Scan barcode
akswhy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked this book because I am a simp for these characters, not because it’s groundbreaking or life-changing. Gosh, I love a good backstory!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Ableism, Murder, Racism, and Domestic abuse
bashsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Love this peak into the twins' past! As someone who watched all of the Vox Machina campaign and became obsessed with Vax & Vex, I had been wanting to read this since it was first announced. I FINALLY got around to it, and I wish I'd listened to it sooner (as an aside: listen to the audiobook -Liam & Laura voice Vax & Vex). The story was so complex and well-paced; I loved how the twins ended up on opposite sides of the conflict, and how nuanced the motivations of all these new characters were. I also loved seeing their famed brush with the Clasp, and the glimpses into their life in Syngorn. I had many headcanons about especially the latter period of their life that were more or less confirmed, which really felt validating from a character analysis and interpretation perspective.
Also, it was so good of them to #letvaxbeabidiaster. I fucking love Thorn.
Also, it was so good of them to #letvaxbeabidiaster. I fucking love Thorn.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Classism, Death, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Grief, Medical content, Violence, and Animal death
Moderate: Child abuse, Alcohol, Bullying, Death of parent, Racism, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Animal cruelty
-Racism is of the fantasy variety (elf supremacy).grizzlysnack's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
If this is your first piece of media to glimpse into the world of Exandria, PLEASE go watch the streams or The Legend of Vox Machina first.
I wish I could've rated this book much higher, but I feel as though the Nijkamp's writing relied too heavily on the dialogue. The better pieces of this book were the actions or the internal calculations of characters shown to the reader/audience. Most of the information given to the twins does not feel earned, and the conflicts presented held little to no consequence in the end.
Those very few thought-provoking scenes made you take time to consider how or why the characters were making their decisions as you listened or read along. You could make conclusions instead of it being spoon-fed to you, and sadly the 'show not tell' aspect is poor, which is partially why my rating is so low
Pages 142 & 288 stood out to me about how Vax sees and feels in cities, and I very much enjoyed those two scenes, but that's about it when it comes to memorability in this book :(
I wish I could've rated this book much higher, but I feel as though the Nijkamp's writing relied too heavily on the dialogue. The better pieces of this book were the actions or the internal calculations of characters shown to the reader/audience. Most of the information given to the twins does not feel earned, and the conflicts presented held little to no consequence in the end.
Those very few thought-provoking scenes made you take time to consider how or why the characters were making their decisions as you listened or read along. You could make conclusions instead of it being spoon-fed to you, and sadly the 'show not tell' aspect is poor, which is partially why my rating is so low
Pages 142 & 288 stood out to me about how Vax sees and feels in cities, and I very much enjoyed those two scenes, but that's about it when it comes to memorability in this book :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent, Animal death, and Torture
persephonefoxx's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Am I a little bias because I love Vax’ildan with all my heart? Yeah. Do I see where a lot of other reviews are coming from? Also yeah.
I enjoyed this book. It was a bit of a slow start (outside of the first of many of the twin’s childhood flashback, which were a lore highlight of the story). But I always falter a bit when it comes to high fantasy, it’s just not really my jam. But despite that, I really did have quite a bit of fun with this novel.
However, I am aware that the reason why I could get through some of this book’s problems (which I will admit were present) was that I am a huge fan of Campaign 1 of Critical Role. As I mentioned, I adore Vax.
While I had a good time reading this book, liked it’s characters, and enjoyed the story. I think it might lose some of its charm outside of the world of a Critical Role/Vox Machina fan. For fans of CR1: particularly Vex, Vax, and everyone’s favourite bear this book is likely to be a win in the sense that it is a fun little jaunt through the twin’s adventures pre-campaign. But it might not be as enjoyable by those who aren’t fans of the show.
I enjoyed this book. It was a bit of a slow start (outside of the first of many of the twin’s childhood flashback, which were a lore highlight of the story). But I always falter a bit when it comes to high fantasy, it’s just not really my jam. But despite that, I really did have quite a bit of fun with this novel.
However, I am aware that the reason why I could get through some of this book’s problems (which I will admit were present) was that I am a huge fan of Campaign 1 of Critical Role. As I mentioned, I adore Vax.
While I had a good time reading this book, liked it’s characters, and enjoyed the story. I think it might lose some of its charm outside of the world of a Critical Role/Vox Machina fan. For fans of CR1: particularly Vex, Vax, and everyone’s favourite bear this book is likely to be a win in the sense that it is a fun little jaunt through the twin’s adventures pre-campaign. But it might not be as enjoyable by those who aren’t fans of the show.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Racism and Death of parent
the_librarian39's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
You don’t have to have prior knowledge of Critical Role to enjoy this book (whether you’re reading it or listening to the audiobook)- I didn’t. The banter between the characters and the emotional investment keeps you turning the pages and wanting more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Violence
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Gore and Stalking
droggelbecher42's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book so much.
I cried, I got incredibly angry, I laughed and smiled.
Some of my favourite things about it (no spoilers):
- incredibly organic sibling dynamic, both full of bickering and true care
- the audiobooks narration by Robbie Daymond with voices from Laura & Liam
-> incredibly immersive, I forgot that an adorable little girl was in fact also spoken by him
-> the twins voices, as a fan of campaign 1 I just missed their in character voices, but even without that aspect it just added to the immersion
- complex issues and characters
-> I don't want to spoil anything, but there is a issue that is portrayed in a very unique way, giving equal times to both sides of the story.
- flashbacks!
-> They were well timed and made me appreciate the characters more, while also givivng more perspective to their flaws
- lgbtq+ representation
Tl;dr:
Good book, beautifully told story, not only for fans of campaign 1 & critical role, but also for fans of fantasy stories, intrigue and family dynamics
I cried, I got incredibly angry, I laughed and smiled.
Some of my favourite things about it (no spoilers):
- incredibly organic sibling dynamic, both full of bickering and true care
- the audiobooks narration by Robbie Daymond with voices from Laura & Liam
-> incredibly immersive, I forgot that an adorable little girl was in fact also spoken by him
-> the twins voices, as a fan of campaign 1 I just missed their in character voices, but even without that aspect it just added to the immersion
- complex issues and characters
-> I don't want to spoil anything, but there is a issue that is portrayed in a very unique way, giving equal times to both sides of the story.
- flashbacks!
-> They were well timed and made me appreciate the characters more, while also givivng more perspective to their flaws
- lgbtq+ representation
Tl;dr:
Good book, beautifully told story, not only for fans of campaign 1 & critical role, but also for fans of fantasy stories, intrigue and family dynamics
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Cursing
Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, Bullying, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Animal cruelty and Slavery
Includes some themes of terrible family dynamics, trust issues and feeling worthless
More...