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jeremiah_mccoy's review against another edition
3.0
So, game fiction is often not awesome. Some like the books of Paul S Kemp are down right insultingly bad. Some are just good adventure tales with little depth. This on is more the later. It is a solid adventure tale with a likable protagonist and her family. The downside here is the Lorkin character. He is the devil that provides Farideh's pact. D&D has never made devils interesting. They are like devils from the heavy metal album covers. This book is filled with that and it is why this 3 stars instead of 4. That said, the Farideh and Havilar are excellent characters, flawed in human ways but still heroic. Their Dragonborn adoptive father is a bit one note, but still nice. This book is not going to win a Pulitzer or anything but I found most of the main characters likable and the action was good.
jeremiah_mccoy's review
4.0
This is better than the first book. There are less devils involved in this story, so I was less distracted by there annoying portrayal in D&D. This is a straight up D&D adventure for the most part. The new characters are a bit shallow but enjoyable non the less. Farideh and company get sucked into a races to a lost netherese archive against Shadovar forces. Good comradery. The mysteries in the archive are fun to see unfold.
My one problem, which is a little of hold over from the previous story, is the parts involving the devils. A more annoying thing is the fact Farideh is still swooning over her abuser, Lorkin. In the first book it could be forgiven, she is young and he holds power over her. Book two, she goes out of her way, risks her life and her friends lives to rescue a guy who is emotionally abusive, manipulative, and also a freaking Devil. This is super irritating in the way that Twilight and other romances often go. It is a trope I kind of hate and I want it to go away.
That said, the rest of the book is excellent. I like all the main characters with the exception of Lorkin. The heroine gets to be pretty heroic.
My one problem, which is a little of hold over from the previous story, is the parts involving the devils. A more annoying thing is the fact Farideh is still swooning over her abuser, Lorkin. In the first book it could be forgiven, she is young and he holds power over her. Book two, she goes out of her way, risks her life and her friends lives to rescue a guy who is emotionally abusive, manipulative, and also a freaking Devil. This is super irritating in the way that Twilight and other romances often go. It is a trope I kind of hate and I want it to go away.
That said, the rest of the book is excellent. I like all the main characters with the exception of Lorkin. The heroine gets to be pretty heroic.
reddjena's review against another edition
5.0
Pros:
Extensive background knowledge of Forgotten Realms unnecessary to enjoy
Twin sisters dynamic differences and personalities
Read like a novel but easy to visualize as a campaign
Characters were all a lot of fun
Cons:
Sometimes there seemed to be a bit too much description
There was an end
This book was a lot of fun to read for a variety of reasons, but I most liked the characters. We were given several different POVs throughout, which worked well to carry the story. My favorite was seeing through the demon's eyes! I'm glad these characters have not only a sequel but two more books as well.
Extensive background knowledge of Forgotten Realms unnecessary to enjoy
Twin sisters dynamic differences and personalities
Read like a novel but easy to visualize as a campaign
Characters were all a lot of fun
Cons:
Sometimes there seemed to be a bit too much description
There was an end
This book was a lot of fun to read for a variety of reasons, but I most liked the characters. We were given several different POVs throughout, which worked well to carry the story. My favorite was seeing through the demon's eyes! I'm glad these characters have not only a sequel but two more books as well.
kamatari2021's review against another edition
4.0
I don't read as many "franchise" fantasy books anymore (books tied to Dungeons and Dragons or other media properties), but this one was good. It had interesting characters and an engaging story.
telegramsam's review against another edition
5.0
This book was amazing. Great characters, great pacing on the story, and just enough loose threads to draw you forward to the sequels.
I fall in love with just about every character, but especially Farideh and her twin Havilar. I can't think of any book I've read recently that captured the tensions and challenges of a teen on the cusp of becoming an adult. Throw in the troubles of having a devil trying to control you as well, and I just have so much more respect for Farideh for coming out as she had.
Audiobook note: The story was also excellently narrated by Dina Pearlman. Skillful variations on the different voices as well as emoting actions and the feelings of the characters.
I fall in love with just about every character, but especially Farideh and her twin Havilar. I can't think of any book I've read recently that captured the tensions and challenges of a teen on the cusp of becoming an adult. Throw in the troubles of having a devil trying to control you as well, and I just have so much more respect for Farideh for coming out as she had.
Audiobook note: The story was also excellently narrated by Dina Pearlman. Skillful variations on the different voices as well as emoting actions and the feelings of the characters.
shane's review against another edition
4.0
Teiflings. They're kind of like half human, half devil. At least in appearance. The twin Teiflings in this novel are the good guys, one of which saves her sister from making a pact with a devil by basically doing it herself. Farideh is her name, and she's now Lorcan's warlock. He's one of the devils her twin sister Havilar called up and then didn't really have any plans for. Farideh however is a little more thoughtful and knows exactly what she's done.
Anyway, this novel sees them venturing off on a bounty hunt along with their adoptive Father. Along the way they meet a trainee priest, or so they think, called Brin. But things aren't all they seem. As they enter the great city of Neverwinter in search of the aformentioned bounty, they soon find themselves smack bang in the middle of a classic battle of good vs evil.
I liked Brin. I like priests. Especially priests that have really cool magical abilities and turn out at the last minute to be much, much more than you ever thought they were. It was a nice little twist.
