real" time.
Gavyn Donatti is a thief with really bad luck. He has lost the item for his client and now, being caught, is expected to pay out of his hide. Then Ian shows up and who turns out to be a djinn (or genie). Ian saves Donatti's life and the rest of the story is a rol More...
Gavyn Donatti is a thief with really bad luck. He has lost the item for his client and now, being caught, is expected to pay out of his hide. Then Ian shows up and who turns out to be a djinn (or genie). Ian saves Donatti's life and the rest of the story is a rol More...
May 25, 2010
Christie
rated it:
Master of None is the first book in a new series. It is told from the perspective of Gavyn Donatti. Reading more books with a male main character is a personal goal of mine. It’s a nice way to mix it up a bit, and prevent the dreaded reading slump. Gavyn is one of my new favorite characters. Yes, I was charmed by the quick-witted thief. He is just so much fun. Add one grumpy djinn named Ian to the equation, and you’re in for a treat. This book is the perfect blend of suspense, action, and comedy
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Mar 20, 2010
Justin
rated it:
If you took parts of the Arabian Nights and remade them in an urban fantasy mold, one of the stories would come out something very similar to Sonya Bateman’s Master of None. Gavyn Donatti, a professional thief, is hired to steal a small item for a local crime boss, but somehow Gavyn manages to lose the item before handing it over to his employer, and this bit of bad luck ends up sending Gavyn on the run. He is saved along the way by a Djinn named "Ian." When circumstances outside of th
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Jun 19, 2011
Louisa
rated it:
I read the first chapter of this online, linked there from a blog I visiting on on of the giveaway hops. It was awesome (though I thought that the MC was a girl at the beginning, and only in reading the summary did I think otherwise) and I enjoyed it, enought that I took it out from the library.
This book was awesome. I loved the character's sarcasm, it was great, and it endeared him to me. He was fun, and I loved all the things that the got himself into, and I just learn More...
This book was awesome. I loved the character's sarcasm, it was great, and it endeared him to me. He was fun, and I loved all the things that the got himself into, and I just learn More...
Mar 19, 2011
Darcy
rated it:
I have mixed feelings on this book. I really loved the world that the story is set in. But I really didn't care for the 2 male leads, Gavyn and Ian. Part of the reason was their contentious relationship they had with each other, part if it is Gavyn being a thief and being proud of it. I also thought it was odd that once Jazz revealed her secret to Gavyn they didn't talk about it at all.
Since I liked the world I will check out the next book.
Since I liked the world I will check out the next book.
Dec 14, 2010
Amy
rated it:
I'm halfway through Master of None. I found it really hard to get into, and even though I can feel there's a good story in there, I just feel like it's not been fleshed out very well. I'm finding it really hard to care about the main characters. It's about a career thief who gets hooked up with a djinn. The djinn has not really explained himself at all and I'm almost halfway through the book. I have no idea why he's there, or what he wants and that's frustrating. The whole book seems like
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Jan 05, 2011
Anne
rated it:
Probably not a book I would have read if it hadn't been abandoned at my house. I mean, I generally enjoy urban fantasy and who doesn't love a good djinn story every once in a while? This one was written well enough and had decent pacing but I had to knock a star off due to gratuitous torture scenes. Ugh. Just ugh. The only way I'll read more of these is if they, too, get abandoned at my apartment.
Oct 27, 2010
Teri
rated it:
For a debut author, this is a great book! After hearing about the book from The League of Reluctant Adults blog I picked it up one stormy day and I loved it. The story was well written the characters were awesome and the dialogue was to die for. The snark was the best and the characters interactions with each other was wonderfully written. I cannot wait for the next book. I hope the story continues because the author has a great thing going with this book.
Aug 24, 2010
Aaron
rated it:
Fun urban fantasy read utilizing a rarely tread mythology. The epic showdown scene was a tad confusing but the end result made enough sense that I didn't have to go flipping back to make heads or tails of it. Good start to what I hope is a series.
