Reviews - Critical Role: Bells Hells - What Doesn't Break

314 reviews for:

Critical Role: Bells Hells - What Doesn't Break

Cassandra Khaw

4.22 AVERAGE

story_goblin's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional funny reflective sad 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: Complicated

It's almost impossible to pick a favorite Bells Hells character, but if I was forced to, I'd say Laudna. I've been super excited for this book since it was announced. Robbie and the others did an impeccable job narrating, as always. The story is heartbreaking in the best possible way, and it was wonderfully executed. Maybe it was a little slow in places, but the pacing was good overall. I want more! I wish they'd do a collection of short stories of Imogen and Laudna traveling together.

goldfinch1003's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark emotional 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

danilanglie's review against another edition

2.5

2.5 stars, really... There are a lot of elements of this book I really liked, and moments especially early on when I was tempted to go with a four star rating! Ultimately I think this one gets a lower score from me because I think there was a really good 90 page novella hiding in this novel. It got pretty repetitive and some of the major character beats and plot points were quite belabored.

The prose is really quite beautiful, and listening to the audiobook was a lot of fun because Robbie Daymond has a lovely voice to listen to, and then Marisha did the Laudna dialogue of course, but they also got Grey DeLisle to do the Delilah voice which was extra cool! And I got a big smile on my face at the very end, hearing Laura as Imogen in the epilogue. And some of the specific heartbreaking incidents, with various people inclined to show Laudna small measures of kindness in a cruel world, were really touching! I love Laudna as a character, so honestly just an opportunity to dwell with her a bit longer and spend time inside of her mind was a gift in its own right.

But ultimately I think - yeah. This wasn't enough book to sustain a book. This should have been shorter, tighter, more specific. The elements that were there were good, but they got bogged down in repetition. I found myself impatient through much of the middle of the book, and maybe would have zoomed past a few of the incidents leading up to Laudna's experiences with Bella.

All that said, I'm glad I read this and have the beautiful hardcover to add to my CR bookshelf!