Master and Apprentice (Gavyn Donatti #2) by Sonya Bateman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster (Pocket Books)
Urban Fantasy
Gavyn Donatti series
5/5

Synopsis
A DEADLY CULT. AN UNBREAKABLE CURSE. THE RULES ARE SIMPLE: LEARN TO KILL . . . OR DIE.
Luck has never been on Gavyn Donatti’s side. Anyone else with magic abilities inherited from a distant genie relative would have it made, but not Donatti, descendant of a cranky, shape-shifting genie named Ian. The prince of a murdered kingdom, consumed with revenge and driven by an unbreakable curse, Ian is determined to hunt down and destroy every last one of his enemies in the power-hungry snake clan—at any cost, including his life. Or Donatti’s.

Obsessed by his own rage, Ian has never really taught Donatti how to use his abilities. So when a powerful cult of magic-users captures Ian’s wife, the princess Akila, and then Ian himself, Donatti is left alone to take on dozens of half-djinn and their mysterious leader with designs on world domination.

Facing an impossible mission, Donatti is forced to turn to an enemy for help—one who claims to know how to unlock his true potential. Trusting a snake might be the last mistake Donatti ever makes—but if he doesn’t learn to wield the power inside him, everyone will pay the ultimate price.

REVIEW (This review assumes you’ve read Master of None, beware of possible spoilers)
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.