This is a novel set in a D&D world called Faerun, which is itself in a universe called the Forgotten Realms. You never really expect too much of novels based off RPGs but this wasn't half bad. It's no Song of Ice and Fire of course, but then it's not supposed to be. I've already bought the sequel in this trilogy anyway. I wasn't going to jump straight into the sequel due to fear of burn out but I read the back cover and it looks like they head into a classic D&D dungeon. I just can't pass that up I'm afraid.
Here's to more of the same, only better, because it has a dungeon in it(I think. I'll let you know when I've read it...)
Anyway, this novel sees them venturing off on a bounty hunt along with their adoptive Father. Along the way they meet a trainee priest, or so they think, called Brin. But things aren't all they seem. As they enter the great city of Neverwinter in search of the aformentioned bounty, they soon find themselves smack bang in the middle of a classic battle of good vs evil.
I liked Brin. I like priests. Especially priests that have really cool magical abilities and turn out at the last minute to be much, much more than you ever thought they were. It was a nice little twist.
This is a novel set in a D&D world called Faerun, which is itself in a universe called the Forgotten Realms. You never really expect too much of novels based off RPGs but this wasn't half bad. It's no Song of Ice and Fire of course, but then it's not supposed to be. I've already bought the sequel in this trilogy anyway. I wasn't going to jump straight into the sequel due to fear of burn out but I read the back cover and it looks like they head into a classic D&D dungeon. I just can't pass that up I'm afraid.
Here's to more of the same, only better, because it has a dungeon in it(I think. I'll let you know when I've read it...)
baticeer's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, this is really good. Erin M Evans is only the 4th D&D tie-in author I've read, but she's definitely the best so far. Her prose is quick and engaging, and this is a book that's hard to put down.
Unlike a lot of standard fantasy books and other licensed fiction, this book's plot is heavily character-driven, and its characters are great. Our protagonist is Farideh, a young tiefling [person with devil ancestry] who accidentally falls into making a pact with a devil. That throws her life into chaos, as she, along with her twin sister and adoptive father, has to leave home and ends up embroiled in the plots of various factions (both mortal and Hellish). I really enjoy and sympathize with Farideh as a character, but my other favorite is Lorcan, the cambion [half-devil] with whom she makes the pact. He teaches her to use her newfound magical powers and initially regards her as just a tool, but then devils who are a lot more powerful than Lorcan start getting involved, and he has to work together with her as more of a partner. There are quite a few chapters from Lorcan's perspective, where we get to see the inner workings of the Nine Hells and understand that Lorcan behaves the way he does because it's the only way for him to survive there. He might be an evil fiend, but he's honestly kind of bad at it, and by the end of the book both Farideh and the readers have seen his sympathetic side.
I shelved this as YA, even though it's not marketed as such, because it READS like the best kind of fun YA fantasy novel. Farideh is seventeen, and a lot of the book is about her dealing with awkwardness about romance! having mild sexual tension with Lorcan! having difficult but strong relationships with her father and sister! struggling with how the world discriminates against her heritage! LOTS OF EMOTIONS etc etc. Also, it actually pulls off having a love triangle in the middle of YA fantasy action and having me LIKE it, which is a difficult task, haha. I definitely recommend this book, and I'm looking forward to reading the remainder of the Brimstone Angels series.
Unlike a lot of standard fantasy books and other licensed fiction, this book's plot is heavily character-driven, and its characters are great. Our protagonist is Farideh, a young tiefling [person with devil ancestry] who accidentally falls into making a pact with a devil. That throws her life into chaos, as she, along with her twin sister and adoptive father, has to leave home and ends up embroiled in the plots of various factions (both mortal and Hellish). I really enjoy and sympathize with Farideh as a character, but my other favorite is Lorcan, the cambion [half-devil] with whom she makes the pact. He teaches her to use her newfound magical powers and initially regards her as just a tool, but then devils who are a lot more powerful than Lorcan start getting involved, and he has to work together with her as more of a partner. There are quite a few chapters from Lorcan's perspective, where we get to see the inner workings of the Nine Hells and understand that Lorcan behaves the way he does because it's the only way for him to survive there. He might be an evil fiend, but he's honestly kind of bad at it, and by the end of the book both Farideh and the readers have seen his sympathetic side.
I shelved this as YA, even though it's not marketed as such, because it READS like the best kind of fun YA fantasy novel. Farideh is seventeen, and a lot of the book is about her dealing with awkwardness about romance! having mild sexual tension with Lorcan! having difficult but strong relationships with her father and sister! struggling with how the world discriminates against her heritage! LOTS OF EMOTIONS etc etc. Also, it actually pulls off having a love triangle in the middle of YA fantasy action and having me LIKE it, which is a difficult task, haha. I definitely recommend this book, and I'm looking forward to reading the remainder of the Brimstone Angels series.
danarama's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty entertaining. I am so confused about what's been happening in Forgotten Realms novels for, oh, the last 20 years or so :P
Reading books based on D&D is weird for me because I keep looking for the game mechanics behind the story. "Wait, how many hit points does that orc have? How many experience points did Farideh just get?" etc, etc
Reading books based on D&D is weird for me because I keep looking for the game mechanics behind the story. "Wait, how many hit points does that orc have? How many experience points did Farideh just get?" etc, etc
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