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e_freckles's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence and Death
Minor: Classism, Abandonment, Death of parent, Torture, and Child abuse
aurora4847's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, Classism, and Abandonment
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
velokei's review
adventurous
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? No
4.0
Great read for Vox Machina fans! I would say you’ve gotta be a fan of the series to enjoy this book, or at least have a little background knowledge. Things are explained decently and all but a lot of Easter eggs (such as Vax getting the snake belt) might go over people’s heads.
I adored Vax’s relationship with Thorn and I liked how the twins were both openly bisexual. It’s lovely rep without forcing it and screaming about it. It’s just there and that’s great!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Child abuse, Cursing, Violence, and War
annemaries_shelves's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.75 stars
Kith & Kin is basically just a fun time.
As a more recent fan of the Critical Role world, I was excited to read a novel featuring the earlier experiences of Vax and Vex – two of my favourite characters (though really they’re all my favourites).
From a fantasy YA standpoint, K&K is nothing special or unique. But it is fun, with plenty of action, quips, (easy to figure out) plot twists, and emotional moments (especially the flashbacks). And from a CR perspective, it’s a fan-freaking-tastic time. I enjoyed some of the extra worldbuilding and gained a better understanding of how jaded the twins became by the beginning of Vox Machina. While the twins were initially on opposite sides of a larger conflict, I appreciated that the author didn’t drag it out and had them resolve their issues and work together – the strength of their relationship is largely dependent on the trust they’ve built and the open communication they (try to) maintain.
I recommend picking up the audiobook if you can – Robbie Daymond (aka Dorian Storm in Exandria Unlimited and early Campaign 3) is the narrator, with Liam O’Brien and Laura Bailey reprising their characters’ voices. Basically, I imagine Dorian as an older bard telling this tale to his audience. I will say - it was hard to contain my reactions to some scenes while in public!
Finally - I'm a big fan of Thorn and can’t forgive the author for going fade-to-black in *that* scene with Vax….
Kith & Kin is basically just a fun time.
As a more recent fan of the Critical Role world, I was excited to read a novel featuring the earlier experiences of Vax and Vex – two of my favourite characters (though really they’re all my favourites).
From a fantasy YA standpoint, K&K is nothing special or unique. But it is fun, with plenty of action, quips, (easy to figure out) plot twists, and emotional moments (especially the flashbacks). And from a CR perspective, it’s a fan-freaking-tastic time. I enjoyed some of the extra worldbuilding and gained a better understanding of how jaded the twins became by the beginning of Vox Machina. While the twins were initially on opposite sides of a larger conflict, I appreciated that the author didn’t drag it out and had them resolve their issues and work together – the strength of their relationship is largely dependent on the trust they’ve built and the open communication they (try to) maintain.
I recommend picking up the audiobook if you can – Robbie Daymond (aka Dorian Storm in Exandria Unlimited and early Campaign 3) is the narrator, with Liam O’Brien and Laura Bailey reprising their characters’ voices. Basically, I imagine Dorian as an older bard telling this tale to his audience. I will say - it was hard to contain my reactions to some scenes while in public!
Finally - I'm a big fan of Thorn and can’t forgive the author for going fade-to-black in *that* scene with Vax….
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Death of parent
rachaellann's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
yourlocalgaymess's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
I loved this book so much, I almost never was able to put it down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Bullying, Gaslighting, and Grief
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
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