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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
I’m not sure what I thought I would feel when reading this book, but sobbing through 75% of it was definitely not it. Of course Laudna’s story was always going to be tragic, so it shouldn’t be a shock but there’s something about confronting a lifetime of pain coming at one of your favorite characters that just rips you to shreds.
It was really interesting getting to open up a new door to a character I thought I already knew so well. Every Thursday I get to see Laudna’s fun scary, and childlike chaos, and her deep-rooted need to be accepted. Getting to see how she got there and all the ways it went wrong in the past was a unique twist. I’m also really glad I opted for the audiobook here. @robbiedangerous as a book narrator was
It was really interesting getting to open up a new door to a character I thought I already knew so well. Every Thursday I get to see Laudna’s fun scary, and childlike chaos, and her deep-rooted need to be accepted. Getting to see how she got there and all the ways it went wrong in the past was a unique twist. I’m also really glad I opted for the audiobook here. @robbiedangerous as a book narrator was
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
delilah briarwood may be hot but at what cost???
dark
emotional
medium-paced
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
soooo good the whole way through but that epilogue…… holy shit love is real!!!!! imodna forever
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Listened to the audiobook over 3 days, I couldn't put it down! Great backstory for Laudna from Critical Role's campaign three.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I did not expect to enjoy the book as much as I did. I don't expect much from expanded universe and tie-in type works--but Cassandra Khaw knows how to make her character's both spooky and lovely at the same time, and the narration team, particularly Daymond and Ray, do a fantastic job at conveying the emotion moment to moment. It accompanied me through roughly ten hours of tattooing and somehow it being a distraction from pain felt fitting. Also of note: while knowledge of Critical Role lore is helpful, none of it was really required, as the important bits are covered again, really only the epilogue doesn't make sense without external context.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
sad
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
This is getting four stars largely because it's a great audio book. For the writing itself it's a 3 - 3.5.
Overall I had a great time with this. The middle absolutely lagged - I definitely agree with many other reviewers that this was too long. We get a lot of the same set ups on repeat here, and some of the passage of time could have been summarized instead of walked through.
Despite that, I enjoyed the exploration of maidenhood vs monsterdom, autonomy, and power. Particularly surprised to have enjoyed this because honestly I don't expect too much from a book based on a DnD character!
Overall I had a great time with this. The middle absolutely lagged - I definitely agree with many other reviewers that this was too long. We get a lot of the same set ups on repeat here, and some of the passage of time could have been summarized instead of walked through.
Despite that, I enjoyed the exploration of maidenhood vs monsterdom, autonomy, and power. Particularly surprised to have enjoyed this because honestly I don't expect too much from a book based on a DnD character!